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No 181.

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Thursday, September 27.

His lacrymis vitam damus, et miferefcimus ultro.

VIRG. Æn. 2. v. 145.

Mov'd by thefe tears, we pity and protect.

AM more pleafed with a letter that is filled with touches of nature than of wit. The following one is of this kind.

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SIR,

AMONG all the diftreffe, which happen in famupon

I do not remember that you have touched upon the marriage of children without the confent of their parents. I am one of these unfortunate perfons. I was about fifteen when I took the liberty to chufe for my'felf; and have ever fince languifhed under the displeafure of an inexorable father, who, though he fees me happy in the best of hufbands, and bleffed with very fine children, can never be prevailed upon to forgive me. He was fo kind to me before this unhappy accident, that in'deed it makes my breach of duty in fome measure inexcufable; and at the fame time creates in me fuch a ' tenderness towards him, that I love him above all things, and would die to be reconciled to him. I have thrown myself at his feet, and befought him with tears to pardon me; but he always pushes me away, and fpurns me 'from him; I have written feveral letters to him, but he will neither open nor receive them. About two years ago I fent my little boy to him, dreffed in a new apparel; but the child returned to me crying, because he faid his grandfather would not fee him, and had ordered him to be put out of his houfe. My mother is won over to " my fide, but dares not mention me to my father for fear of provoking him. About a month ago he lay fick upon his bed, and in great danger of his life; I was pierced to the heart at the news, and could not forbear going to enquire after his health. My mother took this opportunity of fpeaking in my behalf; fhe told him with abunVOL. III.

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dance of tears, that I was come to fee him, that I could not speak to her for weeping, and that I should certainly • break my heart if he refufed at that time to give me his bleffing, and be reconciled to me. He was fo far from relenting towards me, that he bid her speak no more of · ine, unless he had a mind to disturb him in his last moments; for, Sir, you must know that he has the reputation of an honeft and religious man, which makes my • misfortune so much the greater. God be thanked he is 'fince recovered: but his fevere ufage has given me fuch a blow, that I fhall foon fink under it, unless I inay be relieved by any impreffions which the reading of this in your paper may make upon him.

I am, &c.

Of all hardneffes of heart there is none fo inexcufable as that of parents towards their children. An obftinate, inflexible, unforgiving temper is odious upon all occafions; but here it is unnatural. The love, tenderness, and compaffion, which are apt to arife in us towards thofe whe depend upon us, is that by which the whole world of life is upheld. The Supreme Being, by the tranfcendent excellency and goodness of his nature, extends his mercy towards all his works; and because his creatures have not fuch a fpontaneous benevolence and compaffion towards those who are under their care and protection, he has implanted in them an inftinct, that fupplies the place of this inherent goodness. I have illuftrated this kind of instinct in former papers, and have fhewn how it runs through all the fpecies of brute creatures, as indeed the whole animal. creation fubfifts by it.

THIS instinct in man is more general and uncircumfcribed than in brutes, as being enlarged by the dictates of reafon and duty. For if we confider ourselves attentively, we fhall find that we are not only inclined to love those who defcend from us, but that we bear a kind of sopy", or natural affection, to every thing which relies upon us for its good and prefervation. Dependence is a perpetual call upon humanity, and a greater incitement to tenderness and pity than any other motive whatsoever.

THE man therefore who, notwithstanding any paffion of refentment, can overcome this powerful inftinct, and ex

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tinguish natural affection, debafes his mind even below brutality, fruftrates as much as in him lies the great defign of providence, and ftrikes out of his nature one of the molt divine principles that is planted in it.

AMONG innumerable arguments which might be brought against such an unreasonable proceeding, I fhall only infilt on one. We make it the condition of our forgivencfs that we forgive others. In our very prayers we defire no more than to be treated by this kind of retaliation. The cafe therefore before us feems to be what they call a Cafe in point; the relation between the child and the father being what comes nearest to that between a creature and its Creator. If the father is inexorable to the child who has offended, let the offence be of never fo high a nature, how will he addrefs himself to the Supreme Being, under the tender appellation of a father, and defire of him fuch a forgivenefs as he himself refuses to grant ?

