is the vale of misery,
and the tide of water that thou seest is part of the great tide of
eternity. What is the reason, said I, that the tide I see rises out of a
thick mist at one end, and again loses itself in a thick mist at the
other? What thou seest, says he, is that portion of eternity which is
called time, measured out by the sun, and reaching from the beginning of
the world to its consummation. Examine now, said he, this sea that is
thus bounded with darkness at both ends, and tell me what thou
discoverest in it. 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
an hundred. As I was counting the arches the genius told me that the
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 the 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 postu