An unattractive creed, however the hypocritical or envious may affect to confound the chearful tendencies of our nature with vicious ones, or the melancholy may be led really to do so, is an argument against itself. Shall we never have done with begging the question against enjoyment, and denying or doubting the earthly possibility of the only end of virtue itself, with a dreary wilfulness that prevents our obtaining it? The fatality goes even farther; for let them say what they please to the contrary, they who are most doubtful of earth, are far from being the most satisfied with regard to heaven. Even when they think they have got at their security in the latter respect, it is through the medium of opinions which make humanity shudder; and this, except with the most brutal selfishness, comes round to the same thing. The depreciators of this world, the involuntary blasphemers of Nature's goodness, have tried. melancholy and partial systems enough, and talked enough of

their own humility. It is high time for them, and for all of us, to look after health and sociality; and to believe, that although we cannot alter the world with an ipse dixit, we need not become desponding, or mistake a disappointed egotism for humility. We should consider ourselves as what we really are,-creatures made to enjoy more than to know, to know infinitely nevertheless in proportion as we enjoy kindly, and finally, to put our own shoulders to the wheel and get out of the mud upon the green sward again, like the waggoner whom Jupiter admonishes in the fable. But we persist in being unhealthy, body and mind, and taking our jaundice for wisdom; and then because we persist, we say we must persist on. We admire the happiness, and sometimes the better wisdom of children; and yet we imitate the worst of their nonsense-" I can't-because I can't."

For my part, though the world as I found it, and the circumstances that connected me

with it's habits, have formerly given me my portion of sorrow, some of it of no ordinary kind, my creed, I confess, is not only hopeful, but cheerful; and I would pick the best parts out of other creeds too, sure that I was right in what I believed or chose to fancy, in proportion as I did honour to the beauty of nature, and spread cheerfulness and a sense of justice among my fellow-creatures. It was in this spirit, though with a more serious aspect, that I wrote the Story of Rimini, the moral of which is not as some would wish it to be,unjust, and bigoted, and unhappy, sacrificing virtue under pretence of supporting it;-but tolerant and reconciling, recommending men's minds to the consideration of first causes in misfortune, and to see the danger of confounding forms with justice, of setting authorized selfishness above the most natural impulses, and making guilt by mistaking inno

cence.

It is in the same spirit, though more obvi

ously, that I put forth the present work. I do not write, I confess, for the sake of a moral only, nor even for that purpose principally:I write to enjoy myself; but I have learnt in the course of it to write for others also; and my poetical tendencies luckily fall in with my moral theories. The main features of the book are a love of sociality, of the country, and of the fine imagination of the Greeks. I need not inform any reader acquainted with real poetry, that a delight in rural luxury has ever been a constituent part of the very business of poets as well as one of the very best things which they have recommended, as counteractions to the more sordid tendencies of cities. But I may as well insinuate, that the luxuries which poets recommend, and which are thought so beautiful on paper, are much more within the reach of every one, and much more beautiful in reality, than people's fondness for considering all poetry as fiction would imply. The poets only do with their imaginations what all

might do with their practice,-live at as cheap, natural, easy, and truly pleasurable a rate as possible; for it is not industry, but a defeat of the ends of it, and a mere want of ideas, to work and trouble themselves so much as most of our countrymen do; neither is it taste, but an ostentatious want of it, that is expensive; and the French in some of these matters are better practical poets than we are; for they refuse to get more than is reasonable, or than leaves fair play for enjoyment; and they spend their afternoons in dancing under the trees or in-doors, or attending the theatres, where they see imitations of the Golden Age in dances more poetical. The fashionable world among us see a great deal farther into these things, from the mere absence of this yellow atmosphere of money-getting; and it is curious to observe, how they come round, through all their refinements, to place their best entertainment in music and dancing, which are two of the most natural and pastoral of pleasures.