PLEASURE AND PAIN

There were two families, which, from the beginning of Ihe world, were as opposite to each other as light and darkness. The one of them lived in Heaven, and the other in Hell. The youngest descendant of the first family was Pleasure, who was the daughter of Happiness, who was the child of Virtue, who was the ofTspring of the Gods. Thèse, as I said before, had thelr habitation in Heaven. The youngest of the opposite family was Pain, who was the son of Misery, who was the child of Vice, who was the offspring of the Furies. The habitation of this race of beings was in Hell.

The middle station of nature between thèse two opposite extrêmes

was Ihe Earlh, wliich ^Yas inhabitée! by créatures of middle kind, neither so virtuous as Ihe one, nor so vicious as ihe other, but partaking of Ihe good and bad qualities of thèse two opposite families. Jupiter, considering that Ihis species, commoniy calied man, was too virtuous to be misérable, and too vicious to be happy; thaï he might make a distinction between Ihe good and the bad, ordered the two youngest of the above mentioned families, Pleasure, who was the daughter of Happiness, and Pain, who was the son of Misery, to meet one another upon this part of nature which lay in the half-way between them, having promised to setlle itupon them both, provided Ihey could agrée upon the division of it, so as to share mankind between them.

Pleasure and Pain were no sooner met in their new habitation, but they immediately agreed upon this point, that Pleasure should take possession of the virtuous, and Pain of the vicious part of that species which was given up to them. But upon examiningto which of them any individual they met with belonged, they found each of Ihem had a right to him: for that, contrary to what they had seen in Iheir old places of résidence, ihere was no person so vicious who had not some good in him, nor any person so virtuous who had nol in him some evil. The truth of it is, they generally found upon search that in the most vicious man, Pleasure might lay claim to a hundredlh part, and that in the most virtuous man, Pain might come in for al least two ihirds. This they saw would occasion endless disputes between them, unless they could come to some accommodation. To this end there was a marriage proposed between them, and al length concluded: by this means it is that we find Pleasure and Pain are such constant yokefellows, and that they either make their visils together, or are never far asunder. If Pain comes into a heart, he is quickly followed by Pleasure ; and if Pleasure enters, you may be sure Pain is not far o(î.

But, notwithstanding this marriage was very convenient for the two parties, it did not seem to answer the intention of Jupiter in sending them among mankind. To remedy therefore this inconve» nience, it was slipulated between them by article and confirmed by Ihe consent of each family, that notwithstanding they hâve possessed

Ihe species indiiïerenlly, upon ihe dealh of every single person, if lie was found to hâve in liim a cerlain proportion of evil, he shouid be dispalched into liie infernal régions by a passporl from Pain, ihere to dwell with Misery, Vice, and tlie Furies. Or, on the contrary, if he had in iiim a certain proportion of good, he shouid be dispatched into Heaven by a passport from Pleasure, there to dwell with Ilappiness, Virluc and Ihe Gods. (Speciator.)