VISION III. GUARDIAN. N° 56. Quid mentem traxiffe polo, quid profuit altum I WAS confidering laft night, when I could not fleep, how noble a part of the creation man was designed to be, and how distinguished in all his actions above other earthly creatures. From whence I fell to take a view of the change and corruption which he has introduced into his own condition, the groveling appetites, the mean characters of fense, and wild courses of paffions, that caft him from the degree in which providence had placed him, the debafing himself with qualifications not his own, and his degenerating into a lower sphere of action. This infpired me with a mixture of contempt and anger; which however, was not so violent as to hinder the return of fleep, but grew confused as that came upon me, and made me end my reflections with giving mankind the opprobrious names of inconfiderate, mad and foolish. Here, methought, where my waking reafon left the fubject, my fancy purfued it in a dream; and I imagined 1 5 I imagined myself in a loud foliloquy of paffion, railing at my fpecies, and walking hard to get rid of the company I defpifed; when two men who had over-heard me made up on either hand. These I obferved had many features in common, which might occafion the mistake of the one for the other in those to whom they appear fingle; but I, who faw them together, could easily perceive, that tho' there was an air of severity in each, it was tempered with a natural fweetness in the one, and by turns conftrained or ruffled by the designs of malice in the other. I was at a loss to know the reason of their joining me fo brifkly, when he, whofe appearance difpleased me most, thus addreffed his companion. Pray, brother, let him alone, and we fhall immediately fee him transformed into a tyger. This ftruck me with horror, which the other perceived, and pitying my diforder, bid me be of good courage, for tho' I had been favage in my treatment of mankind) whom I fhould rather reform than rail againft) he would, however, endeavour to refcue me from my danger. At this I looked a little more chearful, and while I teftified my refignation to him, we faw the angry brother fling away from us in a paffion for his difappointment. Being now left to my friend, I went back with him at his defire, that I might know the meaning of those words which so affrighted me. As As we went along, to inform you, fays he, with whom you have this adventure, my name is Reproof, and his Reproach, both born of the fame mother, but of different fathers. Truth is our common parent. Friendship, who faw her, fell in love with her, and the being pleafed with him, he begat me upon her; but a while after Enmity lying in ambush for her, became the father of him whom you faw along with me. The temper of our mother inclines us to the fame fort of bufinefs, the informing mankind of their faults; but the different complexions of our fathers make us differ in our defigns and company. I have a natural benevolence in my mind, which engages me with friends, and he a natural impetuofity in his, which cafts him among enemies. As he thus difcourfed, we came to a place where there were three entrances into as many feveral walks, which lay befide one another. We paffed into the middlemoft, a plain, ftrait, regular walk, fet with trees, which added to the beauty of the place, but did not so close their boughs over head as to exclude the light from it. Here as we walked I was made to obferve, how the road on one hand was full of rocks and precipices, over which Reproach (who had already gotten thither) was furiously driving unhappy wretches; the other fide was all laid out in gardens of gaudy tulips, amongst whofe leaves the ferpents wreathed, and at the end of every graffy walk the enchantrefs Flattery was weaving bowers to to lull fouls afleep in. We continued ftill walking on the middle way, 'till we arrived at a building in which it terminated. This was formerly erected by Truth for a watch-tower, from whence fhe took a view of the earth, and as the faw occafion, fent, out Reproof, or even Reproach, for our reformation. Over the door I took notice that a face was carved with a heart upon the lips of it, and prefently called to mind that this was the ancients emblem of Sincerity. In the entrance I met with Freedom of Speech, and Complaifance, who had for a long time looked upon one another as enemies; but Reproof has fo happily brought them together, that they now act as friends and fellow-agents in the fame family. Before I afcended the ftairs, I had my eyes purified by a water which made me fee extremely clear, and I think they said it sprung in a pit, from whence (as Democritus had reported) they formerly brought up Truth, who had hid herfelf in it. I was then admitted to the upper chamber of profpect, which was called the Knowledge of Mankind; here the window was no fooner opened, but I perceived the clouds to roll off and part before me, and a scene of all the variety of the world prefented itself. But how different was mankind in this view, from what it used to appear! Methought the very fhape of moft of them was loft; fome had the heads of dogs, others of apes or parrots, and, in fhort, where-ever any one took upon him the infe rior and unworthy qualities of other creatures, the change of his foul became visible in his countenance. The ftrutting pride of him who is endued with brutality instead of courage, made his face fhoot out in the form of a horfe's; his eyes became prominent, his noftrils widened, and his wig untying flowed down on one fide of his neck in a waving mane. The talkativeness of those who love the ill nature of converfation made them turn into affemblies of geefe, their lips hardened into bills by eternal ufing, they gabbled for diverfion, they hiffed in fcandal, and their ruffles falling back on their arms,. a fucceffion of little feathers appeared, which formed wings for them to flutter with from one visit to another. The envious and malicious lay on the ground with the heads of different forts of ferpents, and not endeavouring to erect themselves, but meditating mischief to others, they fucked the poifon of the earth, fharpened their tongues to ftings upon the ftones, and rolled their trains unperceivably beneath their habits. The hypocritical oppreffors wore the faces of crocodiles, their mouths were inftruments of cruelty, their eyes of deceit; they committed wickednefs, and bemoaned that there fhould be fo much of it in the world; they devoured the unwary, and wept over the remains of them. The covetous had fo hook'd and worn their fingers by counting intereft upon intereft, that they converted to the claws of harpies, and these they ftill were ftretching out for more, yet feemed unfatisfied |