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others gratuitously, or to feel so indignant at their want of other good qualities; and the fact is, it arises from pride in themselves. They look upon every mention of a man's self as something contradictory to a sort of tacit agreement among them, not to interfere with each other's importance. They are willing to confer praise, admiration, any thing, as long as it comes, in a manner, solely and voluntarily from themselves; but the moment another speaks of himself in any manner which appears to them uncalled for, or which they construe, sometimes justly and sometimes otherwise, into a claim upon their applause, then they are angry at his pretensions, not because they may not be good, but because they interfere with their own; and a small, and perhaps doubtful egotism is resented, by what, in truth, is a great and undeniable egotism on their parts.

We imagine we hear some person, who thinks himself concerned in this matter, angrily exclaiming," Ay, but it is excessive egotism only which I dislike; I do not object to any body's speaking frankly and modestly of himself; but I cannot bear

Take care, my good fellow, take care, that your anxiety does not betray you, or that your tone does not render it doubtful whether you know how to discriminate between the supposed egotist and the real.

If a reader is inclined to think a man an egotist, merely because he occasionally mentions or alludes to himself, let him examine what claims he has upon attention, how far he pushes the allusion, what sort of praise it is he would obtain, whether he shows an anxiety for repeating the praise he may receive, whether he appears willing to remember the faults as well as good qualities, and whether his tone in general is a cordial or an arrogant one; let him, if he can, discover also, whether he is a talker of himself in private, whether he evinces a love of being praised to his face, whether he is fond of exhibiting himself ostentatiously among crowds, whether he shows himself charitable to other people's infirmities as well as his own, whether he is peevish, pompous, disputatious, or has any affectation, cant, or intolerance about him, that betrays a contempt for the understandings of others and a ridiculous complacency with his own. According as these symptoms answer or otherwise to the suspicion in the first instance, he will know how far to think the person an egotist or not; and perhaps he may even discover, that what appeared to be egotism was nothing but the warmth and unreservedness of a nature, which, after all, does not think so much of itself, as

those who regard all mention of their own persons and feelings in so important a light. Such a nature, perhaps, does not think enough of its pretensions to suppose that the community will be offended at sight of them. It has not so mighty a sense of what should be expected from it, as to be fearful of having its deficiencies weighed. It can let its heart and mind run over a little, without imagining that all the rest of the world are to jump up in alarm, for fear of being carried off their legs by the overflow.

The truth is, that though there may undoubtedly be an egotism evinced in words, and though the world, who are apt to judge of every thing else by what lies uppermost, generally use the term with this reference, the true egotism lies in things --in the substantial part of our conduct and habits;--and the one is only egotism, inasmuch as it is more or less a symptom of the other. Egotism is literally the exhibition of selfishness; -it is a perpetual and offensive personal consciousness,—an assumption of every thing laudable and convenient to itself, an angry or contemptuous flinging of every thing otherwise from itself, a keeping of charity at home, and even at home, in one person,-a resenter of other persons' titles to praise, unless they hold, as it were, from itself, and an eternal praiser of itself, even though it may never open its lips on the subject.

The persons who exhibit the symptoms mentioned in a preceding paragraph are egotists. In others, egotism evinces itself, after the puerile fashion, in petty greedinesses, in impatience of being what is called put out, and in subjecting every body's convenience to their own;-such a person would come to see you when in a dying state, and if no others were present to admire his conduct, would go away in a fidget, because the tea was too late. It is always restless, but when it feels its own enjoyments or importance; and this species of the disease (for after all, what human frailty has not its causes and extenuations?) generally arises from a want of a little proper adversity to teach it sympathy.

In others, egotism more particularly appears in a certain soreness to reprehension, and a craving after perpetual concordance with its behaviour and opinions, let them be never so discordant from your own. Such persons are most ingenious fanciers, as well as givers, of hints; and surpass all other ill tempers in making a house uncomfortable. The smallest insinuation, real or imaginary, sets all their self-love at work in its defence, without their perceiving how much they betray by their touchiness. They never take or bestow re

proof in a kindly manner. The slightest and best meant representation is received as an unjust aspersion upon their conduct and intentions, which are always of the most laudable description; but they will denounce others by the hour, and get angry if twenty times as much reproach from their own mouths is not received with the most unequivocal submission. You sometimes find these people ostentatiously generous, and secretly mean. They are also apt to betray themselves out of doors by an overwrought smoothness, and by an affectation of being the reverse of what they are,-that is to say, of prefering every body's pleasure and convenience to their own. This kind of egotism is generally traceable to early indulgence, or a long habit of being flattered; and often attacks people, who might otherwise have played fine parts in domestic life, and been a pleasure to all about them.

