a thousand duties unperformed, and wish, vainly wifh for his return, not fo much that we may receive, as that we may bestow happiness, and recompenfe that kindness which before we never understood. There is not, perhaps, to a mind well instructed, a more painful occurrence, than the death of one whom we have injured without reparation. Our crime feems now irretrievable, it is indelibly recorded, and the stamp of fate is fixed upon it. We confider, with the most afflictive anguish, the pain which we have given, and now cannot alleviate, and the loffes which we have caufed, and now cannot repair. Of the fame kind are the emotions which the death of an emulator or competitor produces. Whoever had qualities to alarm our jealousy, had excellence to deferve our fondnefs, and to whatever ardour of oppofition intereft may inflame us, no man ever outlived an enemy, whom he did not then wish to have made a friend. Those who are verfed in literary hiftory know that the elder Scaliger was the redoubted antagonist of Cardan and Erafmus; yet at the death of each of his great rivals he relented, and complained that they were fnatched away from him before their reconciliation was completed. Tu-ne etiam moreris? Ab! quid me linguis, Erafme, Art thou too fallen? ere anger could fubfide Such Such are the fentiments with which we finally review the effects of paffion, but which we fometimes delay till we can no longer rectify our errors. Let us therefore make hafte to do what we fhall certainly at last wish to have done; let us return the careffes of our friends, and endeavour by mutual endearments to heighten that tendernefs which is the balm of life. Let us be quick to repent of injuries while repentance may not be a barren anguish, and let us open our eyes to every rival excellence, and pay early and willingly thofe honours which justice will compel us to pay at last. ATHANATUS. NUMB. 55. TUESDAY, Sept. 25, 1750. Maturo propior define funeri Inter ludere virgines, Et ftellis maculam fpargere candidis : Et te, Chlori, decet. Now near to death that comes but flow, HOR. CREECH, To the RAMBLER. I SIR, HAVE been but a little time converfant in the world, yet I have already had frequent opportunities of obferving the little efficacy of remonftrance and complaint, which, however extorted by oppref fion, or fupported by reafon, are detefted by one part of the world as rebellion, cenfured by another as peevishness, by fome heard with an appearance of compaffion, only to betray any of thofe fallies of vehemence and resentment, which are apt to break out upon encouragement, and by others paffed over with indifference and neglect, as matters in which they have no concern, and which if they should endeavour to examine or regulate, they might draw mifchief upon themselves. Yet Yet fince it is no lefs natural for thofe who think themselves injured to complain, than for others to neglect their complaints, I fhall venture to lay my cafe before you, in hopes that you will enforce my opinion if you think it just, or endeavour to rectify my fentiments, if I am miftaken. I expect at least, that you will divest yourself of partiality, and that whatever your age or folemnity may be, you will not, with the dotard's infolence, pronounce me ignorant and foolish, perverfe and refractory, only because you perceive that I am young. My father dying when I was but ten years old, left me, and a brother two years younger than myfelf, to the care of my mother, a woman of birth and education, whofe prudence or virtue he had no reason to diftruft. She felt, for fome time, all the forrow which nature calls forth, upon the final feparation of perfons dear to one another; and as her grief was exhausted by its own violence, it fubfided into tenderness for me and my brother, and the year of mourning was spent in careffes, confolations, and inftruction, in celebration of my father's virtues, in profeffions of perpetual regard to his memory, and hourly inftances of fuch fondness as gratitude will not easily fuffer me to forget. But when the term of this mournful felicity was expired, and my mother appeared again without the enfigns of forrow, the ladies of her acquaintance began to tell her, upon whatever motives, that it was time to live like the rest of the world; a powerful argument, which is feldom used to a woman without effect. Lady Giddy was inceffantly relating the occurrences of the town, and Mrs. Gravely told told her privately, with great tenderness, that it began to be publickly obferved how much fhe overacted her part, and that most of her acquaintance suspected her hope of procuring another husband to be the true ground of all that appearance of tendernefs and piety. All the officioufnefs of kindnefs and folly was bufied to change her conduct. She was at one time alarmed with cenfure, and at another fired with praise. She was told of balls, where others fhone only because she was abfent; of new comedies to which all the town was crouding; and of many ingenious ironies, by which domeftick diligence was made contemptible. It is difficult for virtue to ftand alone against fear on one fide, and pleasure on the other; efpecially when no actual crime is propofed, and prudence itself can fuggeft many reafons for relaxation and indulgence. My mamma was at last perfuaded to accompany Mifs Giddy to a play. She was received with a boundless profufion of compliments, and attended home by a very fine gentleman. Next day she was with less difficulty prevailed on to play at Mrs. Gravely's, and came home gay and lively; for the diftinctions that had been paid her awakened her vanity, and good luck had kept her principles of frugality from giving her disturbance. She now made her fecond entrance into the world, and her friends were fufficiently induftrious to prevent any return to her former life; every morning brought meffages of invitation, and every evening was paffed in places of diverfion, from which fhe for fome time complained that she had rather be abfent. In a VOL. IV. A a fhort |