ashore. I made it my business in my return towards that part of
the wood from whence I first set out, to observe the walks which led to
this temple; for I met in it several who had begun their journey with
the band of virtuous persons, and travelled some time in their company:
but upon examination I found, that there were several paths which led
out of the great road into the sides of the wood, and ran into so many
crooked turns and windings, that those who travelled through them often
turned their backs upon the Temple of Virtue, then crossed the straight
road, and sometimes marched in it for a little space, till the crooked
path which they were engaged in again led them into the wood. The
several alleys of these wanderers had their particular ornaments: one of
them I could not but take notice of, in the walk of the mischievous
pretenders to politics, which had at every turn the figure of a person,
whom by the inscription I found to be Machiavel, pointing out the way
with an extended finger like a Mercury.

I was now returned in the same manner as before, with a design to
observe carefully everything that passed in the region of Avarice, and
the occurrences in that assembly, which was made up of persons of my own
age. This body of travellers had not gone far in the third great road,
before it led them insensibly into a deep valley, in which they
journeyed several days with great toil and uneasiness, and without the
necessary refreshments of food and sleep. The only relief they met with,
was in a river that ran through the bottom of the valley on a bed of
golden sand: they often drank of this stream, which had such a
particular quality in it, that though it refreshed them for a time, it
rather inflamed than quenched their thirst. On each side of the river
was a range of hills full of precious ore; for where the rains had
washed off the earth, one might see in several parts of them long veins
of gold, and rocks that looked like pure silver. We were told that the
deity of the place had forbade any of his votaries to dig into the
bowels of these hills, or convert the treasures they contained to any
use, under pain of starving. At the end of the valley stood the Temple
of Avarice, made after the manner of a fortification, and surrounded
with a thousand triple-headed dogs, that were placed there to keep off
beggars. At our approach they all fell a-barking, and would have very
much terrified us, had not an old woman who had ca