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69.

THE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY.

457

ENELOPE's epiftie was heard with astonishment by the younpart of the fociety; that romangenerofity could ever be fufed to prevail over the peculiar and ifpenfable characteristics of the fex, icacy, and fentiment, they were apable of comprehending, and it apparent, by the felf-fufficient tofs Mifs Middleton's head, that the s much more prone to defpife, than mpaffionate the miferable author. Mrs. Milnham was hurt at what the uld not avoid obferving: My dear ifs Middleton, faid he, I cannot fwer it to my confcience, or the ofeffion of which I am member, to you pass uncorrected for the preat impropriety of your countenance, it poffible, that an actual child, as may call you, of benevolence can el fcorn, where pity is moft due, and intempt, where humanity alone ought be applied? Whatever felf-negthis unhappy creature has been ailty of, whatever violations of pruence, or law, fhe may have commitd, her incitements were noble ones; ke the infane he has acted wrong pon right principles; uneducated, nprotected, and unreflecting, he fell facrifice to generous fenfibility, and ttle deferved the fate he has incured. Never, Mifs Middleton, never gain, if you would obtain the approation of the worthy, betray the mallest symptom of that vulgar, as well as depraved opinion, that detracion from others can add to your own merits; no beauty, though ever fo tomplete; no understanding, though ever fo unexceptionable; no principles, however feemingly unimpeachable, but would lofe their esteem, would lose their value, on such a conduct for it is impoffible to believe, that the bofom to which meanness, envy, uncharitableness, are no ftrangers, can be a bofom calculated for friendship, for faith, or for a perfeverance in virtue, if unfecured from temptations.

I must beg leave to add, faid Lady Bristow, to what you, Mrs. Milnham, have fo good naturedly, and fo juftly offered in favour of this misjudging young woman, that her maternal Sept. 1769.

tenderness, her maternal diftrefs, unfpeakably mitigates the worft errors of her conduct. I think I have the fatisfaction to perceive in my good giri's afpect, that her fentiments and her mother's are correfpondent. I think I can take upon me to affirm, that her cenfure, her indignation, are confined to their proper object, the mafculine, the ungrateful, the barbarous author of the miferies the poor Penelope now labours under. Is there one favourable, one recommendatory circumftance in Penelope's pathetic demand? Yes, thou unhappy one, while the mother is fo abundantly alive in my own breast, I will relieve your's from its principal torture: your offspring fhall learn to reverence your virtues, and draw a pious veil over your infirmities; they fhall be taught to diftinguish between guilt and inexperience, between the abandoned and the deceived mind, and your misfortunes fhall be their everlafting fecurity from every fhadow of impropriety.

O, my moft indulgent mother! replied Mifs Briftow, is there no means within our reach of averting the evil that has not taken place? Penelope mentions, that her falfe friend is on the point only of uniting himself to another. Though her delicate fenfibility, her refined affection, will not allow her to expoftulate with him, or interrupt his intentions, might not a word in due featon bear strong upon his heart? Might he not be awakened to the horror of his fituation, on the verge of a double perjury, on the verge of the most unnatural bafenefs? Suppofe his children was to throw themselves at his feet.

I own, returned Lady Bristow, I have little hopes. The foul must be far gone in iniquity, before the idea of fuch complicated guilt could be fupported by it, though but for a moment. The humane experiment fhall however be tried, and I congratulate myfelf on being fo nearly related to the party from whence it will derive its origin. Cultivate, my child, with unabating induftry, cultivate the fweet fuggeftions of humanity, and remember that the blooming cheek is lefs M m m

attractive,

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attractive, than the mild graces you
are not a stranger to, and that it would
be in vain to drefs, or call yourself a
female, if the marks of the favage were
confpicious, or the propensity to prey
upon your own helplefs fpecies, pro-
claimed you little other than a fiend.
So much for the Magdalen, faid
Mrs. Lloyd; a pretty reflection, ladies,
you will bring upon the fociety, if you
thus not only tolerate, but receive un-
der your protection, every infignifi-
cant penitent, that has fpecioufnefs
about her. You know I am one of
the outrageously virtuous, and that
fhould your ridiculous feelings carry
you the romantic lengths I already ap
prehend, it is impoffible you should
imagine I will countenance this fallen
fifter, this milerable annuitant, and
her brats, or fuffer her to fhelter her-
felf from a fowlery world, in any
houfe where I have the finalleft in-
tereft. Indeed, was the a woman of
fashion, though her crimes were of
the deepest, the most flagrant hue, I
might fafely declare myself her friend;
the cuftom of the age, and the dupli-
city of the laws, having totally chang-
ed the nature, the odium of adultery
itfelf, except amongft beings of Pene-
Jope's clats; for adultery is now
nothing more than a frolic, a fpirited
method of fhaking off the yoke of pro-
priety, and boldly claiming, or rather
purchafing, the privilege, to aggra-
Kate guilt, and fin, unpunished.

