dered fashionable, and accuftom | ture refents the injury, and recoils ourfelves rather to confider the nature and capacities of the mind, and the proper treatment to which it will fubnit, we fhould neither lament the confequences of our own mifguided counfel, nor would the outraged mind be expofed to that keen, intolerable anguifh which it too frequently endures. The feelings which exhibit themfelves in fighs and tears, when the bonds of love and friendflip are broken, were implanted by the hand of nature in our bofoms, with a wife, a benevolent intention :they contitute the strongest bond of fociety, and give the proper relish to our domeftic felicities; and fo intimately are they interwoven with the conftitution of the delicate mind, that no violence can wrench them away without deftroying at the fame time the whole fabric, and reducing the man beneath the level of a brute. Pierce the heart, and it will bleed; and when the feelings of the bofom cannot be moved, we are no longer entitled to the rank we hold as creatures formed in the image of the God of tenderness and com paffion. To yield to the tender touches of impaffioned woe, is obvioufly, therefore, the natural effect of the great law of nature under which we are born: and we can Looner cease to be men, than we can ceafe to lament the disappointments to which our fond attachments are liable. with a whip of fcorpions upon thofe who refift her tendency.-Hence the effect of officious interruption, in the paroxyfm of mental agony, is nothing less than to redouble the weight it affects to relieve, and point with keener anguish the forrow it meant to blunt : but where we bend, like the reed, before the tempeft which beats upon our heads, where we indulge the fecret anguifh which fwells in the bofom,- we then ap ply the only balfam of which our wounds can poffibly admit. The mind naturally doats upon the object of its tender regard, and dwells with rapture upon the picture which faithful memory holds up to its recollection. It confiders it as it were its birth-right, to gaze from day to day upon the' pleafing-painful fubject, to fold it in its warmeft affections, and bathe it with its tears. Oh! with what exquifite delight does it recapitulate to the fhadows of the evening, "to fcenes that once to her was dear," the thousand amiable qualities, the thousand graces, both of perfon and of mind, which were combined in her, whofe lofs it tenderly deplores! With what luxury of grief does it retrace the dear enchanting moments which are now for ever, ever gone, -think on the tear that trickled, and the convulfive fob which interrupted the laft adieu!-In the dear remembiance of the past, it finds a blifs not only exquifite, but an effect which calms This being admitted, may we not the ruffled feelings, which tranquilappeal, at leaft, to the thinking lifes the frenzy of the foul, and part of mankind, whether it does fpreads around all that balmy confo not inevitably lead us to the conciu-lation which can be given or reLon we have in view? In which ceived. We fhall here probably be cafe are we more likely to obtain that reminded that a very confiderable foftly-foothing tranquillity for which proportion of mankind will not rea the mourner languishes,-by follow-dily admit that the indulgence of ing the obvious bias of nature in melancholy can poffibly merit fuch liftening to the impulfe of our feel-encomiums as thefe.-Alas! it is ings, or by refifting them If we violate the commands of our maker, the confequences are obvious. Na too true that there are, comparatively fpeaking, but few whofe fympathetic fouls can feel the force of pand, does it not elevate the heart, to reflect that we are occupied in the dif of what has been faid.-To those few we then appeal if the account of things which we have above ftat-charge of duties which are due to thofe whole favour we cultivate above every thing, whofe efteem we would not barter for crowns and kingdoms ? ed be too highly coloured, let him fay who has felt what my bofom feels,-who has feen all that was dear to him on earth, torn from his embraces, who has fighed over the decifive moment— "She goes, to charm no more my liftening ear. Her smile fhall foothe me never, never more" There is a tranquillifing efficacy. in indulged forrow, which, though. it difqualifies the mind for joining in the noify tempeft of conviviality, and is for that reason banished from the fociety of the thoughtlefs and the gay, yet ferves to attune it to the more enviable pleasures of retirement, and to prepare it for tæst and ecftatic enjoyments of piety.