in this world and the next? Is it to fatisfy your pleasures? Give yourself the trouble but to find out Crofus, Pythes, Midas, Lucullus, Crefus, Attibaliba †, and a number of others; their purses will

* A very rich man in Lydia, in Afia Minor, who lived in the time of Xerxes, about 480 years before Jefus Chrift, who, being in poffeffion of a gold mine, applied himself folely to the improvement of it. As this kind of work proved fatal to a number of perfons, his wife bethought of this ftratagem to cure his thirft for riches. At his return from a journey fhe caused several dishes full of gold to be ferved at table. At first the fplendor of these extraordinary delicacies pleafed him; but, like another Midas, foon complained of their hardness, and that they could not fatisfy his hunger. From that his wife took occafion to make his blindness known to him, and the miffortunes to which he might be expofed by his greediness for riches.

† A king of Peru, of the family of the Incas. He began his reign in the beginning of the 16th cen, tury, and was one of the richest and most magnificent monarchs in America. But Francis Pizarro, having difcovered Peru about the year 1525, and fettled in that city, caufed all the misfortunes of Attibaliba. He endeavoured in vain to furprize him by vain compliments; but, having defeated his troops, and taken himself prifoner, he treated him in the most cruel and fhameful manner in the world; notwithstanding

be open to you at once: an advantage which you will not meet with in heaven, which is inhabited by people not worth a fingle penny, the greateft part of whom, when living, renounced the little fortune they were in poffeffion of, to make themfelves lighter for the difficult journey they had to take before they could arrive there.

IF you are afraid to trouble these great lords (although they think it a pleasure to share part of their money with thofe that have need of it) you have but to apply to their intendants, or thofe of other princes, who you may fee conftantly near them in great numbers; who, when upon earth, filled their coffers fo well with the gold of provinces which they had the administration of, notwithstanding they were fent there to promote the welfare and happiness of the inhabitants. You will most certainly obtain from them every thing which you demand; but, obferve

me,

notwithstanding his word given, in fpite of oaths and proteftations, after having pillaged the immenfe trea fures which this prince delivered up to him, he made him be ftrangled about the year 1533. God did not fuffer this crime to go unpunished: Francis Pizarro, who was the author of it, was killed by Diego, fon of Almagro; and his brother was fince beheaded, by order of Vocca de Caftro, whom the emperor Charles V. fent into Peru in quality of vice

roy.

me, provided the fame fpirit of rapine, which animated them upon earth, does not continue to have the fame influence over them in the infernal regions.

****

CHAP. XI.

The handsomeft men and the most beautiful women to be found in Hell.

A

Nother advantage which makes this place no

lefs delightful, fince after the pleasure of having gold and filver in the utmost plenty, there is nothing which is more agreeable here below than that of love. I leave you to think, if there be not in hell wherewith to fatisfy that paffion. Who can doubt it? Since we find here a general rendezvous, and one universal grand feraglio, of almost all that the world has produced fince its creation most lovely and charming amongst woman. Yes, there you may fee, not one, but hundreds, thoufands, whofe beau-ty would again metamorphofe Jupiter into all manner of shapes, if this wanton god was not quite tired of running after miftreffes. There you may find, and see again with admiration, that delightful Helen, whose beauty was fo fatal to the family, city and kingdom of Priam, all whofe defolation and ruin

fhe caused.

Around about her on every fide you

will fee Galatea, Brifeis, Semiramis, Lais, Lucretia, Lavinia, Phryne, and thousands of others, who have been as famous for their beauty as their gallantries. There you will fee in all their allurements, in all their charms, all thofe fair ones whom the greatest poets have celebrated in their verfes: fuch as the Corinna of Ovid, the Glycera of Horace, the Lesbia of Catullus, the Delia of Tibullus, the Licoris of Gallus, the Cynthia of Propertius, and a number of others. All these charming objects, all these ravishing beauties, will lavish on you all their charms, which are kept but for you to enjoy; in which you will fare in common with the great princes, heroes. and illustrious perfonages, who have had them as miitreffes or wives on earth. What can be more delightful than this? A happiness which the bleffed in heaven do not even enjoy; where gallantry and commerce with the women are for ever banished; and where befides none of them are to be found but old or ugly, bigots or prudes; or, in a word, women, who, from the world's not taking notice of them, have, through fpite or neceffity, given themfelves to God.

ATTEND, ye mortals, who are hurried to fuch a pitch of love as to make you guilty of fo many extravagant follies, how will you be able to ftand the attacks of thofe innumerable feducers? Although you should fwear to me by Styx, I would not believe it. And why? becaufe that this paffion, which

you

you think extinguished and deftroyed by death, will kindle again at the flames of hell, and at the fight of fo many beauties. It will even be fo much the more violent, as your defires and fenfations will be fo much heightened, that you will not have power to refift them.

You too, beauties and coquets, you, who, whilft upon earth, could not look without emotion upon a man but tolerably handfome; what have you here to feel? What amorous tranfports will you then have at the fight of an Abfalom, an Alcibiades, a Democles, an Atys, a Ganymede, a Hyacinthus, an Adonis, a Narciffus, an Hylas, and all thofe young men, whose beauty antiquity, as well facred as profane, has celebrated? Can you refift their charms? Far lefs can the men refift a fight of thofe of your fex. But let us continue our eulogium, and give you a fhort sketch of other pleafures which are to be met with in Hell.

A fuperlative degree of pleasure to be found in Hell.

Ο

NE of the greateft pleafures which men can have upon earth, is that of travelling; a pleafure which is at the fame time useful to them; I con