what they pleased to dictate, and passed it to you as her own: that's an old game, and stale. Be steady, and do nothing rashly; you are both young, you cannot tell what is in store for you: at all events, let me earnestly advise you not to attempt the dreadful expedient of endeavouring to drown care in intemperance; the edge of sensibility like yours, is only set afresh by the temporary torpor of excess; by the very method you resort to, to blunt its keenness: go home, and try to apply to business. "—"That's what I tell Mr. A- "said the good-natured, sympathizing Host, who had come in, and stood leaning on the wooden inclosure, "for," says I, "though my liquor is good in moderation, and very good in quality, though I say it that should'nt, it won't do for Mr. A, who takes-on so; grief or liquor, single handed, will kill a good-one, if he has too much of either; but let them fight hand in hand, and they are a match for the devil himself, and they say he's a tough one.”—“Yes,” said A, "it is easy to tell me to go home, but what's home without 'the voice of her I love?' but I thank you most sincerely, because I know you mean me well: you have given me fresh life and hope, I will do all I can."

We all went out together; at the corner of the street A-— left us, first grasping both our hands fervently.

LETTER XX.

"WELL," said L-, after we had walked some way in silence, "what do you think of my family picture? the portraits are handsome, but the colouring is sombre, I think; but here is a lively object to relieve the last group: look at that woman," said he, pointing to a female with a pretty, dissolute countenance, mincing along with an air of artifice and allurement. "What is she," I enquired. "She is one of our outcasts; a common prostitute, who obtains from the wages of promiscuous intercourse her daily bread; who sells for hire, in unenjoying prostitution, the feminine embraces given by Nature for mutual solace and endearment. You have just seen two beings debarred from the enjoyment of each other, by a thick-headed cruelty: they are two of ten thousand; this woman is one of twenty thousand; of all the forlorn situations to which humanity can be reduced in civil society, perhaps her's is the worst. She is shunned by the stiff-necked, who walk on, and elevate their snouts, at the vice hatched by

their own folly; insulted by the cruel and dissolute, who delight in human woe. This is one of the numberless baneful consequences of legislating against Nature, of attempting to subvert fundamental laws, in themselves incapable of subversion. We are gravely told to mortify our fleshly lusts; that is, to destroy inclinations given for an enjoyment consonant with reason; to extinguish desires, without which the world would be depopulated; by which we were called into being: do not think I mean to advocate the cause of promiscuous concubinage, which in the human race can be easily proved to be against their nature; or to decry marriage, marriage just and holy-the union of two fond hearts. It is right, and necessary for the preservation of good order in the world, that every man should maintain his own offspring through the age of childhood; and how could he distinguish his own, unless engaged to one, by some tie which both the parties shall consider a moral obligation? And such is the reasonable gratification of the passion of love, which was implanted for wise purposes, and which all the pretended denial and legislation in the world will never extirpate or even diminish. I fancy it will be rather difficult to convince young persons of opposite sexes, by what are termed 'prudential mo

tives,' that they were not intended for each other: Nature and 'worldly prudence,' are generally most confoundedly at logger-heads. Talking of prudence, puts me in mind of an anecdote I have read, of one who was taxed by her mother with illegitimate pregnancy, and asked how it happened? 'Because,' said this industrious young lady, 'I had nothing else to do.'

“After all, animal passion is the basis of love as the more refined sentiment is justly termed; the latter cannot exist without the former. Rude, unpolished nations, have no notion but of animal gratification; love only becomes the compound emotion we see it in civilized life, from the various extrinsic incidents it meets there; from coming in contact with opposition, jealousy, vanity, devotion, delicacy, heroism, modesty, admiration of qualities, personal beauty, flattery, fancied or real likeness, kindness, gratitude. Then it becomes a passion made up, more or less, of all the feelings, aye, shades of feeling, of which we are susceptible: even then, subject to variation of intensity and mode of action, according to the peculiar constitutional temperament of each individual. How then must the moralist, the legislator act, to regulate this natural ebullition of insurmountable inclination? Will

he follow the advice of him, (can I call him man?) who declared a sentiment, that paupers should be restricted from marriage because they produced a race of paupers !!' So that a man is to be punished in duplicate; first, by being poor, and secondly, by being excluded from natural enjoyment, because, forsooth, he is so!!! No: he will follow, if he be wise and just, as closely on the heels of Nature as he, by possibility can: he will most strenuously encourage and facilitate marriage. It matters not whether the formula' of the tie be religious or civil, only make it obligatory on the conscience of the contracting parties to support each other and their children, and he has done his part; his end is answered. As to the duration and dissolution of this mutual bond, that is another point, with which we have nothing to do here; there is room for immense weight of argument and proof to be adduced on both sides of the question. But I cannot refrain from expressing my doubts, whether, when two persons cease to love and esteem, and begin, from whatever cause, to regard each other with disgust and abhorrence, it is, or is not, time they were separated, and free to form fresh engagements.

"Revolting hatred, and adultery, are the sure consequents of ill-assorted marriages; of