Sele Pieces of Eiterature. 693 feems, I know not how, a vice almoft does it lefs adorn the profeffion of a privileged in a foldier. However, there foldier, are many among them who, confcientiously, forbear to make ufe of it, and rove, SIONS. Thou who thro' Nature's various faults can do not think the profeffion of a foldier On reading HUTCHESON on the PASallows them to war against heaven; many, who having the advantage of a liberal education, and come into the army with a tafte for les belles lettres, know how to carry an entertainment with them into the most unpolite or defart regions, and can every where find ways of employing their time, without having recourse to those per. nicious irregularities, which, under the pretence of paffing away the time, deroy the very end for which it was given. bleft; fhare, MRS. LENNOX. Whofe fainter wishes, pleafures fears remain, Dreams but of blifs, and fhadows of a pain ; If, by fome apparent difpofition of Serenely ftupid: fo fome shallow ftream Flows thro' the w nding valleys still the fame: Providence, you should, on prudent Whom no rude wind can ever difcompose, motives, be determined for the army, who fears no winter rain, or falling inows; (which, otherwife, it would not be ad- But flowly down its flow ry borders creeps, vifable in you to feek) endeavour to And the foft Zephyr on its bofom fleeps. affociate with officers of the character Oh! coul't thou teach the tortur'd foul to know, laft mentioned, who delight in an in- With patience, each extreme of human wo::¡ genious and ufeful converfation, allow-To bear with ill, and unrepining prove, ing themselves only a chearful glafs fo The frowns of fortune, and the racks of love; far as may promote it, or fuch kind of Still fhould my breaft fome quiet moments diverfions as may ferve to unbend the Still rife fuperior to each threat'ning care, mind, without inflaming the paffions. Nor fear approaching ills, or diftant woes, But if you have not the good fortune But in Philander's abfence find repose. to meet with fuch valuable companions, you will need the greater guard upon your own actions.A man, who is teady and open in declaring, at firit, a refolution againft intemperance, and any kind of vice, may, without being unfociable, by a frank and eafy man-ry unjuft affertion, that this is not the ner, abftain from all exceffes or diforders, and yet acquit himfelf acceptably enough, even with company that are not themselves fo referved. Inftances of this fort of conduct are not wanting, which you would do well to imitate: but in this you must be conftant and refolute; the leaft yielding, tho' but once, will betray a weakness, that will Lay you open to the importunities or infults of your companions, which will be a perpetual fnare to your virtue. There is no ftation in which a habit of study, and a delight in books, will be of more advantage to you than in this, fince you may often be reduced to have no other fuitable fociety, nor An ESSAY on POETRY. IT is a common, but I believe a ve age of genius. I make no doubt but that every age and every country has fome portion, though perhaps not an equal one, of the heavenly fire; why this burns' brighter at one time, and in one place, than another, is not fo much from the difference of genius, as of encouragement. That the feeds of this divine art are every where, is a truth which cannot be contefted (the wild Indians have their fongs of war and love; and even Lapland, if Scheffer is to be credited, has produced odes full of infpiration.) But to make them grow to any great perfection, the warm beams of favour are neceffary; they may sprout out in an unkindly foil, by an extraordinary effort of nature, even without the neffary culture; but their growth will be flow and languid, and the greatest part will never put forth at all. it not be faid they borrow nothing from them but their follies. A French woman of diftinction would be more afhamed of wanting a tafte for the belles lettres, than of being ill-dreffed; and it is owing to the neglect of adorn Why did the courts of Auguftus, of Leo the Tenth, of our two gloriousing their minds, that our travelling queens Elizabeth and Anne, and of English ladies are at Paris the objects Louis the Fourteenth, abound with of unfpeakable contempt, and are hopoets whofe works will be immortal? noured with the appellation of band. Why, but because they were fought some javages. for and encouraged. Fame and fortune then attended the mufes' fleps; they led their raptured votaries into the cabinets of princes, who diftinguifhed them by honours and rewards, and were by them in return crowned with wreaths of immortality. It indulges my pride as a woman to reflect, that the two bright æras of wit and learning in England, were female reigns; reigns, which not only in this MRS. BROOKĖ. (To be continued.) To the EDITOR of the LADY's Ma GAZINE. MR. EDITOR, NONVINCED of the many learnrefpect, but in all others, will be the ed and ingenious contributors admiration of pofterity: when arts, to the Lady's Magazine, I was fome arms, and liberty were in their higheit time fince induced to offer to their perfection. Even in the last years of confideration a lift of queries *, not queen Anne, embarraffed as the was doubting but fome candid correfponby the fury of contending parties, the dent would favour me with folutions gave not up the protection of genius to the fame; but in this particular I and learning however the varied in am forry to find I am difappointed. other