deferve, and which his grace and goodness only can procure you.

Now, are you, on the contrary, defirous of going into Hell? You have no need of all this trouble to get thither. You will arrive there by a much shorter way; a way as pleasant as the other is disagreeable and frightful; a way, in fhort, ftrewed with rofes and lilies. Diffipation, pleasure, gallantry, frequent and unbounded intercourfe with women, gaming, drinking, revelling, debauchery, cards, dice, a refort to taverns, eating-houfes and brothels, and many,other fuch like things; thefe are the roads will lead you quickly to it; roads which are far from difficult to find, and easier ftill to keep in. Then, as to the actions which must procure you a place there, these will coft you very little trouble to execute. Idlenefs, contempt of parents, enmity, hatredy thirft of revenge, lying, wrath, murder, theft, rapine, imprecations, blafphemy, facrilege, pride, gluttony, avarice, ambition, envy, luxury, and vanity; in a word, all the vices, and all the paffions which can please you; these are are the only things you have need for, and, when equipped with them, you have no occafion for any other paffport to be received with open arms in Lucifer's dominions, and to be honoured with the privilege of a free citizen in Hell.

BUT what occafion was there for my even having faid thus much? It is far from being neceffary for this purpose that you should have performed all the ex

B 6

ploits,

ploits, or poffeffed all the vices I have been mentioning. No; Lord Lucifer is too good, too reasonable, too indulgent a prince, to require them all at your hands. Any one of them, fingly, is fufficient to procure you a place with him. Debauch an innocent girl; nay, only ogle her with wanton eyes, covet her but for the gratification of unlawful wifhes; feduce another man's wife to adultery with you. Drown your own reafon only in the fpacious goblet; pursue resentment against your enemy; call him out fuddenly to fingle combat; kill him without remorfe for fome wry word, fome trifle which has been told to you in malice of him, and which the teller bas taken pleasure to exaggerate. Speak but one fingle idle word yourfelf; (and that is the greatest pleasure which numbers in this world enjoy.) I fay, do only one of all these things, and you fhall foon find yourfelf enrolled in the infernal militia. Nay more, even a wicked thought, if you have taken pleasure in indulging it, although unattended with confequences, will be admitted as fufficient to qualify you for a candidate in Hell. In short, to speak in three words every thing that is neceffary, not only to bring you thither, but also to infuré you the most favourable reception there, the only requifites may be included in this one maxim, EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY. And what can be eafier, more natural, or more agreeable in the world to do than this?

To confirm these precepts by examples, and fhew

you

you the justice and folidity of those I have here laid down, I fhall go no farther than to the bad rich man, whofe hiftory is related in the facred fcriptures. He was not a vicious man, nor a wretch guilty of every kind of crime. He was fo far from it, that the fcripture does not accufe him of any. He is only charged with not regarding the wretchednefs of Lazarus: But are the rich obliged to have pity on the poor, or even to think that there are fuch in the univerfe? He was one of thofe wealthy men, who, like feveral of his followers at prefent, lived amidst delicacies, in luxury, and enjoyed all the pleasures which his riches could permit him to take; and yet this rich man, without being troubled in the least about it; without being in the leaft fatigued to obtain it; nay, without even thinking upon it, he found himself one fine morning, or evening, for the hiftory does not fay which it was, carried, as in a dream, into Hell. From whence we may conclude, that no journey can be made with lefs expence, or more expedition, than

this.

CHAP.

CHA P. V.

The eager defire which mankind shew for going to

I

Hell.

MUST add to what I have already faid with re

gard to this journey, that no one is ever undertaken with more delight; we need no other proof of this than the great defire which mankind have to go thither; for all their wishes tend to no other point, it being their fupreme happiness. In short, if it is true, as Ariftotle fays, that the fupreme happiness is that for which a man does every thing in the world, it follows, that this fupreme happiness, with regard to men, is nothing but Hell, fince all their defires, all their thoughts, and all their actions, have no other motive, no other defign, but to come to this dwelling. What is ftill more, we even fee in history, that the greatest fouls have not always waited till death came of its own accord to separate them from their bodies, but, to arrive the fooner at their happiness, have given themselves the fatal blow.

THIS was the cafe with Saul, who was the first of all the kings of Ifrael, and who in the facred writings is fo often honoured with the name of the Lord's Anointed. We also read the fame of that

apoftle

apoftle in whom our Lord and Saviour placed fo great a confidence, as to intruft him with the ma nagement and poffeffion of his purfe. The fame has hiftory handed down to us of Pontius Pilate +. We also know, that this was frequently the custom amongst the demi-gods and heroes, and the great men recorded in prophane and ancient hiftory. So did the famous Hercules, Ajax, Themiftocles, and Hannibal; fo Mithridates, Marius, Brutus and Caffius; fo Cato, Nero, and feveral others.

Nor was there lefs of the fame ardour fhewn amongst the poets and philofophers, and all other learned men, to get foon to Hell. Witness great A. riftotle, Calanus*, Cleombrotes ‡, and Empedocles, Ariftarchus,

He was a governor of Judea. He confirmed the fentence of death against Jefus, after having tried in vain to fave him. The great cruelties which he exercised afterwards against the Samaritans, the greatest part of whom he put to the fword, was the occafion of his being recalled, and fent into banishment, where he is reported to have killed himself out of defpair two years afterwards.

* An Indian philofopher, who lived in the time of Alexander the Great, and followed that prince during all the conquefts he made in that country. Having lived 83 years without ever having any illness, he was at laft troubled with a vio lent fit of the cholic, rather than undergo the pain of which