ther. I think that he has many excellencies, with fome fingularities."-"You think no more, then, Euphemia?"-"Surely not: why do you ask me this ?""I have no reason to ask you, my daughter: it was only a queftion of course.""I cannot fee that, my dear mother."-Here the converfation was interrupted by a note. "Shall I read it?" faid Euphemia." It is from Mr. Acid," faid her mother; "you shall hear it :" 66 TO MRS. DE CLEVES. "Dear Madam, "Finding the ftate of my mind to be fuch, that I cannot perfonally continue my narrative this evening, permit me to give it you in this form. Acquainted as you are with the happy intimacy which I have so long been admitted to in your family, perhaps you will be lefs fuprized at this relation of my feelings. The charming gaiety of Mifs De Cleves, first taught me the value of life; a value which, every day that I have been honoured with her fociety, has rifen in my eftimation. I am highly fenfible of her attentions-they have engraven in my heart a void which the only can fill. "My fortune, I hope, is fuch as fhe will not difdain. With her, it will be ample indeed: without her, it will avail me nothing! "CHARLES ACID." "Now," faid Mrs. De Cleves, had I not reafon for a late question? On your part, pre-engaged, I was affured that no difappointment could occur; but I never thought thus of Mr. Acid. And he has convinced me this morning how well-grounded my reflections were. Euphemia! you have inflicted mifery where you meant to create joy!"-" My beloved guardian!” faid Euphemia, a little recovered, "I acknowledge, I repent my mifconduct and I will act with a fuitable candour." Saying this, the dispatched a fervant to Mr. Acid's, entreating that gentleman to favour them with his company as firft agreed. He obeyed the summons. During tea-time, little paffed except the common defultory talk; as foon, however, as this refreshment was over, Euphemia fpoke to the following effect :-" You cannot, fir, be ignorant of the nature of this vifit, which, but for my rafhnefs, had never taken place. My mother has just given me fome notice of your life, with which I was before unacquainted; and fhe has also saved me fome concern, by representing to you the motives which have guided my actions as they refpect Mr. Acid. The vanity of a thoughtless girl must be my only apology to you.' "An apology," interrupted Acid, "which you fhall never make!' "Sir," continued Euphemia, "this is another proof, to the many I have often witneffed, of your merits and goodness. The honour you have intended me in the alliance you propofed to my mother, claims my grateful refpect. But it is an honour that I could neither have expected nor accepted. My heart, fir, is not my own: it is inviolably attached to a dear friend of our family. My friendship, fir-if, after such a conduct, you can think it worthy of your acceptance-my best friendship, is your's. 'Tis all the atonement I can make for my errors ; and a poor atonement it is, fince you have long engroffed my esteem !-We fhall ever be happy to fee you!"-" Sincerely happy," added Mrs. De Cleves. —“ Admirable, too admirable girl!-Generous woman, I-I—I thank you," was all he could, and more than he could well fay, while he left the house, and retired to his own closet. Left it fhould be thought that Euphemia's attention to Mr. Acid did not arife from the benevolent wish we attributed to it, it is time to ftate, that she had long fince yielded her heart to the virtues of Henry Cavendifh, the fon of an excellent friend to the De Cleves' family but as Henry-being at the University-had not vifited Euphemia during her acquaintance with Mr. Mr. Acid, the latter had never heard of this conceffion. In the enfuing fpring, however, Cavendish claimed the hand of his long-loved Euphemia. The reader has fo long been unvifited by the philofopher Acid, that perhaps he will never expect to hear of that character. If fo, he will certainly be difappointed. Ever fince the dreaded eclairciffement, Acid had been lefs conftant in his calls at Mrs. De Cleves's; and when he was affured of the marriage of Euphemia, no confideration could allure him to the house of her mother. Love had varnished the ruft of fingularity; love had "taught him the value of life;" and the sweets of that love, converted to bitterness, were not to be endured. To blunt the edge of difappointment, he had recourfe to his old life; when, with the again neceffitated rage for books in abftrufe fcience, the fingularities of his youth returned. He has for fome years lived without any female