times, pleasures, which are wonderfully alluring and flattering in the prospect, turn out in the poffeffion extremely infipid; or do not hold out as we expected: at other times pleasures ftart up, which never entered into our calculation; and which we might have miffed of by not foreseeing: from whence we have reason to believe, that we actually do mifs of many pleasures from the fame cause. I fay, to know "beforehand," for after the experiment is tried, it is commonly impracticable to retreat or change; beside that shifting and changing is apt to generate a habit of restlefsnefs, which is deftructive of the happiness of every condition.

By reason of the original diversity of taste, capacity, and conftitution, obfervable in the human fpecies, and the ftill greater variety, which habit and fashion have introduced in these particulars, it is impoffible to propose any plan of happiness, which will fucceed to all, or any method of life which is univerfally eligible or practicable.

All that can be faid is, that there remains a prefumption in favour of thofe conditions of life, in which men generally appear moft cheerful and contented. For though the apparent hap

happiness of mankind be not always a true meafure of their real happiness, it is the best meafure we have.

Taking this for my guide, I am inclined to believe that happiness consists,

I. In the exercife of the focial affections. Those perfons commonly poffefs good spirits, who have about them many objects of affection and endearment, as wife, children, kindred, friends. And to the want of these may be imputed the peevishness of monks, and of fuch as lead a monaftic life.

Of the fame nattire with the indulgence of our domeftic affections, and equally refreshing to the fpirits, is the pleasure which results from acts of bounty and beneficence, exercifed either in giving money, or in imparting to thofe who want it the affiftance of our skill and profeffion.

Another main article of human happiness is,

II. The exercife of our faculties, either of body or mind, in the pursuit of fome engaging

end.

It seems to be true, that no plenitude of prefent gratifications can make the poffeffor happy for a continuance, unless he have something in

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reserve something to hope for, and look forward to. This I conclude to be the cafe, from comparing the alacrity and spirits of men, who are engaged in any pursuit which interefts them, with the dejection and ennui of almost all, who are either born to fo much that they want nothing more, or who have used up their fatisfactions too soon, and drained the fources of them.

It is this intolerable vacuity of mind, which carries the rich and great to the horse-course and the gaming table; and often engages them in contefts and pursuits, of which the fuccefs bears no proportion to the folicitude and expence, with which it is fought. An election for a disputed borough fhall coft the parties twenty or thirty thousand pounds a piece, to say nothing of the anxiety, humiliation, and fatigue of the canvafs; when a feat in the House of Commons, of exactly the fame value, may be had for a tenth part of the money, and with no trouble. I do not mention this to blame the rich and great (perhaps they cannot do better), but in confirmation of what I have advanced.

Hope, which thus appears to be of fo much importance to our happiness, is of two kinds; where there is fomething to be done towards attaining the object of our hope, and where there

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is nothing to be done. The firft alone is of any value; the latter being apt to corrupt into impatience, having nothing in its power but to fit ftill and wait, which foon grows tiresome.

The doctrine delivered under this head may be readily admitted; but how to provide ourfelves with a fucceffion of pleasurable engagements, is the difficulty. This requires two things; judgment in the choice of ends adapted to our opportunities; and a command of imagination, so as to be able, when the judgment has made choice of an end, to transfer a pleafure to the means: after which the end may be forgotten as foon as we will.

Hence thofe pleasures are most valuable, not which are most exquisite in the fruition, but which are most productive of engagement and activity in the pursuit.

A man who is in earneft in his endeavours after the happiness of a future ftate, has, in this refpect, an advantage over all the world. For he has conftantly before his eyes an object of fupreme importance, productive of perpetual engagement and activity, and of which the purfuit (which can be faid of no pursuit befides) lafts him to his life's end. Yet even he must

have many ends, beside the far end: but then

they will conduct to that, be fubordinate, and in some way or other capable of being referred to that, and derive their fatisfaction, or an addition of fatisfaction, from that.

Engagement is every thing: the more fignificant, however, our engagements are, the better; fuch as the planning of laws, inftitutions, manufactures, charities, improvements, public works; and the endeavouring, by our intereft, addrefs, folicitations, and activity, to carry them into effect: or, upon a smaller scale, the procuring of a maintenance and fortune for our families by a course of industry and application to our callings, which forms and gives motion to the common occupations of life; training up a child; profecuting a scheme for his future establishment; making ourselves mafters of a language or a science; improving or managing an eftate; labouring after a piece of preferment: and laftly, any engagement, which is innocent, is better than none; as the writing of a book, the building of a houfe, the laying out of a garden, the digging of a fish-pond-even the raifing of a cucumber or a tulip.

Whilft the mind is taken up with the objects or business before us, we are commonly happy, whatever the object or business be: when the mind

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