need of palliating our own faults, and the convenience of impofing on the ignorance or credulity of others, fo frequently occur; fo many immediate evils are to be avoided, and so many present gratifications obtained, by craft and delufion, that very few of those who are much entangled in life, have spirit and conftancy fufficient to support them in the fteady practice of open veracity.

In order that all men may be taught to speak truth, it is neceffary that all likewife fhould learn to hear it; for no fpecies of falfehood is more frequent than flattery, to which the coward is betrayed by fear, the dependant by intereft, and the friend by tenderness: Those who are neither fervile nor timorous, are yet defirous to bestow pleasure; and while unjust demands of praise continue to be made, there will always be fome whom hope, fear, or kindness, will dispose to pay them.:

The guilt of falfehood is very widely extended, and many whom their confcience can fcarcely charge with ftooping to a lie, have vitiated the morals of others by their vanity, and patronized the vice which they believe themselves to abhor.

Truth is, indeed, not often welcome for its own fake; it is generally unpleafing because contrary to our wishes and oppofite to our practice; and as our attention naturally follows our intereft, we hear unwillingly what we are afraid to know, and foon forget what we have no inclination to impress upon our memories.

For this reafon many arts of instruction have been invented, by which the reluctance against truth may be overcome; and as phyfick is given to children in

confections, precepts have been hidden under a thoufand appearances, that mankind may be bribed by pleasure to escape destruction.

While the world was yet in its infancy, TRUTH came among mortals from above, and FALSEHOOD from below. TRUTH was the daughter of JUPITER and WISDOM; FALSEHOOD was the progeny of FOLLY impregnated by the wind. They advanced with equal confidence to feize the dominion of the new creation; and, as their enmity and their force were well known to the celeftials, all the eyes of heaven were turned upon the contest.

TRUTH feemed confcious of fuperior power and juster claim, and therefore came on towering and majestick, unaffifted and alone; REASON indeed always attended her, but appeared her follower, rather than companion. Her march was flow and ftately, but her motion was perpetually progreffive, and when once fhe had grounded her foot, neither gods nor men could force her to retire.

FALSEHOOD always endeavoured to copy the mien and attitudes of TRUTH, and was very successful in the arts of mimickry. She was furrounded, animated, and fupported, by innumerable legions of appetites and paffions, but, like other feeble commanders, was obliged often to receive law from her allies. Her motions were fudden, irregular, and violent; for fhe had no fteadiness nor conftancy. She often gained conquefts by hafty incurfions, which she never hoped to keep by her own ftrength, but maintained by the help of the paffions, whom she generally found refolute and faithful.

It fometimes happened that the antagonists met in full oppofition. In these encounters, FALSEHOOD always invefted her head with clouds, and commanded FRAUD to place ambushes about her. In her left hand fhe bore the fhield of IMPUDENCE, and the quiver of SOPHISTRY rattled on her fhoulder. All the paffions attended at her call; VANITY clapped her wings before, and OBSTINACY fupported her behind. Thus guarded and affifted, fhe fometimes advanced against TRUTH, and fometimes waited the attack; but always endeavoured to fkirmish at a distance, perpetually fhifted her ground, and let fly her arrows in different directions; for fhe certainly found that her strength failed, whenever the eye of TRUTH darted full upon her.

TRUTH had the awful afpect though not the thunder of her father, and when the long continuance of the conteft brought them near to one another, FALSEHOOD let the arms of SOPHISTRY fall from her grasp, and holding up the fhield of IMPUDENCE with both her hands, fheltered herself amongst the paffions.

TRUTH, though fhe was often wounded, always recovered in a fhort time; but it was common for the flighteft hurt, received by FALSEHOOD, to fpread its malignity to the neighbouring parts, and to burst open again when it feemed to have been cured.

FALSEHOOD, in a fhort time, found by experience that her fuperiority confifted only in the celerity of her course, and the changes of her posture. She therefore ordered SUSPICION to beat the ground before her, and avoided with great care to cross the You, V.

M

way

way of TRUTH, who, as fhe never varied her point, but moved conftantly upon the fame line, was eafily escaped by the oblique and defultory movements, the quick retreats, and active doubles which FalseHOOD always practifed, when the enemy began to raife terrour by her approach.

By this procedure FALSEHOOD every hour encroached upon the world, and extended her empire through all climes and regions. Wherever fhe carried her victories fhe left the PASSIONS in full authority behind her; who were fo well pleafed with command, that they held out with great obftinacy when TRUTH came to feize their pofts, and never failed to retard her progrefs, though they could not always ftop it: They yielded at last with great reluctance, frequent rallies, and fullen fubmiffion; and always inclined to revolt when TRUTH ceafed to awe them by her immediate presence.

TRUTH, who, when she first descended from the heavenly palaces, expected to have been received by univerfal acclamation, cherished with kindness, heard with obedience, and invited to fpread her influence from province to province, now found, that whereever fhe came, fhe muft force her paffage. Every intellect was precluded by PREJUDICE, and every heart preoccupied by paffion. She indeed advanced, but fhe advanced flowly; and often loft the conquefts which the left behind her, by fudden infurrections of the appetites, that fhook off their allegiance, and ranged themselves again under the banner of her enemy.

TRUTH, however, did not grow weaker by the ftruggle, for her vigour was unconquerable; yet fhe

was

was provoked to fee herfelf thus baffled and impeded by an enemy, whom she looked on with contempt, and who had no advantage but fuch as fhe owed to inconftancy, weakness, and artifice. She therefore, in the anger of disappointment, called upon her father JUPITER to re-establish her in the skies, and leave mankind to the disorder and mifery which they deferved, by fubmitting willingly to the ufurpation of FALSEHOOD.

JUPITER Compaffionated the world too much to grant her request, yet was willing to eafe her labours and mitigate her vexation. He commanded her to confult the mufes by what methods fhe might obtain an easier reception, and reign without the toil of inceffant war. It was then difcovered, that fhe obftructed her own progrefs by the feverity of her afpect, and the folemnity of her dictates; and that men would never willingly admit her, till they ceafed to fear her, fince, by giving themselves up to FALSEHOOD, they feldom made any facrifice of their ease or pleasure, because she took the fhape that was most engaging, and always fuffered herfelf to be dreffed and painted by DESIRE. The mufes wove, in the loom of Pallas, a loofe and changeable robe, like that in which FALSEHOOD captivated her admirers; with this they invested TRUTH, and named her FICTION. She now went out again to conquer with more fuccefs; for when the demanded entrance of the PASSIONS, they often mistook her for FALSEHOOD, and delivered up their charge: but when she had once taken poffeffion, fhe was foon difrobed by REason, and fhone out, in her original form, with native effulgence and refiftlefs dignity.