mer, in his Iliad, represents Jupiter weighing in his golden scales, at one time, the fates of Greece and Troy; at another, the destinies of Achilles and Hector. It is well known, that Virgil has herein almost translated Homer and that Milton has copied, and, at the same time, added new beauties to the fiction of the Greek and Latin poets. But the most beautiful imagery of this sort, is that mentioned by Plutarch, in a tragedy of Eschylus; wherein, at the single combat of Achilles and Memnon, the mother-goddesses (Thetis and Aurora) appear, one on the right, the other on the left side of Jupiter's scales; each anxiously imploring, that her son's fate might prevail in the balance. From this incident, the tragedian gave to his Play the name of Psychostasia; which is sufficient to warrant my calling this paper by the mechanical term of Psychostatics; or, in plain English, the weighing of souls. And our own language favours me yet farther in this metaphor, which calls a person of superior worth, a man of weight.

Cebes has represented human life in general, by a picture in a temple at Athens: in imitation of this ancient and lively way of allegory, I shall figure out some particular instances of weighing the merits and the demerits of per

sons, in a history-piece, proper to adorn an apartment in the house of any British nobleman, who thinks he can bear it. Let me, therefore, allot two spacious rooms to this design: in the outward shall be represented the weighing of false, and in the inward and more retired, the weighing of true merit..

Methinks, as I enter the outward room, a glaring light dazzles my eyes; when, looking up to the roof, I behold (at the farther end) a Fame of a monstrous size, like the figure de, scribed by Virgil: she blows a large trumpet, seemingly of gold; but the gilding is laid on so thin, that the brass underneath may be easily discovered by a judicious eye. The rest of the cieling is filled with the battles of Alexander, and the conquests of Lewis the fourteenth, in the most glittering and gaudy colours. One half of the compartment is full of French and English cavaliers, fighting duels: the other half, of several persons with rage and despair in their looks; some with bowls at their lips; others with daggers at their breasts; and in the middle sits Cato, with a sullen brow, holding in one hand Plato of the Immortality of the Soul, and a sword in the other. The cornish is embossed with medallions of modern dramatic writers, smatterers in natural philosophy and mathe

matics, pretenders to free-thinking, partypatriots, and the noisy zealots of every communion.

On the walls are various experiments of Psychostatics represented: either side displays a number of scales erected on eminences, each at a proper distance, with a human figure in every one of them, mounted up to the very beam; and underneath stand crowds of spectators, in whose faces appears the surprise of disappointment, On the right, in the most distinguished point of view, is seen a grave solemn figure, of sanctified look, with eyes and hands lifted towards heaven. His garb is a long robe, like that which the Pharisees wore; and in his lap lies a book of devotion, spread open. The reason why this venerable person weighs so light, is soon discovered, by looking into the lower scale, that preponderates by virtue of a small weight of gold, on which is engraved "Sincerity."

Beneath this Psychostatical experiment, one may see a mixed multitude,.made up of several of the religious orders in the Romish church; of ladies in hoop-petticoats, with white roses in their bosoms; of men, some in gowns with long slit sleeves, and large black roses in their hats; others, in short clokes, with little ebony canes

in their hands; and, hard by, is drawn a separate group of men and women, in habits plain and unfashionable, and of peculiar counte

nances.

On the left of the room, the most conspieuous portraiture is an elderly man, with a gold chain about his neck; his shoulders are loaded with three bags, on each of which is inscribed a "Plumb;" but,nevertheless, the scale he is placed in rises to the utmost height: and, in the prevailing balance, lie two boxes; the one containing the writings of an orphan's estate, to whom he was guardian; the other, an account of money put out at fifty per cent.

Casting my eye directly forward, fronting me appears a large pair of golden scales, hung to a silver beam; in one of which stands, in danger. of falling, a pert figure, with a scarlet hat on his head, in a purple robe, holding in one hand a roll, inscribed, "A league with the Turks; " in the other, a little scrap of paper, endorsed, "The hopes of the Pretender." Amazed to see this important figure kick the beam, I cast my eyes into the weighty scale; and in it I find four parchments, tied together with a ribbon, in which was wove in capital letters, "The Quadruple Alliance."

FREE-THINKER, No. 149, August 24, 1719,

Enlarge my life with multitude of days,

In health, in sickness, thus the suppliant prays;
Hides from himself his state, and shuns to know,
That life protracted is protracted woe.

JOHNSON.

THERE was upon a time an old Queen, so very far stricken in years that her majesty was toothless and bald: her head shook and trembled perpetually, like the leaves of an aspen; and her sight was so dim, that spectacles were of no longer use to her: her mouth was almost hid by the near approach of the nose to the chin; her stature was so diminished, that she was shrunk into a shapeless heap; and her back was so bowed, that you would have thought she had been crooked from her infancy.

A Fairy, who assisted at the birth of this Queen, came to her and said, "Do you desire to grow young again?"-"Most earnestly (replied the queen); I would part with all my jewels to be but twenty."-"Then (continued