of Piety. They live not only exempt from the perturbation of passions, but enjoy a most admirable serenity of mind; and are more happy in desiring nothing, than the greatest Monarchs in possessing all. Such examples are indeed very rare: and the virtue of those religious persons is more to be admir'd, than their condition to be embraced.
For my part, I would never advise a Gentleman to engage in such obligations, wherein all the rights of one's will are generally lost and swallow'd up. The pains which a man would willingly undergo, is made necessary; the sin he designs to avoid, must be shun'd by injunction, and the good which he would do, is to be pursu'd by constraint. Common slavery goes no farther than to force us to what we are unwilling to do: that of Convents lays a necessity upon us, even in things that we are willing to perform.
The late Queen of Portugal1 who was as capable to manage her own conduct in tranquillity, as to govern a state in a storm, had the fancy to turn Nun, upon her resigning the Government to her Son2: but after having examin'd the rules of all the religious orders, with as much care as judgment, she found none that allow'd either the Body the necessary conveniences of Life, or the Mind a reasonable satisfaction. 'Tis certain, that the idea of a Convent is agreeable to one who seeks innocence and repose; but 'tis a hard matter to find there the contentment one fancied. If he does, which happens very rarely, he does not enjoy it long; and the best caution one can use against entering into a Monastery, is to consider that the generality of
