Page:Johnson - The Rambler 1.djvu/299

N° 48. Σὺ δέ μοι πρόφρων σύνοικος εἴῃς· Ἐι γάρ τις ἡ πλοῦτου χάρις ᾓ τεκέων, Τᾶς εὐδαίμονός τ' ανθρώποις Βασιληίδος ἀρχᾶς, ἤ πόθων, Ὁὺς κρυφίοις Αφροδιτης ἅρκυσιν θηρεύομεν, Ἥ εἴ τις ἁλλα θεόθεν ἀνθρώποις τέρψις, Ἥ πόνων νἀμπνοὰ πέφανται· Μετὰ σεῖο μακαρία Ὑγίεια, Τέθηλε πάντα, καὶ λάμπει χαρίτων ἔαρ· Σέθεν δὲ χωῥὶς, οὐδεὶς εὐδαὶμων πέλει.

Such is the power of health, that without its co-operation every other comfort is torpid and lifeless, as the powers of vegetation without the sun. And yet this bliss is commonly thrown away in thoughtless negligence, or in foolish experiments on our own strength; we let it perish without remembering its value, or waste it to show how much we have to spare; it is sometimes given up to the management of levity and chance, and sometimes sold for the applause of jollity and debauchery.