attendant: for, on the termination of his hopes refpecting Euphemia, he took fuch a rooted antipathy to her whole fex, that he even difmiffed poor Margaret. Reader, thou mayft be inclined to pity this Philofopher: fo fhould I had not his difguft lately prompted him to attack, in a bitter but fubtle invective, the very laws and foundations of fociety: and he is now preparing-without looking beyond his garret-an "Eftimate of the prefent State of the Morals and Manners of Mankind!" "IN A MORAL SKETCH. BY PHILIP ST. LEGER, ESQ. Integer vitæ, fcelerifque purus Non eget Mauri jaculis, neque arcu, Fusce pharetra. & taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy for it is a princely thing to pardon; and Solomon Solomon fays, 'tis the glory of a man to pass over a trans greffion." I have often perused the above obfervation of Lord Verulam's, and wondered within myself how so evident a truth fhould fail of making its proper impreffions upon all good minds: yet so it is, that many men, who otherwife evince themselves to be in the poffeffion of every manly virtue, appear to be completely void of this emanation of mercy. They think that it would dreadfully derogate from their dignity as men; and be an unpardonable outrage against felf-gratification, fhould they omit taking every vengeance on the being who hath injured them. I have feen and heard of instances of this kind, which are too fhocking to repeat. I even knew a man who paffed among his acquaintance as a very well-meaning, agreeable fellow, who, having been offended one day by one of his companions, turned his back, and taking out his pocket-book, marked down the injury, with the date of the month, faying, "That he wished not to forget the affront, as he hoped at fome period, however diftant, to have it in his power to refent it." Specious as this man might appear, I fincerely believe he was a very great rafcal; and I would rather have embraced a man, after his having immediately fheathed his fword in the breaft of the offender, than I could have endured this wretch, who could coolly regifter an error, that he might remember to revenge it when years had worn it from every memory but his own. I hefitate not to believe fuch a mean facrifice to felflove in beings of narrower capacities, and ftill narrower hearts; but I am aftonished paft utterance, when I fee that paffion ruling the actions of the otherwife generous and noble. When I hear men of an exalted stamp step forward as the champions of revenge, I am loft in wonder; and fo totally repugnant doth it appear to what muft must be the innate principles of their minds, that I can hardly credit the evidence of my senses. I have the acquaintance of a young man, who, with a foul whofe inflexible integrity is not to be fhaken by the rudest bursts of violence, nor even fwerved by the more dangerous powers of perfuafion, poffeffes the gentleft difpofition, and the most pitying heart: he is adorned with every virtue, without pretending to any; and avows with avidity the harbouring a fault that never approached his bofom. I have hearkened to him for hours, expatiating on the neceffity of refenting injuries, on the tranfport of taking revenge! I have feen him in fituations, wherein, had he been poffeffed in the fmallest proportion by the principles which he promulgated, they certainly would have been brought into action: I have liftened with fickening dread to hear fome fpeech, to fee fome deed, that was to fanction his affertions, and leffen him in my efteem: but in all thefe conflicts, I have beheld the noble generofity of his nature triumph over his favourite opinion; I have seen him rife to a height that hath fwelled every exulting artery in my breaft, when perhaps he himself thought that he was finking into weakness by the rapidity of his yielding. Had this young man ever committed an error against any one that demanded forgiveness, and had he ever experienced the agonizing blifs of receiving that forgiveness, how foon would he abandon thefe ideas which he now fofters with so much care. I must so far give into the spirit of taking fatisfaction for an infult of magnitude, when the perfon is indifferent to your affections, that I would approve your utmoft exertions for an opportunity of revenge; but at the moment when you fhew the threatening vengeance, you should disdain to put in execution the means fo long fought. Is it a friend who offends? you ought to abhor the idea of injuring a hair of his head and did that friend appear in the finalleft degree convicted of VOL. I. S his |