and multiplying the objects of luxury; they were destruction to the
intellect and vigor of the artizan; they enervated his frame and
brutalized his mind.

When I pointed out to him the necessity of some species of
labour, he tacitly admitted that necessity, but refused to direct
me in the choice of a pursuit, which though not free from defect
should yet have the fewest inconveniences. He dwelt on the fewness
of our actual wants, the temptations which attend the possession of
wealth, the benefits of seclusion and privacy, and the duty of
unfettering our minds from the prejudices which govern the world.

His discourse tended merely to unsettle my views and increase
my perplexity. This effect was so uniform that I at length
desisted from all allusions to this theme and endeavoured to divert
my own reflections from it. When our voyage should be finished,
and I should actually tread this new stage, I believed that I
should be better qualified to judge of the measures to be taken by
me.

At length we reached Belfast. From thence we immediately
repaired to Dublin. I was admitted as a member of his family.
When I expressed my uncertainty as to the place to which it would
be proper for me to repair, he gave me a blunt but cordial
invitation to his house. My circumstances allowed me no option and
I readily complied. My attention was for a time engrossed by a
diversified succession of new objects. Their novelty however
disappearing, left me at liberty to turn my eyes upon myself and my
companion, and here my reflections were supplied with abundant
food.