what affiftance I could, I asked him what brought him to that miferable fituation? He said, he was a journeyman Book-binder; that he came to town for work, which not being able to meet with, he was obliged, in order to fupport his family, to fell fome inftruments that he brought with him; that when the money, which he had procured for thefe, was spent, he had nothing left but to ply about the streets for charity. What he had this way was, foe fome time paft, his only fubfiftence, which had been barely fufficient for keeping them from ftarving. Having unfortunately, for thefe laft two or three weeks, not met with his ufual fuccefs, and finding that it was out of his power to procure subistence for his family, he was at lait driven to despair, and was refolved, if fortune had not thrown me in the way, that very evening to try fome defperate method, in which, in all probability, as he muft be a novice in the way, he would have been taken and fent to prifon, unable to affift his family, who must inevitably have perished.

Wouldst thou, O reader ! in this poor man's fituation, couldst thou refrain from robbing? Think fairly: fuppose thou waft driven to distress like this; no friend to affift thee;-in vain thou trieft to get fomething by begging in the streets. Was it but thyself, poffibly thou mightest bear it; but couldst thou bear to fee thy wife, her who had fo often foftened thy cares, her who had fo often taken pains to make thee happy; couldft thou bear to think that the must feel the diftrefs of famine? Thy children in vain imploring thy affiftance, in vain afking for food? And yet how many thousands do we fee punished in this fituation?

People in high stations seldom reflect upon the miferies of others, who are deprived of the neceffaries of life: could they but feel a few of the many miseries which fome poor people are neceffitated to bear, they would furely devote fome part of their time and fortune in searching for, and relieving real objects of charity.

THE ILL EFFECTS OF AFFECTATION,

IN THE STORY OF THE AFFECTED GAUDIA.

TAKEN FROM THE GENERAL MAGAZINE.

IN the perfon of Gaudia, the fpoiled child, had grown into the affected woman. Drefs, cards, dancing, and the frequenting public places of entertainment, had hitherto engroffed her whole attention; and while she was thus indulging iu thofe follies, her father, a merchant of fome confideration, left the world; and on he winding-up of his affairs by his executors, his property was found to be infufficient to pay his creditors; confequently Gaudia's hopes of figuring away in life in a ftill greater degree than fhe had hitherto done, were at once blafted.

Gaudia's manner of bringing up, together with a fuperciliousness of behaviour which is but too often feen in young ladies of fortune, promised her but very little favour from the judicious part of mankind; and those

perfons

perfons who were of her acquaintance were of that trifling fort who generally forget even the perfons of their much-loved, their dear and valuable friends, fo foon as adverfity renders them incapable of continuing their favours.

Neglected, infulted, and in a manner forgotten, was the state of Gaudia, in less than fix months after the decease of her indulgent parent; but affectation, which had been long nurtured by her with uncommon attention, and which had attained to its full growth in her bofom, did not leave her with her pretended friends; but being now unaided by fortune, it ferved only to make Gaudia appear more ridiculous than when in connexion with the bandaged Goddess.

Gaudia was handfome; but her vanity outftripped her beauty. She trusted that her perfon and manner were ftill fufficient for the re-establishment of her loft confequence; and her expectations, even at this time, were fuch, that she looked for nothing short of an union with a coronet.

Our heroine was not without fuitors; indeed she had many, and amongst them several very respectable characters; fome of whom probably, notwithstanding her vanity, might have been induced, from her perfonal apperance, to have offered her their hands; but her darling Affectation introduced her twin-fifter Coquetry, and the very foon after loft the regards of her admirers, by affuming the blandishments of a jilt.

Gaudia now found her fituation to be fuch, that an entire change in her mode of life was become absolute

.ly

ly neceffary. She affumed a plainnefs in dress, a steadinefs, of temper, and, in fact, a line of conduct quite the reverse of her former manner; and fhe had the good fortune, from the externals of propiety, to captivate Applicatus, a young tradefman, who, after an acquaintance of little more than a month, married her, promifing himself much happiness with a woman whofe mind he conceived to be enlightened.

Gaudia had not been long a wife, before fhe began to introduce her old companion Affectation to the view of her husband; and before the completion of the first year of their connubial ftate, that child of pride and folly pervaded the very foul of the wife of Applicatus.

Applicatus, furprised at fo great a change in Gaudia, expoftulated with her on the impropriety of her conduct, hoping thereby to prevail on her to difcard fo unneceffary an attendant on the wife of a tradesman; but his endeavours were in vain; her attachment to her favourite was too great to be talked away. Her affectation now kept company with extravagance; they di rected all her family concerns; and nothing would now ferve her but the richest apparel for her wear, and the choicest morfel for her appetite; leaving the confideration of fupplying the expence to her husband.

Applicatus ftill endeavoured to prevail on Gaudia to difcard her favourite, but with the fame fuccefs as before. The family concerns were wholly unattended to by her; and from her extravagance and extreme indolence, from the mismanagement of fervants, and from offes in trade, Applicatus became a bankrupt in the

third year of their marriage. He being a man truly industrious and well-difpofed, the difgrace which he conceived his inability to discharge every debt in full laid him under, affected firft his mind, and afterwards his body, and he ultimately fell a martyr to his own feelings and his wife's affectation.

Gaudia was now almost hopeless: friends she had none; and those perfons who refpected her husband, would hardly hear her name mentioned with temper, from a fuppofition (but too well founded) that he was the cause both of his ruin and his death.

Affectation was, however, ftill her own; that favourite folly foothed her under every afflicton; nor did it leave her even in fickness, until her clothes and every valuable was gone, and the parish-officers, from mo⚫ of humanity, had conveyed her to the WORKHOUSE.

PART OF THE HISTORY OF AMANDA, A PENITENT.

Go, and fin no more,

I left her weeping, but what would tears avail? fhe had been oft forewarned, and yet was off her guard; poor girl! fhe once was innocent, and like her mother Eve fhe early fell, a hapless prey to Aattery and deceit. I knew her danger, and with frequent admonitions told her to beware. How frail is female vir

tue!