her husband, derives additional force. Let her confider the numberless temptations to vice, to profufion, to idle amufement, with which fhe is encompaffed. Let her remember with what various characters the bufinefs of his ftation renders him familiar; of whom fome, perhaps, openly deride the principles of religion; others fap them by infidious machina. tions; others extenuate, by their wit and talents, the offenfivenefs of guilt; others add to the feducing example of gay wickednefs the fafcinations of rank and popularity. Is the defirous of his fociety? Would the confirm him in domeftic habits? Would the fortify him against being allured into the haunts of luxury, riot, and profanenefs? Let her conduct fhew that home is dear to herself in his abfence, ftill dearer when he is prefent. Let her unaffected mildness, her ingenuous tenderneís place before his mind a forcible contrast to the violence, the artifice, the unfeeling selfishness which he witneffes in his commerce with the world. Let the cheerful tranquillity of domestic pleasures stand in the place of trifling and turbulent feftivity abroad. Let his houfe, as far as her endeavours can be effectual, be the abode of happiness; and he will have little temptation to bewilder himself in feeking for happinefs under another roof." "Spontaneously to transfer to a ftranger, as modern example dictates, the office of nurturing your child, when your health and strength are adequate to the undertaking; to transfer it that your indolence may not be disturbed, or that your paffion for amusement may not be crippled in its exertions, is to evince a moft shameful degree of selfishness and unnatural infenfibility. When affection fails, even in this first trial, great reafon have we to forebode the absence of that difpofition to submit to personal facrifices, which will be found indifpenfibly neceffary to the performance of the subsequent du ties of a parent." Cautions to Elderly Women: "Of all the methods by which a woman arrived at old age may preclude herself from enjoying the respect to which, by her years alone, fhe would have been entitled, an attachment to the gay amufements of youth is, perhaps, the leaft uncertain. To behold one whofe countenance, whofe figure, whose every gefture proclaims that the laft fands of life are running out, Q 2 clinging clinging to the levities of a world which fhe is about to leave for ever; haunting, with tottering fteps, the scene of public entertainment; and labouring, with fickly efforts, to win attention by the affectation of juvenile sprightliness and ease; to behold gray hairs thus fpontaneously degraded and debased, is not only one of the most difgufting, but one of the most melancholy fpectacles which can be surveyed." Extended as our extracts already appear, we cannot refift thefe elegant and humane fentiments refpecting Single Ladies who are advanced in years: "The good fenfe and refinement of the present age have abated much of the contempt with which it was heretofore the practice to regard women, who had attained or past the middle period of life, without having entered into the bands of marriage. The contempt was unjuft, and it was ungenerous. Why was it ever deemed to be merited? Because the objects of it were remaining in a state of finglehood? Perhaps that very circumstance might be entitled, in a very large majority of inftances, to praise and admiration. So various are the motives which men in general permit to have confiderable influence on their views in marriage; fo different are the opinions of different individuals of that fex, as to perfonal appearance and manners in the other; that of the women who pafs through life without entering into a connubial engagement, there are, probably, very few who have not had the option of contracting it. If then, from a wife and delicate reluctance to accept offers made by perfons of objectionable character; from unwillingness to leave the abode of a defolate parent, ftruggling with difficulties, or declining towards the grave; from a repugnance to marriage produced by affection furviving the lofs of a beloved object prematurely fnatched away by death; if, in confequence of any of thefe, or of fimilar causes, a woman continues fingle, is the to be despised? Let it be admitted that there are fome individuals, who, by manifeft ill-temper, or other repulfive parts of their character, have, even from their youth, precluded themselves from the chance of receiving matrimonial proposals. Is this a reafon for branding unmarried women, of a middle age, with a genepal ftigma? Be it admitted that certain peculiarities of deportment, certain faults of difpofition, are proverbially fre quent quent in women who have long remained fingle. Let it then also be remembered, that every fituation of life has a tendency to encourage fome particular errors and failings; that the defects of women, who, by choice or by neceffity, are in a fituation extremely different from that in which the generality of their fex is placed, will always attract more than their proportional fhare of attention; and that whenever attention is directed towards them, it is no more than common justice at the fame, time to render fignal praife to the individuals who are free from the faults, in manners and temper, which