purity of fentiment, 1 thoughts, what unfadfs the view of verdant fight of numerous flocks quitting the fertile meae clofe of day, inftil into with what ineffable deablime beauty of a wild ountry, interspersed with tages, and occupied by nd content, ravishes the

much more readily, in forget all the pains and a wounded heart on the a gentle ftream, than aconcourfe of deceitful joys followed in the courts of my task will be accomand all my wishes amply

of SOLITUDE.

oyed, he has not courage to delayed confeffion, "I am THE WORLD and all its idle nd now prefer the mournful the cypress to the intoxication fy pleasures and tumultuous dangers to which a life of is expofed, for even in Soany real dangers exist, affubftantial argument against y a judicious employment of rs of activity and repofe, and vigilance upon the defires heart, they may be eafily eThe adventurous navigator, acquainted with the fignal of hing dangers, and the fitua thofe rocks and shoals which n his fafety, no longer fears ils to which he was before exThe advantages of Solitude lefs difproved by the comof thofe who, feeling a condefire to escape from themare incapable of every enjoyout what the world affords; to

whom

whom retirement and tranquillity appear vapid and fatiguing; and who, unconscious of any nobler pleasure than that of paying or receiving vifits, have of course no idea of the delights of Solitude.

It is, therefore, only to thofe diftinguished beings who can refort to their own bofoms for an antidote agianft difquiet, who are fearlefs of the numerous facrifices which virtue may demand, whofe fouls are endowed with fufficient energy to drive away the dread of being alone, and whofe hearts are fufceptible of the pure and tranquil delights of domeftic felicity, that I pretend to recommend the advantages of Solitude. The miferable being in whose bosom the corruptions of the world has already destroyed these precious gifts of nature; who knows no other pleafure, is fenfible to no other happinefs than what cards or the luxury of a richly-furnished table afford; who difdains all exercife of the underftanding, thinks all delicacy of fentiment unnatural, and, by a brutality almost inconceivable, laughs at the facred name of fenfibility; must be loft to virtue, and utterly incapable of pleasure from any operations of his own mind.

Philofophers, and minifters of the gofpel, if they were entirely to deprive themselves of the pleasures of fociety, and to fhun, with rigid feverity, the honest comforts and rational amufements of life, would, without doubt, effentially injure the interests of wisdom and virtue; but there are not, at prefent, many preceptors who carry their doctrines to this extent on the contrary, there exists a multitude, both in the country and the town, to whom Solitude would be infupportable, who fhamefully devote their time to noify diffipations and tumultuous pleafures altogether inconfiftent with their characters and functions. The celebrated

æra is paffed when a life of retirement and contemplation was alone efteemed, and when the approaches to heaven were measured in proportion as the mind receded from its attachments to the world.

After having examined the influence of Solitude upon the general habits of life, and upon thofe ordinary pleasures which are pursued with fuch unceafing avidity, I fhail fhew, that it enables MAN to live independent and alone; that there is no misfortune it cannot alleviate, no forrow that it will not foften; that it adds dignity to his character, and gives fresh vigour to the powers of his mind; that he cannot, in any other fituation, acquire fo perfect a knowledge of himself; that it enlarges the fphere of attention, and ripens the feeds of judgment: in fhort, that it is from the influence of Solitude alone that man can hope for the fruition of unbroken pleasures and never-fading felicity.

The ENJOYMENTS of active life may easily be blended with the most ordinary advantages of Solitude; and we fhall foon difcover upon what foundations the opinions of thofe philofophers are built, who maintain that the tumults of the world, and the diffipation of its votaries, are incompatible with the calm exercife of reason, the decifions of a fober judge. ment, the investigation of truth, and the ftudy of the human heart.

The legion of fantastic fashions to which a man of pleasure is obliged to facrifice his time, impairs the rational faculties of his mind, and deftroys the native energies of his foul. Forced continually to lend himself to the performance of a thoufand little triflings, a thousand mean abfurdities, he becomes by habit frivolous and abfurd. The face of things no longer wears its true and genuine afpect; and his depraved tafte lofes all relish for rational entertainment

or

or fubftantial pleasure. The infatuation feizes on his brain, and his corrupted heart teems with idle fancies and vain imaginations. Thefe illufions however, through which the plaineft object comes diftorted to his view, might eafily be difpelled. Accustomed to a lonely life, and left to reflect in calmness and fobriety, during the filence of the folitary hour, upon the falfe joys and deceitful pleafures which the parade of vifiting and the glare of public entertainments offer to our view, he would foon perceive and candidly acknowledge their nothingness and infipidity: foon would be behold the pleasures of the world in their true colours, and feel that he had blindly wandered in purfuit of phantoms; poffeffing fomething in appearance, but nothing in reality.

