yet bad as these were, they were
more tolerable than our graver Scenes, which were either excessive tedious
Narratives of dull common Matters of Fact, or hot Disputes about trifling
Matters, which commonly ended in a Wager. This Way of Life the first serious
Reflection put a period to, and I became Member of a Club frequented by young
Men of great Abilities. The Bottle was now only called in to the Assistance of
our Conversation, which rolled on the deepest Points of Philosophy. These
Gentlemen were engaged in a Search after Truth, in the Pursuit of which they
threw aside all the Prejudices of Education, and governed themselves only by the
infallible Guide of Human Reason. This great Guide, after having shown them the
falsehood of that very ancient but simple Tenet, that there is such a Being as a
Deity in the Universe, helped them to establish in his stead a certain Rule of
Right, by adhering to which they all arrived at the utmost Purity of Morals.
Reflection made me as much delighted with this Society, as it had taught me to
despise and detest the former. I began now to esteem myself a Being of a higher
Order than I had ever before conceived, and was the more charmed with this Rule
of Right, as I really found in my own Nature nothing repugnant to it. I held in
utter Contempt all Persons who wanted any other Inducement to Virtue besides her
intrinsick Beauty and Excellence; and had so high an Opinion of my present
Companions, with regard to their Morality, that I would have trusted them with
whatever was nearest and dearest to me. Whilst I was engaged in this delightful
Dream, two or three Accidents happen'd successively, which at first much
surprised me. For, one of our greatest Philosophers, or Rule of Right-men
withdrew himself from us, taking with him the Wife of one of his most intimate
Friends. Secondly, Another of the same Society left the Club without remembering
to take leave of his Bail. A third having borrowed a Sum of Money of me, for
which I received no Security, when I asked him to repay it, absolutely denied
the Loan. These several Practices, so inconsistent with our golden Rule, made me
begin to suspect its Infallibility; but when I communicated my Thoughts to one
of the Club, he said »there was nothing absolutely good or evil in itself; that
Actions were denominated good or bad by the Circumstances of the Agent. That
possibly the Man who ran away with his Neighbour's Wife might be one of very
good Inclinations, but over-prevailed on by the Violence of