peated, and a handsome reward bestowed for telling what he wished to believe. At length he was undeceived, by observing, on these occasions, the absence of the lady who had so cleverly imposed upon his easy credulity, and the general archness of the rest of the company, who could not restrain their risible muscles, on hearing him repeat the conversation that had passed in his interviews with the Gipsy, whom he pronounced to be most skilful in discovering the past, upon which he grounded his expectation of an equal share of knowledge of the future. laugh ran against him: but, as, he was good-natured, and conscious of having brought the trick upon himself, he heartily forgave them; and, probably, never afterwards was guilty of the same folly. The To say nothing of the utter inability of all pretenders to disclose the secrets of futurity, the misery such knowledge would occasion is beyond calculation. Could most of us foresee, in the happy days of youth, the trials we should have to encounter in mature age, how would every joy be embittered by the pangs of anticipation. Were the result of every enterprise certain, it would damp much useful exertion, benumb the faculties, and diminish the active virtue that is stimulated by hope. Could the youth, whose prospect of long life sanctions the commencement of some noble design, be assured that he would fall an early victim to the tomb, he would relax every endeavour to prosecute his work, and pass the short space allotted to him in inglorious sloth. The only view we can attain of future circumstances, is founded on probability and experience. From these we learn, that a diligent application of our faculties generally leads to success, whether the object be riches, knowledge, popularity, or that entire subjection of our temper and passions to the line of duty, that ensures happiness to its possessor. It is the part of wisdom, therefore, to lay aside an anxious curiosity respecting the future, and to enjoy with gratitude the blessings of the present time in their full extent; without being depressed by apprehensions of misfortunes that may never befal us, or too much elated by the expectation of gratifications that may for ever elude our grasp. The disposal of events is directed by Infinite Wisdom. Short-sighted man can only pursue those objects, which, to his limited capacity, appear desirable; and then resign himself and all his concerns, with perfect confidence, to the Father of the universe, who will cause all things to promote the good of his whole creation.. PERSEVERANCE AND SUCCESS ARE NATURE is ever bountiful in providing means to make up her own deficiency, and if she deprives an individual of a member or a sense, generally trims the balance with extraordinary gifts in some other quarter. The endeavours that have been used of late years to instruct the deaf and dumb to read and speak, and the blind to exercise some mechanic trades, have shown that those unfortunate persons are capable, in a considerable degree, of overcoming the privations of their lot. It is well known that the blind have either a more exquisite sense of feeling, or by exercising it more frequently, and having their attention confined to it, attain a greater degree of perfection in that sense than other people. I think it probable, for the same reasons, that their hearing is also frequently more acute; at least, they apply it to purposes to which others have never given attention. Dr. Moyse could measure the size of an apartment by the sound; and, some time ago, I met a blind man walking alone in a country town with no other guide than a stick. In passing a long paved street, the means he used to know when he came to a part intersected by other streets, was to make a loud hem, and by the sound of his voice he was able to discover whether there was an opening or not. The address of those born blind is often surprising, especially when poverty compels them to every possible exertion for a support. Mr. Lysons, who has furnished me with many entertaining anecdotes, relates, that at the time he wrote his Environs of London, there was living in the parish of Hanwell, a man named John Diamond, who lost his eyesight when he was but a month old. His acquirements, under the acumulated disadvantages of blindness and poverty, form the singu lar part of his story. Though unable to read himself, he has learned the art of teaching others, and actually makes it his profession. It must be premised, however, that his scholars ought previously to know their letters, and have some idea of the method of combining them; for the rest, his memory supplies the defect of eyesight, a faculty which he enjoys in great perfection, having spent the leisure of three years in calculating the number of times that some of the most common words occur in the Bible, with many other particulars relative to the middle chapter, verse, &c. These, however, are not the only calculations in which he has been employ. ed. In June, 1790, he published an account of the solar eclipses for the two next ensuing years; and he is sufficiently versed in the doctrine of the celestial aspects, to profess the art of casting nativities, and passes, no doubt, as a fortune-teller of a very superior class, in the estimation of the vulgar. Amongst the deaths recorded in the Monthly Maga zine, for June, 1808, is the following article: "Died at Bradford, in his 48th year, Mr. Joseph Firth, china and glass dealer. When about sixteen years old he was seised with a disorder in his eyes, the gutta serena, which entirely took away his sight. At this misfortune he was never known to repine. Five years after he lost his sight, his father died, and left him and his aged mother to struggle with the difficulties of getting a livelihood. Mr. Firth resolved to make the best of his situation. His first effort was to sell earthenware in small quantities: he afterwards visited the potteries of Staffordshire and Liverpool, and some of the principal glass manufactories, by which he was enabled to increase his stock; and by persevering in an upright and punctual attention to business, aided by a suavity of manners, which he possessed in an eminent degree, he gained the love and esteem of all who knew him. He died in the prime of life; leaving a striking lesson of what honesty, industry, and perseverance can perform, even when obstructed by one of the greatest of human privations." A gentleman who resided in a village near London, had one eye put out by an accident, and lost the other from the anguish he suffered. This misfortune did not destroy the activity of either mind or body he retained his cheerfulness to old age, and was such an ingenious mechanic, that he made a chest, with a variety of divisions in it, to contain his daughter's wedding clothes. He was able to ride on horseback, with no other precaution than a servant riding before him with a bunch of keys hung to his belt, and holding a strap fastened to his horse; and what seems unaccountable, he soon grew weary of going the same way. |