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likewife a privy-counfellor who was always at his elbow, and whifpering fomething or other in his ear: the name of this privy-counfellor was Poverty. As Avarice conducted himself by the counfels of Poverty, his antagonift was entirely guided by the dictates and advice of Plenty, who was his firft counsellor and minifter of ftate, that concerted all his measures for him, and never departed out of his fight. While these two great rivals were thus contending for empire, their conquefts were very various. Luxury got poffeffion of one heart, and Avarice of another. The father of a family would often range himself under the banners of Avarice, and the fon under those of Luxury. The wife and husband would often declare themselves on the two different parties; nay, the fame perfon would very often fide with one in his youth, and revolt to the other in his old age. Indeed the wife men of the world flood neuter; but, alas! their numbers were not confiderable. At length, when these two potentates had wearied themfelves with waging war upon one another, they agreed upon an interview, at which neither of their counsellors was to be prefent. It is faid that Luxury began the parley; and, after having represented the endless state of war in which they were engaged, told his enemy, with a frankness of heart which is natural to him, that he believed they two fhould be very good friends, were it not for the infigations of Poverty, that pernicious counfellor, who made an ill use of his ear, and filled him with groundlefs apprehenfions and prejudices. To this Avarice replied, that he looked upon Plenty (the first minifter of his antagonist) to be a much more deftructive countellor than Poverty; for that he was perpetually fuggefting pleafures, banishing all the neceffary cautions againit want, and, confequently, undermining thofe principles on which the government of Avarice was founded.

At

laft, in order to an accommodation, they agreed upon this preliminary; that each of them fhould immediately difmifs his privy-counfellor. When things were thus far adjufted towards a peace, all other differences were foon accommodated; infomuch, that for the future they refolved to live as good friends and confederates, and to share between them whatever conquests were made on

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either

either fide. For this reafon, we now find Luxury and Avarice taking poffeffion of the fame heart, and dividing the fame perfon between them. To which I fhall only add, that fince the difcarding of the counsellors above mentioned, Avarice fupplies Luxury in the room of Plenty, as Luxury prompts Avarice in the place of Poverty.

XIX. Hercules's Choice.

WHEN Hercules was in that part of his youth in

which it was natural for him to confider what courfe of life he ought to pursue, he one day retired into a defert, where the filence and folitude of the place very much favoured his meditations. As he was mu fing on his prefent condition, and very much perplexed in himself on the state of life he fhould choose, he faw two women of a larger ftature than ordinary approaching towards him. One of them had a very noble air and graceful deportment; her beauty was natural and eafy, her perfon clean and untpotted, her eyes caft towards the ground with an agreeable referve, her motion and behaviour full of modefty, and her raiment as white as fnow. The other had a great deal of health and floridness in her countenance, which she had helped with an artificial white and red; and the endeavoured to appear more graceful than ordinary in her mien, by a mixture of affectation in all her geftures. She had a wonderful confidence and affurance in her looks, and all the va riety of colours in her drefs that the thought were the moft proper to fhew her complexion to advantage. She caft her eyes upon herself, then turned them on those that were prefent, to fee how they liked her; and often looked on the figure the made in her own fhadow. Upon her nearer approach to Hercules, fhe ftepped before the other lady, who came forward with a regular compofed carriage; and, running up to him, accosted him after the following manner :

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"My dear Hercules," fays fhe, "I find you are very much divided in your thoughts upon the way of life that you ought to choofe: be my friend, and follow me; I will lead you into the poffeffion of pleasure, and out of the reach of pain, and remove you from all

the

the noife and difquietude of bufinefs. The affairs of either war or peace fhall have no power to disturb you. Your whole employment fhall be to make your life eafy, and to entertain every fenfe with its proper gratifications. Sumptuous tables, beds of rofes, clouds of perfumes, concerts of mufic, crowds of beauties, are all in readiness to receive you. Come along with me into this region of delights, this world of pleasure, and bid. farewel for ever to care, to pain, to bufinefs.”

Hercules, hearing the lady talk after this manner, defired to know her name; to which the answered, "My friends, and thofe who are well acquainted with me, call me Happiness; but my enemies, and thofe who would injure my reputation, have given me the name of Pleasure..

By this time the other lady was come up, who addreffed herself to the young hero in a very different

manner..

