upon strange and lamentable accidents. A little before the armies took the field, his way was to open your attention with a prodigy; and a monster well writ was two guineas the lowest price. This prepared his readers for great and bloody news from Flanders in June and July. Poor Tom! he is gone. But I observed, he always looked well after a battle, and was apparently fatter in a fighting year. Had this honest, careless fellow lived till now, famine had stared him in the face, and interrupted his merriment; as it must be a solid affliction to all those whose pen is their portion.

As for my part, I do not speak wholly for my own sake in this point; for palmistry and astrology will bring me in greater gains than these my papers; so that I am only in the condition of a lawyer who leaves the bar for chamber practice. However, I may be allowed to speak in the cause of learning itself, and lament, that a liberal education is the only one which a polite nation makes unprofitable. All mechanic artisans are allowed to reap the fruit of their invention and ingenuity without invasion; but he that has separated himself from the rest of mankind, and studied the wonders of the creation, the government of his passions, and the revolutions of the world, and has an ambition to communicate the effect of half his life spent in such noble inquiries, has no property in what he is willing to produce, but is exposed to robbery and want, with this melancholy and just reflection, that he is the only man who is not protected by his country, at the same time that he best deserves it.

According to the ordinary rules of computation, the greater the adventure is, the greater ought to be the profit of those who succeed in it; and by this measure, none have pretence of turning their labours to greater advantage than persons brought up to letters. A learned education, passing through great schools and universities, is very expensive, and consumes a moderate fortune, before it is gone through in its proper forms. The purchase of an handsome commission or employment, which would give a man a good figure in another kind of life, is to be made at a much cheaper rate. Now, if we consider this expensive voyage which is undertaken in the search of knowledge, and how few there are who take in any considerable merchandise, how less frequent it is to be able to turn what men have gained into profit: how hard is it, that the very small number who are distin

guished with abilities to know how to vend their have the good fortune to bring them into port, sho being plundered by privateers under the very ca should protect them! The most eminent and use of the age we live in, after having laid out a princel in works of charity and beneficence, as became the of his mind, and the sanctity of his character, w left the person in the world who was the dearest to narrow condition, had not the sale of his immortal brought her in a very considerable dowry; thou impossible for it to be equal to their value. Every know, that I here mean the works of the late Arch Canterbury, the copy of which was sold for £2500.

I do not speak with relation to any party; b happened, and may often so happen, that men of gr ing and virtue cannot qualify themselves for being in business, or receiving preferments. In this case them off from all support, if you take from the ber may arise from their writings. For my own par brought myself to consider things in so unprej manner, that I esteem more a man who can live by ducts of his understanding, than one who does it favour of great men.

The zeal of an author has transported me thus fa I think myself as much concerned in the capacity of If this practice goes on, we must never expect to se beautiful edition of a book in Great Britain.

We have already seen the memoirs of Sir William published in the same character and volume with the of Tom Thumb, and the works of our greatest poets into penny books and garlands. For my own part, to see my lucubrations printed on browner paper th are at present; and, if the humour continues, must b to retrench my expensive way of living, and not smok two pipes a day.

[Sir Richard Steele joined in this paper. T.]

1 Immortal writings.] It is to be hoped that this epithet given to Archbishop Tillotson's works, for the credit of our tas as morals.

From my own Apartment, December 3.

A CONTINUATION OF THE VISION.

Every

THE male world were dismissed by the Goddess of Justice, and disappeared, when on a sudden the whole plain was covered with women. So charming a multitude filled my heart with unspeakable pleasure; and as the celestial light of the mirror shone upon their faces, several of them seemed rather persons that descended in the train of the goddess, than such who were brought before her to their trial. The clack of tongues, and confusion of voices, in this new assembly, was so very great, that the goddess was forced to command silence several times, and with some severity, before she could make them attentive to her edicts. They were all sensible, that the most important affair among womankind was then to be settled, which every one knows to be the point of place. This had raised innumerable disputes among them, and put the whole sex into a tumult. one produced her claim, and pleaded her pretensions. Birth, beauty, wit, or wealth, were words that rung in my ears from all parts of the plain. Some boasted of the merit of their husbands; others, of their own power in governing them. Some pleaded their unspotted virginity; others, their numerous issue. Some valued themselves as they were the mothers, and others as they were the daughters, of considerable persons. There was not a single accomplishment unmentioned, or unpractised. The whole congregation was full of singing, dancing, tossing, ogling, squeaking, smiling, sighing, fanning, frowning, and all those irresistible arts which women put in practice to captivate the hearts of reasonable creatures. The goddess, to end this dispute, caused it to be proclaimed, "That every one should take place according as she was more or less beautiful." This declaration gave great satisfaction to the whole assembly, which immediately bridled up, and appeared in all its beauties. Such as believed themselves graceful in their motion, found an occasion of falling back, advancing forward, or making a false step, that they might show their persons in the most becoming

