tiful, every inordinate Defire goes out; when I meet with the Grief of Parents upon a Tomb-ftone, my Heart melts with Compaffion; when I fee the Tomb of the Parents themselves, I confider the Vanity of grieving for those whom we muft quickly follow: When I fee Kings lying by those who depofed them, When I confider rival Wits placed Side by Side, or the holy Men that divided the World with their Contests and Difputes, I reflect with Sorrow and Aftonishment on the little Competitions, Factions and Debates of Mankind. When I read the feveral Dates of the Tombs, of fome that died Yefterday, and fome fix hundred Years ago, I confider that great Day when we shall all of us be Contemporaries, and make our Appearance together.

C

Saturday,

Ut nox longa quibus Mentitur amica, diesque
Longa videtur opus debentibus, ut piger Annus
Pupillis, quos dura premit Cuftodia matrum;
Sic mibi Tarda fluunt ingrataque Tempora, quæ
Spem
Confiliumque morantur agendi Gnaviter, id quod
Aquè pauperibus prodeft, Locupletibus æquè,
Aquè neglectum pueris fenibufque nocebit. Hor.

T

HERE is fcarce a thinking Man in the World, who is involved in the Business of it, but lives under a fecret Impatience of the Hurry and Fatigue he fuffers, and has formed a Refolution to fix himself, one time or other, in fuch a State as is fuitable to the End of his Being. You hear Men every Day in Converfation profess, that all the Honour, Power and Riches which they propose to themselves, cannot give Satisfaction enough to reward them for half the Anxiety they undergo in the Purfuit, or Poffeffion of them.

While Men are in this Temper, (which happens very frequently) how inconfiftent are they with themselves? They are wearied with the Toil they bear, but cannot find in their Hearts to relinquish it; Retirement is what they want, but they cannot betake themselves to it: While they pant after Shade and Covert, they ftill affect to appear in the most glittering Scenes of Life: But fure this is but juft as reasonable as if a Man fhould call for more Lights, when he has a Mind to go to Sleep.

SINCE then it is certain that our own Hearts deceive us in the Love of the World, and that we cannot command our felves enough to refign it, though we every Day with our felves difengaged from its Allurements; let us not stand upon a formal taking of Leave, but wean our felves from them, while we are in the midft of them.

IT is certainly the general Intention of the greater Part of Mankind to accomplish this Work, and live according to their own Approbation, as foon as they poffibly can: But fince the Duration of Life is fo uncertain, and that has been a common Topick of Difcourfe ever fince there was fuch a thing as

Life it felf, how is it poffible that we fhould defer a Moment the beginning to live according to the Rules of Reafon?

THE Man of Business has ever fome one Point to carry, and then he tells himself he'll bid adieu to all the Vanity of Ambition: The Man of Pleafure refolves to take his Leave at least, and part civilly with his Mistress: But the Ambitious Man is entangled every Moment in a fresh Purfuit, and the Lover fees new Charms in the Object he fancied he could abandon. It is therefore a fantastical way of thinking, when we promise our felves an Alteration in our Conduct from change of Place, and difference of Circumstances; the fame Paffions will attend us whereever we are, 'till they are Conquer'd; and we can never live to our Satisfaetion in the deepeft Retirement, unless we are capable of living fo in fome meafure amidft the Noife and Bufinefs of the World.

I have ever thought Men were better known, by what could be obfer ved of them from a Perufal of their private Letters, than any other way, My Friend, the Clergyman, the other

Day,

Day, upon ferious Difcourfe with him concerning the Danger of Procraftination, gave me the following Letters from Perfons with whom he lives in great Friendship and Intimacy, according to the good Breeding and good Senfe of his Character. The firft is from a Man of Bufinefs, who is his Convert; The fecond from one of whom he conceives good Hopes: The third from one who is in no State at all, but carried one way and another by starts.

SIR,

I

Know not with what Words to exprefs to you the Senfe I have of the high Obligation you have laid upon me, in the Penance you enjoined me of doing fome Good or other, to a Perfon of Worth, every Day I live. The Station I am in furnishes me with daily Opportunities of this "kind: And the noble Principle with 'which you have infpired me, of Be'nevolence to all I have to deal with,

quickens my Application in every thing I undertake. When I relieve Merit 'from Discountenance, when I affift a ❝ friendless Person, when I produce con'cealed