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every mufcle of the body politic be braced, when every member is, in fome measure, actuated by industry and frugality! No man ever yet exerted himself to the utmost of his ftrength; nor is it on record, that any state was ever yet fo exhausted, but that, while it enjoyed liberty, it might draw new refources from its own vitals. Though the tree is lopped, yet, fo long as the root remains unhurt, it will throw out a greater luxuriancy of branches, produce fruits of better flavour, and derive frefh vigour from the axe. If one has accidentally disturbed an ant-hill, or broken the fabric of the hive, though the little animals appeared before to have exerted their utmost efforts, yet it is amazing with what additional diligence they apply themselves to repair the depredation. Not a moment is allowed for defpondency. The earth and the air glow with motion, and the misfortune feems immediately to add to their spirits, and, ultimately, both to their store and fecurity.

The beautiful description which Virgil has given us of the bufy fcene in which the Tyrians are engaged in building Carthage, represents, in a moft lively manner, the alacrity with which human creatures are found to exert themselves when inftigated by the ftimulus of neceffity. An emulation of labour feizes every bofom, No murmurings, no complainings in the street, but every one feels himself happy in proportion as he renders himself ufeful. Men's abilities rife with the occafion; and political evil, like other evil, under the conduct of a merciful Deity, has produced extenfive good, by calling forth fome of the nobleft exertions and moft perfect characters which have adorned the records of human nature.

There is one beneficial effect of national adverfity, of greater importance than any which I have enumerated, It fubdues the haughty foul elevated with riches and inebriated with excefs, and turns the attention to the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the only Ruler of princes, who from his throne beholds all nations, and bids the fceptre to depart from the wicked to the righteous.

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righteous. It teaches us to rely lefs upon our German auxiliaries, our muskets, our mortars, our cannon, our copper-bottomed men of war, our generals, and our admirals, than on the Lord of Hofts.

When he fights for us, we fhall conquer. Without him, we shall in vain put our truft in a York, a Nelson, a St Vincent, or a Cornwallis; but "the ball of empire "fhall continue to roll on weftward as it has ever yet "done, till it ftops in America, a world unknown to "the ancients, and which may fave the tears of fome "future Alexander."

If Providence fhall have decreed the downfal of Britifh fupremacy, happy should I be to have fuggefted one idea which may ftimulate the exertions of my countrymen, once more to raise the noble column on the bafis of liberty and virtue, or which may confole them on its ruins; and teach them, while they fit by the waters of bitterness, and hang their harps on the willows, to think of Him who can make rivers of comfort to flow in the dreary defert.

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THE giveduned for a capital crime, to

HE prætor had given up to the triumvir a woman

be executed in the prifon. He who had the charge of her execution, in confideration of her birth, did not immediately put her to death. He even ventured to let her daughter have accefs to her in prifon; carefully fearching her, however, as fhe went in, left fhe fhould carry with her any fuftenance; concluding, that, in a few days, the mother muft of courfe perifh for want, and that the feverity of putting a woman of family to a violent death, by the hand of the executioner, might thus be avoided. Some days paffing in this manner, the triumvir began to wonder that the daughter ftill came to vifit the mother, and could by no means comprehend how the latter fhould live fo long. Watching, therefore, carefully, what paffed in the interview between them, he found, to his great aftonishment, that the life of the mother had been, all this while, fupported by the milk of the daughter, who came to the prifon every day to give her mother her breafts to fuck.

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The

The ftrange contrivance between them was reprefented to the judges, and procured a pardon for the mother. Nor was it thought fufficient to give to fo dutiful a daughter the forfeited life of her condemned mother, but they were both maintained afterwards by a penfion fettled on them for life. And the ground upon which the prifon ftood was confecrated, and a temple to filial piety built upon it.

What will not filial duty contrive, or what hazards will it not run, if it will put a daughter upon ventur ing, at the peril of her own life, to maintain her imprifoned and condemned mother in fo unusual a manner ! For what was ever heard of more ftrange, than a mother fucking the breafts of her own daughter? It might even feem fo unnatural, as to render it doubtful whether it might not be, in fome fort, wrong, if it were not that duty to parents is the first law of nature.

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On the Importance of governing the Temper.

FOTWITHSTANDING the many complaints of the calamities of human life, it is certain that more constant uneafiness arises from ill temper than from ill fortune. In vain has Providence beftowed every external bleffing, if care has not been taken by ourfelves to fmooth the afperities of the temper. A bad temper embitters every sweet, and converts a para

NOTWITHSTANDING the

dife into a place of torment.

The government of the temper then, on which the happiness of the human race fo greatly depends, can never be too frequently or too forcibly recommended. But as it was found by fome of the ancients one of the most efficacious methods of deterring young perfons from any disagreeable or vicious conduct, to point out a living character in which it appeared in all its deformity, I shall exhibit a picture, in which I hope a bad temper will appear, as it really is, a most unamiable object.

It is by no means uncommon to obferve those, who have been flattered for fuperficial qualities at a very early age, and engaged in fo conftant a series of diffipating pleasure as to leave no time for the culture of the mind, becoming, in the middle and advanced periods of life, melancholy inftances of the miferable effects refulting from an ungoverned temper. A certain lady, whom I shall diftinguish by the name of Hifpulla, was celebrated from her infancy for a fine complexion. She had, indeed, no very amiable expreffion in her eyes, but the vermilion of her cheeks did not fail to attract admiration, and she was convinced by her glass, and by the affeverations of the young men, that fhe was another and a fairer Helen. She had every opportunity of improving her mind; but as we naturally beftow our first care on the quality which we most value, she could never give her attention either to books or to oral in

ftruction,

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