The wife example of the heavenly lark, Thy fellow-poet, Cowley, mark; Above the clouds let thy proud musick sound, X. THE DANGER OF PROCRASTINATION. A Letter to Mr. S. L. AM glad that you approve and applaud my design I of withdrawing myfelf from all tunnult and buine's of the world, and confecrating the little reft of my time to those studies, to which nature had so motherly inclined me, and from which fortune, like a step-mother, has fo long detained me. But nevertheless (you fay, which but is "ærugo mera,” a rust which spoils the good metal it grows upon. But you fay) you would advise me not to precipitate that resolution, but to stay a while longer with patience and complaifance, till I had gotten fuch an estate as might afford me (according to the faying of that perfon, whom you and I love very much, and would believe as foon as another man) cum dignitate otium." This were excellent advice to Joshua, who could bid the fun stay too. But there is no focling with life, when it is once turned beyond forty. The feeking for a fortune then, is but a defperate after-game: it is a hundred to one, if a man fling two fixes, and recover all; especially, if his hand be no luckier than mine. There is fome help for all the defects of fortune; for, if a man cannot attain to the length of his wishes, he may have his remedy by cutting of them shorter.. Epicurus writes a letter to Idomeneus (who was then a very powerful, wealthy, and, it feems, bountiful perfon) to recommend to him, who had made fo many men rich, one Pythocles, a friend of his, whom he defired might be made a rich man too; " but I intreat you that you would not do it just the fame way as you have done to many lefs deferving perfons, but in the moft gentlemanly manner of obliging him, which is, not to add any thing to his eftate, but to take fomething from his defires." The fum of this is, that, for the uncertain hopes of fome conveniences, we ought not to defer the execution of a work that is neceffary; especially, when the use of thofe things, which we would stay for, may otherwise be fupplied; but the lofs of time, never recovered: nay, farther yet, though we were fure to obtain all that we had a mind to, though we were fure of getting never so much by continuing the game, yet, when the light of life is fo near going out, and ought to be fo precious, "le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle," the play is not worth the expence of the candle: after having been long toft in a tempeft, if our mafts be ftanding, and we have still fail and tackling enough to carry us to our port, it is no matter for the want of streamers and top-gallants; -utere velis, Totos pande finus A gentleman in our late civil wars, when his quarters were beaten up by the enemy, was taken prisoner, and loft his life afterwards, only by staying to put on a band, and adjust his periwig: he would escape like a perfon of quality, or not at at all, and died the noble martyr of ceremony and gentility. I think, your counfel of "Feftina lente" is as ill to a man who is flying from the world, as it would have been to that unfortunate, well-bred gentleman, who was fo cautious as not to fly undecently from his enemies; and therefore I prefer Horace's advice before yours, Incipe -fapere aude, Begin; the getting out of doors is the greatest part of the journey. Varro† teaches us that Latin proverb, portam itineri longiffimam effe;" but to return. to Horace, "Sapere aude: "Incipe vivendi rectè qui prorogat horam, Begin, be bold, and venture to be wife; * Juv. i. 150. + Lib. 1. Agric. 1 Ep. ii. 40. I Till the whole ftream, which ftopt him, fhould be gone, That runs, and as it runs, for ever will run on. Cæfar (the man of expedition above all others) was fo far from this folly, that when foever, in a journey, he was to cross any river, he never went one foot out of his way for a bridge, or a ford, or a ferry; but flung himself into it immediately, and fwam over: and this is the courfe we ought to imitate, if we meet with any ftops in our way to happiness. Stay, till the waters are low; ftay, till fome boats come by to transport you; ftay, till a bridge be built for you; you had even as good stay, till the river be quite paft. Perfius (who, you use to say, you do not know whether he be a good poet or no, because you cannot understand him, and whom therefore, I fay, I know to be not a good poet) has an odd expreffion of thefe procraftinators, which, methinks, is full of fancy : "Jam cras hefternum confumpfimus; ecce aliud cras Egerit hos annos," Our yesterday's to-morrow now is is gone, And ftill a new to-morrow does come on; And now, I think, I am even with you, for your Otium cum dignitate," and "Feftina lente,” and three or four other more of your new Latin fentences: if I fhould draw upon you all my forces out of Seneca and Plutarch upon this fubject, I fhould overwhelm you; but I leave thofe, as Triarii, for your next charge.. Bb 4 charge. I fhall only give you now a light skirmish out of an epigrammatift, your special good friend; and so, vale. MARTIAL, Lib. V. Epigr. lix. "Cras te victurum, cras dicis, Pofthume, femper;" &c. TO-MORROW you will live, you always cry; MARTIAL, Lib. II. Epigr. xc. "Quinctiliane, vagæ moderator summe juventæ," &c. WONDER not, Sir (you who inftruct the town In the true wifdom of the facred gown) That I make hafte to live, and cannot hold Life for delays and doubts no time does give, Who |