'I see a bridge,' said I, 'standing in the
midst of the tide.' 'The bridge thou seest,' said he, 'is Human Life;
consider it attentively.' Upon a more leisurely survey of it, I found
that it consisted of threescore and ten entire arches, with several
broken arches, which, added to those that were entire, made up the number
about a hundred. As I was counting the arches, the genius told me that
this bridge consisted at first of a thousand arches; but that a great
flood swept away the rest, and left the bridge in the ruinous condition I
now beheld it. 'But tell me further,' said he, 'what thou discoverest on
it.' 'I see multitudes of people passing over it,' said I, 'and a black
cloud hanging on each end of it.' As I looked more attentively, I saw
several of the passengers dropping through the bridge into the great tide
that flowed underneath it; and, upon further examination, perceived there
were innumerable trap-doors that lay concealed in the bridge, which the
passengers no sooner trod upon but they fell through them into the tide,
and immediately disappeared. These hidden pit-falls were set very thick
at the entrance of the bridge, so that throngs of people no sooner broke
through the cloud but many of them fell into them. They grew thinner
towards the middle, but multiplied and lay closer together towards the
end of the arches that were entire.

"There were indeed some persons, but their number was very small, that
continued a kind of hobbling march on the broken arches, but fell through
one after another, being quite tired and spent with so long a walk.

"I passed some time in the contemplation of this wonderful structure, and
the great variety of objects which it presented. My heart was filled
with a deep melancholy to see several dropping unexpectedly in the midst
of mirth and jollity, and catching at everything that stood by them to
save themselves. Some were looking up towards the heavens in a
thoughtful posture, and in the midst of a speculation stumbled and fell
out of sight. Multitudes were very busy in the pursuit of bubbles that
glittered in their eyes and danced before them; but often when they
thought themselves within the reach of them, their footing failed and
down they sunk. In this confusion of objects, I observed some with
scimitars in their hands, who ran to and fro from the bridge, thrusting
several persons on trapdoors which did not seem to lie in their way, and
which they might have