ly to be animated by revenge against masculine authority; they often speak of men with acrimonious vehemence, but it is feldom found that they have any fettled hatred against them, and it is yet more rarely obferved that they have any kindness for each other. They will not eafily combine in any plot; and if they fhould ever agree to retire and fortify themselves in caftles or in mountains, the fentinel will betray the paffes in spite, and the garrison will capitulate upon eafy terms, if the befiegers have handfome sword-knots, and are well supplied with fringe and lace.

THE Gamefters, if they were united, would make a formidable body; and fince they confider men only as beings that are to lose their money, they might live together without any wish for the Officiousness of Gallantry or the Delights of diverfified Conversation. But as nothing would hold them together but the hope of plundering one another, their government would fail from the defect of its principles, the men would need only to neglect them, and they would

K 4

would perish in a few weeks by a civil

war.

I Do not mean to cenfure the Ladies of England as defective in knowledge or in spirit, when I suppose them unlikely to revive the military honours of their fex. The character of the ancient Amazons was rather terrible than lovely; the hand could not be very delicate that was only employed in drawing the bow and brandifhing the battle-axe; their power was maintained by cruelty, their courage was deformed by ferocity, and their example only fhews that men and women live best together.

N° 88. Saturday, Dceember 22.

WHE

HEN the Philofophers of the last Age were firft congregated into the Royal Society, great expectations were raised of the fudden progrefs of useful Arts; the time was fuppofed to be near when Engines should turn by a perpetual motion, and Health be fecured by the universal Medicine; when Learning fhould be facilitated by a real Character, and Commerce extended by fhips which could reach their Ports in defiance of the Tempeft.

BUT Improvement is naturally flow. The Society met and parted without any visible diminution of the miferies of life. The Gout and Stone were still painful, the Ground that was not plowed brought no Harveft, and neither Oranges nor Grapes would grow upon the Hawthorn. At laft, those who

were disappointed began to be angry; those likewife who hated innovation were glad to gain an opportunity of ridiculing men who had depreciated, perhaps with too much arrogance, the Knowledge of Antiquity. And it appears from fome of their earliest Apologies, that the Philofophers felt with great fenfibility the unwelcome importunities of those who were daily asking, “What have "ye done?"

THE truth is, that little had been done compared with what Fame had been fuffered to promife; and the queftion could only be answered by general apologies and by new hopes, which, when they were frustrated, gave a new occafion to the fame vexatious enquiry.

THIS fatal queftion has difturbed the quiet of many other minds. He that in the latter part of his life too ftrictly enquires what he has done, can very feldom receive from his own heart such an account as will give him fatisfaction,

WE

We do not indeed fo often disappoint others as ourselves. We not only think more highly than others of our own abilities, but allow ourselves to form hopes which we never communicate, and please our thoughts with employments which none ever will allot us, and with elevations to which we are never expected to rife; and when our days and years have paffed away in common business or common amusements, and we find at last that we have fuffered our purposes to fleep till the time of action is paft, we are reproached only by our own reflections; neither our friends nor our enemies wonder that we live and die like the rest of mankind; that we live without notice and die without memorial; they know not what task we had propofed, and therefore cannot discern whether it is finished.

HE that compares what he has done with what he has left undone, will feel the effect which must always follow the comparifon of imagination with reality; he will look with contempt on his own unimportance, and wonder to what purpose he came into the world; he will repine that he shall leave behind him