The Benevolent Society.

Notwithstanding your farcaftic manner of treating things, madam, faid Mifs Middleton, and notwithstanding it is my fate to be the butt of feverity with this fociety, I will ask if this unexampled lenity may not be attended with very dangerous confequences. Distinctions once pulled down, where fhall the line be truck? The vitious and virtuous muft infallibly be confounded, and—

Mfs Middleton, faid Mrs. Stanley, mine is a friendly interruption; you are quite ot of your depth, therefore what kind of figure you must make in the eye of Reafon, in the eye of Benevolence, I leave you to judge. If you would give a favourable impreffion of yourfeif, if to be confidered in a valuable light is any part of your ambition, learn never to make a parade of acting properly. It is not by pro

Sept,

feffion, but by our conduct, that we evince our love, or claims, to chastity: the chalte mind has no idea of officious merit; to voluntary principles, the very infinuation deftroy's itfelf; nor is there in existence fo weak a creature, as to believe that he, who demands applaufe for thunning what is vitious, is not confcious of a felf-denial, more reproachful than I am able to exprefs, But we will, with the good leave of the affembly, quit the fubject for the prefent, and proceed to the examination of other letters.

There is a refinement, a dignity of foul, faid Mrs. Lloyd, taking up the next letter, in this ruftic Amelia, that I must confefs I greatly admire: why, indeed, if the inclination wavers, or fhould the friend hip expire, are we to quarrel with a man becaufe his mind is changed? or ought he to treat us as an enemy, becaule he feels himself un. willing to pafs his life in our company? Friendship is a permanent, a rational attachment, but if we are to withdraw it on every little foible, or accidental infirmity in its object, it mult lofe both its name and nature.

I fuppofe I fhall be again condemned, faid Mils Middleton; but pray, ladies, is it not prepofterous for a woman to whine after a fickle creature, and, when forfaken, deceived, and abufed, ask for the friendship of him, who has fallen from his inte grity, and defpifes her love?

Why here alfo we diffent, as you juftly apprehend, faid Lady Briftow, fmiling; you are it seems for what never was, nor ever will be, a mind incapable of changing. You are, it is apparent, for the romance of affection, the extravagance of attachment; but fuffer me to tell you, that all beyond friendship and reafon, is unworthy humanity. The jumping from a window, the cafting off every proper and natural tye, in order to be united to the man you love, is a flight, not an affectionate impulfe; for would we chufe to give thofe we love a contemptible impreffion of us? Would we hold forth an odious picture of our hearts to his contemplation, fhew him that no reftraint of modesty, of timidity, of filial gratitude, or felfregard, were fufficient to keep us within the bounds of propriety, and

that

1769.

The Benevolent Society.

that we were moft duely qualified for wires, by being a reproach to the blushing fweetness of the virgin character?

But don't you forget, my good mamma, said Mifs Briftow, that friendfhip is totally out of fashion? It is not whether the difpofition, or principles are amiable, but is the perfon graceful, the converfation lively, of him we make choice of for a husband. In all the novels and romances, you find the conclufion immediately takes place on the union of the hero and heroine; nor are we encouraged to confider mankind as fit companions for us, until it is become indifferent to them whether we like them or no. All that are fuffered to approach us, are reprefented as entertaining either honourable or difhonourable defigns upon us; to behold us with the eye of friendly confideration, is no part of the romantic creed, and one would fuppofe, we were fent into the world for no better purpose than to create, and experience the mischiefs of undue ad

miration.

For the honour of the fex, however, my dear, returned Lady Briftow, we find in the perfon of Amelia a rational young woman; a young woman fufceptible of tenderness, efteem, and fentimental approbation: the man of her choice was the man whofe happinefs was moft dear to her, whofe friends fhe could behold with cordiality, and whofe fatisfactions she could fhare, though excluded from an immediate claim to his perfon. I am forry fuch a difpofition fhould be fo fingular a one, as for him to have no conception of intrufting his fecret to the bofom that ought to have determined for him; yet do not imagine I am an advocate for inconftancy: the man's perfeverance in his engagements from a fenfe of false honour, as his love was no more, intitles him to credit, intitles him to applaufe. The man could give no better proof of integrity, unless he had ventured to communicate the unpleafing, and, under his circumftances, dangerous truth, and caft himfelf on his miftrefs's generofity.