-Nothing tends more to foften the ruggedness of the temper, to blunt its and he will concur in the decifioning and relishing the more fublime that where the mind is thus wounded, the only pleasure of which it is capable, will be found in the indulgence of tender melancholy,-nay more, that the pleasure thus acquir ed is elegant, and, in fhort, fuch as we have represented it to be. afperity, and infpire the heart with patience and refignation to all the difpenfations of providence. Defeated in the objects which were nearest to the heart, and denied the fociety. of thofe whofe fmiles improve the blithefome hours of profperity, whofe foothing tenderness alleviates the misfortunes of life,-we learn to look with indifference upon every In the common occurrences of life, circumftances may be different, -and those who meet without affection may part without regret. But where intimate connections take place on juft and honourable principles, and fpring not from the mer-thing elfe. From thenceforward cenary views of intereft, but from fortune fmiles in vain; in vain ad. a fimilarity of difpofition, and an verfity lours; our only hope, our ardent admiration of the fuperior only portion, lies now beyond the quali es which adorn each other's fphere of misfortune, in worlds characters,-hearts are united by where ftorms and tempefts never bonds, which no intervening di-rife.-There we hope again to re. ftance, which no time or change of new the fond embrace, to refume fcene can break; and the convic- the attachments which are now fuftion that our bofoms beat with mu-pened, to bind again what difaptual emotions, brings us under the pointment has broken.-Oh, happy frongeft obligation to devote the happy day, which bears me once more whole foul to each other. We to her I love! - which compenfates efteem it a debt, which is due to for the thoufand, thoufand fighs, those we love, to bear them constant-with which I lament her lofs!-Shall ly upon our memories. We fhrink I not regale my wearied eye of grief back from the idea of effacing the with this blooming profpect?-Shall dear image, though for a moment, I not refresh my imagination with as from fomething unkind and un- this dear delightful hope? Shall I worthy of us. Under circumstances not be permitted, in idea, to over, fuch as thefe, does it require a la- ftep the intervening distance, and boured proof to convince us that the rush into the ftream which wafts indulgence of tender melancholy is a me to her arms.-Yes, lovely partner fource of pleasure? Does it not ex- of my grief, though now I meet thy VOL. XXVII, Ff charming charming fmile no more, and cold, Where e'er I go, where e'er I rove, From what has been faid it may then jollity, and weeps in folitude over. the fatal caufe of all its anguish.Few characters are fo truly deferving of tender indulgence as thofe who thus ftruggle with misfortune.-Indeed none but those whofe hearts. are formed of the pureft mould, and tuned to the most elegant fenfibili. ties of which our prefent state is ca pable, are fufceptible of this interefting turn of mind. While the vota. ries of noify gaiety, render themfelves odious by their brutality, the melancholy mourners melt the bofom to compaffion; we participate with them in all their forrows; we feel an impulfe which prompts us to caft ourselves upon their bofoms, to give them tear for tear. Nor is it an unavailing intereft which is thus felt :-by participating in their feelings, we divide the anguish which rankles in the heart, and improve our own tender fenfibilities. Thus do we become more tender and gen How much then is it to be lament-tle, generous and fympathetic;ed that a conduct diametrically op; thus are our hearts elevated and repofite to that which is thus pointed out is fo frequently purfued! as if a thoughtful mind were fome horri. ble calamity which cannot be too fedulously guarded against, As a collateral evidence in illuf tration of what we have above advanced, it may be yet added, that the attempt to outrage the natural tendency of the mind is not only abortive, and the caufe of its own chaftifement, but that it defeats itfelf, and confirms where it meant to undermine our attachments: by interrupting the devotion of the prefent moment, it more intenfely aug. ments the devotion of the following. -A fpring recoils not with more impetuofity than the affections return to their beloved object. Let thofe, whofe bufinefs it is to watch over the happiness of the unfortunate, be perfuaded then to confult the bias of the mind, nor be fo alarmed when the wounded heart Lies from the haunts of mirth and ned; thus do we affume the digni fied rank of the patrons of diftrefs, and followers of him who taught us not only to rejoice with them that do rejoice, but also to weep with them that weep. WERTER. fons, Tiberius and Drufus. The conduct of this lady feems to juftify the remark of Caligula, that "the was a Ulyffes in a woman's drefs." Octavius first faw her as fhe fled from the danger which threatened her husband, who had efpoufed the caufe of Antony; and though the was then pregnant, he refolved to marry her, whether with her own inclination or not, is left by Tacitus undetermined. To pave the way for this union, he divorced his wife Scribonia, and, with the approbation of the augurs, which he could have no difficulty to obtain, celebrated his nuptials with Livia. dins Nero, by whont fhe had two | time, in the hope, perhaps, that, accident or difeafe might operate in its favour; but when the natural term of her conftitution had put a period to her hopes of progeny, and when the grandfons of the emperor were rifing into the years of manhood, and had been adopted by him, he began to carry into execution what the long had meditated. The