mortality! Tortured in life, and swallowed up in death! The genius being moved with compassion towards me, bid me quit so uncomfortable a profpect. Look no more, faid he, on man in the first stage of his existence, in his fetting out for eternity; but caft thine eye on that thick mift into which the tide bears the feveral generations of mortals that fall into it. I directed my fight as I was ordered, and (whether or not the good genius strengthened it with any fupernatural force, or diffipated part of the mist that was before too thick for the eye to penetrate) 1 saw the valley opening at the farther end, and spreading forth into an immenfe ocean, that had a huge rock of adamant running through the midst of it, and dividing it into two equal parts. The clouds still rested on one half of it, infomuch that I could discover nothing in it: But the other appeared to me a vaft ocean planted with innumerable iflands, that were covered with fruits and flowers, and interwoven with a thoufand little shining feas that ran among them. I could fee persons dressed in glorious habits with garlands upon their heads, paffing among the trees, lying down by the fides of fountains, or resting on beds of flowers, and could hear a confused harmony of finging birds, falling waters, human voices and musical instruments. Gladness grew in me upon the discovery of fo delightful a scene. I wished for the wings of an eagle, that I might fly away to those happy feats; but the genius told me there was no paffage to them, except through the gates of death that I faw opening every moment upon the bridge. The iflands, faid he, that lie fo fresh and green before thee, and with which the whole face of the ocean appears spotted as far as thou canst fee, are more in number than the fands on the fea-shore: There are myriads of islands behind those which thou here discoverest, reaching farther than thy eye, or even than thine imagination can extend itself. These are the manfions of good men after death, who according to the degree and kinds of virtue in which they excelled, are diftributed among these several islands, which abound with plea fures of different kinds and degrees fuitable to the relishes and perfections of those who are fettled in them: Every island is a paradife accommodated to its respective inhabitants. Are not these, O Mirzah, habitations worth contending for? Does life appear miferable, that gives thee opportunities of earning fuch a reward? Is death to be feared, that will convey thee to fo happy an existence? Think not man was made in vain, who has fuch an eternity reserved for him. I gazed with inexpreffible pleasure on these happy ifslands. At length, faid I, shew me now, I beseech thee, the secrets that lie hid under these dark clouds which cover the ocean on the other fide of the rock of adamant. The genius making me no answer, I turned about to address myself to him a fecond time, but I found that he had left me, I then turned again to the vision which I had been so long contemplating; but instead of the rolling tide, the arched bridge, and the happy iflands, I saw nothing but the long hollow valley of Bagdad, with oxen, theep, and camels grazing upon the fides of it. The end of the first Vision of Mirzah. SPECTATOR, Vol. II. No. 159. С. EXPENCES. SOME ludicrous schoolmen have put the cafe, that if an ass were placed between two bundles of hay, which affected his senses equally on each side, and tempted him in the very fame degree, whether it would be poffible for him to eat of either. They generally determine this question to the disadvantage of the ass, who they say would starve in the midst of plenty, as not having a fingle grain of free-will to determine him more to the one than to the other. The bundle of hay on either fide striking his fight and smell in the same proportion, would keep him in a perpetual fufpense, like the two magnets, which travellers have told us are placed, one of them in the roof, and the other in the floor of Mahomet's burying-place at Mecca, and by that means, say they, pull the impostor's iron coffin with fuch an equal attraction, that it hangs in the air between both of them. As for the ass's behaviour in fuch nice circumstances, whether he would tarve fooner than violate his neutrality to the two bundles of hay, I shall not prefume to determine; but only take notice of the conduct of our own species in the fame perplexity. When a man has a mind to venture his money in a lottery, every figure of it appears equally alluring, and as likely to fucceed as any of its fellows. They all of them have the fame pretenfions to good-luck, stand upon the fame foot of competition, and no manner of reafon can be given why a man should prefer one to the other before the lottery is drawn. In this cafe therefore caprice very often acts in the place of reason, and forms to itself some groundless, imaginary motive, where real and substantial ones are wanting. I know a well-meaning man who is very well pleased