It is pleafant enough, faid Mrs. Lloyd, to behold a too lovely apoftate, befet by the lady's relations, and

459

worried into a performance of his vows; the lady with exultation parading it to the altar, to receive authority, from which there is no appeal, except amongst the fpirited perfons of diftinction, as I have already obferved, to torment him, and make herself ridiculous fo long as they both fhall live. I cannot help thinking, faid Mrs. Milnham, that if our fex could once be brought to reafon, firmness, candour, and propriety, that this world would be rendered a very decent place; but the folly, vanity, and narrowness, we madly difplay on every occafion, teach the mafculine fpecies to treat us with the indignity we fo frequently experience. If we will not give ourselves confequence, from whence fhall we hope to derive it? or, when appearances are glaringly against us, fhall we expect realities to be venerated? Were there half a dozen Amelias to be found, they would be fufficient to reform the reft, and mafculine fuperiority would fall to the ground. Amelia fhall receive a medal, as a token of our best favour and, beft approbation; and Amelia, contrary to our late refolutions, if the defires it, thall be enrolled a member of The Benevolent Society; nor fhail the fail to have our opinion more at large on fome future occafion.

But what anfwer, ladies, faid Mifs Caroline Middleton, can you intend to give to the giddy Hebe's attack upon you? Will you suffer yourfelves to be laughed at with impunity? I wish you would permit me to speak your fentiments.

You have our permiffion, returned Mrs. Milnham; but we cannot indulge you with an early infertion, as we are limited to a very narrow space in the Magazine, and have another letter of more confequence, than idle raillery.

The too fufceptible Eliza is hereby invited as a vifitor to the fociety: it is a misfortune to feel petulance, where he would mot wish to appear pleafing, and to be troublefome, from an excefs of kindness, civility, and gratitude. Her cafe the Benevolent Society confefs to be fo extraordinary a one, as to require confideration; but they are fatisfied that, if her defcription of her friends is a just one,

M n m 2

fhe

460

PROPERTIES OF LIGHT.

fe man have nothing to tear; benevolence is the fame in every heart; and though it might be much more for their mutual happiness, if they could abate their vivacity, or the conquer her gravity, yet mut they be incapable of withdrawing their friendfhip for involuntary foibles, or fail to diftinguish between a wrangling inclination, and the weakness of a wornout mind, or over-abundant gratitude. The rules of politenefs, and the confidence peculiar to the bofom of propriety, are the only happy temperaments of exceffive fenfibility; the one teaching us at all times to treat our friends to their fatisfaction, the other to fet a just eftimate upon ourselves.

Properties of Light.

Sept.

licate texture of the feveral parts of vegetables and animal bodies. To give an example, the velocity of a particle of light is found to be at the rate of 897,600,000 feet per second: fuppofe its matter to be one millionth part of a grain, then its force to ftrike 897,600,000

an object would be as

100,0000

= 897,6 feet per fecond for one
grain; or it would ftrike with the
fame force that one grain weight
would do falling from balf the height,
viz. 448,8 feet; which we should
find to be very great, was the expe-
coats of the eye.
riment to be made on the fenfible

L' conceivably fall particles of be
IGHT undoubtedly confifts of in-
matter of different magnitudes, which
are emitted, or reflected, from every
point in the furface of a luminous
body in right lines, and in all direc-
tions, with an unparallelled velocity,
and whole power, or intensity, de-
creafes, as the fquares of the distance in

creafe.

