Such is the character and the employment of Mrs. Martha Tattleand I would not have you think, Eliza, that she is the only one who profeffes fuch an employment. In high life you will meet with many characters who entirely support themselves by adminiftering to the follies and prejudices of others-and I have defcribed Mrs. Tattle, becaufe fhe has more fully difplayed her vocation in my hearing than any other of the fame tribe. I have only to add my kind wishes for you and yours, and that I am Your affectionate HENRIETTA. ESSAY On REPUTATION. AME, glory, or reputation, feems to be the ftrongest of all principles, and to have greater force in the human mind than even virtue or religion, fince thefe are often facrificed to it; as is the cafe of a duellift, efpecially the challenged, who, on that fole motive, acts against his own notions of virtue, and generally against his own profeffed religion; which if he truly believes, (as no doubt most do) he rifks eternal happiness for a temporary fame; and if he does not believe the religion he profeffes, yet that very profeffion is made for reputation, which proves the pofition, though the reputation of being a religious man is given up for what is evidently in the cafe under confideration esteemed a glory and pre ferable. The cafe of women murdering their illegitimate children is fill ftronger, inasmuch as very few, if any of them, have the least doubt of the commonly received notions of religion, or of the heincufnefs of 2 66 the crime they are prompted to commit; and it is manifest that the fear of infamy, or (which is the fame thing) a regard for their reputation, is the only motive in many, and the ftrongest in moft, to fuch crimes from which the profpect of damnation has not force enough to deter them, fo fuperlatively strong is this principle! and when Cicero fays, afk Brutus, &c. what they had in view, and what they proposed to themfelves, in endeavouring to procure liberty to their country; and what induced Mutius Scævola to attempt the death of Porfenna; what infpired Cocles with fo much courage to oppofe fingly a whole army on the bridge; what induced Lucretia rather to fuffer the crime of adultery, than the fhame of it; with many other heroic actions that might be mentioned, the answer is, GLORY." And that principle has been fufficient to enable men to undergo the greatest tortures without flinching, er difcovering the leaft fign of weaknefs, as among the Americans and elsewhere; and alfo to undertake and perpetrate the wickedeft actions, as fome of Alexander, and other conquerors. Both Cæfar and Pompey, for ambition, ventured the destruction of their own country and fellow-citizens; the confpiracies of Sylla, Cinna, Marius, Cataline, &c. and often the fuppreffion of them, had the fame motives; even Cicero himself seems to have been as much actuated by this principle, as by the love of his country. And what is that love of their country, fo much inculcated and praised among the Romans, but an unjuft and inequitable diftinction, for the fake of glory, which rendered them cruel to their neighbours, and tyrants to all whom they conquered? By no means a generous, humane principle! There are fo many instances of the wickedeft actions (though they are called called great, on account of the cou- | be propofed. Indeed many wife rage neceffary to undertake and perform them) for which no other motive can be affigned, that it is evident ly of itself fufficient to enable a man to undertake any enterprife, that ever has been, or can be propofed. This has been the fource of the greatest, - as well as fometimes of the meanest actions; as of him who burned Diana's temple for fame; and therefore we cannot conclude, that even the best of men had any other, from the mere actions themselves, or the refolution nece Tary to perform them; but must examine the circumstances. attending these actions, or the general character of the actors, in order to determine whether any other principles or motives (more worthy and of a better kind) concurred with this grand principle, which, though alone fufficient, may be, and (it is hoped) often is, accompanied with others more laudable. However, this, fo ftrong and univerfal, is itfelf noble and praife-worthy, when not productive of wickednets and mifchief, but of goodness and benefit to mankind, nor is it to be depreciated, but directed. inftitutions have been framed by ancient legiflators, which (without any other fupport) have been effectual, in exciting men to the most arduous undertakings; for inflance, in what high eftimation has been a crown of mere leaves! and what difficulties have been encountered, and danger despised, in order to obtain it! In fhort, the hope of praise and the dread of fhame have wrought wonders, in all times and in all nations, in perfons of all ages and of both fexes. The ladies ought seriously to confider whether an attachment to fashions be not the refult of a love of fame-when many, in order to be like their neighbours, launch into expences which they are ill able to fupport, and which perhaps are not confiftent with their fituation in life. What is this but a love of fame? And it ought to be an important enquiry, whether the love of fame alone be a fufficient plea for doing an unjust action, for incurring expences which may injure our families, and contracting debts which we may never be able to pay. The love of fame, Since then this has been, and is, though natural, and though proa fufficient motive, for actions ductive of great and good actions, esteemed the best, as well as for yet may be productive, as we have thofe esteemed the worst, that have often feen, of the very worst actions. ever been performed by men; and Every motive of this kind, therefore, fince it is alfo fufficient to reftrain ought to be well examined, and difmen from crimes, which, notwith-charged entirely when it ceases to flanding any other principles, they be fubfervient to our duty, and rides would commit (as appears, by their paramount over justice, truth, and committing fill greater, to conceal the lefs) it is no want of charity, but a wife conduct, to examine into the concomitant circumstances of actions, and the characters of the actors, that we may not be deceived in the judgments we form of them. And legislators would do well to confider, whether this principle may not be made fubfervient to great and ufeful purposes in the compiling of laws, and particularly in the nature of thofe rewards and punishments to virtue. Ægritudinem laudare, quorum eft tan- What Fhilofophy is that, which extols N reflecting on