usefully employed, the years of youth, of spirit, and vivacity.

It is one of the innumerable abfurdities of pride, that we are never more impatient of direction, than in that part of life when we need it most; we are in haste to meet enemies whom we have not ftrength to overcome, and to undertake tasks which we cannot perform and as he that once mifcarries does not easily perfuade mankind to favour another attempt, an ineffectual ftruggle for fame is often followed by perpetual obfcurity.

NUMB. 112. SATURDAY, April 13, 1751.

In mea vefanas habui difpendia vires,

Et valui panas fortis in ipfe meas.

Of strength pernicious to myself I boast;

OVID.

The pow'rs I have were giv'n me to my cost. F. LEWIS.

WE

E are taught by Celfus, that health is best preserved by avoiding fettled habits of life, and deviating fometimes into flight aberrations from the laws of medicine; by varying the proportions of food and exercise, interrupting the fucceffions of rest and labour, and mingling hardships with indulgence. The body, long accustomed to stated quantities and uniform periods, is difordered by the smallest irregularity; and fince we cannot adjust every day by the balance or barometer, it is fit fometimes to depart from rigid accuracy, that we may be able to comply

with neceffary affairs, or ftrong inclinations. He that too long obferves nice punctualities, condemns. himself to voluntary imbecility, and will not long efcape the miseries of disease.

The fame laxity of regimen is equally neceffary to intellectual health, and to a perpetual fufceptibility of occafional pleasure. Long confinement to the fame company which perhaps fimilitude of taste brought first together, quickly contracts his faculties, and makes a thoufand, things offenfive that are in themselves indifferent; a man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own fentiments, foon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratifications of mankind.

In things which are not immediately fubject to religious or moral confideration, it is dangerous to be too long or too rigidly in the right. Senfibility may, by an inceffant attention to elegance and propriety, be quickened to a tenderness inconfiftent with the condition of humanity, irritable by the smallest asperity, and vulnerable by the gentlest touch. He that pleases himself too much with minute exactness, and submits to endure nothing in accommodations, attendance, or address, below the point of perfection, will, whenever he enters the crowd of life, be haraffed with innumerable diftreffes, from which those who have not in the fame manner increased their fenfations find no disturbance. His exotick foftness will fhrink at the coarseness of vulgar felicity, like a plant transplanted to northern nurferies, from the dews and funshine of the tropical regions.

There will always be a wide interval between practical and ideal excellence; and, therefore, if we al

low not ourselves to be fatisfied while we can perceive any error or defect, we must refer our hopes of ease to fome other period of existence. It is well known, that, expofed to a microscope, the fmootheft polish of the most folid bodies difcovers cavities and prominences; and that the fofteft bloom of rofeate virginity repels the eye with excrefcences and difcolorations. The perceptions as well as the fenfes may be improved to our own difquiet, and we may, by diligent cultivation of the powers of diflike, raise in time an artificial faftidioufnefs, which fhall fill the imagination with phantoms of turpitude, fhew us the naked skeleton of every delight, and prefent us only with the pains of pleasure, and the deformities of beauty.

Peevishness, indeed, would perhaps very little difturb the peace of mankind, were it always the confequence of fuperfluous delicacy; for it is the privilege only of deep reflection, or lively fancy, to deftroy happiness by art and refinement. But by continual indulgence of a particular humour, or by long enjoyment of undifputed fuperiority, the dull and thoughtless may likewife acquire the power of tormenting themselves and others, and become fufficiently ridiculous or hateful to thofe who are within fight of their conduct, or reach of their influence.

They that have grown old in a fingle ftate are generally found to be morofe, fretful, and captious; tenacious of their own practices and maxims; foon offended by contradiction or negligence; and impatient of any affociation, but with thofe that will watch their nod, and fubmit themselves to unlimited authority. Such is the effect of having lived without

the

the neceffity of confulting any inclination but their

own.

The irafcibility of this clafs of tyrants is generally exerted upon petty provocations, such as are incident to understandings not far extended beyond the inftincts of animal life; but unhappily he that fixes his attention on things always before him, will never have long ceffations of anger. There are many veterans of luxury upon whom every noon brings a paroxyfm of violence, fury, and execration; they never fit down to their dinner without finding the meat fo injudiciously bought, or fo unfkilfully dreffed, fuch blunders in the feafoning, or fuch improprieties in the fauce, as can scarcely be expiated without blood; and, in the transports of refentment, make very little diftinctions between guilt and innocence, but let fly their menaces, or growl out their difcontent, upon all whom fortune expofes to the storm.

It is not easy to imagine a more unhappy condition than that of dependence on a peevish man. In every other state of inferiority the certainty of pleafing is perpetually increased by a fuller knowledge of our duty; and kindnefs and confidence are strengthened by every new act of truft, and proof of fidelity. But peevishness facrifices to a momentary offence, the obfequioufnefs or usefulness of half a life, and as more is performed, increases her exactions.

Chryfalus gained a fortune by trade, and retired into the country; and, having a brother burdened by the number of his children, adopted one of his fons. The boy was difmiffed with many prudent admonitions; informed of his father's inability to maintain him in his native rank; cautioned against all oppo

fition to the opinions or precepts of his uncle; and animated to perfeverance by the hopes of fupporting the honour of the family, and overtopping his elder brother. He had a natural ductility of mind, without much warmth of affection, or elevation of fentiment; and therefore readily complied with every variety of caprice; patiently endured contradictory reproofs; heard falfe accufations without pain, and opprobrious reproaches without reply; laughed obftreperously at the ninetieth repetition of a joke; afked questions about the univerfal decay of trade; admired the ftrength of thofe heads by which the price of stocks is changed and adjusted; and behaved with fuch prudence and circumfpection, that after fix years the will was made, and Juvenculus was declared heir. But unhappily, a month afterwards, retiring at night from his uncle's chamber, he left the door open behind him: the old man tore his will, and being then perceptibly declining, for want of time to deliberate, left his money to a trading company.

When female minds are imbittered by age or folitude, their malignity is generally exerted in a rigorous and spiteful fuperintendence of domeftick trifles. Eriphile has employed her éloquence for twenty years upon the degeneracy of fervants, the naftinefs of her houfe, the ruin of her furniture, the difficulty of preferving tapestry from the moths, and the carelefness of the fluts whom fhe employs in brushing it. It is her business every morning to vifit all the rooms, in hopes of finding a chair without its cover, a window shut or open contrary to her orders, a spot on the hearth, or a feather on the floor, that the rest of the

day