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the benefit of mankind he had Trophonius's cave in his poffeffion; which, fays he, would contribute more to the reformation of manners than all the work houses and Bridewells in Europe.

We have a very particular defcription of this. cave in Paufanias, who tells us that it was made in the form of a huge oven, and had many particular circumftances, which difpofed the perfon who was in it to be more penfive and thoughtful than ordinary; infomuch, that no man was ever obferved to laugh all his life after, who had once made his entry into this cave. It was ufual in thofe times, when any one carried a more than ordinary gloominefs in his features, to tell him that he looked like one juft come out of Trophonius's cave.

On the other hand, writers of a more merry complexion have been no lefs fevere on the oppofite party; and have had one advantage above them, that they have attacked them with more turns of wit and humour.

After all, if a man's temper were at his own difpofal, I think he would not choose to be of either of thefe parties; fince the most perfect character is that which is formed out of both of them. A man would neither choose to be a hermit nor a buffoon: human nature is not fo miferable, as that we should be always melancholy; nor fo happy, as that we should be always merry. In a word, a man fhould not live as it there was no God in the world; nor, at the fame time, as if there were no men in it.

* By ADDISON, on the authority of Mr. T. Tickell.

N° 599.

N° 599. Monday, September 27, 1714.

Ubique

Luctus, ubique pavor

VIRG. Æn. ii. 369.

“All parts refound with tumults, plants, and "fears." DRYDEN.

IT

T has been my cuftom, as I grow old, to allow myself fome little indulgencies, which I never took in my youth. Among others is that of an afternoon's nap, which I fell into in the fifty-fifth year of my age, and have continued for the three laft years paft. By this means I enjoy a double morning, and rife twice a day fresh to my Speculations. It happens very luckily for me, that fome of my dreams have proved inftructive to my countrymen, fo that I may be faid to fleep, as well as to wake, for the good of the public. I was yesterday meditating on the account with which I have already entertained my readers concerning the cave of Trophonius. I was no fooner fallen into my ufual flumber, but I dreamed that this cave was put into my poffeffion, and that I gave public notice of its virtue, inviting every one to it who had a mind to be a ferious man for the remaining part of his life. Great multitudes immediately resorted to me. The firft who made the experiment was a Merry-andrew, who was put into my hands by a neighbouring justice of peace,

VOL. VIII.

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in order to reclaim him from that profligate kind of life. Poor Pickle-herring had not taken above one turn in it, when he came out of the cave, like a hermit from his cell, with a penitential look and a moft rueful countenance. I then put in a young laughing fop, and, watching for his return, afked him with a smile, how he liked the place? He replied Prithee, friend, be not impertinent;' and ftalked by me as grave as a judge. A citizen then defired me to give free ingrefs and egrefs to his wife, who was dreffed in the gaycft coloured ribbons I had ever feen. She went in with a flirt of her fan and a fmirking countenance, but came out with the feverity of a veftal; and, throwing from her feveral female gewgaws, told me with a figh, that the refolved to go into deep mourning, and to wear black all the reft of her life. As I had had many coquettes recommended to me by their parents, their hufbands, and their lovers, I let them in all at once, defiring them to divert themselves together as well as they could. Upon their emerging again into daylight, you would have fancied my cave to have been a nunnery, and that you had seen a folemn proceffion of religious marching out, one behind another, in the moft profound filence and the most exemplary decency. As I was very much delighted with fo edifying a fight, there came towards me a great company of males and females, laughing, finging, and dancing, in fuch a manner, that I could hear them a great while before I faw them. Upon my afking their leader

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what brought them thither? they told me all at once that they were French Proteftants lately arrived in Great Britain, and that, finding themselves of too gay an humour for my country, they applied themselves to me in order to compofe them for British conversation. I told them that, to oblige them, I would foon spoil their mirth; upon which I admitted a whole fhoal of them, who, after having taken a furvey of the place, came out in very good order, and with looks entirely English. I afterwards put in a Dutchman, who had a great fancy to fee the kelder, as he called it, but I could not observe that I had made any alteration in him.

A comedian, who had gained great reputation in parts of humour, told me that he had a mighty mind to act Alexander the Great, and fancied that he fhould fucceed very well in it if he could strike two or three laughing features out of his face. He tried the experiment, but contracted fo very folid a look by it, that I am afraid he will be fit for no part hereafter but a Timon of Athens, or a Mute in the Funeral.

I then clapped up an empty fantastic citizen, in order to qualify him for an alderman. He was fucceeded by a young rake of the Middle Temple, who was brought to me by his grandmother; but, to her great forrow and surprise, he came out a quaker. Seeing myself surrounded with a body of freethinkers and fcoffers at religion, who were making themselves merry at the fober looks and thoughtful brows of thofe who had been in the cave, I thrust them all in,

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one after another, and locked the door upon them. Upon my opening it, they all looked as if they had been frightened out of their wits, and were marching away with ropes in their hands to a wood that was within fight of the place. I found they were not able to bear themfelves in the firft ferious thoughts; but, knowing these would quickly bring them to a better frame of mind, I gave them into the custody of their friends until that happy change was wrought in them.

The last that was brought to me was a young woman, who at the firft fight of my short face fell into an immoderate fit of laughter, and was forced to hold her fides all the while her mother was fpeaking to me. Upon this I interrupted the old lady, and, taking her daughter by the hand, " Madam," faid I," be pleafed to retire "into my clofet while your mother tells me your cafe." I then put her into the mouth of the cave, when the mother, after having begged pardon for the girl's rudenefs, told me "that the often treated her father and the

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graveft of her relations in the fame manner; "that he would fit giggling and laughing "with her companions from one end of a tragedy to the other; nay, that she would "fometimes burft out in the middle of a fer"mon, and fet the whole congregation a ftaring at her." The mother was going on, when the young lady came out of the cave to us with a compofed countenance and a low curtfy. She was a girl of fuch exuberant mirth

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