first object devoted to deftruc tion was C. Cæfar Agrippa, the eldeft of Auguftus's grandfons. This promifing youth was fent to Armenia, upon, an expedition against the Perfians; and Lollius, who had been his governor, either accompanied him thither from Rome, or met him in the eaft, where he had obtained fome appointment. From the hand of this traitor, perhaps under the pretext of exercifing the authority of a preceptor, but in reality inftigated by Livia, the young prince received a fatal, blow, of which he died fome time after. There enfued from this marriage no iffue, though much defired by both parties; but Livia retained, without interruption, an unbounded afcendency over the emperor, whofe confidence the abufed, while the uxorious husband little fufpected that he was cherishing in his bosom a viper, who was to prove the deftruction of his houfe. She appears to have entertained a predominant ambition of giving an heir to the Roman empire; and fince it could not be done by any fruit of her marriage with Auguftus, fhe refolved on accomplishing that end in the person of Tiberius, the eldest fon by her former husband. The plan which the devised for this purpofe, was to exterminate all the male off fpring of Auguftus, by his daughter Julia, who was married to Agrippa; a ftratagem which, when executed, would procure to Tiberius, through the means of adoption, the eventual fucceffion to the empire. The cool yet fanguinary policy, and the patient perfeverance of refolution, with which the profecuted her defign, have feldom been equalled. While the fons of Julia were yet young, and while there was ftill a poffibility that the herfelf might have iffue by Auguftus, the fufpended her project for fome The occafion of Caius's death feems to have been carefully kept from the knowledge of Auguftus, who promoted Lollius to the confulfhip, and made him governor of a province; but by his rapacity in. this ftation, he afterwards incurred the emperor's difpleafure. The true character of this perfon had escaped the keen difcernment of Horace, as well as the fagacity of the emperor; for in two epiftles addreffed to Lollius, he mentions him as great and accomplished in the fuperlative degree: maxime Lolli, liberrime Lolli; fo impofing had been the manners and addrefs of this deceitful cour tier. the expedient of having him immediately affaffinated. Poftumus Agrippa, the third fon, incurred the difpleafure of his grandfather in the fame way as Lucius, and was confined at Surrentum, where he remained a prifoner, until he was put to death by the order either of Livia alone, or in conjunction with Tiberius, as was before observed. All men, who are defirous to excel other animals, fhould use their utmost endeavours not to pals their days in obfcurity.. THE THE defire of being diftinguished is at once fo meritorious and natural, that almost every individual wishes to be noticed for fome peculiar quality of his own. Such was the catastrophe, through Every one, who is not either dead the means of Livia, of all the grand- to feeling or worn down by poverty, fons of Auguftus: and reafon jufti- in fuch a manner as to make him fies the inference, that the who wish to hug obfcurity, affects, in fcrupled not to lay violent hands fome degree, a fpecies of character, upon thofe young men, had for- fomething fpecifically different from merly practifed every artifice that the rest of his fellow creatures.— could operate towards rendering Hence we perceive, when this imthem obnoxious to the emperor. patience of being reckoned with the We may even afcribe to her dark in- mais influences a fertile or enlighttrigues the diffolute conduct of Ju- ened understanding, the defire of Jia. For the woman who could fe- being regarded as a person fuperior cretly act as procurefs to her own to the common ftamp becomes more hufband, would feel little restraint | ardent. Indolence is thoroughly upon her mind against corrupting awakened. He that is inattentive his daughter, when fuch an effect to his private concerns, when atmight contribute to anfwer the pur- tracted by the charms of fame, bepofe which flie had in view. But comes laborious; his character is in the ingratitude of Tiberius, how immediately changed, and nothing ever undutiful and reprehenfible in feems too much for the attainment a fon towards a parent, fhe at laft of the glorious diftinction. Had it experienced a juft retribution for not been for this paffion,-idlenefs, the crimes in which the had trained the conftant attendant of true gehim, to procure the fucceflion tonius, would have greatly curtailed the empire. To the difgrace of her fex, fhe introduced amongst the Romans the horrible practice of domeftic murder, little known before the times when the thirst.or intoxication of unlimited power had vitiated the focial affections; and the tranfmitted to fucceeding ages a pernicious example, by which immoderate ambition might be gratified, at the expenfe of every moral obligation, as well as of humanity. The DANGLER. Omnis bomines, qui fefe fudent prefare cateris animalibus, fumma ope niti decet, ne vitam filentio tranfeant. In not only our amufement, but our The |