The divine wisdom and providence appear, perhaps, in nothing fo remarkable, as in the extreme fubtilty of the particles of light: without this qualification, it could not have pervaded the pores of bodies, and fo we could have had none of those which we call diaphanous, or tranfparent, fubftances; and every thing, but the furface of a body, would have been concealed from the fight of mankind. Again, the velocity of a body is always as the quantity of matter inverfely; and therefore, the fmaller the body, the greater the velocity it is fufceptible of, from the fame forces; whence it comes to pass, that light is thus qualified to be tranfmitted through im menfe diftances in a fmall and infenfible part of time; which thing was quite neceffary, according to the prefent frame and state of nature: but it was abfolutely expedient, that the particles of light should be fo exceed ingly fmall, that, when compounded with its volocity, it should produce no fenfible force, as it must otherwife have done, and which, therefore, could not have been borne by the tender and de

Since the weight of bodies is proportional to the quantity of matter, it follows that, where the latter is fo too; therefore the weight of diminished indefinitely, the former will light must be infenfible to every fo great a quantity of it. Dr. Boerhaave caufed a globe of iron, twelve inches in diameter, to be heated red hot, and fufpended at the end of a very exact balance, and counterpoifed by weights at the other end very nicely, and thus let it hang till all the particles of heat, or light, were escaped, when he found the equilibre of the balance no ways altered, which plainly proves the foregoing the fis.

That the particles of light have not only magnitude, but that in different degrees alfo, is another, and, perhaps, the moft fubtile difcovery of the Newtonian philofophy. The comparative terms of greater and leffer, are now as applicable to the particles of light, as to any other bodies: this is abfolutely proved by the different refrangibility they are found to have in paffing through a prifmatic glass, or water; for the power of the prifm detains the iffuing particle, and draws it a little towards the furface; and fince this power is the fame, it would have the fame effect on all the particles of light, if they were all of an equal magnitude, because they have all an equal velocity. But fince this effect is different among the particles, fome being detained, and drawn afide to a greater diftance than others, it follows, they must be lefs in magnitude to become more fubject to the influence of

the

1769.

THE BRITISH LEGISLATURE.

the attracting furface; in like manner
as the electric effluvia will act upon and
agitate very small and light bodies
much fooner, and more eafily, than
they can move thofe which are larger.
[To be concluded in our next.]
THE BRITISH LEGISLATURE.

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ITH the king, lords, and com

461

concourfe became fo great and diforderly, and the contents frequently fo high between the feveral eftates, in affertion of their refpective prerogatives and privileges; that they judged it more expedient to fit apart, and feparately to exercife the offices of their refpective departments.

As there is no man or fet of men, no clafs or corporation, no village or city, throughout the kingdom, that is not virtually reprefented by the delegates in parliament, this great body politic or reprefentative of the nation confifts, like the body natural, of a head and feveral members, which, being endowed with different powers for the exercife of different offices, are yet connected by one main and common intereft, and actuated by one life or fpirit of public reafon, called

W mens, in parliament affembled, the laws.

the people have depofited their legiflative or abfolute power, in truft for their whole body; the faid king, lords, and commons, when fo affembled, being the great reprefentative of the whole nation, as if all the people were then convened in one general ailembly. As the inftitution, repeal, and amendment of laws, together with the redrefs of public grievances and of fences, are not within the capacity of any of the three eftates, diftinct from the others, the frequent holding of parliaments is the vital food, without which the conftitution cannot subsist.

The three eftates originally, when affembled in parliament, fat together confulting in the open field. Accordingly, at Running-Mead, five hundred years ago, king John paffed the great charter (as therein is expreffed) by the advice of the lords fpiritual and temporal, by the advice of feveral commoners (by name recited et aliorum fidelium) and of others his faithful people. And in the twentyfirst claufe of the faid charter, he covenants that," For having the common council of the kingdom to affefs aids, he will caufe the lords fpiritual and temporal to be fummoned by his writs; and moreover that he will caufe the principal commoners, or those who held from him in chief, to be generally fummoned to faid parliaments by his heriffs and bailiffs."

In the faid affemblies however, the

In all fteps of national import, the king is to be conducted by the direction of the parliament, his great national council; a council on whom it is equally incumbent to confult for the king with whom they are connected, and for the people by whom they are delegated, and whom they represent. Thus the king is conftitutionally to be guided by the fenfe of his parliament; and the parliament alike is conftitutionally to be guided by the general fenfe of the people. The two eftates in parliament are the constituents of the king, and the people, mediately or immediately, are the conftituents of the two eftates in parliament.

Now, while the three eftates act diftinctly, within their respective departments, they affect and are recipro cally affected by each other. This action and reaction produces that general and fyftematic controul which, like confcience, pervades and fuperintends the whole, checking and prohi biting evil from every part of the conftitution. And from this confinement of every part to the rule of right reafon, the great law of liberty to all arifeth.

For instance, The king has the fole prerogative of making war, &c. But then the means are in the hands of the

people and their reprefentatives.

Again, To the king is committed the whole executive power. But then the minifters of that power are accountable

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