and rows his crazy where he must take

them coming, he hoifts his fail, boat up to the landing place, them, that they may not wait a moment. When they have paffed over the Styx †, which they do in the glance of an eye, the kindly paffport they have' got from Lucifer produces the fame effect on Cerberus . This monfter, whofe frightful triple throat, with his terrible roarings, frights all other finners; this monster, I fay, knowing them to be his master's friends, far from barking at them, comes, on the contrary, to meet them, and teftifies to them the fatisfaction he has in feeing them arrive safe, and in fo large a number, by his leaping, wagging his tail, his cries of joy, his capers, and a hundred other careffes. The Furies §, thofe merciless monsters, who favour no body, and whofe ufual employment is to torment the fouls of the dead; the Furies, I fay, give the most gracious reception poffible, compliment D 2 them

+ A river of Hell, which, according to the poets, all fouls must go over after death, before they reach the place appointed for them.

A monstrous and huge dog with three heads, to whom the poets have given the charge of guarding the paffages of Hell.

The goddeffes of Hell. There are three in number, and are named Alecto, Mægara and Tyfiphone. The poets have fuppofed them to poffefs in Hell the employment of punishing the wicked.

them upon their arrival, embrace them, and treat them like their worthy brethren: they open the gates of Tartarus to them, and give to the Quarter> masters here the care of appointing to every one of their foldiers the apartments which they deferve.

*******************

CHA P. XI.

Who occupies the fixth and laft place in Hell. A picture of Envy.

L

ET us place the Envious here, in the laft clafs

of the friends and martyrs of Lucifer. What dreadful torments do not these people fuffer while upon earth for to render themfelves worthy of him! Jealous of the leaft prosperity, of the most middling fortune, of the leaft fuccefs that others have, we fee them imitate their infernal mother, whofe picture an elegant poet has drawn fo hideous, but very true, in the following verses.

Livid

The very dungeon of Hell, in which, according to the poets, the fouls of wicked perfons were tormented with all forts of punishments, according to their crimes.

Livid and meagre were her looks; her eye
In foul distorted glances turn'd awry :
An hoard of gall her inward parts poffefs'd,

And spread a greennefs o'er her canker'd breaft:
Her teeth were brown with ruft, and from her tongue

In dangling drops the ftringy poison hung.
She never fmiles but when the wretched weep;
Nor lulls her malice with a moment's fleep.
Restless in spite; while, watchful to destroy,
She pines and fickens at another's joy :
Foe to herself, diftreffing and diftreft,
She bears her own tormentor in her breast.
Where the fteers

Her baneful courfe, a mighty blaft appears,
Mildews and blights; the meadows are defac'd,
The fields, the flowers, and the whole year laid

wafte:

On mortals next, and peopled towns the falls,
And breathes a burning plague amongst their walls
Ovid, b. 2. v. 777.

THIS is truly a picture of the envious, drawn from the life. This is the life which they lead upon earth. Thefe are the excellent and worthy fruits their labours yield. Do they not well deferve then after death to be rewarded with a place in Hell, near to their dreadful mother?

We may conclude from all this, that Hell is furely a great bleffing, becaufe, as we have proved, the

D3

world

world in general defire it fo paffionately, and even fubject themselves with pleasure, in hopes of gaining it, to every thing that human nature can undergo most painful; in fhort, to every thing that she could poffibly fuffer, to obtain the most fupreme happi

nefs.

СНА A P.

XII.

The excellence of Hell with regard to its good neigh

A

bourhood.

MONGST the great number of reafons which make men prefer the dwelling of Hell to any other whatsoever, I doubt not that one of the most principal is the precious advantage it has of being in 2 good neighbourhood. In fhort, there is not in this world any inconvenience, any fituation, so disagreeable, as that of being in a bad neighbourhood. It was from that reafon, that the Jews, who are the most antient nation at this day fubfifting in the world, have reckoned it amongst the curfes they beftowed on their enemies, a misfortune, which they look on as one of the greatest that ever came out of Pandora's box ‡. Nay,

An admirable woman, formed by Vulcan. The

poets

On

Nay, fo certain, fo evident is this truth, that the kingdoms, ftates, and empires of the world might flatter themselves with an eternal profperity, was it not for the defolation and deftruction which is brought on the greatest part of them, from their having wicked and evil neighbours. A good neighbourhood has fuch advantages, and carries fuch fatisfaction with it, that it infinitely increases the delight of any dwelling, however delightful in itself. this account it is, that Cato advises every one who is about to purchase any poffeffion, to take care, above all things, to inform and fatisfy himself of the worth and character of those who live around it, Nor was this inestimable advantage unknown or unnoticed by those who lived even long before him: for we read, in ancient hiftory, that Themiftocles, that celebrated Athenian general, having put up one of his houses to fale, took great care to give information to D 4 thofe

poets fay, that she had received fome perfection from each of the gods. Jupiter, enraged against Prometheus, who had ftolen fire from heaven to animate the man which he had made, fent Pandora down to earth with a fatal box, which Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus, opened, and immediately flew out from it every kind of difeafe and misfortune which has ever fince tormented the world. There remained only Hope, which was found at the bottom of the fatal box.