To this I might add many other religious, as well as many prudential confiderations; but if the laft mentioned motive does not prevail, I defpair of fucceeding by any other; and fhall therefore conclude my paper with a very remarkable story, which is recorded in an old chronicle pu blifhed by Freher, among the writers of the German hiftory.

EGINHART, who was fecretary to Charles the Great, became exceeding popular by his behaviour in that poft. His great abilities gained him the favour of his mafter, and the tfteeni of the whole court. Inma the daughter of the emperor, was so pleased with his perfon and con verfation, that she fell in love with him. As he was one of the greatest beauties of the age, Eginhart answered her with a more than equal return of paffion. They stifled their flames for fome time, under apprehenfion of the fatal confequences that might enfue. Eginhart at length re folving to hazard all, rather than live deprived of one whom his heart was fo much fet upon, conveyed himself one night into the princess's apartment, and knocking gently at the door, was admitted as a perfon who had fome thing to communicate, to her from the emperor: he was with her in private most part of the night; but upon his preparing to go away about break of day, he observed that there had fallen a great faow during his ftay with the prin

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cefs. This very inuch perplexed him, left the prints of his feet in the fnow might make difcoveries to the king, who often used to vifit his daughter in the morning. He acquainted the prince's Imma with his fears; who after fome confultations upon the matter, prevailed upon him to let her carry him through the fnow upon her own shoulders. It happened that the emperor not being able to sleep, was at that time up and walking in his chamber, when upon locking through the window he perceived his daughter tottering under her burden, and carrying his firft minifter across the fnow; which she had no fooner done, but she returned again with the utmost speed to her own apartment. The emperor was extremely troubled and astonished at this accident; but refolved to speak nothing of it till a proper opportunity. In the mean time, Eginhart knowing that what he had done could not be long a fecret, determined to retire from court; and in order to it, begged the emperor that he would be pleased to difmifs him, pretending a kind of discontent at his not having been rewarded for his long fervices. The emperor would not give a direct answer to his petition, but told him he would think of it, and appointed a certain day when he would let him know his pleasure. He then called together the most faithful of his counsellors, and acquainting them with his fecretary's crime, afked them their advice in fo delicate an affair. They most of them gave their opinion, that the perfon could not be too feverely punished who had thus difhonoured his mafter. Upon the whole debate, the emperor declared it was his opinion, that Eginhart's punishment would rather increase than diminish the hame of his family, and that therefore he thought it the most advisable to wear out the memory of the fact, by marrying him to his daughter. Accordingly Eginhart was called in, and acquainted by the emperor, that he fhould no longer have any pretence of complaining his fervices were not rewarded, for that the princefs Imma fhould be given himn in marriage, with a dower fuitable to her quality; which was foon after performed accordingly.

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No. 182.

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Juv. fat. 6. v. 180.

S all parts of human life come under my obfervation, my reader must not make uncharitable in-, ferences from my feaking knowingly of that fort of crime which is at prefent treated of. He will, I hope, fappose I know it only from the letters of correfpondents, two of which you fhall have as follow.

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Mr SPECTATOR,

IT is wonderful to me, that among the many enormities which you have treated! of, you have not mentioned that of wenching, and particularly the infharing part; I mean, that it is a thing very fit for your pen, to expofe the villany of the practice of deluding women. You are to know, Sir, that I myfelf am a woman whỏ have been one of the unhappy that have fallen into this misfortune, and that by the infinuation of a very worthlefs fellow, who ferved others in the fame manner both before my ruin and fince that time. I had, as foon as the rafcal left me, fo inuch indignation and refolution, as not to go upon the town, as the phrafe is, but took to work for my living in an obfcure place, out of the knowledge of all with whom I was before acquainted."

IT is the ordinary practice and bufinefs of life with a fet of idle fellows about this town, to write letters, fend meffages, and form appointments with little raw unthinking girls, and leave them after poffeffion of them, without any mercy, to fhame, infamy, poverty, and difcafe.. 6. Were you to read the naufeous impertinencies which are ' written on thefe occafions, and to fee the filly creatures fighing over them, it could not but be matter of mirth as well as pity. A little prentice-girl of mine has been for fome time applied to by an Irifh fellow, who drelles

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