no longer neceffary to them, there are no fchools or universities there, and confequently, the holidays laft with them the whole year round, which must be infinitely agreeable to young people, who, for the most part, are naturally lazy. In fhort, as there is no need of any one thing in this habitation, the inhabitants, consequently, have nothing to do, which is what many people here on earth look upon as the greatest happiness they can enjoy.

PERHAPS, in oppofition to the truth of this affertion, than which, however, nothing can be truer, you will bring the authority of Lucian †, who has writ

ten

One of the moft famous wits, not only of the age he lived in, but alfo of all antiquity. He was born at Samofatis, and lived ninety years, to the reign of Marcus Aurelius, by whom he was fent as governor into Egypt. He arrived to this exalted station entirely through his merit, and that wit which we fee fhine through all his writings, in which there is to be found the moft judicious mixture of the useful and the entertaining, of inftruction and of fatire, of erudition and of eloquence. There runs through them an almost continual vein of raillery on the Pagan theology, and a very keen fatire on the conduct of the philofophers; interfperfed with many great examples of virtue, and a moft hearty contempt for vice, on which he throws a degree of ridicule which renders it really hateful.

ten to the contrary. I know it as well as you do; nay, fo far from endeavouring to weaken the force of your argument, I fhall, myself, in order to give it its full ftrength, quote in this place the very words, which he, on that occafron, puts into the mouth of Menippus, who is fuppofed to be converfing, after his pretended return from Hell, with Philonides.

"You would laugh very heartily, fays he to his "friend, was you but to see our high-headed gentry, "who did fo many glorious actions here on earth,

put to their trumps how to get their bread; and "conftrained, for the fake of earning a bare subfist"ence, to take up, perhaps, the trade of a fifhmon66 ger, or, as fome of them do, fet up for fchoolma"ster, and teaching the grammar and spelling-book "to a parcel of young boobies, who do nothing but "make mouths at them, or kick and buffet them a"bout like foot-balls. For my part, I thought I "fhould have split my fides, at obferving Philip, "that famous king of Macedon, cobling up a parcel "of old fhoes in a corner; and others, no less glo"rious, or lefs celebrated, fuch as Darius, Xerxes, "and Polycrates, ftanding at the corners of the streets, "and begging halfpence."

BUT who is there that, in the reading this, does not plainly perceive, that this ingenious writer, in the paffage we have quoted, has given his farcaftic and fprightly humour its full career; and that what he fays here, is no more to be confidered as a reality

than

than those other adventures, which he relates to have happened to him in Theffaly, when he was metamorphofed into an ass.

YET let it not be here imagined, that I pretend abfolutely to fay, there is nothing at all done in Hell. So far from it, that I know very well there are people there who are continually labouring, because it would be the greateft punishment to them to be idle. I know, for inftance, that Sifyphus, for the fake of paffing away the time, diverts himself with rolling a large mafs of a rock up to the fummit of a very high mountain, in order to have the pleasure afterwards of feeing it roll again from top to bottom, a thousand times quicker than it went up.. I know alfo, that the Danaides ‡, for the pleasure of a little prattle and laughter amongst themselves, divert themfelves with drawing water out of a deep well, and then pouring it into a very large tub with the bot

tom

They were fifty in number, all daughters of Danaus, king of Argos. They were all married in the fame day to the fifty fons of Egyptus, the brother of Danaus. These cruel women, by the command of their father, who was afraid he fhould be dethroned by fome one of his fons-in-law, all of them, excepting Hypemneftra, maffacred their husbands on their wedding night. For the expiation of which crime, the poets have condemned them in Hell to the pu nishment here related.

tom out, which they know very well they never will be able to fill. But what does this fignify? it is an amufement to them; and, as they cannot bear the thoughts of idleness, which is the mother of all evil, especially amongst the fair fex, they chufe rather to employ themselves in a ufeless labour than do nothing at all. At leaft it gives them this pleasure, that it makes them laugh like fools, and chatter like fo many magpies. Now, fo far are thefe kinds of diverfions from being prohibited in Hell, that, on the contrary, they are freely permitted to all who chufe to take them. Every one to his liking.

IT is alfo from the fame love of diverfions, that each perfon pursues in that place thofe inclinations, whereby he had been swayed, or had fignalized himfelf, here on earth. For inftance:

Some wrestle on the fands, and fome in play,
And games heroic, pafs the hours away.
These raise the fong divine, and those advance
In meafur'd fteps to form the folemn dance :,
There Orpheus, graceful in his long attire,
In feven divifions ftrikes the founding lyre;
Across the chords the quivering quill he flings,
Or with his flying fingers 'fweeps the ftrings.
Here Teucer's ancient race the prince furveys;
The race of heroes born in happier days:
Ilus, Affaracus, in arms rever'd,

And Troy's great founder Dardanus appear'd.

Before

៩

Before him ftalk'd the tall majestic train,
And pitch'd their idle lances in the plain.
Their arms and airy chariots he beheld;
The fteeds, unharness'd, graz'd the flowing field
Those pleafing cares the heroes felt, alive,
For chariots, arms and fteeds, in death furvive.
Some on the verdant plains were ftretch'd along;
(Sweet to the ear their tuneful Pæans rung)
Others beneath a laurel grove were laid,.
And, joyful, feasted in the fragrant fhade.

Virg. Æneid, Lib. 6.

IN fhort, as mufic is the delight of more than three parts out of four of mankind upon earth, Hell is alfo furnished with a vaft number of excellent musicians, who alternately entertain the inhabitants with all forts of operas and concerts, both vocal and inftrumental, performed by the best of the Italian eunuchs, and the most famous voices of Rome, Naples, Venice, Paris, Vienna, and every other part of the universe. There are the different pieces executed in all languages and in all forts of taftes, for the univerfal fatisfaction of the audience. Those who are of the antique tafte, there hear with admiration the gentle flute of Marfyas t; are enchanted with the thorough. bafs

A Phrygian, who firft introduced the custom of setting to music the hymns of the gods, as he was excellent