less rogue, who flung away his
modesty instead of his ignorance.

When the whole race of mankind had thus cast their burdens, the phantom
which had been so busy on this occasion, seeing me an idle spectator of
what passed, approached toward me. I grew uneasy at her presence, when, of
a sudden, she held her magnifying glass full before my eyes. I no sooner
saw my face in it, but was startled at the shortness of it, which now
appeared to me in its utmost aggravation. The immoderate breadth of the
features made me very much out of humor with my own countenance, upon
which I threw it from me like a mask. It happened very luckily that one
who stood by me had just before thrown down his visage, which, it seems,
was too long for him. It was, indeed, extended to a most shameful length;
I believe the very chin was, modestly speaking, as long as my whole face.
We had both of us an opportunity of mending ourselves; and all the
contributions being now brought in, every man was at liberty to exchange
his misfortunes for those of another person.

As we stood round the heap, and surveyed the several materials of which it
was composed, there was scarcely a mortal in this vast multitude who did
not discover what he thought pleasures and blessings of life, and wondered
how the owners of them ever came to look upon them as burthens and
grievances. As we were regarding very attentively this confusion of
miseries, this chaos of calamity, Jupiter issued out a second
proclamation, that everyone was now at liberty to exchange his affliction,
and to return to his habitation with any such other bundle as should be
delivered to him. Upon this, Fancy began again to bestir herself, and,
parceling out the whole heap with incredible activity, recommended to
everyone his particular packet. The hurry and confusion at this time was
not to be expressed. Some observations, which I made upon the occasion, I
shall communicate to the public.

A venerable, gray-headed man, who had laid down the colic, and who, I
found, wanted an heir to his estate, snatched up an undutiful son that had
been thrown into the heap by an angry father. The graceless youth, in less
than a quarter of an hour, pulled the old gentleman by the beard, and had
liked to have knocked his brains out; so that meeting the true father, who
came toward him with a fit of the gripes, he begged him to take his son
again, and give him back his colic; but they were incapable, either of
them, to re