"Hercules," fays fhe, "I offer myself to you, becaufe I know you are défcended from the gods, and give proofs of that defcent by your love to virtue, and application to the ftudies proper for your age. This makes me hope you will gain, both for yourself and me, an immortal reputation. But, before I invite you into my fociety and friendship, I will be open and fincere with you, and must lay down this as an established truth, that there is nothing truly valuable which can be purchased without pains and labour. The gods have fet a price upon every real and noble pleasure. If you would gain the favour of the Deity, you must be at the pains of worshipping him; if the friendfhip of good men, you must study to oblige them; if you would be honoured by your country, you must take care to ferve it. In fhort, if you would be eminent in war or peace, you must become mafter of all the qualifications that can make you fo. These are the only terms and condi tions upon which I can propose happiness." The goddefs of Pleasure here broke in upon her difcourfe: "You fee," faid fhe, " Hercules, by her own confeffion, the way to her pleafures is long and difficult; whereas that which I propofe is fhort and eafy." las!" faid the other lady, whofe vifage glowed with

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"A

paffion,

paffion, made up of fcorn and pity, "what are the pleafures you propofe?" To eat before you are hungry, drink before you are athirst, fleep before you are tired; to gratify appetites before they are raifed, and raise fuch appetites as nature never planted. You never heard the most delicious mufic, which is the praife of one's felf; nor faw the most beautiful object, which is the work of one's own hands. Your votaries pass away their youth in a dream of mistaken pleasures, while they are hoarding up anguifh, torment, and remorfe, for old: age.

"As for me, I am the friend of gods and of good men, an agreeable companion to the artizan, an household guardian to the fathers of families, a patron and protector of fervants, an affociate in all true and generous friendships. The banquets of my votaries are never coftly, but always delicious; for none eat and drink. at them who are not invited by hunger and thirst. Their flumbers are found, and their wakings cheerful. My. young men have the pleasure of hearing themselves praised by thofe who are in years; and thofe who are in years, of being honoured by thofe who are young. In a word, my followers are favoured by the gods, be loved by their acquaintance, efteemed by their country, and, after the close of their labours, honoured by pofterity."

We know, by the life of this memorable hero, to which of these two ladies he gave up his heart; and I believe every one who reads this, will do him the ju Alice to approve his choice.

XX. Will Honeycomb's Spectator.

MY friend Will' Honeycomb has told me, for above this half year, that he had a great mind to try his hand at a Spectator, and that he would fain have one of his writing in my works. This morning I received from him the following letter; which, after having rec tified fome little orthographical mistakes, I fhall make a prefent of to the public.

"Dear Spec, I was about two nights ago in company with very agreeable young people of both fexes,

where,

where, talking of fome of your papers which are written on conjugal love, there arofe a difpute among us, whether there were not more bad husbands in the world than bad wives. A gentleman, who was advocate for the ladies, took this occafion to tell us the story of a famous fiege in Germany; which I have fince found related in my hiftorical dictionary after the following manner. When the Emperor Conrade III. had befieged Guelphus, Duke of Bavaria, in the city of Henfberg, the women, finding that the town could not poffibly hold out long, petitioned the Emperor that they might depart out of it with fo much as each of them could carry. The Emperor, knowing they could not convey away many of their effects, granted them their Opetition; when the women, to his great furprise, came out of the place with every one her hufband upon her back. The Emperor was fo moved at the fight, that he burst into tears; and after having very much extolled the women for their conjugal affection, gave the men to their wives, and received the Duke into his fa

vour.

"The ladies did not a little triumph at this ftory; asking us at the fame time, whether in our confciences we believed that the men in any town of Great Britain would, upon the fame offer, and at the fame conjuncture, have loaded themselves with their wives? or rather, whether they would not have been glad of fuch an opportunity to get rid of them? To this my very good friend Tom Dapperwit, who took upon him to be the mouth of our fex, replied, that they would be very much to blame if they would not do the fame good office for the women, confidering that their strength would be greater and their burdens lighter. As we were amufing ourselves with difcourfes of this nature, in order to pafs away the evening, which now begins to grow tedious, we fell into that laudable and primitive diverfion of questions and commands. I was no fooner vested with the regal authority, but I enjoined all the ladies, under pain of my difpleafure, to tell the company ingenuoufty, in cafe they had been in the fiege abovementioned, and had the fame offers made them as the

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