of curling clouds, which it stood upon by magical trivance. The way by which we ascended was nted like a rainbow; and, as we went, the breeze, t played about us, bewitched the senses. The ls were gilded all for show; the lowest set of pils were of the slight fine Corinthian order, and the of the building, being rounded, bore so far the emblance of a bubble.

At the gate the travellers neither met with a porter, waited till one should appear; every one thought merits a sufficient passport, and pressed forward. the hall we met with several phantoms, that roved ongst us, and ranged the company according to ir sentiments. There was decreasing Honour, t had nothing to show in, but an old coat of his estor's achievements. There was Ostentation, that de himself his own constant subject, and Gallanstrutting upon his tiptoes. At the upper end of hall stood a throne, whose canopy glittered with the riches that gaiety could contrive to lavish on and between the gilded arms sat Vanity, decked the peacock's feathers, and acknowledged for aner Venus by her votaries. The boy who stood bee her for a Cupid, and who made the world to bow ore her, was called Self-Conceit. His eyes had ry now and then a cast inwards, to the neglect of objects about him; and the arms which he made of for conquest, were borrowed from those against om he had a design. The arrow which he shot at soldier, was fledged from his own plume of fears; the dart he directed against the man of wit, winged from the quills he writ with; and that ch he sent against those who presumed upon their es, was headed with gold out of their treasuries. made nets for statesmen from their own contrices; he took fire from the eyes of ladies, with ch he melted their hearts; and lightning from

the tongues of the eloquent, to inflame them with their own glories. At the foot of the throne sat three false Graces: Flattery with a shell of paint, Affectation with a mirror to practise at, and Fashion ever changing the posture of her clothes. These applied themselves to secure the conquests which SelfConceit had gotten, and had each of them their particular polities. Flattery gave new colours and complexions to all things; Affectation, new airs and appearances, which, as she said, were not vulgar ; and Fashion both concealed some home defects, and added some foreign external beauties.

As I was reflecting upon what I saw, I heard a voice in the crowd bemoaning the condition of mankind, which is thus managed by the breath of Opinion, deluded by Error, fired by Self-Conceit, and given up to be trained in all the courses of Vanity, till Scorn or Poverty come upon us. These expressions were no sooner handed about, but I immediately saw a general disorder, till at last there was a parting in one place, and a grave old man, decent and resolute, was led forward to be punished for the words he had uttered. He appeared inclined to have spoken in his own defence, but I could not observe that any one was willing to hear him. Vanity cast a scornful smile at him; Self-Conceit was angry; Flattery, who knew him for Plain-Dealing, put on a vizard, and turned away; Affectation tossed her fan, made mouths, and called him Envy or Slander; and Fashion would have it, that at least he must be Ill-Manners. Thus slighted and despised by all, he was driven out for abusing people of merit and figure; and I heard it firmly resolved, that he should be used no better wherever they met with him hereafter.

I had already seen the meaning of most part of that warning which he had given, and was consider

how the latter words should be fulfilled, when a ty noise was heard without, and the door was kened by a numerous train of harpies crowding pon us. Folly and Broken-Credit was seen in house before they entered. Trouble, Shame, my, Scorn, and Poverty, brought up the rear. ity, with her Cupid and Graces, disappeared; subjects ran into holes and corners; but many em were found and carried off, as I was told by who stood near me, either to prisons or cellars, ude or little company, the mean arts or the viler s of life. But these,' added he with a disdain

ir, are such who would fondly live here, when r merits neither matched the lustre of the place, their riches its expenses. We have seen such es as these before now; the glory you saw will eturn when the hurry is over. I thanked him his information; and believing him so incorrie as that he would stay till it was his turn to be en, I made off to the door, and overtook some who, though they would not hearken to Plainling, were now terrified to good purpose by the mple of others. But when they had touched the shold, it was a strange shock to them to find that delusion of Error was gone, and they plainly erned the building to hang a little up in the air hout any real foundation. At first we saw nong but a desperate leap remained for us, and I a sand times blamed my unmeaning curiosity that brought me into so much danger. But as they an to sink lower in their own minds, methought palace sunk along with us, till they were arrived he due point of esteem which they ought to have themselves; then the part of the building in ich they stood touched the earth, and we departout, it retired from our eyes. Now, whether they stayed in the palace were sensible of this de

:

scent, I cannot tell it was then my opinion that they were not. However it be, my dream broke up at it, and has given me occasion all my life to reflect upon the fatal consequences of following the suggestions of Vanity.

"I WRITE to you to desire, that you would again touch upon a certain enormity, which is chiefly in use among the politer and better-bred part of mankind; I mean, the ceremonies, bows, courtesies, whisperings, smiles, winks, nods, with other familiar arts of salutation, which take up in our churches so much time that might be better employed, and which seem so utterly inconsistent with the duty and true intent of our entering into those religious assemblies. The resemblance which this bears to our indeed proper behaviour in theatres, may be some instance of its incongruity in the above-mentioned places. In RomanCatholic churches and chapels abroad, I myself have observed, more than once, persons of the first quality, of the nearest relation, and intimatest acquaintance, passing by one another unknowing as it were, and unknown, and with so little notices of each other, that it looked like having their minds more suitably and more solemnly engaged; at least it was an acknowledgment that they ought to have been so. I have been told the same even of the Mahometans, with relation to the propriety of their demeanour in the conventions of their erroneous worship; and I cannot but think either of them sufficient and laudable patterns for our imitation in this particular.

"I cannot help, upon this occasion, remarking on the excellent memories of those devotionists, who, upon returning from church, shall give a particular account how two or three hundred people were dressed: a thing, by reason of its variety, so difficult to

ligested and fixed in the head, that it is a mie to me how two poor hours of divine service can ime sufficient for so elaborate an undertaking, duty of the place too being jointly, and no doubt pathetically, performed along with it. Where it said in sacred writ, that the woman ought to e a covering on her head because of the angels,' t last word is by some thought to be metaphoriy used, and to signify young men. Allowing this rpretation to be right, the text may not appear be wholly foreign to our present purpose.

When you are in a disposition proper for writing such a subject, I earnestly recommend this to you;

- am,

66

SIR,

"Your very humble servant."

T

No. 461. TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1712.

• Sed non ego credulus illis.

VIRG. ECL. ix. 34.

But I discern their flatt'ry from their praise.

DRYDEN.

R want of time to substitute something else in the m of them, I am at present obliged to publish mpliments above my desert in the following let5. It is no small satisfaction, to have given ocion to ingenious men to employ their thoughts on sacred subjects, from the approbation of such ces of poetry as they have seen in my Saturdays' pers. I shall never publish verse on that day but at is written by the same hand*; yet shall I not

* Addison.