months, especially January, which for that reason was called youn; hence one of the characters in Terence affirms, the soothsayers had forbidden to enter upon matrimony till winterAruspex vetuit ante brumam autem quid novi Negotii incipere

"Until the seasonable time of year,

When frosty weather binds all things, the priest,

Counsell'd us by all means to put off marriage."

I could not refrain from thus reminding those inclined to wedlock of the propitiousness of the present season to an undertaking so desirable; if at least we may credit the authority of Martial, one of those persons not much in the habit of patronizing the doleful; by nature, on the contrary, a very merry fellow, indeed by far too merry, who, in his enumeration of the expedients to a happy life, mentions, amongst the rest, a good wife; or, as he felicitously expresses it, · Non tristis torus, et tamen pudicus.'

NE

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A CONVERSAZIONE.

(Continued from Vol. LXXII. page 506.) EXT to love at first sight," said Mr. may be reckoned that flight of passion called a run-away match. It would doubtless be a matter of some difficulty to persuade a panting couple, in the midst of their race to the hymeneal altar, that they have mistaken the ignis faluus of rash desire for the pure light of genuine affection, and that true love cannot exist in the breast of either, if each does not consult the happiness of the other, rather than the consummation of an attachment which, like the iron-cement, holds together no longer than while it is kept out of hot water. I venture, however, to assert, that all the consequences of such a selfconstructed union converge towards a premature dissolution of every tie which both religion and nature combine to form as the surest medium of conjugal felicity-and that love, under the inBuence of which the hasty connexion is formed, is utterly devoid of affectionate consideration, as far as its sensitiveness acts before marriage and its sympathies after. In the first instance, let it be supposed that two young persons meet, fall in love, and go through the whole routine of surreptitious intercourse-a difference of opinion ex.

ists hetween the junior and the elder branches of the families concernedthe romantic sensibilities of the former are counteracted by the prudential dissent of the latter-contradiction augments the flame, and fans it into an ardour which the young people decide is irresistible-it consumes all filial reflection-and in a moment which they choose to consider as a favourable opportunity of breaking through all parental restraint, they throw themselves upon the issue of one irretrievable resolve, as the point of possibility on which all the success, prosperity, and happiness of their future life are precariously suspended.-Now if love is to be estimated according to its primary principles of generous anxiety to shall not readily discover its original promote the welfare of its object, we character in such precipitancy of the will-for when its gratification is sought at the expense of any virtue, the pursuit must partake of the nature of vice; and any young mau and woman who feel no hesitation at involving each other in a probable evil, cannot pos sess those exalted sentiments of disinterested regard, by which a moral affection is uniformly regulated.I might follow up this assertion by the continual evidence of its truth which such improvident unions are daily presenting to our observation. There appears, indeed, to be a kind of retributive judgment following them, which excludes them as it were from that felicitous enjoyment which the parties too rashly promised themselves. It would seem as if the violation of filial duty bears with it the brand of divine displeasure in the disappointment. certain it is, that if love, or that passion of the mind which inclines the sexes to each other, be the principle which originates resistance to parental authority in the hearts of two young persons, it is in such instances of a questionable nature, and may justly be regarded as a mere selfish emotion, which induces them to consult their individual satisfaction at all risks, even of their own future comfort:-and as filial piety is the purest affection that can have possession of the human breast, any attachment that makes the sacrifice of this lovely virtue necessary to ensure its success, must be devoid of that ingenuousness which constitutes the most engaging quality of eve young person's social character.

For

not, therefore, to be wondered at, if what is begun with the surrender of one moral obligation, should lead to the disregard of another:-and it may be fairly inferred, that a disobedient daughter will never make an affectionate wife."

Here the romance of Miss Julia's mind took alarm-" Good Heavens! Mr., do you mean to throw all the odium which you take upon yourself to attach to what you are pleased to call run-away matches,-upon the female? Really, Sir, I could almost call this illiberal-Can you suppose that any young woman would be so indelicate as to propose an elopement to her lover?-If she becomes disobedient, who makes her so? Surely he who takes an undue advantage of his influence over her."

