STUDY XII. gi 



becomes highwayman, captain of the gang, a com- 

 mander in chief of armies, a king, and never refts 

 till he is worfhipped as a God, He Ihall be a 

 Tamerlane or a Mahomet, 



An old rich tradefman, nailed to his eafy-chaij? 

 by the gout, tells ns, that he has no higher ambi- 

 tion than to die in peace. But he fees himfelf eter- 

 nally renovating in his pofterity. He enjoys a fc- 

 cret delight in beholding them mount, by the 

 dint of his money, along all the afcending fteps 

 of dignity and honour. He himfelf refleéts not 

 that the moment approaches when he fhall have 

 nothing in common with that pofterity, and 

 that while he is congratulating himfelf on being 

 the fource of their future glory, they are already 

 employing the upftart glory which they have ac- 

 quired, in drawing a veil over the meannefs of 

 their original. The atheift himfelf, with his ne- 

 gative wifdom, is carried along by the fame im- 

 pulfe. To no purpofe does he demonftrate to 

 himfelf the nothingnefs, and the fluduation of all 

 things : his reafon is at variance with his heart. 

 He flatters himfelf inwardly with the hope, that 

 his book, or his monument, will one day attract 

 the homage of pofterity ; or, perhaps, that the 

 book, or the tomb, of his adverfary will ceaTe to 

 be honoured. He miftakes the Deity, merely 

 becaufe he puts himfelf in his place. 



With 