Languor and diffatisfaction are ever the inevitable confequences of this ardent purfuit of entertainments and diverfions. He who has drained the cup of pleasure to its laft drop; who is obliged to confefs that his hopes are fled, and that the world no longer contains an object worthy of his purfuit; who feels disappointment and difguft mingled with all his enjoyments; who feems aftonished at his own infenfibility; who no longer poffeffes the magic of the enchantress Imagination to gild and decorate the fcene; calls in vain to his affittance the daughters of fenfuality: their careffes can no longer charm his dark and melancholy mind; the foft and fyren fong of luxury no longer can difpel the cloud of difcontent which hovers round his head.

I

DEAR SIR,

AM forry to hear of your lofs by the fcripts; but the best concerted schemes are fometimes fruftrated. You may confole yourself with the confideration, that the plan which you and the other knowing ones had fo deeply and ingeniously contrived, could not poffibly have mifcarried but for the most unforeseen and extraordinary bad luck. Had the gulls kept their credulity but a little while longer, fo that your club could have played into one another's hands at a few more fales, your fortune had been made. However, keep a good heart: fome other fuch job may foon offer. This is a glorious country to live in for a man of adventure, efpecially if he be acquainted with all the refinements of the paper mystery. Point but to any object, and call out Spec! -and immediately the brains of the

good people of America begin to work like fo many beer-cafks in a brew-houfe !-and the ideas of profits, riches, parade, and making a figure, buzz about their ears like fwarms of musketoes in a calm evening of Auguft!-Then, my ladthen is the time for a fellow of parts like you, to raise himself.

I fuppofe you wonder why I have been fo long filent-I will tell you. You must know, that befides my fpeculating in paper, &c. I have often been dabbling in chymical experiments. In this way I think I have now made a discovery that will make my fortune for ever, and befides be of the utmoft advantage to the public. The difcovery which I have made is no less than the mighty fecret of pickling eggs! I can pickle eggs that will keep for any length of time, and

tua

Languor and diffatisfaction are ever cor- the inevitable confequences of this cies ardent purfuit of entertainments and llu- diverfions. He who has drained the the cup of pleasure to its laft drop; who his is obliged to confefs that his hopes Ac- are fled, and that the world no longer ft to contains an object worthy of his purlur- fuit; who feels disappointment and bur, difguft mingled with all his enjoy. lea- ments; who feems aftonifhed at his and own infenfibility; who no longer ents poffeffes the magic of the enchantress oon Imagination to gild and decorate the dge fcene; calls in vain to his affittance oon the daughters of fenfuality: their the careffes can no longer charm his dark feel and melancholy mind; the foft and ur- fyren fong of luxury no longer can ne- difpel the cloud of dilcontent which in hovers round his head.

by good people of America begin to work like fo many beer-cafks in a d. brew-houfe!-and the ideas of proe fits, riches, parade, and making a ch figure, buzz about their ears like dfwarms of mufketoes in a calm evenlad, ing of Auguft !-Then, my

e

then is the time for a fellow of parts like you, to raile himself. Is I fuppofe you wonder why I have been fo long filent-I will tell you. You must know, that befides my a fpeculating in paper, &c. I have of ten been dabbling in chymical experiments. In this way I think I have now made a discovery that will make my fortune for ever, and befides be of the utmost advantage to the public. The difcovery which I have made is no less than the mighty fecret of pickling eggs! I can pickle eggs that will keep for any length of time, and

in

in any climate, and be as fresh as if just dropt from the hen. Now, it is cafy to fee of what vaft advantage this will be to the commercial interefts of America. (And I would not for a kingdom divulge the fecret to any foreigner.) Many will be the fhips loaded with eggs, that will fail from our different ports to all parts of the world, in the courfe of a year; and then, to think what a profitable trade it will be!-No doubt the governor-general of the British EaftIndies, and the nabobs, would, any of them, give many hundred dollars for a barrel of fresh eggs, brought from the other end of the world. We may convert our fields into henpastures, and raise the value of our lands an hundred per cent. And even now, any one of our good country housewives could, by fhipping to the Weft-Indies, and to China, one year's produce of her hens, receive in return as much tea and fugar, &c. as has hitherto coft her annually, not only her eggs, but all her butter and cheese too.

