Advantages we have notwithstanding their Imperfection; to wait to Ee Pleas'd till This, and That, and every thing we Miflike is remov'd like the Countrey-man in Horace. who near Some River's Side Expecting ftands in hopes the rnnning Tide There is another Untoward Humour very prevalent with most People, and that is rejecting all Advices by faying 'Tis eafy for one that. is Happy himself to give Such to the Wretched which Themselves in That Condition could not profit by. If the Advice is Good, 'tis no matter what the Giver Could, or Would do; let Him to whom 'tis given try whether he has Wisdom, and Virtue enough to make his Own Advantage of it. There are indeed certain Sea fons when the Mind is Incapable of Pleasure in any remarkable Degree: whether from the too great Pref fure of Calamity; or a Melancholly Cloud fpreading it felf over all: In this Cafe the Patient must do as in a Fit of the Head-ach, the Gout, or the like Diftemper; bear it as Patiently as he can, things will brighten again. And in the mean time he must not Indolently fink under, but Refolutely bear up against it, and endeavour as foon as poffible to get rid of the Mischief; but by no means muft he encourage its continuance; nor regard any Reflections he may Then make to his Disadvantage; as being Probably the Voice of his Diftemper, not his Reafon. Thus in time the Evil may be Remedy'd; and a contrary Habit gain'd: Or if this will not do, the Philofopher, and Divine must deliver up the Patient into the MagHands Hands of the Physician, or rather call him in to their Affiftance. 19 This Deplorable Cafe excepted; and the Mind being Sound, and Vit gorous Vaft Improvements may be made in our Pleafures, by Endea vouring and Studying to be Pleas'd. Instead of Observing, what we don't like, and Magnifying That; fuppofe we fhould on the contrary apply our Selves to difcover the Advantageous Circumstances in every Moment of our Lives, and fix upon, and profit our Selves of Them as much as poffible: Would not This be more Commendable; and more for our Intereft? There are a thousand inftances of things which are Infipid, or even Naufeous to us, but which might become Pleasant: and a thousand, and ten thousand which feem adapted to Please which we fuffer to pafs by Unregarded. As Imperfect, and Despicable as our Prefent Condition may appear to to be to Some Difcontented People there is not a Glance of the Eye, a Morfel we tafte, or a Breath we draw but is capable of affording us Pleasure. Every Seafon of the Year, Every Hour of the Day, Every Circumftance of Life has Some, Proper, and Peculiar to it. We should like Bees fuck Sweetness out of every Flower, Not only thofe in fine Gardens, but thofe which grow Wild . . in every Common Field; Nay if poffible from every Weed: Even Pain, and Disappointment may be the occafions of admimiftering fome Pleasure, by a Confcioufnefs of bearing them well, the Improvement of our Philofophical Strength, and giving a Stronger Guft to the Pleafure to be had Elfewhere by the Oppofition. Das If I were to make a Finifh'd Work from this Sketch (which I verily believe I never shall) there is room enough for plentiful Enlargemeuts 21 10 101 T every where, and Here particularly by giving variety of Inftances, to Illustrate, and prove what I have been faying; and I believe it very rarely happens, that any One Circumftance of Life is fo well confider'd as it might be with the Defign of extracting all poffible Pleafures from it. However (befides that of Connoiffance which is my main Business, and which I fhall fully profecute anon) I will not omit One which every body finds the benefit of in fome measure, but which might be improv'd to a Vaft Degree, and that is the getting a fine Collection of Mental Pictures; what I mean is furnishing the Mind with Pleafing Images; whether of things Real, or Imaginary; whether of our own forming, or borrow'd from Others. This is a Collection which every one may have, and which will finely employ every vacant moment of ones time. I will give a Specimen or |