"My good young lady," replied Mr., what can I say to rescue myself from so heavy an accusation ? 1 would not be deficient in respect for the amiable part of the creation; yet I will confess, that I heartily wish there were no room for the remark which has produced your question, because, in common courtesy, I must answer the interrogatory, and I lament to say it will be to the disadvantage of her who admits the influence you talk of. I do not presume to declare that the female makes the proposal -but I go so far as to insist, that while she carries on a correspondence and intimacy which she is conscious are contrary to the will and the knowledge of her parents, if she has any thing at all in view, she must necessarily expect that the clandestine offer will be made to her; and there is, I think, as much indelicacy in this part of her conduct, as there would be in the proposal which you hint at.-And let me reply to your other question, by asking you why she should be disobedient at all-You will doubtless admit, that the duty is more to be esteemed than any thing or any person that may prevail upon us to break through it; and let it be allowed by you also, that so long as she is anxious to fulfil her duty, no undue influence will persuade ber to the contrary-and that certainly may be called an undue influence which subverts a better principle than the one it substitutes. In fact, I must hazard your displeasure, if I am to speak the truth upon this point, the female is, in nine cases out of ten,

the blameable party ;-since, with whatever ardour the lover may press his suit, if he would gain her confidence at the expense of that which she should put in her parents, she ought instantly to suspect his motives, and resist his presumption."

"I believe, Mr. -," observed the Baronet's Sister, "these glaring improprieties seldom happen but among the weakest and the vainest of our sex. Pride, caprice, and a foolish notion of notoriety, as often lead to them as love."

"And I'll tell you, sister," cried the Baronet, "how these previous qualities are engendered in a young girl's mind-those pestiferous productions, novels, which poison her sensibilities with the contamination of a thousand romantic follies, persuade her that she is born to be a heroine, and that the wise precaution of her parents is nothing less than persecution, and dutifuluess nothing more than a tame submission to their despotic dictate."

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Perhaps too, Sir B- ," added the Poet, "some of these edifying lessons may be gleaned from the late effusions of our modern bards-who seein to have created their heroes and heroines for no other earthly purpose than to prove, that filial regard is one of those adventitious qualificatious which may be observed by a daughter just so long as it does not interfere with her more empassioned fervours; and that the anxieties of a parent are only the pretexts of ignorant superstition, or the unwarrantable assumptions of tyrannical usurpation, in opposition to those natural rights of selfgovernment to which they assert every daughter of Eve has an unalienable claim

from the moment that her heart becomes susceptible of contrary inclinations to those which duty demands."

"And do you not think, Mr. T—————‚” said the Manager, "that some of our Pièces du Theatre inculcate a tolerable large proportion of this same self-complacency; especially those which the morbid feeling of the German school has produced-in which it is représented to be the very excellence of a young woman's wisdom to outwit the old folks, and to squander every prudential reservation with which their parental care had stored her mind, upon the first unprincipled fellow who can flatter her into the belief that he has a greater claim to her heart than they."

"Whatever may be the source of such misjudging conduct," replied Mr. the result is too frequently found to be altogether adverse to that even tenor of conjugal consideration which ought always to blend a wife's affection with her duties. These duties I do not pretend to discuss, but it may be decided upon I fear with too much evidence against the wife, that the neglect of them proves beyond a doubt the entire absence of genuine regard for her husband and her children; this at once exposes the inconsiderateness with which the first attachment was formed, and shews that she mistook a childish flutter of passion for the more amiable stedfastness of ingenuous love. It is not then so difficult as it might be supposed, to distinguish such a passion from that affectionate anxiety which a good wife will always display to consalt and secure the happiness of her husband, as indissolubly united with her own."

The Manager's Wife here interposed her opinion, that "She seldom knew any sensible girl, whose mind was consistently improved by a sound education, that had allowed herself to discard thus unhesitatingly all prudential reflection, and precipitate herself into so rash a debasement of her sex's dignity, and so improvident a forfeiture of her claim to the respectful regards of society. Perhaps Mr. may add another cause for the consequence which he has made out. The frippery of a fashionable female boarding-school is, I think, well calculated to produce those vain ideas of personal influence, which lead a silly Miss who has just left school, to take it for granted that every man who sees her must fall in love with her; and that the superficial accomplishments which she has wasted her time and the property of her parents in acquiring, must make an irresistible impression upon every young fellow whom she condescends to indulge with the display of them. Hence it often happeus, that some foppish boy as senseless as herself regards her as a paragon of female attraction-flatters her into the same conviction: breathes out a few unmeaning protestations of unalterable devotion to her charms, and pursues, by his frivolous attentions, the advantage which her vanity permits him to suppose he has gained over her pride; until the vigilant eye of the

parent perceives the growing tendresse, and calculating very differently for their daughter's future condition in life, from what she herself does, imposes an authoritative interdict upon all conti nuation of the acquaintance. Then she finds herself placed precisely in the situation of some hopeless love-sick heroine of romance; laments her miserable fate, exclaims against the hardheartedness which thus crosses her first love, begins a clandestine correspondence, and finishes it by leaving a letter upon her toilette, to acquaint those who gave her birth, and brought her up in parental indulgence, that she could no longer live without the object of her affections, that she has yielded to his generous and disinterested importunities, and by the time that they shall have read that letter she will most probably have united with his name and fortune the future condition of their dutiful daughter!

