gone, and they plainly difcerned the building to hang a little up in the air without any real foundation. At first we faw nothing, but a defperate leap remained for us, and I a thousand times blamed my unmeaning curiofity that had brought me into fo much danger. But as they began to fink lower in their own minds, methought the palace funk along with us, 'till they were arrived at the due point of Efteem which they ought to have for themselves; then the part of the building in which they stood touched the earth, and we departing out, it retired from our eyes. Now, whether they who stayed in the palace were fenfible of this defcent, 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 occafion all my life to reflect upon the fatal confequences of following the fuggeftions of Vanity.

t

VISION

VISION II

SPECTATOR. No 501.

OW are we tortured with the abfence of

HS

what we covet to poffefs, when it appears to be loft to us! what excurfions does the foul make in imagination after it! and how does it turn into itfelf again, more foolishly fond and dejected, at the difappointment! our grief, inftead of having recourse to reason, which might reftrain it, searches to find a further nourishment. It calls upon memory to relate the feveral paffages and circumftances of fatisfaction which we formerly enjoyed; the pleasures we purchafed by thofe riches that are taken from us; or the power and fplendor of our departed honours; or the voice, the words, the looks, the temper, and affections of our friends that are deceased. It needs muft happen from hence, that the paffion fhould often fwell to fuch a fize as to burft the heart which contains it, if time did not make thefe circumftances lefs ftrong and lively, fo that reafon fhould become a more equal match for the paffion, or if another defire which becomes more prefent did not overpower them with a livelier representation. These are

thoughts

thoughts which I had, when I fell into a kind of vision upon this fubject, and may therefore ftand for a proper introduction to a relation of it.

I found myself upon a naked fhore, with company whofe afflicted countenances witneffed their conditions. Before us flowed a water, deep, filent, and called the river of Tears, which iffuing from two fountains on an upper ground, encompaffed an island that lay before us. The boat which plied in it was old and fhattered, having been fometimes overfet by the impatience and hafte of fingle paffengers to arrive at the other fide. This immediately was brought to us by Misfortune, who fteers it, and we were all preparing to take our places, when there appeared a woman of a mild and compofed behaviour, who began to deter us from it, by representing the dangers which would attend our voyage. Hereupon fome who knew her for Patience, and fome of those too, who 'till then cried the loudeft, were perfuaded by her, and returned back. The reft of us went in, and fhe (whofe good-nature would not fuffer her to forfake perfons in trouble)

defired leave to accompany us, that he might at leaft adminifter fome fmall comfort or advice while we failed. We were no fooner embarked, but the boat was pushed off, the fheet was spread; and being filled with Sighs, which are the winds of that country, we made a paffage to the farther bank

thro'

thro' feveral difficulties, of which the most of us

feemed utterly regardlefs.

When we landed, we perceived the island to be ftrangly overcaft with fogs, which no brightness could pierce, fo that a kind of gloomy horror fat always brooding over it. This had fomething in it very fhocking to eafy tempers, infomuch that fome others, whom Patience had by this time gained over, left us here, and privily conveyed themfelves round the verge of the ifland, to find a ford by which the told them they might efcape.

For my part, I ftill went along with those who were for piercing into the centre of the place and joining themfelves to others whom we found upon the fame journey, we marched folemnly as at a funeral, thro bordering hedges of rosemary, and thro' a grove of yew-trees, which love to overfhadow tombs and flourish in church-yards. Here we heard on every fide the wailings and complaints of feveral of the inhabitants who had caft themfelves difconfolately at the feet of trees; and as we chanced to approach any of these, we might perceive them wringing their hands, beating their breaft, tearing their hair, or after some other manner vifibly agitated with vexation. Our forrows were heightened by the influence of what we heard and faw, and one of our number was wrought up to fuch a pitch of wildnefs, as to talk of hanging himself upon a bough which fhot temptingly a-crofs the path we travelled in; but he was restrained

from

from it by the kind endeavours of our above-mentioned companion.

We had now gotten into the moft dufky filent part of the island, and by the redoubled founds of fighs, which made a doleful whiftling in the branches, the thickness of air which occafioned faintifh refpiration, and the violent throbbings of heart which more and more affected us, we found that we approached the grotto of Grief. It was a wide, hollow, and melancholy cave, funk deep in a dale, and watered by rivulets that had a colour between red and black. Thefe crept flow, and half congealed amongst its windings, and mixed their heavy murmur with the echo of groans that rolled through all the paffages. In the most retired part of it fat the doleful Being herfelf; the path to her was ftrewed with goads, ftings, and thorns; and the throne on which the fat was broken into a rock, with ragged pieces pointing upwards for her to lean upon. A heavy mift hung above her, her head, oppreffed with it, reclined upon her arm: Thus did the reign over her difconfolate fubjects, full of herself to ftupidity, in eternal pensiveness, and the profoundeft filence. On one fide of her ftood Dejection, juft dropping into a fwoon, and Palenefs wafting to a skeleton; on the other fide were Care, inwardly tormented with imaginations, and Anguish fuffering outward Troubles to fuck the blood from her heart in the shape of Vultures. The whole vault had a genuine difmalness in it, which a few