Page:Fables of Aesop and other eminent mythologists.djvu/241

Rh are Detin'd to Drudgery may well Change thar Maters; but never their Condition.

He that finds himelf in any Ditres either of Carcas or of Fortune, hould do well to Deliberate upon the Matter, before he Prays for, or Reolves upon a Change. As for Example now, what is it that Troubles me? Is there any Help for't or no: What do I want? Is it Matter of Neceity or Superfluity? Where am I to look for't? How hall I come at it? &c.

Now All our Grievances are either of Body or of Mind, or (in Complication) of Both, and either the Remedy is in our Own Power, or it is not. There are ome Things that we cannot do for our elves without the Help of Others: There are ome Things again that Other People Cannot do for Us, nor are they any way ele to be done but by Our elves. In the One Cae we are to eek abroad for Relief, and in the Other, Whoever Conults his Reaon, and his Duty, will find a Certain Cure at Home: So that it goes a Great way in the Philoophy of Humane Life, to Undertand the Jut Meaures of what we are Able to do, and what we are Oblig’d to do, in Ditinction from the Contrary; for Otherwie we hall pend our Days with Æop's As in Hunting after Happines: where it is not to be found, without ever Looking for't where it is, 'Tis allow'd us, to be enfible of Broken Limbs, and Dicated Bodies: And Common Prudence ends us to Surgeons and Phyicians, to Piece, and Patch them up again. But in Thee Caes we Examine the Why, the What, and the How of Things, and Propoe Means Accommodate to the End. 'Tis Natural to be Mov'd with Pain, and as Natural to Seek Relief; And it is well done at lat, to do That which Nature bids us do; But for Imaginary Evils, Every Man may be his Own Doctor. They are Bred in our Affections, and we may Eae our elves, If the Quetion had been a Spavin, or a Gall'd Back, and the As had Petition'd to Jupiter for Another Farryer, it might have been a very Reaonable Requet. Now if he had but Pitch'd upon uch or uch a Particular Mater, it might have done well enough too: But to grow Weary of One Mater, or of One Condition, and then to be preently Wihing in General Terms for Another: This is only an Inconiderate Ejaculation thrown off at Random, without either Aim or Reaon. Upon the Whole Matter, it is but laying our own Faults at the Door of Nature and Providence, while we Impute the Infirmities of our Minds to the Hardhip of our Lot.

To proceed according to the Ditribution of my Matter; it is much with Us in This Cafe, as it was with the Man that fell from his Hore and could not get up again. He was ure he was Hurt, he aid, but could not tell Where. That is to ay, firt our Grievances are Fantatical where they are not Corporal. 2ly, It is Another Error in us, that in All our Fantatical Diappointments, we have Recoure to Fantatical Remedies. 3ly. Providience has Allotted Every Man a Competency for his State and Bus'nes. All beyond it is Superfluous, and there will be Grumbling without End, if we come to reckon upon't, that we want This or That becaue we Have it Not, intead of Acknowledging that we Have This or That, and that we want Nothing. Thee Things duly Weigh'd, what can be more Providential then the Bleling of having an Antidote within our elves againt all the Strokes of Fortune! That is to ay, in the Wort of Extremities, we have yet the Comfort left us of Contancy, Patience, and Reignation.