All thefe confiderations, together with that of the intenfe ftudy and great expence it has coft me, will, no doubt, induce congrefs to grant me a patent, as the fole and only pickler of eggs within the limits of the United States and their dependencies. I fhall fay nothing more of my dif covery, until I am examined on it by a committee of congrefs. But in the mean time, I am ready to treat with any individual, or any incorporate body, concerning the price they are to pay me for a communication of my fecret, and the privilege of being deputy picklers of eggs in the different districts throughout the conti

me immediately twenty thousand dollars, which I will repay you, with extraordinary intereft, in a way I fhall tell you by and by. If your late loffes have difabled you from making up that fum yourself, fome other of our fraternity will readily help you out for the fake of a premium, and gladly too-for the fcripts being now afleep, and no other great fpeculating enterprife yet going on, money will begin

to tumble out.

Your gains in this fpeculation will be very great. First, I will appoint you my agent for the ftate of NewYork, and places under its influence, for felling my discovery, &c. on which fales I will allow you a broker's commiffion of five per cent.Now, only look at the people you have to deal with, and then think what a fum this alone will fetch you! -Secondly, I will make you a prefent of twenty copies of my fecret; or in other words, the privilege of erecting twenty different works for carrying it into effect. But as you may probably not incline to become an egg pickler yourself, you can fell the privilege on your own account. The difpofing of these twenty fhares, according to your dexterous way of managing, will be exceedingly productive: for, by buying and felling and felling and buying ten or a dozen times over, which you can do with the moft dignified fpeculating addrefs, you may easily raise them up to at least ten times their original value. And as for buyers, there can be no difficulty in finding abundance of them: for you have only to declare, that the profit arifing from the pickling of eggs will be immenfe, and immediately they will run out of their counting-houles, their warehoufes, their stores, their shops, and their work-fhops-lamenting as they run, that they have fo long been the unafpiring, fpiritlefs dupes of dull plodding indultry, when they might

all

all the while have been brokers, rich fpeculators, men of great importance, dealers in fecrets, and picklers of eggs!

Thus, my friend, I have informed you (as far as is proper at prefent) of iny very important difcovery, together with the plan we are to follow in turning it to our mutual advantage. It will, I think, do my bufinefs completely; and I hope that not lefs than forty or fifty thousand dollars will fall to your share.

But all this is nothing when compared with the infinite advantages hence arifing to our country. What an enchanting, what a rapturous confideration this to men of our character! For what clafs of men is there any where to be found, who conftantly ftudy the honour and profperity of their country fo much as we brothers of the job? Where are there men who, by only fpeaking a word, turn what was hitherto feven or eight inftantaneously into fifteen or fixteen-who actually double the riches of their country by the breath of their mouth? Who, I fay, at tempt to do this but fpeculators ?What other men are there, who thus put millions into the public treafury for every dollar they gain for themfelves?-Thefe are the men-thefe the ufeful citizens, who will foon make this happy country as much richer than all other nations, as they themselves are wifer and more important than the common dull herd of the people.

But let us turn to more diflant facts.

What fet of men were they who, about eighty years ago, in England, drew the rusty guineas from the coffers of many a mifer, to enable a chofen band of adventurers to carry on a SOUTH SEA TRADE of valt national importance, which foon after induced their parliament to pafs one of the jufteft laws they ever made ?-They were fpeculators.

What fet of men were they, who in different ages have, by getting into the legislatures of free countries, procured the enacting of laws, tending to accomplish fome particular defigns, and the next year the repeal of thefe very laws, and the paffing of others of a quite oppofite kind, yet ftill tendening to promote the fame great defigns; these men all the while making fuch prudent uses of those contradictory laws as, in the course of a few years, to fweep a great part of the property of the filly, ufelefs multitude, into the laps of a select few, a tried band of brothers, who, by their abilities and patriotifm, had often shown themfelves the only fit perfons to enjoy wealth, as being those who alone could employ it in promoting the fame, the glory, and the happinefs of their country? Who, I fay, could achieve fuch feats but fpeculators?

Who were the makers, or, who were capable of being the makers of the many useful and patriotic TENDER LAWS that have, in former times, rendered many countries fo famous all over the rest of the world, and caufed them to be pointed out to this day, and will for ages yet to come, as the admired models of jusTICE and true national HONOUR?— None but fpeculators! And who but they could have fo ingeniously contrived to apply the property of individuals of other nations, to the benefit of themfelves and friends?

What was it even in our own country, that has at one time railed a paper fecurity above its nominal value in gold and filver, and at other times funk it down to one tenth part of that value-but the myftic touch of a fpeculator?

What could reconcile the jarring claims of funding and affumption, so that they could cordially join refi dence, but the wonderful addrefs of fpeculators? How could a few in

dividuals