desolate than the surrounding scenery, more dark, and stony, and severe; but the ground was thrown about in such picturesque undulations, that the mind, full of the sublime, required not the beautiful; and rich, and waving woods, and sparkling cultivation would have been misplaced. Except Athens, I had never witnessed any scene more essentially impressive. I will not place this spectacle below the city of Minerva. Athens and the holy city in their glory, must have been the finest representations of the beautiful and the sublime – the holy city, for the elevation on which I stood was the Mount of Olives, and the city on which I gazed was Jerusalem. ODE TO PEACE. COME, peace of mind, delightful guest! Once more in this sad heart; Nor riches I, nor power pursue, Where wilt not dwell, if not with me, And pleasure's fatal wiles? The great, the gay, shall they partake That murmurs through the dewy mead, The grove and the sequester'd shed, To be a guest with them? For thee I panted, thee I prized, Whate'er I loved before; And shall I see thee start away, And helpless, hopeless, hear thee say MORNING. BUT who the melodies of morn can tell? The wild brook babbling down the mountain side; The pipe of early shepherd dim descried The hollow murmur of the ocean-tide; The hum of bees, and linnet's lay of love, The cottage curs at early pilgrim bark; Crowned with her pail the tripping millanaid sings; GOOD MANNERS. Good manners is the art of making people easy. The three sources of good manners are good nature, humility, and good sense. Good sense and integrity, if we are sure we possess them, will not make good manners unnecessary; the former being but seldom called out to action, but the latter continually. "Without good breeding truth is disapproved. That only makes superior sense beloved CIVILITY. RUDENESS ill becomes men possessed of ability, power, riches, or religion. It is a law not to be dispensed with "To honor all men." Christians are especially called upon to show respect and kindness to mankind. Piety of disposition, connected with urbanity of manners, characterise both the christian and gentleman. We should always be careful not to hurt or injure others by careless, wanton, or unkind conduct. As every action may produce effects over which human power has no influence, and which human sagacity cannot foresee, we should not lightly venture to the verge of evil, nor strike at others, though with a reed, lest, like the rod of Moses, it become a serpent in our hand. "If a civil word or two will render a man happy," said a French king, "he must be a wretch indeed who will not give them to him.” POLITENESS. POLITENESS is one of the advantages which we never estimate rightly, but by inconvenience of its loss. Its influence upon the manners is constant and uniform. Every man may hope, by the help of good breeding, to enjoy the kindness of mankind, though he should have no claim to higher distinctions. A CROW, having stolen a piece of cheese from a cottage window, flew up into a high tree with it, in order to eat it; which the Fox observing, came and sat underneath, and began to compliment the Crow upon the subject of her beauty. "I protest," said he, "I never observed it before, but your feathers are of a more delicate white than any that ever I saw in my life! Ah! what a fine shape and graceful turn of body is there! And I dare say you have a beautiful voice. If it be but as fine as your complexion, I do not know a bird that can pretend to stand in competition with you." The Crow, tickled with this very civil language, wriggled about and hardly knew where she was; but thinking the Fox a little dubious as to the particular of her voice, and having a mind to set him right in that matter, she began to sing, and in the same instant, let the cheese fall out of her mouth. This being what the Fox wanted, he snapped it up in a moment; and trotted away, laughing to himself at the easy credulity of the Crow. MORAL. It is a maxim in the schools, "That Flattery 's the food of fools!" And whoso likes such airy meat, Will soon have nothing else to eat. INGRATITUDE. BLOW, blow, thou wintry wind, Thou art not so unkind As man's ingratitude; Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky, As benefits forgot: As friends rememb❜ring not. |