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lives; they feem incapable of looking beyond that period; they unite in hopes of finding rapture, and difappointed in that, difdain ever to accept of happinefs. From hence we fee open hatred enfue; or what is worse, concealed difguft under the appearance of fulfome endearment. Much formality, great civility, and ftudied compliments are exhibited in public; crofs looks, fulky filence, or open recrimination fill up their hours of private enter

tainment.

Hence I am taught, whenever I fee a new-married couple more than ordinarily fond before faces, to confider them as attempting to impofe upon the company or themfelves, either hating each other heartily, or confuming that ftock of love in the beginning of their courfe, which fhould serve them through their whole journey. Neither fide fhould expect those inftances of kindnefs which are inconfiftent with true freedom or happine's to beftow. Love, when founded in the heart, will fhew itself in a thoufand unpremeditated fallies of fondnefs; but every cool deliberate exhibition of the paffion only argues little understanding, or great infincerity.

Choang was the fondeft hufband, and Hanfi the moft endearing wife in all the kingdom of Korea: they were a pattern of conjugal blifs; the inhabitants of the country around faw, and envied their felicity; wherever Choang came, Hanfi was fure to follow; and in all the pleasures of Hanfi, Choang was admitted a partner. They walked hand in hand wherever they appeared, thewing every mark of mutual fatisfaction, embracing, kifling, their mouths were for ever joined, and, to speak in the language of anatomy, it was with them one perpetual anaftomofis.

Their love was fo great, that it was thought nothing could interrupt their mutual peace; when an

accident

accident happened, which, in fome measure, diminifhed the hufband's affurance of his wife's fidelity; for love so refined as his was fubject to a thousand little difquietudes.

Happening to go one day alone among the tombs that lay at some distance from his house, he there perceived a lady dreffed in the deepeft mourning (being cloathed all over in white), fanning the wet clay that was raifed over one of the graves with a large fan, which the held in her hand. Choang, who had early been taught wifdom in the fchool of Lao, was unable to affign a cause for her prefent employment; and coming up, civilly demanded the reafon. Alas, replied the lady, her eyes bathed in tears; how is it poffible to furvive the lofs of my hufband, who lies buried in this grave; he was the best of men, the tenderest of husbands; with his dying breath he bid me never marry again till the earth over his grave fhould be dry; and here you fee me fteadily refolving to obey his will, and endeavouring to dry it with my fan. I have employed two whole days in fulfilling his commands, and am determined not to marry till they are punctually obeyed, even though his grave fhould take up four days in drying.

Choang, who was ftruck with the widow's beauty, could not, however, avoid smiling at her hafte to be married; but concealing the cause of his mirth, civilly invited her home; adding, that he had a wife who might be capable of giving her fome confolation. As foon as he and his gueft were returned, he imparted to Hanfi in private what he had feen, and could not avoid expreffing his uneafinefs, that fuch might be his own cafe if his deareft wife fhould one day happen to survive him.

It is impoffible to defcribe Hanfi's refentment at fo unkind a fufpicion. As her paffion for him was not only great, but extremely delicate, fhe employed

tears,

tears, anger, frowns, and exclamations, to chide his fufpicions; the widow herfelf was inveighed againft; and Hanfi declared fhe was refolved never to fleep under the fame roof with a wretch, who, like her, could be guilty of fuch barefaced inconftancy. The night was cold and ftormy; however the stranger was obliged to feek another lodging, for Choang was not difpofed to refift, and Hanfi would have her way.

The widow had fcarcely been gone an hour, when an old difciple of Choang's, whom he had not feen for many years, came to pay him a vifit. He was received with the utmoft ceremony, placed in the moft honourable feat at fupper, and the wine began to circulate with great freedom. Choang and Hanfi exhibited open marks of mutual tendernefs, and unfeigned reconciliation: nothing could equal their apparent happinefs; fo fond an hufband, fo obedient a wife, few could behold without regretting their own infelicity. When, lo! their happiness was at once difturbed by a moft fatal accident. Choang fell lifelefs in an apoplectic fit upon the floor. Every method was ufed, but in vain, for his recovery. Hanfi was at firft inconfoleable for his death: after fome hours, however, fhe found fpirits to read his laft will. The enfuing day fhe began to moralize and talk wifdom; the next day fhe was able to comfort the young difciple; and, on the third, to fhorten a long ftory, they both agreed to be married.

There was now no longer mourning in the apartments; the body of Choang was now thruft into an old coffin, and placed in one of the meaneft rooms, there to lie unattended until the time prescribed by law for his interment. In the mean time Hanfi, and the young difciple were arrayed in the moft magnificent habits; the bride wore in her nofe a jewel of immenfe price, and her lover was dreffed in all the

finery of his former mafter, together with a pair of artificial whifkers that reached down to his toes. The hour of their nuptials was arrived; the whole family fympathized with their approaching happinefs; the apartments were brightened up with lights that diffufed the moft exquifite perfume, and a luftre more bright than noon day. The lady expected her youthful lover in an inner apartment with impatience; when his fervant approaching with terror in his countenance, informed her, that his mafter was fallen into a fit, which would certainly be mortal, unless the heart of a man lately dead, could be obtained, and applied to his breaft. She scarcely waited to hear the end of his ftory, when tucking up her cloaths, fhe ran with a mattock in her hand to the coffin where Choang lay, refolving to apply the heart of her dead hufband as a cure for the living. She therefore ftruck the lid with the utmost violence.' In a few blows the coffin flew open, when the body, which to all appearance had been dead, began to move. Terrified at the fight, Hanfi dropped the mattock, and Choang walked out, aftonished at his own fituation, his wife's unufual magnificence, and her more amazing furprize. He went among the apartments, unable to conceive the caufe of so much fplendour. He was not long in fufpenfe before his domeftics informed him of every tranfaction fince he firft became infenfible. He could scarcely believe what they told him, and went in pursuit of Hanfi herself, in order to receive more certain information, or to reproach her infidelity. But the prevented his reproaches he found her weltering in blood; for fhe had ftabbed herself to the heart, being unable to furvive her fhame and difappointment.

Choang, being a philofopher, was too wife to make any loud lamentations; he thought it beft to bear his lofs with ferenity; fo, mending up the old coffin where he had lain himself, he placed his faith

lefs

less spouse in his room; and, unwilling that fo many nuptial preparations fhould be expended in vain, he the fame night married the widow with the large fan.

As they both were apprifed of the foibles of each other before hand, they knew how to excuse them after marriage. They lived together for many years in great tranquillity, and not expecting rapture, made a fhift to find contentment. Farewell.

LETTER XIX.

TO THE SAME.

THE gentleman dreffed in black, who was my companion through Westminster Abbey, came yefterday to pay me a vifit; and after drinking tea, we both refolved to take a walk together, in order to enjoy the frethnefs of the country, which now begins to refume its verdure. Before we got out of the fuburbs, however, we were ftopped in one of the streets by a crowd of people, gathered in a circle round a man and his wife, who feemed too loud and too angry to be understood. The people were highly pleafed with the difpute, which upon enquiry we found to be between Dr. Cacafogo, an apothecary, and his wife. The doctor, it feems, coming unexpectedly into his wife's apartment, found a gentleman there in circumftances not in the leaft equivocal.

The doctor, who was a perfon of nice honour, refolving to revenge the flagrant infult, immediately flew to the chimney-piece, and taking down a rusty blunderbufs, drew the trigger upon the defiler of his

bed;

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