on; tho' they can have no other fatisfaction from it, than that the infamy is fhared among greater numbers, which they flatter themselves cafes the burden of each particular perfon.

It is a most melancholy confideration, that, for mo mentary fenfations of joy, obtained by stealth, men are forced into a constraint of all their words and actions in the general and ordinary occurrences of life. It is an impoffibility in this cafe to be faithful to one perfon, without being false to all the rest of the world. The gay figures in which poetical men of loofe morals have placed this kind of flealth, are but feeble confolations, when a man is inclined to foliloquy or meditation upon his past life. Flafhes of wit can promote joy, but they cannot allay grief.

Difeafe, sickness, and misfortune, are what all men living are liable to; it is therefore ridiculous and mad to purfue, instead of fhunning, what muft add to our anguish under disease, sickness, or misfortune. It is poffible there may be those whofe bloods are too warm to admit of thefe compunctions; if there are fuch, I am fure they are laying up ftore for them. But I have better hopes of thofe who have not yet erased the impreffione and advantages of a good education and fortune: they may be affured, that whoever wholly give themselves up to luft, will foon find it the leaft fault they are guilty of.

Irreconcileable hatred to thofe they have injured, mean fhifts to cover their offences, envy and malice to the innocent, and a general facrifice of all that is good-natured or praife-worthy when it interrupts them, will poffefs all their faculties, and make them utter ftrangers to the noble pleasures which flow from honour and virtue. Happy are they, who, from the visitation of fick nefs, or any other accident, are awakened from a course which leads to an infenfibility of the greatest enjoyments in human life.

A French author, giving an account of a very agreeable man, in whofe character he mingles good qualities and infirmities, rather than vices and virtues, tells the following story.

Our Knight,' fays he, was pretty much addicted to the most fashionable of all faults. He had a loose rogue for a lackey, not a little in his favour, tho' he had · ·

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no other name for him when he spoke of him but the Rafcal, or to him but Sirrab. One morning he was dreffing, Sirrah, (fays he) be fure you bring home this evening a pretty wench. The fellow was a perfon of diligence and capacity; and had for fome tinie addref* fed himself to a decayed old gentlewoman, who had a young maiden to her daughter, beauteous as an angel, not yet fixteen years of age. The mother's extreme poverty, and the infinuations of this artful lackey concerning the foft difpofition and generofity of his mafter, made her confent to deliver up her daughter. But many were the intreaties and representations of the mother to gain her child's confent to an action which fhe faid the abhorred, at the fame time fhe exhort⚫ed her to it. But, child, (fays fhe) can you fee your mother die for hunger? The virgin argued no longer, but bursting into tears, faid, fhe would go any where. The lackey conveyed her with great obfequioufnels and fecrecy to his mafter's lodging, and placed her in a commodious apartment till he came home. The Knight, who knew his man never failed of bringing in his prey, indulged his genius at a banquet, and was in high humour at an entertainment with ladies, expecting to be received in the evening by one as agreeable as the best of them, When he came home, ⚫his lackey met him with a faucy and joyful familiarity, crying out, She is as handsome as an angel, (for there is no other fimile on thefe occafions) but the tender fool has wept till her eyes are fwelled and bloated; ⚫ for fhe is a maid and a gentlewoman. With that he 'conducted his mafter to the room where fhe was, and retired. The Knight when he faw her bathed in tears faid in fome furprise, Don't you know young woman, why you were brought hither? The unhappy maid ⚫ fell on her knees, and with many interruptions of fighs and tears, faid to him, I know, alas! too well 'why I am brought hither: my mother, to get bread for her and myself, has fent me to do what you pleased; but wou'd it would please heaven I could die, before I am added to the number of those miferable wretches who live without honour! With

'this reflection fhe wept anew, and beat her bofom. The Knight stepping back from her, faid, I am not 'fo abandoned as to hurt your innocence againit your · will.

The novelty of the accident furprized him into 'virtue; and covering the young maid with a cloke, he led her to a relation's houfe, to whose care he • recommended her for that night. The next morning he fent for her mother, and asked her, if her. daughter was a maid? The mother affured him, that 'when the delivered her to his fervant, fhe was a tranger to man. Are you not then (replied the Knight) a wicked woman, to contrive the debauchery of your own child? She held down her face with fear and shame, "and in her confufion uttered fome broken words concerning her poverty. Far be it (faid the gentleman) · 'that you should relieve yourself from want by a much • greater evil. Your daughter is a fine young creature: do you know of none that ever spoke of her for a wife? The mother anfwered, There is an honest man in our e neighbourhood that loves her, who has often faid he 'would marry her with two hundred pounds. The Knight • ordered his man to reckon out that fum, with an addition of fifty to buy the bride-cloaths, and fifty more as a help to her mother..

