or are more bufy in providing for another year than when it is plain to all but themfelves, that at another year they cannot arrive. Though every funeral that paffes before their eyes evinces the deceitfulnefs of fuch expectations, fince every man who is borne to the grave thought himself equally certain of living at leaft to the next year; the furvivor ftill continues to flatter himself, and is never at a lofs for fome reason why his life should be protracted, and the voracity of death continue to be pacified with fome other prey.

But this is only one of the innumerable artifices practised in the univerfal confpiracy of mankind against themselves: every age and every condition indulges fome darling fallacy; every man amufes himself with projects which he knows to be improbable, and which, therefore, he refolves to purfue without daring to examine them. Whatever any man ardently defires, he very readily believes that he fhall fome time attain : he whofe intemperance has overwhelmed him with dif eafes, while he languishes in the fpring, expects vigour and recovery from the fummer fun; and while he melts away in the fummer, transfers his hopes to the frofts of winter: he that gazes upon elegance or pleafure, which want of money hinders him from imitating or partaking, comforts himself that the time of diftrefs will foon be at an end, and that every day brings him nearer to a state of happiness; though he knows it has paffed not only without acquifition of advantage, but perhaps without endeavours after it, in the. formation of schemes that cannot be executed, and in the contemplation of profpects which cannot be ap. proached.

K-6,

Such

Such is the general dream in which we all flumber out our time every man thinks the day coming, in which he shall be gratified with all his wishes, in which he hall leave all thofe competitors behind, who are now rejoicing like himself in the expectation of victory; the day is always coming to the fervile, in which they fhall be powerful, to the obfcure, in which they shall be eminent, and to the deformed, in which they fhall be beautiful.

If any of my readers has looked with fo little attention on the world about him, as to imagine this reprefentation exaggerated beyond probability, let him reflect a little upon his own life; let him confider what were his hopes and profpeets ten years ago, and what additions he then expected to be made by ten years. to his happiness: thofe years are now elapfed; have they made good the promise that was extorted from them; have they advanced his fortune, enlarged his knowledge, or reformed his conduct, to the degree that was. once expected? I am afraid every man that recollects his hopes must confefs his difappointment, and own that day has glided unprofitably after day, and that he is still at the fame diftance from the point of happinefs.

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With what confolations can those who have thus miscarried in their chief defign elude the memory of their ill fuccefs? with what amufements can they pacify their difcontent, after the lofs of fo large a portion of life? they can give themselves up again to the fame delufions, they can form new schemes of airy gratifications, and fix another period of felicity; they can again refolve to trust the promise which they know will be broken, they can walk in a circle with their

eyes

eyes fhut, and perfuade themselves to think that they go forward.

Of every great and complicated event, part depends upon caufes out of our power, and part must be effected by vigour and perfeverance.. With regard to that which is ftyled in common language the work of chance, men will always find reafons for confidence or distrust, according to their different tempers or inclinations; and he that has been long accustomed to please himself with poffibilities of fortuitous happiness, will not easily or willingly be reclaimed from his mistake. But the effects of human industry and skill, are more e eafily fubjected to calculation: whatever can be completed in a year, is divifible into parts, of which each may be performed in the compafs of a day: he, therefore, that has paffed the day without attention to the talk affigned him, may be certain that the lapfe of life has brought him no nearer to his object; for whatever idlenefs may expect from time, its produce will be only in proportion to the diligence with which it has been used. He that floats lazily down the ftream, in purfuit of fomething borne along by the fome current, will find himself indeed move forward; but unless he lays his hand to the oar, and encreases his fpeed by his own labour, must be always at the fame distance from that which he is following.

There have happened in every age, fome contingencies of unexpected and undeferved fuccefs, by which thofe who are determined to believe whatever favours their inclinations, have been encouraged to delight themselves with future advantages; they fupport confidence by confiderations, of which the only proper use is, to chace away defpair: it is equally abfurd to fit 5 down

down in idleness because fome have been enriched without labour, as to leap a precipice becaufe fome have. fallen and escaped with life, or to put to fea in a ftorm because fome have been driven from a wreck upon the coaft to which they are bound.

We are all ready to confefs, that belief ought to be proportioned to evidence or probability: let any man, therefore, compare the number of those who have been thus favoured by fortune. and of those who have failed of their expectations, and he will eafily determine with what juftness he has registered himself in the lucky catalogue.

But there is no need on these occafions for deep inquiries or laborious calculations; there is a far easier method of diftinguishing the hopes of folly from those of reason, of finding the difference between prospects that exift before the eyes, and those that are only painted on a fond imagination. Tom Drowfy had accustomed himself to compute the profit of a darling project, till he had no longer any doubt of its fuccefs; it was at laft matured by clofe confideration; all the measures were accurately adjusted, and he wanted only five hundred pounds to become mafter of a fortune that might be envied by a director of a trading company. Tom was generous and grateful, and was refolved to recompenfe this fmall affiftance with an ample fortune he, therefore, deliberated for a time, to whom. amongst his friends he should declare his neceffities; not that he suspected a refufal, but because he could not fuddenly determine which of them would make the beft ufe of riches, and was, therefore, most worthy of his favour. At laft his choice was fettled; and knowing that in order to borrow, he must fhew the proba

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bility of repayment, he prepared for a minute and copious explanation of his project. But here the golden dream was at an end: he foon discovered the impoffibi lity of impofing upon others the notions by which he had fo long impofed upon himfelf; which way foever he turned his thoughts, impoffibililty and abfurdity arofe in oppofition on every fide; even credulity and prejudice were at laft forced to give way, and he grew alhamed of crediting himself what fhame would not fuffer him to communicate to another.

To this teft, let every man bring his imaginations, before they have been too long predominant in his mind. Whatever is true will bear to be related, whatever is rational will endure to be explained: but when we delight to brood in fecret over future happiness, and filently to employ our meditations upon fchemes, of which we are confcious, that the bare mention would expofe us to derifion and contempt, we should then remember, that we are cheating ourselves by voluntary delufions; and giving up to the unreal mockeries of fancy, thofe hours in which folid advantages might be attained by fober thought and rational affiduity.

There is, indeed, fo little certainty in human affairs, that the most cautious and fevere examiner may be allowed to indulge fome hopes, which he cannot prove to be much favoured by probability; fince, after his utmoft endeavours to afcertain events, he must often leave the iffue in the hands of chance. And fo fcanty is our prefent allowance of happiness, that in many fituations. life could fcarcely be fupported, if hope were not allowed to relieve the prefent hour by pleasures borrowed from futurity; and reanimate the langour of dejection to new efforts, by pointing to diftant regions of felici

ty,