things, fhe kept this point fteadi-I must acknowledge I cannot afcerby in view to the latt: and both hertain the reason why they were not asministries, fired by her example, ftrove fwered-why my request was not com as eagerly for the honour of protecting plied with: indeed I cannot, unless it the liberal arts, as for power. be that they efcaped the obfervation Let me recommend to my own. fexof your fair patroneffes ;-but this I to take poetry under their protection. think is impoffible, amid fuch a numBeauty, even in this age, will giveber of readers. The difficulty of the them influence, and they cannot emqueries I prefume could be no obftaploy it better than in raifing the droop cle, as molt of them might be explaining mufes, and restoring them to that ed with a little investigation; and sme efteem which they have been fo unjuft-appiration, you know, Mr. Editor, is. ly deprived of. The other fex are, in neceffary in all things. If fome of the general, fo devoted to the fordid pur- queftions are intricate, and not eafily fuit of intereft, that I give them to be folved, all are not in this predi up ; But I hope the love of well-deferved cament: what then can be the caufe fame is ftill the ruling paffion in many of their being neglected? to what thall female breafts; and what a glory will we attribute the reafon why fome of it be to them, that when the fire of them are not cleared up, when it may genius was, by the carelessness and in- be done with only a modicum of witfenfibility of the men, juft expiring, it nay with eafe and facility? was revived by the favour of the woimen! Since my countrywomen are fo fond of imitating a neighbouring nation, let I hope, Mr. Editor, the frigidity of the feafon has not blunted the intellec A Morning Meditation. tual faculties of your fair carrefpon dents, whofe bright, whofe mental talents have been fo often difplayed, and thine with fuch tranfcendent luftre 695 A MORNING MEDITATION in SEP TEMBER. (Continued from Page 567.) EASON now refumes her throne: in your very ufeful and inftructive Ragain the enlightens the mind, Mifcellany. I alfo fincerely hope that thofe elegant and much admired writers, whofe pieces do them honour, and whofe works I have often perufed with a rapture of delight, will not fo wrong the public as to intermit their periodical compofitions, which in reality are an ornament to that magazine in which they are inferted. The many valuable pieces of profe, the many beautiful flowers of Parnaffus done by female hands, which have appeared fince the firft commencement of your entertaining and unrivaled Monthly Publication, are undeniable and incontestable proofs of the truth of this affertion; at the fame time that it speaks loud, ly in praife of a work which indeed has always met with applaufe-always merited the approbation, the univerfal approbation of the public. Before conclude, Mr. Editor, give me leave to intimate that I ftill hope fome of your good correfpondents (thole I mean who are of an obliging difpofition) will endeavour to exert their abilities-condefcend to answer the queries, or at leaft fome of them: by fo doing they will give fatisfaction to the public, and at the fame time confer an unfpeakable obligation on Sir, Theirs and your moft Obedient humble fervt.. ELIZ. as the radiant fun illumines the fruitful earth. The filent world which has long been immers'd in the arms of fleep begins to fhake off its flumbers, and falute the infant day. Lively reprefentation of that awful morn, when we fhall awake from the death of fleep, and repofe no more!-When that long immortal day fhall open upon us which will never give place to night, nor fuffer us to clofe our eyes again! Oh my foul contemplate with advantage that important time! bring the fcene to thy view; place it before thee; weigh, impartially weigh, its greatnefs, its awfulness, its moment; and let it fo influence thy future conduct-let it make fo deep, fo lafting an impreffion, as will enable thee hereafter when thou art fummoned to appear, to meet it with refignation, with confidence and joy.-Think and be ferious; however unconcerned thou may't be at prefent, know for certain that the period, the alarming period, will arrive, when thou must take a long farewell of every thing here below, and enter the regions of the everlafting world. How pleasant and falubrious is this prime of day! the freshness of the air, the coolaefs of the fanning zephyrs, the mufic of the aerial inhabitants, the fragrancy of the opening flowers, the beautiful profpe&ts which open on every L-c.fide, adorned with the gilded glories of the rifing fun, and rendered ftill P. S. Permit me to add-had the more charming by their late fufpenqueries been propofed by any other! lion, fill the mind with fuch new and correfpondent, I would have exerted exalted pleafure as is paft defcribing. every nerve, and ftimulated every pow Milton, in Paradife Loft, makes Adam er in order to oblige the author, and peak the beauties of the morn very gratify the curious.