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Other egotists, again, of a less painful but still prouder description, assume a general air of importance, which, except to persons of equal importance with themselves, is very amusing, unless united indeed with a general want of feeling. These persons are sometimes known by the appellation of solemn puppies; not that they are never merry, for they are sometimes extravagantly so, at their own jokes or at another's expense, but because they will occasionally retire, without any reasonable provocation, into a stately wrapping round of the arms, and a lofty indifference. They always evince a great horror of common-place things and people; and like lobsters, never meet one of their own species but their antipathies are excited. You may see two of them sometimes, whom chance has brought together in mixed company, glouting at the sense of each other's pretensions, and pretending not to hear or be interested when either is speaking,-fellows at one minute forgetfully eager, and at the next laboriously unconcerned.

It is unnecessary in short to run over the numerous variety of egotists, through all the shades of their selfishness,—some where they soften away into harmless vanity, and others where they harden and bristle up into pride. We have said enough, at present, to show that egotism, in its vulgar sense, applies only to the smallest, and sometimes to the most doubtful species of it; and we shall conclude with observing, that they who are most furious in objecting to the smallest, only take pains to show that they are in full possession of the largest of all.

POETRY.

FOR THE ANALECTIC MAGAZINE.

THE BARBARY CAPTIVE RELEASED.

BLEST Country of freedom! no longer my home!
In my boyhood I loved o'er your green fields to roam
Columbia! still sweet to my ear is the sound,
Though now I'm a captive dishonour'd and bound.

Dear land of my birth! where my kindred all dwell,
Could'st thou see thy lost son in this comfortless cell,
Pale, starving, a slave, and with irons compress'd,
Thy vengeance would rise, and his woes be redress'd.

While millions thy bloom-scented breezes inhale,
And on thy rich harvests of plenty regale;
Here, far from the shores of abundance and health,
My wretchedness adds to a rude tyrant's wealth.

Enfeebled and weary, throughout the long day
I toil in the sun where no pure zephyrs play;
No food fit for man doth my hunger assuage,
Nor cool draughts extinguish my thirst's burning rage.
When night o'er the world drops her curtains of gloom,
I am plung'd in the damps of this horrible tomb;
Where nought can be heard but the clanking of chains,
And moaning of slaves that give vent to their pains.

Ah, then, my dear country! on Fancy's free wing,
To thy bosom I fly, while Memory's keen sting,
Its tortures suspending, a moment lies sheath'd,
And I dance o'er the scenes where my infancy breath'd.

Their pomp to my view thy grand mountains disclose,
And I gaze where the skies on their summits repose;
Thy vallies of beauty once more I behold,
And the loved of my heart in my arms I enfold.

But, alas! as the kiss of affection I take,

A groan breaks the dream, and my senses awake!
A dungeon surrounds me—the ocean's broad wave
From the country of freedom divides the poor slave.

My sweet little infants, and partner endeared,
My brothers and sisters, my parents revered,
Your tears and your sighs, your dishevelled gray hairs,
Are proof of your anguish, your sorrow and cares.

But happy, ah happy indeed were my doom,
If, as you conjecture, the sea were my tomb;
But deeper, more poignant your sobs and your woes,
Could you see me in fetters, degraded with blows.

Columbia, my country! whose generous blood
Controll'd the strong surges of tyranny's flood,
When England was mistress of ocean's domain-
How long shall thy sons in vile bondage complain?

The dawn through my grates the thick darkness dissolves;
And again the huge bolt of my dungeon revolves;

That monster's dread step is a prelude to pains,

When the lash that he bears will drink blood from my veins.

Hark! what notes of sweet music! they thrill through my soul;
Columbia's own strain is that soft melting roll!

Gracious Heav'n! my dear countrymen once more I view,
Hail Liberty's banner! ye base tyrants adieu.

My wrongs are all cancelled-your shore is receding
My country has freed me, my heart has ceas'd bleeding;
In the arms of affection I soon shall be bless'd,

And my dust with the dust of my fathers shall rest.

D. B.

DOMESTIC LITERATURE.

A selection of all the laws of the United States now in force, relative to commercial subjects. By John Brice, deputy collector of the port of Baltimore. Neal, Wills and Cole. 1814.

The officers of the customs, merchants, masters of vessels, and others whose duty or interest it may be to become acquainted with our commercial regulations, will find in this one volume all the commercial laws, described in the title-page, for which, without the aid of this compilation, they might have to seek through the several volumes in which the laws of the United States are printed.

Earle.

Clan-Albin: a national tale. London printed.

Philadelphia republished.

The principal charm of this novel is in the view it presents of the state of society in the Highlands of Scotland; and although it is not equal to Waverly or Guy Mannering in the strong delineation of national or individual character, it will be read with great pleasure, especially by the admirers of those excellent works.

A narrative of the events which have taken place in France from the landing of Napoleon Bonaparte, on the first of March, 1815, till the restoration of Louis XVIII. By Helen Maria Williams. Philadelphia republished. Thomas.

This volume contains many interesting anecdotes, relative to the extraordinary occurrences it describes, which were never before, we believe, commuaicated to the public.

The literature of America appears to be regarded in England with increas ing attention. Mr. John Souter, bookseller of London, and publisher of the Monthly Magazine, the Medical and Physical Journal, &c. has announced his intention to become an agent for the sale of American publications.

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