with infinitely more felicity than I could have, done, ignorant of a thousand things. I am now acquainted with, and unskilled in those pleafing fources of amufement, you have kindly taught me. I truft I fhall never be reduced to a fituation in which I may not innocently spare fome few hours of the day for the laudable purpofe of improving my understanding, as well as amufing myself in, thofe ftudies my amiable friend has given me a tafte for, and in which I truly delight. I wish not to be rich, or great; a very moderate indepencence will amply con

tent mean con

"Man wants but little here below;

Nor wants that little long"

be

There is nothing more true, my dear friend and your Lucinda, I do affure you, is perfectly fatisfied with the humble profpect before her. Let me tell you, it is no fuch infignificant dif tinction as you feem to imagine, to grace a country village, while my worthy mother is fpared to me; and while we can continue to live in the plain, the frugal manner we have hitherto done, your Lucinda fhall never heard to repine, or figh for higher gratifications. Our cottage, though humble, is placed in fo enchanting a fituation, that I declare to, you, it would not be eafy to perfuade me to exchange it for a palace. How often have I been charmed with the defcription Mrs. Rowe gives of her's. It has been one of my pleasures to render mine an humble imitation of it. Our little garden too! what a profusion of sweets

does it produce? To me it is an Eden, I do affure you; nor am I lefs diligent in the culti-. vation of it, than the fair creature Eve was of her's. I have no Adam, it is true, to help me in the pleafing task; but that is a circumftance I find no inclination to regret. If I am to credit the character given of men in some of the authors I have read, their fociety has frequently been productive of more mifery than happinefs to fuch unportioned damfels as my myfelf. I will contrive then to keep my little paradife in order, without the affiftance of an Adam.By the way, my dear Mifs Selwyn, does it never puzzle you to figure to yourself what kind of a being he was? An Eve I can at once form an idea of. In order to this, I have conftantly recourfe to the Dutchefs of Argyle in her bloom of youth; as I take it for granted Eve was formed in the utmost perfection of beauty; and that her Grace was fo, I am fully perfuaded, not only from the charming full-length picture you have of her at the Abby, but by the tranfient glance you once procured me of her ftillenchanting countenance last year, when she paffed a day there, in her way to the north; but as I was faying, of Adam I have never yet been able to form an idea. This is ridiculous enough; but so it is.

While thus enumerating our poffeffions, I fhould be ungrateful were I to forget our very reverend and fentimental cow, as you have often called her, from the peculiar gravity of its countenance; and our amiable poultry; they, you know are my peculiar charge; and as fuch, I

1

!

do not chufe, you fee, to mention them without an epithet as expreffive of their good qualities as you have given to their fober companion. With thefe poffeffions, however trifling they would no doubt appear in the eyes of those born to affluence, and how very inadequate they may fancy them to the purposes of happinefs, I find they are quite fufficient for mine. A contented mind, fays Solomon, is a continual feaft. I proteft I think it is even a more defirable bleffing; fince to feaft continually muft, I fhould fuppofe, be lefs pleafing than a little abstinence now and then, were it only by way of variety, and that one might return to a plentiful table with double relish.

But let me check my pen, left I give my amiable Mifs Selwyn caufe to repent the kind indulgence fhe has granted me. I really blush on finding how it has run away with me, and to how very little purpose I have fcribbled over fuch a quantity of paper. I forget you cannot now have fo much idle time on your hands as when in the country;-yet, were you ever idle? -ah, no!-I should be an ungrateful creature to accufe you of it; for, were you not perpetually employing thofe hours in which you might have been fo, for the benefit of your tenderly attached, and most refpectful humble fer

vant?

L. OSBURN.

B 5

LETTER HI.

Mifs SELWYN to LUCINDA OSBURN.

IHAVE just read your letter, my dear girl,

and confequently the laft lines of it are thofe moft fresh on my memory; fo I will just give you a gentle fcold for them, and then begin to anfwer you methodically--How dare you then prefume to fufpect, or rather affect to fufpect your epiftles can tire me? I will pardon any fault you may chance to commit but that. I am under no apprehenfions for the latitude I have here given you, as I believe in my confcience you are incapable of committing any other. This confideration fhall plead for you at prefent; fo I will only add, let your pen, for the future, be left to its own difcretion; I am ready to take my chance of the confequences, and will answer for it, it will never lead you out of the road of either good fenfe or propriety.

There, my dear, take that as a fpecimen of my talent for reproof; and now let me look back to the other end of your letter.—I have done it, and find my dear Lucinda has fhed many many tears for my abfence; well do I know this is not a mere figure of speech, but a fact; and it is a fact which gives me real plea

fure, however odd it may found to fay fo. I give you my word, I fhould have been highly mortified, could I have fuppofed my back was no fooner turned, than you tript away with dry eyes, either to feed your amiable poultry, or to prune the luxuriant woodbines which bid fair to render your fweet little apartment inacceffible to the leaft glimmering of light. I am perfuaded you have not yet begun the tafk, as I am pofitive the pleafing gloom, occafioned by your neglect, will, in the prefent state of your mind, be infinitely more agreeable to you than when its obftructing branches are brought into order. Is it not fo, Lucinda? But tho' it gratifies my feelings to picture you to myself weeping for the friend who truly loves you, yet I forbid all excefs, and fhall chide you again, if I find any traces of defpondency in your next letter, which I defire I may have foon; and as to its length, I leave that wholly to the difcretion of your run-away pen. This threat is preparatory to what I am now going to tell you. Our day is fixed for leaving England. Next Monday we embark for Lifbon; that is to fay, we leave London for that purpofe. I go with the better spirits, as I really think my dear mother has already found benefit from our journey to town, and change of air. My apprehenfions for her begin to give place to the pleafing hopes of her perfect recovery. Her health once reestablished, Lucinda, you may look for our return to the Abbey,; till then, make yourself as happy as you can. Your books, mufic, and domeftic avocations will ever prevent time hang