air. Such as had fine necks and bosoms, were wo curious to look over the heads of the multitude, and the most distant parts of the assembly. Several their hands on their foreheads, as helping their sigh upon the glories that surrounded the goddess, but i to show fine hands and arms. The ladies were ye pleased when they heard, that in the decision of th controversy, each of them should be her own ju take her place according to her own opinion of herse she consulted her looking-glass.

The goddess then let down the mirror of truth in chain, which appeared larger in proportion as it descen approached nearer to the eyes of the beholders. It particular property of this looking-glass to banish appearances, and show people what they are. Th woman was represented, without regard to the usual features, which were made entirely conformable to th characters. In short, the most accomplished (takin whole circle of female perfections) were the most be and the most defective, the most deformed. The goo varied the motion of the glass, and placed it in s different lights, that each had an opportunity of seeing

in it.

It is impossible to describe the rage, the pleasure, or ishment, that appeared in each face upon its repr tion in the mirror: multitudes started at their ow and would have broke the glass if they could have rea Many saw their blooming features wither as they upon them, and their self-admiration turned into a l and abhorrence. The lady who was thought so agree her anger, and was so often celebrated for a woman and spirit, was frighted at her own image, and fanc saw a fury in the glass. The interested mistress be harpy, and the subtle jilt a sphinx. I was very muc bled in my own heart, to see such a destruction faces; but at the same time had the pleasure of several improved, which I had before looked upon greatest master-pieces of nature. I observed, that so were so humble, as to be surprised at their own ch and that many a one, who had lived in the retireme severity of a vestal, shined forth in all the graces and tions of a siren. I was ravished at the sight of a par

image in the mirror, which I think the most beautiful object that my eyes ever beheld. There was something more than human in her countenance: her eyes were so full of light, that they seemed to beautify everything they looked upon. Her face was enlivened with such a florid bloom, as did not so properly seem the mark of health, as of immortality. Her shape, her stature, and her mien, were such as distinguished her even there where the whole fair sex was assembled.

I was impatient to see the lady represented by so divine. an image, whom I found to be the person that stood at my right hand, and in the same point of view with myself. This was a little old woman, who in her prime had been about five foot high, though at present shrunk to about three quarters of that measure. Her natural aspect was puckered up with wrinkles, and her head covered with grey hairs. I had observed all along an innocent cheerfulness in her face, which was now heightened into rapture as she beheld herself in the glass. It was an odd circumstance in my dream, (but I cannot forbear relating it,) I conceived so great an inclination towards her, that I had thoughts of discoursing her upon the point of marriage, when on a sudden she was carried from me; for the word was now given, that all who were pleased with their own images, should separate, and place themselves at the head of their sex.

This detachment was afterwards divided into three bodies, consisting of maids, wives, and widows: the wives being placed in the middle, with the maids on the right, and widows on the left; though it was with difficulty that these two last bodies were hindered from falling into the centre. This separation of those, who liked their real selves, not having lessened the number of the main body so considerably as it might have been wished, the goddess, after having drawn up her mirror, thought fit to make new distinctions among those who did not like the figure which they saw in it. She made several wholesome edicts, which are slipped out of my mind; but there were two which dwelt upon me, as being very extraordinary in their kind and executed with great severity. Their design was, to make an example of two extremes in the female world; of those who are very severe on the conduct of others, and of those who are very regardless of their own. The first sentence, therefore, the goddess pronounced, was,