had not sufficient employment in arranging the present.

Why, sovereign master of the universe, dost thou add this care to so many others which torment poor mortals, to foresee their future misfortunes by melancholy presages? (horace.) Rather let them remain ignorant of what thou preparest, and let not the mind of man dive into futurity, that in the midst of his fears he may be permitted still to hope. (Lucan.)

We gain nothing by being informed of what must inevitably happen, for it is a miserable thing to torment ourselves to no purpose. (Cicero.)

Yet though divination is no longer generally held in estimation, there is a remarkable example of its effect on the Marquis of Sallusse, Lieutenant General of Francis the First. After being highly savoured by that monarch, he permitted himself to be so alarmed by the prognostications that were every where circulated in favour of the emperor, Charles the Fifth, and to our disadvantage, that having privately deplored the evils, which he fancied would inevitably fall upon the French crown, he revolted

D 3

volted against his sovereign, to his great loft however, whatever constellation he relied upon.

Th' Eternal Lord, who wrapt in sacred night,
Future events conceals from human fight,
Smiles at our wish to pierce the dark disguise,
To lose our ignorance, and be sadly wise.

Horace.

He alone is truly happy, who at the close of each day can say, I have passed this day in tranquillity, whatever the next may produce, whether it shall be obscured with clouds, or enlightened with a beautiful sun. (Horace.)

A mind satisfied with itself will not be defirous of embarrassing itself with what is to happen. (Cicero.)—And he who believes in signs, believes without reason; as I think those who say they understand the language of birds, and are more enlightened by the liver of an animal than by their own understanding, may be listened to, but cannot be credited.

The celebrated art of divination originated, in this manner, with the Tuscans: a labourer striking deep with his coulter into the earth, saw the demi-god Tages ascend with an infantine aspect, but endued with mature wisdom.

Upon

1

Upon the rumour of his extraordinary appearance, all the people ran to see the sight; and the words he spoke concerning this science, which explained the principles, were recorded and preserved for many ages: an origin conformable to the progress of the art. regulating my affairs by the rather chan by fuch reveries.

I fhould prefer

chance of dice,

And, indeed, in

all republics, drawing by lots has been permitted; and thus a great share of the government has been referred to chance. Plato, in the police, which he regulated at discretion, leaves the decision of marriage, and many other things equally important, wholly to fortune. (Cicero.)

Cicero observes, that of all the philosophers who have acknowledged the power of the Deity, Xenophon alone has endeavoured to eradicate all manner of divination; therefore it is the less wonderful that some of our princes have relied too much upon these vain illusions. Even now there are men who comment on, ; and interpret from alınanacks, and allege their authority for suture events: indeed they muft

fometimes speak truth, as Well as falsehood; for he who employs himself all day in shooting at' the butt, must sometimes hit the mark. (CICERO.)

Perhaps there would be more certainty, if they were always to agree in falsifying. Befides, their failures are never registered, though they are infinite; while if they stumble upon one truth which can be of the least moment, it is immediately noted as extraordinary and prodigious.

In the confusion of public convulsions, men have frequently abandoned their reason,, and sought superstitiously in the stars for the causes of their present misfortunes. And there are always people ready to play a deep game, speaking and writing enigmatically, with a fantastical and ambiguous prophetic jargon, that posterity may make the application whichever way they please.

The demon or familiar of Socrates, was perhaps a certain impulse of the will, which obtruded itself upon him without the consent of his judgment. In a mind so pure as his, and prepared by a continual exercise of wisdom and

virtue,

virtue, it is very probable that these inclinations, though wild and undigested, were always important, and worthy of being followed. Every one feels some of these emotions originating from a hasty, vehement, and casual thought. I have felt something similar in myfelf, violent and impetuous, but weak in reason, by which I could have suffered myself to be carried away so plausibly, that people might have been induced to believe there was something in them of divine inspiration.