The certainty that life cannot be long, and the probability that it will be much fhorter than nature allows, ought to awaken every man to the active profecution of whatever he is defirous to perform. It is true, that no diligence can afcertain fuccefs; death may intercept the fwifteft career; but he who is cut off in the execution of an honeft undertaking, has at least the honour of falling in his rank, and has fought the battle, though he miffed the victory.

NUMB. 135. TUESDAY, July 2, 1751.

Calum, non animum mutant.

Place may be chang'd; but who can change his mind?

HOR.

IT is impoffible to take a view on any fide, or ob

serve any of the various claffes that form the great community of the world, without discovering the influence of example; and admitting with new conviction the obfervation of Aristotle, that man is an imitative being. The greater, far the greater number follow the track which others have beaten, without any curiofity after new discoveries, or ambition of trusting themselves to their own conduct. And, of those who break the ranks and disorder the uniformity of the march, most return in a fhort time from their deviation, and prefer the equal and steady fatisfaction of fecurity before the frolicks of caprice and the honours of adventure.

In questions difficult or dangerous it is indeed natural to repose upon authority, and, when fear hapDd 3

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pens to predominate, upon the authority of those whom we do not in general think wifer than ourfelves. Very few have abilities requifite for the dif covery of abftrufe truth; and of thofe few fome want leifure, and fome refolution. But it is not fo easy to find the reason of the univerfal fubmiffion to precedent where every man might fafely judge for himself; where no irreparable lofs can be hazarded, nor any mischief of long continuance incurred, Vanity might be expected to operate where the more powerful paffions are not awakened; the mere plea fure of acknowledging no fuperior might produce flight fingularities, or the hope of gaining fome new degree of happiness awaken the mind to invention or experiment.

If in any case the fhackles of prescription could be wholly fhaken off, and the imagination left to act without controul, on what occafion fhould it be expected, but in the felection of lawful pleasure ? Pleasure, of which the effence is choice; which compulfion diffociates from every thing to which nature has united it; and which owes not only its vigour but its being to the fmiles of liberty. Yet we see that the fenfes, as well as the reason, are regulated by credulity; and that most will feel, or fay that they feel, the gratifications which others have taught them to expect.

At this time of universal migration, when almost every one, confiderable enough to attract regard, has retired, or is preparing with all the earneftness of diftrefs to retire into the country; when nothing is to be heard but the hopes of speedy departure, or the complaints of involuntary delay; I have often been tempted

tempted to inquire what happiness is to be gained, or what inconvenience to be avoided, by this ftated receffion? Of the birds of paffage, fome follow the fummer and fome the winter, because they live upon fuftenance which only fummer or winter can fupply; but of the annual flight of human rovers it is much harder to affign the reafon, because they do not appear either to find or seek any thing which is not equally afforded by the town and country.

I believe that many of these fugitives may have heard of men whofe continual wifh was for the quiet of retirement, who watched every opportunity to fteal away from obfervation, to forfake the crowd, and delight themselves with the fociety of folitude. There is indeed fcarcely any writer who has not celebrated the happiness of rural privacy, and delighted himself and his reader with the melody of birds, the whisper of groves, and the murmur of rivulets; nor any man eminent for extent of capacity, or greatness of exploits, that has not left behind him fome memorials of lonely wisdom, and filent dignity.

But almost all abfurdity of conduct arifes from the imitation of those whom we cannot refemble. Those who thus teftified their wearinefs of tumult and hurry, and hasted with fo much eagerness to the leisure of retreat, were either men overwhelmed with the preffure of difficult employments, haraffed with importunities, and distracted with multiplicity; or men wholly engroffed by fpeculative fciences, who having no other end of life but to learn and teach, found their fearches interrupted by the common commerce of civility, and their reasonings disjointed by frequent interruptions. Such men might reason

ably fly to that eafe and convenience which their condition allowed them to find only in the country. The statesman who devoted the greater part of his time to the publick, was defirous of keeping the remainder in his own power. The general, ruffled with dangers, wearied with labours, and stunned with acclamations, gladly fnatched an interval of filence and relaxation. The naturalift was unhappy where the works of Providence were not always before him. The reafoner could adjuft his fyftems only where his mind was free from the intrufion of outward objects.

Such examples of folitude very few of those who are now haftening from the town, have any pretenfions to plead in their own juftification, fince they cannot pretend either wearinefs of labour, or defire of knowledge. They purpose nothing more than to quit one scene of idleness for another, and after having trifled in publick, to fleep in fecrecy. The utmost that they can hope to gain is the change of ridiculousness to obfcurity, and the privilege of having fewer witneffes to a life of folly. He who is not fufficiently important to be disturbed in his pursuits, but fpends all his hours according to his own inclination, and has more hours than his mental faculties enable him to fill either with enjoyment or defires, can have nothing to demand of fhades and valleys. As bravery is faid to be a panoply, infignificancy is always a fhelter.

There are however pleasures and advantages in a rural fituation, which are not confined to philofophers and heroes. The freshness of the air, the verdure of the woods, the paint of the meadows, and the unexhausted variety which fummer scatters upon the earth,

earth, may easily give delight to an unlearned fpectator. It is not neceffary that he who looks with pleasure on the colours of a flower should study the principles of vegetation, or that the Ptolemaick and Copernican fyftem fhould be compared before the light of the fun can gladden, or its warmth invigorate. Novelty is itself a fource of gratification; and Milton justly observes, that to him who has been long pent up in cities no rural object can be presented, which will not delight or refresh fome of his fenfes.

Yet even these easy pleasures are miffed by the greater part of those who waste their fummer in the country. Should any man purfue his acquaintances to their retreats, he would find few of them listening to Philomel, loitering in woods, or plucking daifies, catching the healthy gale of the morning, or watching the gentle corufcations of declining day. Some will be discovered at a window by the road fide, rejoicing when a new cloud of duft gathers towards them, as at the approach of a momentary fupply of converfation, and a fhort relief from the tediousness of unideal vacancy. Others are placed in the adjacent villages, where they look only upon houses as in the rest of the year, with no change of objects but what a remove to any new street in London might have given them. The fame fet of acquaintances still fettle together, and the form of life is not otherwife diversified than by doing the fame things in a different place. They pay and receive vifits in the usual form, they frequent the walks in the morning, they deal cards at night, they attend to the fame tattle, and dance with the fame partners; nor can they at their return to their former habitation congratulate

themselves