-Dear ladies, Itinely in the following lines: muft beg the favour to apologize for the intrufion of the above hints, and hope you will take this bold, or rather impertinent address, in its proper light. weet is the breath of morn, horrifing fweet, With charm of carli:ft buts; pleasant the fun, Et matutini volucrem fub culmine cantus. VIRGIL When to ftay there a few months, till inftinet, unerring inftinet, informs her fhe may venture back again with safety... Not fo with man! When he takes his journey into the region of immortality, and leaves behind his native abode, the returning fpring calls him back no more. When the ftated feafon of his continuance in this lower clime is expired; and the approach of death fummons him to wing his long and arduous way to a new and unknown world, he never migrates back again, nor vifits his native haunts, but fixes his dwelling there, through revolving feafons, and rolling years, till time shall be no more-day, even for ever: The little infects which in myriads now fport in the air, and buzz about my ears, may be furveyed by a contemplative man with improvement. See how they expand their filken wings, with what agility they fkim the aerial fluid, and exult in the funny ray. Unmindful of future, the prefent moment is all their boaft: regardless of what is to come, they live only for to day, nor ever think of to morrow: they fee not the gloomy feafon which is advancing with fwifteft fpeed to put an end to their tranfient existence, and fweep them from the face of fummer. And is it not thus with the majority of the human race, who, quite immerf Before the noify world is awake let me take a gentle walk along the fide of this hanging hill, whofe lofty fum mit is crowned with ftraggling bushes and venerable oaks. Here I may enjoy, without interruption, the full falubrity of the atmosphere; and while I rove along fatiate my eye with the beauties of the country, ferenaded at the fame time with the delightful music of yonder fprightly, warblers, who feent, as they are perched in the thickets above, tuning their throats in another region. At this agreeable diftance the melody is not lefs pleafing it is indeed more foft and more foothing, and feems to lul! the mind into a state of eafy tranquil-ed in fenfual pleasures, and folely capity, efpecially when the dying ftrains are wafted on the downy wings of Zephyrus, and scarcely ftrike the expanded ear. But where are thy lonely notes, tuneful Philomel? where thy bold voice and warbling tone, thou chief among the feathered musicians? fhall the chearful fummer no more hear thy melting lay, nor the woods and groves liften longer to thy fweetly foothing fong? Haft thou, ah lively bird! already left thy haunts?—already bid adieu, bid adieu to our country, and left the verdant mead, in whofe thick fence thou long has fit and fung! Yes, Philomel's no more.-Warned of approaching winter, fhe's gone with her offspring to other climes, and purpofes tivated with the gilded feene before Such is vain life, an idle fight of days, Every thing reads a lecture to man concerning the fhort duration of this mortal life. The verdure of the plains and fields, the plants and herbs, the foliage of the trees, the finging of birds, &c. &c. which recreate us for a while, and An Effay on Bigotry. 697 and then pafs away, is a leffon for us, thing, who fpread out the heavens like Amaz'd the wonders of thy God behold! Every part of the creation is pregnant with inftruction, and all join in fweetly expreffive filence to adore and At the foot of this hill what a glorious prospect the eye takes in! fuch The fun that walks his airy way, PARNEL, p. 46, vol. I. An ESSAY on BIGOTRY. rural plenty of rural views, fuch ftrik-One thinks on Calvin heav'n's own spirit fell ; ing landfcapes and picturesque scenes feem nicely calculated to recreate the fancy, and lull to reft the turbulent paffions of the mind. What are all the works of man, all the productions of art, compared to thefe inimitable, thefe grand and magnificent views of nature?-How great then, how good muft He be who made this vaft fyftem, who hung this ponderous ball on no The famous Cicero, who lived amongst all the pomp of Rome, ufed to fay, that all the grandeur of courtly buildings were not to be compared to the prospect of the country. When we enter (faith he) into magnificent palaces, we are at first truck with the gilded roofs, the marble columns, the cofly pavements, and all the other deco ations of art; but when we have beheld them often we are no longer charmed with them; whereas the profpect of the country never fatiates us. It is as it were every moment new: look as long as we please, fome new object, fome different shade of light affords a fresh pleasure. The fields cloathed in pleasant green, the limpid ftreams gliding through them, the overhanging hilis, the way ig corn, the bleating flocks, the lowing herds, the magnificent fpacioufnefs around us, ali contribute to our pleafure, and are every day putting on fome fresh form to entertain us. SUP. VOL. X. Another deems him inftrument of hel; POPE. TN the lift of thofe vices that dif grace human mature, and fow the feeds of mifery in the world, Bigotry, I prefume, ought to ftand the foremost. Several other vices, that are characterifed by more fhockinge pithets, only affect individuals, and many of their effects are not lafting; but the effects produced by this dæmon are univerfal and permanent. From childhood to youth, from youth to manhood, and from manhood to the grave, it continually befets us, and, with its Protean wiles, endeavours to keep us at a diftance from truth. It oppofes the inprovement of our faculties, retards the advancement of the fciences, renders the arts more tedious, ftrikes at the root of every generous fentiment, and by fuch practices indicates its origin to be Erebus. Were I put upon noticing the pedigree of this vice, I fhould call it the offspring of pride and ignorance, and the 4 U fifter |