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mortality Tortured in life, and fwallowed up in death! The genius being moved with compaffion towards me, bid me quit fo uncomfortable a profpect. Look no more, faid he, on man in the first stage of his exiftence, 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 ftrengthened it with any fupernatural force, or diffipated part of the mift that was before too thick for the eye to penetrate) 1 faw the valley opening at the farther end, and spreading forth in. to 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 ftill refted on one half of it, infomuch that I could difcover 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 thining feas that ran among them. I could fee perfons dreffed in glorious habits with garlands upon their heads, paffing among the trees, lying down by the fides of fountains, or refting on beds of flowers, and could hear a confufed harmony of finging birds, falling waters, human voices and mufical inftruments. Gladnefs grew in me upon the discovery of fo delightful a fcene. I wished for the wings of an eagle, that I might fly away to tho fe 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 islands, 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-fhore: There are myriads of islands behind thofe which thou here difcovereft, 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 feveral 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 ifland is a paradife accommodated to its respective inhabitants. Are not thefe, 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 thefe happy islands. At length, faid I, fhew me now, I befeech thee, the fecrets that lie hid under thefe dark clouds which cover the ocean on the other fide of the rock of adamant. The genius making me no anfwer, I turned about to addrefs myfelf to him a fecond time, but I found that he had left me; I then turned again to the vifion which I had been fo long contemplating; but instead of the rolling tide, the arched bridge, and the happy iflands, I faw nothing but the long hollow valley of Bagdad, with oxen, fheep, and camels grazing upon the fides of it.

SOME

The end of the firft Vifion of Mirzah.
SPECTATOR, Vol. II. No. 159. C.

EXPENCES.

COME ludicrous fchoolmen have put the cafe, that if an afs were placed between two bundles of hay, which affected his fenfes equally on each fide, and tempted him in the very fame degree, whether it would be poffible for him to eat of either. They generally determine this queftion to the disadvantage of the ass, who they fay would ftarve in the midft of plenty, as not having a single grain of free-will to determine him more to the one than to the other. The bundle of hay on either fide ftriking his fight and fmell in the fame proportion, would keep him in a perpetual fufpenfe, 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, fay they, pull the impoftor's iron coffin with fuch an equal attraction, that it hangs in the air between both of them. As for the afs's behaviour in fuch nice circumftances, whether he would tarve fooner than violate his neutrality to the two bundles of hay, I fhall 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, ftand upon the fame foot of competition, and no manner of reafon can be given why a man fhould prefer one to the other before the lottery is drawn. In this cafe therefore caprice very often acts in the place of reafon, and forms to itself fome groundlefs, imaginary motive, where real and fubftantial 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, fays 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 fhort, fome are pleased to find their own age in their number; fome 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 laft lottery. Each of thefe upon no other grounds, thinks he ftands faireft for the great lot, and that he is poffeffed of what may not be improperly called the golden number.

Thefe principles of election are the paftimes and extravagncies of human reafon, which is of fo bufy a nature, that it will be exerting itself in the meanest trifles, and working even when it wants materials.

The wifeft of men are fometimes actuated by fuch unaccountable motives, as the life of the fool and the fuperftitious is guided by nothing else.

I am furprifed that none of the fortune-tellers, or as the French call them, the difeurs 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 difcoveries and predictions?

I remember among the advertisements in the PotBay of September the 27th, I was surprised to fee the following one:

This is to give notice, that ten fhillings over and above the market price, will be given for the ticket in 150,000l. lottery, No. 132, by Nath. Cliff at the bible and three crowns in Cheapfide.

This advertisement has given great matter of fpeculation to coffee-houfe theorists. Mr. Cliff's principles and converfation have been canvaffed upon this cafion, and various conjectures made why he fhould thus fet his heart upon No 132. I have examined all the powers in thofe numbers, broken them into fractions, extracted the fquare 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.

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Mr. SPECTATOR,

IAM the perfon who lately 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 fome 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 refolved it should be the number I most approved am fo pofitive I have pitched upon the great lot, that F VOL. II.

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could almost lay all I am worth on it. My vifions are fo frequent and strong upon this occafion, that I have not only poffeffed the lot, but difpofed 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 fhould be very glad to fee a fpeculation or to upon lottery fubjects, in which you will oblige all people concerned, and in particu

lar

Your most humble Servant,

GEORGE GOSLING. "P. S. 'Dear SPEC, if I get the 12000 pound, I'H make thee an handfome prefent."

After having wifhed my correfpondent good luck, and thanked him for his intended kindness, I fhall for this time difmifs the fubject of the lottery, and only observe, that the greatest part of mankind are in fome degree guilty of my friend Gosling's extravagance. We are apt to rely upon future profpects, and be comereally expenfive while we are only rich in poffibility. We live up to our expectations, not to our poffeffions, and make a figure proportionable to what we may be, not to what we are. We out-run our prefent income, as not doubting to difburfe ourselves out of the profits of fome future place, project, or reverfion that we have in view. It is through this temper of mind, which is fo common among us, that we fee tradesmen break, who have met with no misfortunes in their bufinefs; and men of eftates reduced to poverty, who have never fuffered from loffes or repairs, tenants, taxes or law-fuits. In fhort, it is this foolish, fanguine temper, this depending upon contingent futurities, that occafions romantic generofity, chimerical grandeur, fenfelefs oftentation, and generally ends in beggary and ruin. The man who will live above his prefent 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.

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