tunity we are forced to be provided, as with Gold, and Silver to pay our Debts, or purchase Neceffaries, or Conveniencies, So with Half-pence for Beggars. " SECT. III. I am now come to the Third Branch of Argument, whereby I would recommend the Love of Painting, and Study of Connoiffance, upon Account of the Pleasure 'tis capable of affording. I flatter my felf it has been obferv'd that I have endeavour'd hitherto to go to the Bottom of my Subject, and to treat it with all the Dignity I was able, and fo as it might be acceptable to Gentlemen who are Not yet Lovers, and Con noiffeurs, to whom, as well as to those that Are, I have throughout addrefs'd my felf, tho' more particularly in the prefent Treatife. In Prosecution of the Same Design I fhall here here be engag'd in a short Discourse to fhew what Improvements may be made in our Pleasures, in order to introduce That in particular which I am to recommend as Such: So that I will not only fhew that there is Pleasure to be had in Connoif fance, but endeavour to facilitate the Enjoyment of it. I faid it would be a Short Difcourfe; for tho' (as I took the liberty to say) I have labour'd to finish my Main Subject as highly as I could, it will not be expected the Incidental ones fhould be other than Sketches. Such as it is, I offer it to the Reader as a Plan for a Happy Life. "Whether thou "Vifit'ft my Lonely, Chearful, Ev'ning Haunts, Both Both Harp, and Voice; nor could the Mufe defend Her Son. Milton. The Defire of Happiness is the Spring that puts us all in Motion; We receive it together with the Breath of Life; We are touch'd by this Magnet upon our very Entrance into Being, and ever after tend thitherwards with all the Powers of our Souls: This is the End in which we All agree, tho' as to the Way there is infinite Variety, and Error. Pleasure is but another Name for Happiness, we are Happy in proportion as we are Pleas'd; the Summ Total of our Enjoyments, and the Degree of them during our Exiftence, being compar'd with that of our Sufferings, the Surplusage on the Side of Enjoyment is the AcGount of the Degree of Happiness to which we arrive; the Share which was allotted us of the Divine Bounty. Pleasure is our Summum Bo num; num; and whatsoever Some Men may Pretend, or Fancy, God himfelf is confider'd by us as Such no otherwise than as 'tis conceiv'd he is the Fountain of Good to Us. In our Deliberations, and Determinations concerning Actions to be done 'tis the Single Principle of Pleasure on which All turns Ultimately; Whatever Other Principle Seems to govern us; Whether Duty, Love of Virtue, Interest, Ambition, Senfuality, &c. All terminates in this one great Principle Self-Love; that firft Motive to all our Actions, Pleasure: Tho' as a River being divided into several Streams lofes its Name, and each Rivulet has one of its Own, This Principle being turn'd into various Channels we feem to act by Different Motives, when 'tis only the Same Differently turn'd; We all act by the Same First Principle, tho' by Different Subordinate ones. In the Struggles betwixt Virtue, and Vice, the Queftion is only where moft Pleafure is to be had: When we reject Senfual Criminal Pleasures, 'tis only that we may enjoy Others that we conceive Greater; 'tis only rejecting a Pleasure we find we cannot Enjoy but with Fear, Shame, Remorfe, and fuch like Alloys, for what upon the foot of the Account we conceive will afford us Moft Pleasure; a Consciousness of having done well, of having Acted like a Man, not like a Brute; together with the hopes of future Recompenfe, and the Persuasion of having avoided Future Mifery. When thefe Ideas are not in the Mind, or not to a Degree fufficient to weigh down what appears on the side of Prefent Enjoyment we evermore give way to Senfuality, the Tempter prevails. So if we chuse Present Mifery, when in Competition with Ease, |