to risk his good-fortune upon the number 1711, because it is the year of our Lord. I am acquainted with a tacker, that would give a good deal for the number 134. On the contrary, I have been told of a certain zealous diffenter, who being a great enemy to popery, and believing that bad men are the most fortunate in this world, will lay two to one on the number 666 against any other number, because, says he, it is the number of the beast. Several would prefer the number 12000 before any other, at it is the number of the pounds in the great prize. In short, some are pleased to find their own age in their number; some that they have got a number which makes a pretty appearance in the cyphers; and others, because it is the fame number that fucceeded in the last lottery. Each of these upon no other grounds, thinks he stands fairest for the great lot, and that he is poffefsed of what may not be improperly called the golden number. These principles of election are the paftimes and extravagncies of human reafon, which is of so busy a nature, that it will be exerting itself in the meanest trifles, and working even when it wants materials. The wifest of men are sometimes actuated by fuch unaccountable motives, as the life of the fool and the fuperftitious is guided by nothing else. I am surprised that none of the fortune-tellers, or as the French call them, the diseurs de bonne avanture, who publish their bills in every quarter of the town, have not turned our lotteries to their advantage: Did any of them fet up for a caster of fortunate figures, what might he not get by his pretended discoveries and predictions ? I remember among the advertisements in the PoftBsy of September the 27th, I was surprised to fee the following one: This is to give notice, that ten shillings over and above the market price, will be given for the ticket in 150,0001. lottery, No. 132, by Nath. Cliff at the bible and three crowns in Cheapside. This advertisement has given great matter of speculation to coffee-house theorists. Mr. Cliff's principles and conversation have been canvaffed upon this cafion, and various conjectures made why he should thus fet his heart upon No 132. I have examined all the powers in those numbers, broken them into fractions, extracted the square and cube root, divided and multiplied them all ways, but could not arrive at the fecret till about three days ago, when I received the following letter from an unknown hand, by which I find that Mr. Nathaniel Cliff is only the agent, and not the principal, in this advertisement. Mr. SPECTATOR, IAM AM the person wholately advertised that I would give ten fhillings more than the current price for the ticket No. 132 in the lottery now drawing, which is a fecret I have communicated to some friends, who rally me inceffantly upon that account. You must know I have but one ticket, for which reason, and a certain dream I have lately had more than once, I was resolved it should be the number I most approved am so positive I have pitched upon the great lot, that F VOL. II. D yunose thu could almost lay all I am worth on it. My visions are so frequent and strong upon this occafion, that I have not only poffefsed the lot, but disposed of the money which in all probability it will fell for. This morning, in particular, I fet up an equipage which I look upon to be the gayeft in the town; the liveries are very rich, but not gaudy. I should be very glad to fee a fpeculation or t o upon lottery subjects, in which you will oblige all people concerned, and in particular Your most humble Servant, GEORGE GOSLING. "P. S. Dear SPEC, if I get the 12000 pound, I'H make thee an handsome present." After having wished my correfpondent good luck, and thanked him for his intended kindness, I shall for this time dismiss the subject of the lottery, and only observe, that the greatest part of mankind are in fome degree guilty of my friend Gofling's extravagance. We are apt to rely upon future prospects, and be comereally expensive while we are only rich in possibility. We live up to our expectations, not to our poffessions, and make a figure proportionable to what we may be, not to what we are. We out-run our present income, as not doubting to disburse ourselves out of the profits of some future place, project, or reversion that we have in view. It is through this temper of mind, which is so common among us, that we see tradesmen break, who have met with no misfortunes in their business; and men of estates reduced to poverty, who have never fuffered from losses or repairs, tenants, taxes or law-suits. In short, it is this foolish, fanguine temper, this depending upon contingent futurities, that occafions romantic generosity, chimerical grandeur, senseless oftentation, and generally ends in beggary and ruin. The man who will live above his present circumstances, is in great danger of living in a little time much beneath them; or as the Italian proverb runs, the man who lives by hope will die by hunger. |