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STEPPING STONES TO LITERATURE.

Fast as their ranks the thunders tear,
Fast they renewed each serried square,
And on the wounded and the slain
Closed their diminished files again;
Till from their lines scarce spears' lengths th
Emerging from the smoke they see
Helmet and plume, and panoply

Then waked their fire at once!
Each musketeer's revolving knell
As fast, as regularly fell,
As when they practice to display
Their discipline on festal day.

Then down went helm and lance,
Down were the eagle-banners sent,
Down reeling steeds and riders went,
Corselets were pierced and pennons rent;
And, to augment the fray,
Wheeled full against their staggering flanks,
The English horsemen's foaming ranks
Forced their resistless way.

Then to the musket knell succeeds

The clash of swords, the neigh of steeds;
As plies the smith his clanging trade,
Against the cuirass rang the blade;
And while amid their close array
The well-served cannon rent their way,
And while amid their scattered band
Raged the fierce rider's bloody brand,
Recoiled in common rout and fear
Lancer and guard and cuirassier,

Horsemen and foot, -a mingled host,

IV. ENDEAVORS OF MANKIND TO GET RID OF THEIR BURTHENS - A DREAM.

By JOSEPH ADDISON.

Should Jove descend

And grant to every man his rash demand,

And, with these separate demands, dismiss
Each suppliant to enjoy the promised bliss:

Don't you believe they'd run? Not one will move,
Tho' proffered to be happy from above.

HORACE.

JOSEPH ADDISON (1672 -1719) was

[graphic]

an English

essayist and poet. His poetry, however, is not much read now, but his essays and sketches will be read wherever the English language is spoken. Most of them appeared in pamphlets or magazines, of which the most famous was the "Spectator," which was published by Addison and his friend Richard Steele. It is from the " Spectator" that the following sketches are taken. These little periodicals, together with some others printed

about the same time, were

almost the first of their

JOSEPH ADDISON.

kind, and to them we can

trace our own periodical literature, both newspaper and magazine. Although they were very small and insignificant compared with the great magazines of to-day, yet none of these have any finer contributions than are to be found in those first little pamphlets.

T is a celebrated thought of Socrates, that if all the mis

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in order to be equally distributed among the whole species, those who now think themselves the most unhappy would prefer the share they are already possessed of, before that which would fall to them by such a division. Horace has carried this thought a great deal further in the motto of my paper, which implies that the hardships or misfortunes we lie under are more easy to us than those of any other person would be in case we could change conditions with him.

As I was ruminating on these two remarks, and seated in my elbow chair, I insensibly fell asleep; when, on a sudden, methought there was a proclamation made by Jupiter, that every mortal should bring in his griefs and calamities and throw them together in a heap. There was a large plain appointed for this purpose. I took my stand in the center of it, and saw with a great deal of pleasure the whole human species marching one after another, and throwing down their several loads, which immediately grew up into a prodigious mountain, that seemed to rise above the clouds.

There was a certain lady, of a thin, airy shape, who was very active in this solemnity. She carried a magnifying glass in one of her hands, and was clothed in a loose flowing robe, embroidered with several figures of fiends and specters, that discovered themselves in a thousand chimerical shapes, as her garment hovered in the wind. There was something wild and distracted in her looks. Her name was Fancy. She led up every mortal to the appointed place after having officiously assisted him in making up his pack and laying it upon his shoulders. My heart melted within me to see my fellow creatures groaning under their respective burthens, and to consider that prodigious bulk of human calamities which lay before me.

There were, however, several persons who gave me great

diversion upon this occasion. I observed one bringing in a fardel, very carefully concealed under an old embroidered cloak, which, upon his throwing it into the heap, I discovered to be Poverty. Another after a great deal of puffing, threw down his luggage; which, upon examining, I found to be his wife.

There were multitudes of lovers saddled with very whimsical burthens composed of darts and flames; but, what was very odd, though they sighed as if their hearts. would break under these bundles of calamities, they could not persuade themselves to cast them into the heap when they came up to it; but, after a few faint efforts, shook their heads and marched away as heavy laden as they came. I saw multitudes of old women lay down their wrinkles; and several young ones who stripped themselves of a tawny skin. There were very great heaps of red noses, large lips, and rusty teeth. The truth of it is, I was surprised to see the greatest part of the mountain made up of bodily deformities. Observing one advancing towards the heap with a larger cargo than ordinary upon his back, I found upon his near approach, that it was only a natural hump that he disposed of, with great joy of heart, among this collection of human miseries. There were, likewise, distempers of all sorts, though I could not but observe that there were many more imaginary than real. One little packet I could not but take notice of, which was a complication of all the diseases incident to human nature, and was in the hand of a great many fine people, this was called the spleen. But what most of all surprised me, was a remark I made that there was not a single vice or folly thrown into the heap; at which I was very much astonished, having concluded within myself that every one. would take this opportunity of getting rid of his passions, prejudices, and frailties.

When the whole race of mankind had thus cast their burthens, the phantom which had been so busy on this occasion, seeing me an idle spectator of what passed, approached towards me. I grew uneasy at her presence, when of a sudden she held her magnifying glass full before my eyes. I no sooner saw my face in it, but I was startled by the shortness of it, which now appeared to me in its utmost aggravation. The immoderate breadth of my features made me very much out of humor with my own countenance, upon which I threw it from me like a mask. It happened very luckily, that one who stood by me, had just before thrown down his own visage, which, it seems, was too long for him. It was, indeed, extended to a most shameful length; I believe the very chin was, modestly speaking, as long as my whole face. We had both of us an opportunity of mending ourselves, and, all the contributions being now brought in, every man was at liberty to exchange his misfortunes for those of another person.

V. ENDEAVORS OF MANKIND TO GET RID OF THEIR MISERIES. A DREAM.

N

my

BY JOSEPH ADDISON.

In last I, as

paper, gave my reader a sight of that moun

tain of miseries, which was made up of those several calamities that afflict the minds of men. I saw, with unspeakable pleasure, the whole species thus delivered from its sorrows; though, at the same time, as we stood round the heap, and surveyed the several materials of which it was composed, there was scarce a mortal, in this vast multitude, who did not discover what he thought pleasures and blessings of life; and wondered how the owners of them ever came to look upon them as burthens and grievances.

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