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It was midnight, when two robbers came to make this cave their retreat, but happening to difagree about the divifion of their plunder, one of them stabbed the other to the heart, and left him weltering in blood at the entrance. In these circumftances he was found next morning, and this naturally induced a further enquiry. The alarm was spread, the cave was examined, Alcander was found fleeping, and immediately apprehended and accused of robbery and murder. The circumftances against him were strong, and the wretchedness of his appearance confirmed fufpicion. Misfortune and he were now so long acquainted, that he at last became regardless of life. He detefted a world where he had found only ingratitude, falfhood and cruelty, and was determined to make no defence. Thus lowering with refolution, he was dragged, bound with cords, before the tribunal of Septimius. The proofs were pofitive against him, and he offered nothing in his own vindication; the judge, therefore, was proceeding to doom him to a moft cruel and ignominious death, when, as if illumined by a ray from heaven, he discovered, through all his mifery, the features, though dim with forrow, of his long loft, lov'd Alcander. is impoffible to describe his joy and his pain on this ftrange occafion; happy in once more feeing the perfon he most loved on earth, diftreffed at finding him in fuch circumftances. Thus agitated by contending paffions, he flew from his tribunal, and falling on the neck of his dear benefactor, burst into an agony of diftrefs. The attention of the multitude was foon, however, divided by another object. The robber, who had been really guilty, was apprehended felling his plunder, and, ftruck with a panic, confeffed his crime. He was brought bound to the fame tribunal, and acquitted every other perfon of any partnership in his guilt. Need the fequel be related?

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Alcander

Alcander was acquitted, fhared the friendship and the honours of his friend Septimius, lived afterwards in happiness and eafe, and left it to be engraved on his tomb, "That no circumftances are fo defperate, which Providence may not relieve."

A LETTER FROM A TRAVELLER.

My dear WILL,

Cracow, Aug. 2, 1758.

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YOU OU fee by the date of my letter that I am arrived in Poland. When will my wanderings be at an end? When will my reftlefs difpofition give me leave to enjoy the prefent hour? When at Lyons, I thought all happiness lay beyond the Alps; when in Italy, I found myself still in want of fomething, and expected to leave folicitude behind me by going into Romelia, and now you find me turning back, still expecting eafe every where, but where I am. It is now seven years fince I faw the face of a fingle creature who cared a farthing whether I was dead or alive. Secluded from all the comforts of confidence, friendfhip, or fociety, I feel the folitude of an hermit, but not his ease.

The prince of *** has taken me in his train, fo that I am in no danger of ftarving for this bout. The prince's governor is a rude ignorant pedant, and his tutor a battered rake: thus, between two fuch characters, you may imagine he is finely inftructed. I made fome attempts to difplay all the little knowledge I had acquired by reading or obfervation; but I find myself regarded as an ignorant intruder. The truth is, I fhall never be able to acquire a power of expreffing

expreffing myself with ease in any language but my own; and out of my own country the highest character I can ever acquire, is that of being a philofophic vagabond.

When I confider myfelf in the country which was once fo formidable in war, and spread terror and defolation over the whole Roman empire, I can hardly account for the present wretchedness and pufillanimity of its inhabitants; a prey to every invader; their cities plundered without an enemy; their magiftrates seeking redress by complaints, and not by vigour. Every thing confpires to raise my compaffion for their miferies, were not my thoughts too bufily engaged by my own. The whole kingdom is in a ftrange diforder; when our equipage, which confifts of the prince and thirteen attendants, had arrived at fome towns, there were no conveniencies to be found, and we were obliged to have girls to conduct us to the next. I have seen a woman travel thus on horseback before us for thirty miles, and think herself highly paid, and make twenty reverences, upon receiving, with extafy, about two pence for her trouble. In general we were better ferved by the women than the men on thofe occafions. The men feemed directed by a low fordid intereft alone; they feemed mere machines, and all their thoughts were employed in the care of their horfes. If we gently defired them to make more fpeed, they took not the leaft notice; kind language was what they had by no means been used to. It was proper to fpeak to them in the tones of anger, and fometimes it was even neceffary to use blows, to excite them to their duty. How different thefe from the common people of England, whom, a blow might induce to return the affront fevenfold! Thefe poor people, however, from being brought up to vile ufage, lofe all the refpect which they fhould have for themfelves.

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They have contracted an habit of regarding conftraint as the great rule of their duty. When they were treated with mildness, they no longer continued to perceive a fuperiority. They fancied themfelves our equals, and a continuance of our humanity might probably have rendered them infolent; but the imperious tone, menaces, and blows, at once changed their fenfations and their ideas: their ears and fhoulders taught their fouls to fhrink back into fervitude, from which they had for fome moments fancied themselves difengaged.

The enthusiasm of liberty an Englishman feels is never fo ftrong, as when presented by fuch prospects as these. I must own, in all my indigence, it is one of my comforts, (perhaps, indeed, it is my only boast) that I am of that happy country; though I fcorn to ftarve there; though I do not choose to lead a life of wretched dependance, or be an object for my former acquaintance to point at. While you enjoy all the ease and elegance of prudence and virtue, your old friend wanders over the world, without a fingle anchor to hold by, or a friend except you to confide in *. Yours, &c.

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A SHORT ACCOUNT

OF THE LATE

MR. MAUPERTUIS.

MR. MAUPERTUIS, lately deceased, was the first to whom the English philofophers owed their

*The fequel of this correfpondence to be continued occafionally. I fhall alter nothing either in the ftyle or fubftance of these letters, and the reader may depend on their being genuine.

being particularly admired by the rest of Europe. The romantic fyftem of Des Cartes was adapted to the taste of the fuperficial and the indolent; the foreign universities had embraced it with ardour, and fuch are feldom convinced of their errors 'till all others give up fuch falfe opinions as untenable. The philofophy of Newton, and the methaphyfics of Locke, appeared; but, like all new truths, they were at once received with oppofition and contempt. The English, it is true, ftudied, understood, and confequently admired them; it was very different on the Continent. Fontenelle, who feemed to prefide over the Republic of Letters, unwilling to acknowledge that all his life had been spent in erroneous philofophy, joined in the univerfal difapprobation, and the English philofophers feemed entirely unknown.

Maupertuis, however, made them his study; he thought he might oppofe the phyfics of his country, and yet ftill be a good citizen: he defended our countrymen, wrote in their favour, and at laft, as he had truth on his fide, carried his caufe. Almost all the learning of the English, 'till very lately, was conveyed in the language of France. The writings of Maupertuis fpread the reputation of his mafter Newton, and by an happy fortune have united his fame with that of our human prodigy.

The firft of his performances, openly, in vindication of the Newtonian fyftem, is his treatife entituled, Sur la figure des Aftres, if I remember right; a work at once expreffive of a deep geometrical knowledge, and the moft happy manner of delivering abftrufe fcience with eafe. This met with violent oppofition from a people, though fond of novelty in every thing elfe, yet, however, in matters of fcience, attached to antient opinions with bigotry. As the old and obftinate fell away, the youth of France embraced the new opinions, and now feem more cager to defend Newton than even his countrymen.

The

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