Now I pronounce it impossible that such a girl can ever make an affectionate partner for life-and although she deserves no pity, yet perhaps we may be somewhat inclined to assert, that her parents themselves may be considered as in great degree the authors of her folly and their own disappointment, from the unwise gratification which they felt at the outside acquirements which they were so anxious she should possess, even to the neglect of the more substantial cultivation of her head and heart. As soon as this accomplished young lady awakes from the dream of her vanity, she finds the fond vision in which all her romantic expectations were absorbed, fled for ever-and all the reality of her fate opens upon her. The flippant professions of her husband cease-the admiration which her school-girl qualifications raised in his breast is exchanged for a cold tolerance; and he with whom she was content to pass her life in a cottage, now grows weary of the sameness of repetition with which she runs over the artificial catalogue. Her pride becomes hurt, and she has recourse to remonstrance-but the complaint of pride is always made with that selfreference which shuts our heart against its plea-from remonstrance to proach the interval is but small-the chapter of love is brought to an endand mutual indifference fills up the remaining pages of the story."

re

"Oh, dear madam!" exclaimed Miss Julia, "what a frightful picture have

you drawn—if such be the unvaried sequel of these unions, where can affection be found ?"

"Where?" cried the Baronet; "why in the experience of parents, to be sure, child-Only let that regulate your choice, and depend upon it you will never have yourself to blame."

"But, Sir B, are parents to fall in love for their children ?" asked Cap.

tain Otto.

"Or," cried the Baronet's Sister, "are they to command them to love by a scale of proportion, graduated according to the rise and fall of stocks, or the value of land ?"

"Or," added the Journalist, "are they to carry their happiness to market, and employ their parents as the brokers to dispose of it to the highest bidder?" "Why truly, good people," replied Sir B," it seems that none of you recollect how very promptly these runaway gentry take upon themselves to dispose of their parents' property as well as of themselves-and I do not see why this should be the case without their condescending to ask some previous consent to both. Suppose, therefore, that this consent be withheld, and upon the grounds of sober-minded reflection, do you not think that the decision demands some deference from the children? Or is Love so good a financier as to be able to produce supplies for the exigencies of the married state, out of a few rhapsodical epistles, or the more real sufferings of an unavailing repentance. Every old woman in the parish has an answer ready, When Poverty comes in at the door, Love fies out at the window' Marry in haste, and repent at leisure'-And what think you will become of affection when dissatisfaction attends the performance of duty. How can two people live upon affectionate terms, who every hour of their lives see new cause for being discontented with each other ?"

"But, my dear brother," rejoined the Aunt of Julia, have we not frequent instances of girls being made wretched for ever who have been extolled as mirrors of filial obedience, because they surrendered a justifiable affection to the caprice of parents, or, if you please, to their great care, in placing their children, in a higher condition of life than that to which they were themselves willing to aspire?"

"It may be so," said the Baronet, now and then; but at all events, Europ. Mag. Vol. LXXIII. Jan. 1818.

their wretchedness will not proceed from any self-upbraidings of disobe dience towards their parents-and allow me to tell you, sister, that I know many a girl, who, after having married for love, as the saying is, would give her whole stock of it for the carriage which she rejected."

Then all I can say," replied the Sister," is, that such a girl deserves to be wretched-and the natural inference to be drawn from your representation of her mind, can be nothing else than this, that it could never know what unfeigned affection is, and whether she rode in her carriage or not, she must be equally disqualified by such a principle for making either herself or her husband happy."

Here the City Curate, finding that the Baronet's Sister possessed so congenial a turn of sentiment with his own hopes, insinuated, with a due portion of cautious deference, "that doubtless it was highly becoming of children to attend to the wishes of their parents in so momentous a concern as that of marriage, yet it might, perhaps, be urged, on the other hand, that it was the duty of parents also to consult the wishes of their children, when their acquiescence would not at all prevent them from being respectably settled in life, for nothing could be more true than that wealth alone could never bestow happiness; and I am sure Sir B-thinks with me, that it should not be made the sole object, when so much is at stake as the felicity of a whole existence."

The Baronet turned upon his chair with much deliberation; and lifting one leg over the opposite knee, remarked, in a sarcastic tone, that " nothing could be more true than the Reverend Gentleman's observation, and he had no doubt of his concur rence in the suggestion, that if wealth alone could not bestow happiness, poverty alone had as little power to effect it, and that of the two, perhaps, the preference might be challenged for the former, as better providing for the probable attainment of it than the respectable settlement of a single curacy with the double burden of an unportioned wife."

The Curate made an effort to laugh off the repulse which he had received; and taking a pinch of snuff out of the Manager's box, which was most opportunely opened at the instant, af

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