proceed, and that was no fmall trouble to my mind. mind. It was a great journey round, and if I did ride it, I knew not where to turn in on the confines of the country my friend lived on; for I had loft his directions, and had only a small remembrance of his dwelling fomewhere on the north edge of Weftmoreland or Yorkshire, or on the adjoining borders of Cumberland, or the county of Durham. What to do I could not for fome time tell: going back I did not at all like, and therefore, to avoid it if poffible, refolved to pass the day in trying if I could find any way out, without climbing the mountain again that I had lately come down. Round then I walked, once, and to no manner of purpose, for I did not fee any kind of pass; but the second time, as I marched on obferving the hill, I took notice of a large clump of great trees in an angle or deep corner, that feemed to ftand very oddly, and in the mountain above them there appeared as I thought a distance or fpace that looked like an opening. I foon found it was fo, and that at the back of this little wood, there lay a very narrow way, only broad enough for two horfes a-breast: that it extended due weft for more than a mile, and then weft-north-weft for a quarter of a mile, till it terminated in a plain that was several miles in circumference, and intirely furrounded with hills. This I difco

vered in walking the pafs by myself, and 1725
then returned to bring the horfes and men,
through this amazing way. It was quite
dark, mere night all along; and the bottom
very bad. It was likewise very dangerous. It
was evident from the ground, that stones had
fallen from the tops of the hills; and should
any defcend from so vaft a height on us, tho'
even small ones, they would without all
peradventure be immediate death.

on the com

the moment

42. The plain we came into from the de- A reflexion file, was above a mile over to the oppofite pletion of hills, and a-crofs it was a walk of aged oaks, every with that feemed, in fuch a place, as the avenue it is formed. that leads to the fairy castle of wishes. If fuch beings there are, as Dr. Fowler, bithop of Glocefter, hath in one of his books affirmed, then here, I faid, in this fine romantic region, where all the charms of the field, the foreft, the water, and the mountains, are united, may be their favorite manfion, and perhaps they will admit me into their fairy caftle: then commences their friendship, and when they have all breathed on me, it is but wishing for the future, and the completion of every defire is granted the moment it is formed. Would not this be compleat happiness? what do you fay, reflexion?

No, (reflexion answered, as we rid up this avenue). Imagination may form fine pictures Р of

1725. of felicity from an indulgence in every wish; but, fo blind are mankind to their own real happiness, that it is oftner to the gratification than to the disappointment of their wishes that all their mifery is owing. We often choose what is not confonant to the welfare of our nature, and ftrive to avoid those incidents which are fated in the order of incontrolable events for our good. Frequently do we labour to fecure the things that debafe us into flaves, and overwhelm us with calamity; but feldom do we defire, rarely do we strive to obtain those objects, and acquire that station, which are most likely to render' humanity as perfect as it can be in this world, rational and godlike, and thereby crown our lives with true happiness. Many a man has purfued a Venus, an eftate, an honour, with much toil and wonderful activity, and when poffeffed of the fancyed bleffing, have been made very miserable mortals. The wifhed for beauty has often made even the husband wretched. An aching fcar is often covered with the laurel: and in refpect of envied great fortunes, gaudy is the thing without, and within very often is mere bitterness. The wisdom is, as to this world, not to get from the fairies a power of enjoying all that fancy may defire, if that was poffible; but, to act well and wifely, in the most reafonable, lovely, and fair manner, and pro

pofe nothing of ourselves, but with a referve 1725. that fupreme wisdom permits it; welcoming every event with chearfulness and magnanimity, as beft upon the whole, because ordained of infinite reafon; and acquiefcing in every obftruction, as ultimately refervable to divine providence. This (continued reflexion), in refpect of this life, were there no other, is preferable to the caftle of wishes, if we could find it at the end of this avenue (17).

But if another life is taken into the queftion, the argument grows ftronger against a power of enjoying all we could wish for.As we are accountable creatures, and are pouring faft out of time into eternity, religion undoubtedly ought to be the main bufiness of mortals; -that religion, which is a living principle, fpring, or root of ac

(17) In the 2d volume of Familiar Letters between the characters in David Simple, the reader will find an excelient ftory in relation to wishing, which the ingeni ous female writer calls a fragment of a Fairy Tale. P. 225-275 and concludes it in the following fenfible manner. The good Fairy came often to vifit me, and confirmed me in my refolution, never again to be fo unreasonable, as to defire to have all my wishes compleated; for the convinced me, that the fhort-fighted eyes of mortals were not formed to fee, whether the event of any of their own wishes would produce most happiness or mifery and that our greateft felicity, often arifes from the very difappointment of thofe defires, the gratification of which, at the firft view, feems to be neceffary to our welfare.

tions in the foul; wrought there by the hand of him that made us; and which requireth us to honour and fear God as the fupreme Lord, to esteem him as the chief good; and to exercise and exprefs that honour, that fear, and that efteem, by all the means, and in all the ways, which reafon and revelation appoint for fuch exercise and expreffion; that we may gain the love of the Almighty, and obtain the established feat of happiness above: but fuch force hath the objects of fenfe upon the mind, that it is more than probable they would outweigh the diftant hopes of religion, if wishing could bring in even a tenth part of what the vanity of man, and his fenfes would call for. It would be fo far from being an advantage to mankind, if they could with and have vaft fortunes, all the pleasures, the pomps and honours of the world, that they would thereby be deprived of the rational joys of life, and be influenced to think no more of the excellency and beauty of religion, and the good confequences of ferving God truly. They would not even divide themselves between this world and the other. The Idol Gods of this ftate would have all their fervice. The wish then fhould be for daily bread, and that the kingdom of God may his will be done in our fouls. In thefe are comprized the greatest and most valuable bleffings, and we are fure we can ob

come