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pounds, and that the world is a garden where not only, in a general fenfe,

"Weeds and flowers promifcuous fhoot,"

but where, by the fide of the fairest, sweetest, flower, and almost twisted round it, grows that weed, which is most baneful to it: one would think they could not live, or thrive in the fame foil; yet we perceive they flourish very neigh"bourly together. Have you never, my dear friend, found the rofe and nettle take root in the fame temper?-the fragrance and beauty of the one incommoded by the stinging properties of the other? Yes, you reply, but then it is the bufinefs of the gardener, Education, to pluck up this ill-afforted affociate, and to leave the rofe to bloffom either in folitude, or better fociety. In vegetable culture, this may always do; in moral gardening, it is to be managed nicely, left in eradicating a favourite folly, or conftitutional weakness, we injure the native virtue that is near it. No, my friend, we muft be content rather with meliorating the foil, than destroying its natural productions; if some of these are utterly, obnoxious to the valuable plants and fhrubs, which are the pride and riches of the ground, they "must be hewn down and caft into the fire, for fuck tares will totally choak the wheat" Juch weeds will blaft

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the rofe worse than a canker; but if they are lefs ambitious of doing mifchief; if they are all but the frailties of our nature, fpringing up amongst our virtues, let them be confidered as forming the tiffue of the human character; where the coarse and fine, the worsted, and the filk, are neceffary to the general strength of the piece :

"When straw-like errors lean to virtue's fide,
"Ah! check ye bigots, check your furious pride,
"Some venial faults, from fordid nature start,
"And fpring up only in the generous heart;
"As florid weeds elude the labourer's toil,
"From too much warmth and richness of the foil;
"While meaner fouls, like Zembla's hills of fnow,
"Too barren prove for weeds or flowers to blow."

SYMPATHY.

Your pardon for this selfish quotation. Is it not in point? It repeats, perhaps, the allufion, but it seems to gain force by the repetition. It is fo exceffively painful to be finding fault with poor human nature, continually, that it is quite a relief to one to plead her cause, and become her apologist for those trespasses which are at all defenfible. Heaven knows there are plenty of faux pas, where, to attempt her excufe, would be to partake her crimes.

Be fatisfied, then, that the conftitutional hofpitality of the Welch receives no check

from

from their conftitutional inquifitivenefs: the former is, indeed, fo very general, that the ftory, which a gentleman, who made the tour of Wales in 1774, relates, is not in the leaft to be doubted. It is told to fhew that a man may travel, through the whole country, with a constant suite of recommendations from one hofpitable houfe to another. The fubftance of the story is this: a gentleman of the neighbourhood of Mahuntleth, a little town in the extreme Weft angle of Montgomeryshire, and which I defcribed to you in one of my letters, introduced himself politely to the company, and hearing they travelled to fatisfy their curiofity, civilly offered to gratify it. They afked him, if there was a good houfe at the next ftage? He answered, there were many; Mr. Lloyd's, Mr. Powell's, Mr. Edwards's, &c. They still required which was the best houfe? He replied they were all very good. To make him explicit, they perfifted in asking him, whether either of them was as comfortable, and proper, as that in which they were converfing, meaning the village inn.-Sir, faid he, with a peevish furprize, fhould you take this houfe for a gentleman's? They quickly explained themfelves, and begged his pardon.

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It would be unjust in me to omit telling you, that the Welch are not only lovers of hofpitality in themfelves, but fincere admirers of it in others, and if a kindness has once been fhewn them, they never lose the impression of it. One instance, out of many, I will recount. In the vicinity of Caernarvon, is one of the feats of my Lord Newborough. Paffing this, one miferably cold day, when the fnows were frozen on the mountains, I could not help.exclaiming, in the hearing of the honeft Welchman, who was at that time my guide across the country-Would to heaven that house were a public one! Ah, Sir, faid my guide, with a figh, and crack of his whip, it was one in former days, that is to fay, it was a houfe for the good of the public, as every body who wanted entertainment, either for man or beaft, was welcome. O, there was rare doings at Newborough-Hall, when my Lord God

bless him, was at home: he is abroad now, and has been (the more is the pity, both for rich and poor) many years; but we expect him back foon, which will make such a joy in Wales, as has fcarce been known fince that old moun tain (meaning, Snowden, which is vifible from the house) was no bigger than a mole-hill! You must know, Sir, I am William Jones, continued this grateful fellow, I am one of his Lordship's

Lordship's tenants-that little farm on the other fide, is rented by me, where if your honour pleases, I will fhew you that I have not lived fo many years under fo good and generous a master, without benefitting by the example, and though I cannot fet out my table. like my Lord Newborough, my old dame, will give you a clean cloth, fome new laid eggs, a curious flice or two of bacon, and as brave a mug of ale, or tankard of cyder, with a dash of brandy, as ever was drawn, and we will drink the health and speedy return of my mafter, to old Wales.-God knows, I will drink it-juft as I wish it with all my life and foul.

He went on to affure me that as the day of Lord N-'s departure from this country, was the moft miferable, fo would his return be the moft bleffed to his fervants, tenants, friends, and all descriptions of people-that for his part he felt it a comfort to get his bread on the ground that belonged to fo gooda mafter, andeven to walk upon his land, and that he never paffed. by the deferted manfion-houfe, without thinking of the obligations which he and a thoufand others had received from the generous owner.

He then proceeded to justify, by inftances of goodness, this exalted character, in the

course

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