receive, as that we may bestow happiness, and recompence that kindness which before we never understood.

There is not, perhaps, to a mind well inftructed, 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 ftamp 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 jealoufy, had excellence to deserve our fondness, and to whatever ardour of opposition interest 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 history 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 morieris? Ah! quid me linquis Erafme,
Ante meus quam fit conciliatus amor?

Art thou too fall'n? ere anger could fubfide
And love return, has great Erafmus died?

Such are the fentiments with which we finally review the effects of paffion, but which we sometimes delay till we can no longer rectify our errors. Let us therefore make hafte to do what we fhall

certainly

certainly at last wish to have done; let us return the careffes of our friends, and endeavour by mutual· endearments to heighten that tenderness 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 those honours which juftice will compel us to pay at laft. ATHANATUS.

NUMB. 55. TUESDAY, Sept. 25, 1750.

Maturo propior define funeri

Inter ludere virgines,

Et ftellis maculam spargere candidis

Non fiquid Fholoen faris

Et te, Chlori, decet.

HOR.

CREECH.

HAVE been but a little time converfant in the world, yet I have already had frequent opportunities of observing the little efficacy of remonftrance and complaint, which, however extorted by oppreffion, or fupported by reason, are detefted by one part of the world as rebellion, cenfured by another as peevishness, by fome heard with

B 4

with an appearance of compaffion, only to betray any of those fallies of vehemence and refentment, 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 fhould endeavour to examine or regulate, they might draw mifchief upon themfelves.

Yet fince it is no lefs natural for those who think themfelves 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 juft, or endeavour to rectify my fentiments, if I am mistaken. I expect at least, that you will diveft 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, perverse 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 distruft. 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 exhaufted 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 suffer me to forget.

But

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 her privately, with great tenderness, that it began to be publickly obferved how much fhe overacted her part, and that most of her acquaintance fufpected her hope of procuring another husband to be the true ground of all that appearance of tenderness and piety.

All the officioufnefs of kindness and folly was bufied to change her conduct. She was at one

another fired

time alarmed with cenfure, and at with praife. She was told of balls, where others fhone only because she was abfent; of new comedies, to which all the town was crowding; 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 reasons for relaxation and indulgence. My mamma was at laft perfuaded to accompany Mifs Giddy to a play. She was received with a boundiefs profufion of compliments, and attended home by a very fine gentleman. Next day he was with lefs difficulty prevailed on to play at Mrs. Gravely's, and came home gay and lively; for the distinctions that had been paid her awakened her vanity, and good luck had kept her principles of frugality from giving her disturbance.

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She

W

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 the for fome time complained that she had rather be abfent. In a fhort time fhe began to feel the happiness of acting without controul, of being unaccountable for her hours, her expences, and her company; and learned by degrees, to drop an expreffion of contempt, or pity, at the mention of ladies whose hufbands were fufpected of restraining their pleafures or their play, and confeffed that the loved to go and come as fhe pleased.

I was ftill favoured with fome incidental precepts and tranfient endearments, and was now and then fondly kiffed for fmiling like my papa: but moft part of her morning was spent in comparing the opinion of her maid and milliner, contriving fome variation in her drefs, vifiting fhops, and fending compliments; and the rest of the day was too fhort for vifits, cards, plays, and con

certs.

She now began to discover that it was impoffible to educate children properly at home. Parents could not have them always in their fight; the fociety of fervants was contagious; company produced boldness and fpirit; emulation excited induftry; and a large fchool was naturally the first ftep into the open world. A thousand other reafons fhe alleged, fome of little force in themselves, but fo well feconded by pleasure, vanity, and idlenefs, that they foon overcame all the remaining principles of kindnefs and piety, and both I and my brother were dispatched to boarding-schools.

How