the world in gene ral, I could not help confidering the many, with a pleafing aftonifliment, that even strive to render themfelves of it. It banishes, indeed, all levity of behaviour, but in exchange fills the mind with an uninterrupted chear themselves miferable. Being furrounded' with every material to make men happy and contented, they are ftill pining, in the midst of plenty.falness." How interefting then is it True real happiness certainly confifts not in fortune or poffefion, for how many do we fee miferable, though poffeffing thousands. There are many in the world, who are of a melancholy difpofition, who look upon the innocent enjoyment of life as criminal, who behold every thing with an eye of difcontent. Such as thefe it is not in the power of the world to render happy. The lively to every one to cherish this funshine of the mind, to banish those gloomy difconfolate ideas that fuperftitious fears create, and ftrive to live fo agreeable to reafon and religion, that we may, "by an eafy tranfition from what we now are, fine forth angels of light." C. fpirits of youth gild no opening to the EDITOR of the LADY'S MA profpect to them. Did Heaven then ordain us to live fo unhappy? Did our Creator give to us fenfibility, give to us minds fit to comprehend his laws, to imbibe his inftructions, to adore him in his works, and in the end, to be miferable? Heaven forbid! All things around us rather demonftrate the contrary. The works of his hands convey a pleasure to the infpector, and all the creation feems to rejoice with man. The man who acts up to the dictates of reafon and religion, has the greater motive to be chearful, for he only has the proper title to it. Superftitious fears deprive us of the pleafure of converfation, and all thofe focial joys which are not only inno? cent but laudable. The man of a good heart enjoys all thefe delights, under the fmile of an approving heaven. No fears damp his joys; he looks upon tranfitory joys as gales to waft him forward in his voyage through life, and beholds death as a meffenger to welcome him to his defired baven." It is not the business of virtue," as Addison very sub. limely obferves," to extirpate the affections of the mind, but to regulate them. It may moderate and reftrain, but was not defigned to - banish gladness from the heart of man. The exercises of virtue is fo far from excluding all goodness of heart, that it is a perpetual fource VOL. XXI. SIR, ON GAZINE. N vifiting Westminster Abbey, when I was in town, I could not help reflecting on this venerable ftructure and it's contents, the venerable dead that lie fcattered throughout the whole of it, unreflected upon and forgotten. Poor are the expectations of the most healthy, when an unforeseen shock may bring their remains to add to this number. What is this life, when compared with its confequent? It is juftly compared to the path of an arrow, which is immediately clofed up and loft. And as a celebrated writer obferves, "As from the wing no fear the ky retains, The parted wave no. furrow from the keel; So dies in human hearts the thoughts of death, fting. What arms death with greater terror is reflecting on the fcenes exhibited to us on this fide the grave. Our fouls have no concern at our diffolution we leave our earthly habitation to the care of our friends, but we take our flight to Paradife, accompanied with virtues. when the foul leaves them, become | ceffes of our soul, and deaden death's a mere machine, without life or motion. Confider, that in this venerable pile lie youth, beauty and age, mixing their afhes together. And art thou then beauty fo fhort lived? Art thy charms, which cap-bere; tivates fo many of our fex, come to this? O, death! thou payeft no diftinction to the fexes. Thou ftickeft thy deadly dart into the breast of beauty and elegance, and layeft our doting object in the dust. "Afk the faithful youth, So often fills his arms; fo often draws O! he will tell thee, that the wealth of Should ne er feduce his bofom, to forego Of care and envy, sweet remembrance And turns his tears to rapture." our Prodigious change! Our bane turn'd to our blefling. Death, difarm'd, Lofes his fellnefs quite. All thanks to him Who fcourg'd the venom out. Sure the laft end Of the good man is peace. How calm his exit ! Oh! how he longs to have his pasport fignid. 'Tis done, and now he's happy! The glad foul Has not a with uncrowned. Even the Refts too in hope of meeting once a ai n Dr. BLAIR. "Be not grieved,," fays Antiphanes, "above meafure for thy deceafed friends. They fare not dead, but have only finished that journey, which it is neceffary for every one of us to take; we, ourfelves, muft go to that great place of reception, in which they are all of them affembled, and in this general rendezvous of mankind live together, in another state of being. This is a fine thought for fo ancient a poet, who lived near an hundred years before Socrates. Thus may our thoughts be equally centered in that defired ftate of being, where the current of joy is never stopped, and where pleasures eternally bloom. B. C. A Solution to the Lift of CROWNED | An Enigmatical Lift of FARMS in HEADS in Europe, p. 99. 1. Christian. 2. Jofeph. 3. Lewis. 4. Stanislaus. 5. Pius. 6. Maria. 7. Frederick. 8. Catherine. Victor. tavus. 9. 10. Charles. 11. Guf Answered also by J. Randolph. A Solution to JEMINA's Enigmatical List of BACHELORS refiding in the parish of Benfon, in the county of Oxford. 6. 1. Davis. 2. Waring. 3. Strange. 4. Lovegrove. 5. Bonner. Culham. 7. Johnfon. 8. Shrubb. 9. Peters. 10. Hartland. Clark. 12. Padbury. 13. Hodg. kin. II. An Enigmatical Lift of TAVERNS and HOTELS. 1. Half a plant. the County of Suffex. 1. Were the fun rifes, and were the king goes to. 2. The reverfe to white, and a deep place. 3. A four-footed animal, and a water. 4. Part of a man, and what grows on the forest. 5. One part of the compafs, and a place of game. 6. A large fish, and a tree. 7. The fifth month in the year, and a confonant. 8. A good perfon, and rifing ground. 9. What a poor man goes to, and the ufe of ftrings. 10. A pleasant place in a garden. 11. The reverfe to narrow, and what Mofes wrote on. 12. An useful beaft, and what blackfmith's make. 13. The reverfe to young, and were they carry corn. 14. A tree, and a place for wild 2. A feed changing a letter. 15. What carpenters ufe, and land. 16. A green tree, and a place for birds. 17. A thing that is used in a garden, and a man that carries intelligence. 18. The name af a county. 19. Two oo's and two nn's, an 1 and a d, the name of a place, pray tell it to me. |