many, under fimilar circumftances, have contracted. Let it also be observed, that in the fituation of the persons in question, there are peculiarities, the recollection of which will produce, in a generous mind, impreffions very different from fcorn. They are perfons cut off from a state of life ufually regarded as the moft defirable. They are frequently unprovided with friends, on whose advice or affiftance they can thoroughly confide. Sometimes they are deftitute of a fettled home; and compelled, by a fcanty income, to depend on the protection, and bear the humours of fupercilious relations. Sometimes, in obfcure retreats, folitary, and among ftrangers, they wear away the hours of fickness and age, unfurnished with the means of procuring the affiftance and the comforts which finking health demands. Let not unfeeling derifion be added to the difficulties which it has, perhaps, been impoffible to avoid, or virtue not to decline." Mr. Gisborne is already known by a very ingenious moral and philofophical elucidation of the "Duties of Men," as diftributed into the various claffifications of this country; and though it by no means followed that he was qualified to illuftrate "The Duties of the Female Sex," he has here produced a treatise of confiderable, if not of equal genius with the former. Taking his ground on the precepts of Revelation (and, indeed, it is impoffible to conceive what morality can ftand, except on thofe injunctions) he points out, with diftinguished perfpicuity and energy, the whole courfe of female avocations; directing our view to that " impending hour, when all diftinctions of rank will be at an end; end; when the important queftion to each individual will not be-What station in life have you occupied ? but-How have you discharged the duties of that which you were appointed to fill " ART IV. An Attempt to Account for the Infidelity of the late Edward Gibbon, Efq. founded on his own Memoirs published by Lord Sheffield: With Reflections on the best Means of checking the prefent alarming Progrefs of Scepticism and Irreligion; including an Account of the Converfion and Death of the Right Hon. George Lord Lyttleton: By John Evans, A. M. price 1s. 6d. Longman. MR. GIBBON was a very celebrated character in the literary world, but some of his best friends regretted that he questioned the truth of the Christian religion. The manner in which he has endeavoured to account for the firft fpread of Chriftianity, has been thought liable to many ferious objections; and has indeed raised him, even in his life-time, feveral violent enemies. We are glad, however, to obferve, that Mr. Evans treats him with all that refpect which is due to his talents and virtues he admires Mr. Gibbon, but reprobates the fceptic. In this well-written pamphlet, Mr. Evans divides Mr. Gibbon's life into the three following periodsfrom his birth, in 1737, to his arrival at Oxford, in 1752-from that time, till his return from Laufanne, in 1758-and from thence to his death, in 1794. In the first period of his life, Mr. E. fuppofes him to have been prejudiced against religion by Mr. Law's Divinity, the famous myftic and admirer of Jacob Behmen, a German cobler, who pretended he faw vifions from the Almighty. In the fecond period, Mr. Gibbon turned papift while at Oxford; and the whole account of this bufinefs is of a very curious nature. Mr. Gibbon, Gibbon, by being fent to Lausanne, was reclaimed from popery-but appears to have been fo difgufted with religion, as to have fufpended his enquiries, and to rest in an implicit belief of the tenets and myfteries commonly received by proteftants and papifts. Upon this Mr, Evans founds his fufpicion of prejudice in the fecond period of life. In the third and last period of Mr. Gibbon's life, he appears to have been actuated by ambition, and confequently neglected the religion of Chrift. That these circumftances contributed to Mr. Gibbon's infidelity is probable-and how far, the reader muft judge and determine. After this fhort analysis of Mr. Gibbon's life, Mr. Evans proceeds to the following reflections, which we think of a very useful nature, and expreffed in perfpicuous and animated language-1. How great is the utility of a religious education.-2. We fhould be careful to diveft religion of the corruptions which have been added to it by the weakness and wickedness of mankind. -3. We fhould preferve our minds from an undue at tachment to the world.-4. and laftly-We should attend to the real defigns of Chriftianity.-These reflections are illustrated at fome length, and urged with confiderable energy. Then follows an affecting account of the converfion and death of Lord Lyttleton, taken from Dr. Johnson's Lives of the Poets; and the pamphlet clofes with fome fuitable remarks on the prefent state of the world respecting religion, and on the final triumph of virtue and religion over all the oppofition of its enemies. We have given the larger account of this publication because it relates to fo eminent a character as Mr. Gibbon; and we must confefs that it will do no difcredit to Mr. Evans, who is already known by his Sketch of the Denominations of the Chriftian World;' and by his SEQUEL to that work, entitled A Prefervative against the Infidelity and Uncharitablencfs of the Eighteenth Century,' ART |