1 appeal to all the gallants in town, whether poffeffing all the beauties in Great Britain could give half the pleasure, as this young gentleman had in the reflection of having relieved a miferable parent from guilt and po verty, an innocent virgin from public fhame, and bestow ing a virtuous wife upon an honeft man?

As all men who are guilty this way, have not for tunes or opportunities. for making fuch atonements for their vices, yet all men may do what is certainly in their power at this good fealon. For my part I don't care how ridiculous the mention of it may be, provided I hear it has any good confequence upon the wretched, that I recommend the most abandoned and miferable of. mankind to the charity of all in profperous conditions under the fame guilt with thofe wretches. The Lock hofpital in Kent street, Southwark, for men, that in Kingfland for women, is a receptable for all fufferers

No .8. mangled by this iniquity. Penitents should in their own hearts take upon them all the fhame and forrow they have escaped; and it would become them to make an oblation for their crimes, by charity to those upon whom vice appears in that utmost mifery and deformity, which they themselves are free from by their better fortune, rather than greater innocence. It would quicken our compaffion in this cafe, if we confidered, there may be objects there, who would now move horror and lothing, that we have once embraced with tranfport; and as we are men of honour, (for 1 must not speak as we are Chriftians), let us not defert our friends for the lofs of their nofes.

N° 18.

Mortis.

Wednesday, April 1.

-Animæque capaces

Souls undifmay'd by death.

T

Lucan.

HE profpect of death is fo gloomy and difmal, that if it were conftantly before our eyes, it would imbitter all the fweets of life. The gracious author of our being hath therefore fo formed us, that we are capable of many pleafing fenfations and reflections, and meet with fo many amufements and foli citudes, as divert our thoughts from dwelling upon an evil, which, by reafon of its feeming diftance, makes but languid impreffions upon the mind. But how di. ftant foever the time of our death may be, fince it is certain that we muft die, is neceffary to allot fome portion of our life to confider the end of it; and it is highly convenient to fix fome ftated times to meditate upon the final period of our existence here. The principle of felf love, as we are men, will make us inquire, what is like to become of us after our diffolution? and our confcience, as we are Chriftians, will inform us, that according to the good or evil of our actions here, we shall be tranflated to the mansions of eternal bliss or

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mifery. When this is feriously weighed, we must think it madness to be unprepared against the black moment; but when we reflect that perhaps that black moment may be to-night, how watchful ought we to be!

I was wonderfully affected with a discourse I had lately with a clergyman of my acquaintance upon this head, which was to this effect. 'The confideration,' faid the good man, that my being is precarious, moved me many years ago to make a refolution, which I have diligently kept, and to which I owe the greatest fatisfaction that a mortal man can enjoy. Every night before I addrefs myself in private to my Creator, I lay my · hand upon my heart, and afk myself, Whether if God 'fhould require my foul of me this night, I could hope for mercy from him? The bitter agonies I underwent in this my first acquaintance with myself, were so far from throwing me into defpair of that mercy which is over all God's works, that they rather proved motives to greater circumfpection in my future conduct. The ⚫oftener I exercised myself in meditations of this kind, the lefs was my anxiety; and by making the thoughts ' of death familiar, what was at first fo terrible and fhocking, is become the fweeteft of my enjoyments. Thefe contemplations have indeed made me ferious, ⚫ but not fullen; nay, they are fo far from having foured my temper, that as I have a mind perfectly compofed, and a fecret fpring of joy in my heart, fo my converfation is pleafant, and my countenance ferene. I tafte ' all the innocent fatisfactions of life pure and fincere ; I have no share in pleasures that leave a fting behind them; nor am I cheated with that kind of mirth, in 'the midst of which there is heavinefs.'

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Of all the profeffions of men, a foldier's chiefly fhould put him upon this religious vigilance. His duty expofes him to fuch hazards, that the evil which to men in other Aations may feem far diftant, to him is instant, and ever before his eyes. The confideration, that what men in a martial life purchase, is gained with danger and labour, and muft perhaps be parted with very speedily, is the caufe of much licence and riot. As, moreover, it is neceffary to keep up the fpirits of