&4° OLYMPIC DIALOGUE. 



Jupiter^] My dear fons, uncles, nephews, and coufins, 

 one and all of you ! I perceive that ye take up this tri- 

 fling revolution, which I have long feen coming in per- 

 fect tranquillity, in a more tragical tone than it de- 

 fences. Sit down again, I befeech ye, in your places, 

 and let us talk of thefe matters calmly over a glafs of 

 nectar. Every thing in nature has its time, every thing 

 is tranfitory, and fo are alfo the opinions of mankind. 

 They are ever changing with circumftances ; and if we 

 confider what a difference only fifty years make between 

 the grandfon and the grandfather, we fhall not be fur- 

 prifed that the world, within the fpace of one or two 

 thoufand years, imperceptibly feems to have taken 

 a figure entirely new. For, in fact, it is after all 

 but femblance ; it continues always the fame comedy, 

 though under different maiks and names. The limple 

 folks there below have long enough carried on their 

 fuperftition with us ; and fhouid there be fome of you 

 who were flattered by it, I muffc fay you were in the 

 wrong. It were to be wifhed that mankind at laft were 

 wifer ; by heaven it would not be too early ! But that 

 is not to be expected. Indeed they are always flatter- 

 ing themfelves that the laft fottife that comes to their 

 knowledge is alfo the laft that they fhall commit ; the 

 hope of better times is their everlafting chimera, by 

 which they are constantly deceived, in order to let 

 themfelves be again deceived by it : becaufe it never 

 enters their heads, that not time, but their innate in- 

 curable folly is the caufe why matters never go better 

 with them. For it is their decided lot never purely to 

 enjoy any good ; always exchanging one piece of folly, 



of 



X ■ • , Vymk 



