Ohap. XIV. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 281 



in this life only^ ive are, of all men, the jnojl miferahk ; for there 

 is nothing more certain than that, in the prefcnt (late of hu- 

 man affairs in Europe, if a man makes liis happinefs depend 

 upon the fuccefs of pubHc or private affairs, upon the profpe- 

 rity of his children and family, or, in general, upon any thing 

 in this world, he will in all probability live a life of diflippoint- 

 ment and mifery. The philolbpher, therefore, and fcholar will 

 live as much as he can with virtue and fcience in the antient 

 world : But, above all, he will look to the world to come, and pre- 

 pare himfelf for it, by living a virtuous and religious life, being 

 well affured, that whatever virtuous habits and good difpofitions he 

 fliall acquire here, thefe he will carry with him to the other world, 

 where he will have an opportunity of improving flill more his flock 

 of virtue and knowledge, and fo will go on, advancing to a flatc 

 more and more perfect, till, at laft, he arrive at the greatefl perfec- 

 tion of which his nature is capable. 



And here I liniih this Volum.e, in which I have treated cf Man 



as an Animal, or, in other words, of the Natural State of Man. 



Vol. hi. N n There 



•— — * Give me the man 



* That is not pafTion's flave, and I will v/ear him 



* hi my heart's core, ay in my heart of heart, 



* As I love thee' 



And here I cannot help obferving, though it be a digreflion from my fub- 

 je6t, that Hamlet's friendfhlp for Horatio, his love of Ophelia, and his pious 

 affettion for his father, joined with fomcthing remarkably genteel and prince- 

 like in his whole deportment and behaviour, make him one of the mofl amiable 

 chara£lers that ever was reprefented upon a flage. There arc alfo the fineft fen- 

 tlments in this play : But what a pity it is that a poet, with fo much genius, had 

 not learning or knowledge enough of the dramatic art to contrive for fuch a 

 chara6ter and fuch fentiments a proper tragic fable, without any mixture of the co- 

 mic, or ridiculous, fo as to have made -a goodpiecct inflead of a work with only 

 fplendid patches. 



