to return back than proceed, and very few persisted
so long as to arrive at the End they proposed.
Besides these two Paths, which at length severally
led to the Top of the Mountain, there was a third
made up of these two, which a little after the Entrance
joined in one. This carried those happy Few,
whose good Fortune it was to find it, directly to
the Throne of Apollo. I don’t know
whether I should even now have had the Resolution
to have demanded Entrance at either of these Doors,
had I not seen a Peasant-like Man (followed by a numerous
and lovely Train of Youths of both Sexes) insist
upon Entrance for all whom he led up. He put
me in mind of the Country Clown who is painted in
the Map for leading Prince Eugene over the Alps.
He had a Bundle of Papers in his Hand, and producing
several, which he said, were given to him by Hands
which he knew Apollo would allow as Passes;
among which, methoughts, I saw some of my own Writing;
the whole Assembly was admitted, and gave, by their
Presence, a new Beauty and Pleasure to these happy
Mansions. I found the Man did not pretend to
enter himself, but served as a kind of Forester in
the Lawns to direct Passengers, who by their own
Merit, or Instructions he procured for them, had
Virtue enough to travel that way. I looked very
attentively upon this kind homely Benefactor, and
forgive me, Mr. SPECTATOR, if I own to you
I took him for your self. We were no sooner entered,
but we were sprinkled three times with the Water of
the Fountain Aganippe, which had Power to
deliver us from all Harms, but only Envy, which
reached even to the End of our Journey. We had
not proceeded far in the middle Path when we arrived
at the Summit of the Hill, where there immediately
appeared to us two Figures, which extremely engaged
my Attention: the one was a young Nymph in the
Prime of her Youth and Beauty; she had Wings on
her Shoulders and Feet, and was able to transport
herself to the most distant Regions in the smallest
Space of Time. She was continually varying her
Dress, sometimes into the most natural and becoming
Habits in the World, and at others into the most
wild and freakish Garb that can be imagined.
There stood by her a Man full-aged, and of great
Gravity, who corrected her Inconsistences, by shewing
them in his Mirror, and still flung her affected
and unbecoming Ornaments down the Mountain, which
fell in the Plain below, and were gathered up and
wore with great Satisfaction by those that inhabited
it. The Name of the Nymph was Fancy,
the Daughter of Liberty, the most beautiful
of all the Mountain-Nymphs. The other was Judgment,
the Off-spring of Time, and the only Child
he acknowledged to be his. A Youth, who sat upon
a Throne just between them, was their genuine Offspring;
his Name was Wit, and his Seat was composed
of the Works of the most celebrated Authors.
I could not but see with a secret Joy, that though
the Greeks and Romans made the Majority,