Thre, Prefton, honour'd fpot of earth, Smyrna, the parent of that bad, Sooner, if poets aught divine, Suite Hifloire d' EPAMINONDAS, (Continued from p. 8.) ILS LS défcendirent l'entrée de Thébes, avec tant de vigueur, qu' Agefilas repouffé & battu par tout, fut contraint de s'en eloigner, & de fe retirer à la hâte. Pour cette fois il alla véritablement à Thespies, trop heureux d'y trouver un afile contre des ennemis qu'il commença à redouter, Superiorité de forces, réputation, & experience militaire, ruse de guerre, rien ne lui reuffit pour lors. Les généraux Thébaina faifoient tout échouer par leur valeur, par leur activité, & par la fecondité de leur génie à trouver des expédiens dans les occafions les plus défefperées. L'heureufe deliverance de Thebes parût à Jeur citoyens un action digne d'une reconnoiffance immortelle. Ils en con foit l'Eurotas, où naiffoient des gens belliqueux & de braves combattans.Il leur fit voir que la noble audace & le courage intrepide font de tous des pays, dont l'on inftruit les habitans à rougir de tout ce qui eft honteux, & à prodiguer généreufement leur fang pour la caufe de la juftice & de l'honneur. Ce font ces grands principes qui forment le grand homme, & il n'eft point d'ennemis plus dangereux & plus redoutables que ceux qui les ont adoptés des leur jeuneffe. Les heureux fuccès des Thébains à qui leur chefs ne ceffoient point d'infpirer ces maxims généreufes, firent enfin compter leur pays au nombre de ceux qui produifent les héros, mais quelque confidérables que fussent tant d'avantages à caufe de leur rapidité, & fur-tout de leur nouveauté, ils n'étoient que le prélude de ceux que Thébes devoit gagner fur fes ennemis fous la feule conduite d'Epaminondas. fuite de fon hiftoire fera voir ce que peut dans un état un feul homme, brave, fage, & vertueux, lorsque l'eftime & la confiance de fes concitoyens lui mettent en main les rênes de gou vernement. Fin du premier Livre, (To be continued.) La facrerent le fouvenir à la poftérité par THE VIRTUOUS VILLAGER : La bataille de Feggre que les The baina gagnèrent quelque tems aprés fur les Lacédémoniens, acheva de détruire l'opinion où l'on étoit que les armées de Sparte étoient invincibles. Ce fut un combat dans toutes les formes, & la victoire que remporta Pelopidas dans cette memorable journée, ne laiffa aux vaincus aucun pretexte pour couvrir la honte de leur défaite. Elle fut complette, & la gloire des Thébains en fut d'autant plus grande, qu'ils étoient en bien plus petit nombre que les Lacédémoniens. Ce jour célébre, dit Plutarque, apprit aux peuples de la Gréce que ce 'étoit point le feul territoire qu'arro A MORAL TALE. Fellows of Fire in this gay metropolis who, in confequence of a licentious education, loose principles, and fortunes fufficient to render them extremely infolent, are led to imagine that they may take the moft unwarrantable liberties with the fair sex, and feduce as many women as they poffibly can. The fuccefs which they meet with in the female world, gives them, it must be owned, too much encouragement to believe that their powers of feduction are irrefiftible; yet they often find themselves unable, with all their rhetoric, and treachery into the bargain, to carry their iniquitous defigns HERE are but too many of the les The Virtuous Villager. into execution; and, to their additional mortification, fometimes receive noble repulfes from thofe women whom they confider, from the lowness of their fta tions, as created entirely for their plesfure, and of courfe attack them with far lefs ceremony than they wald others in a higher fphe:e; not thinking any delicacy of addrefs neceffary with fuch poor creatures, they procred at once to the application of their golden arguments, without having the leaft doubt concerning the cfficacy of them. Such arguments have too much force over the best educated and most accomplished fair ones, as well as over the inferior part of the female fex: when we therefore see them readered unavailing hy a virtuous oppotition among the latter we are doubly charmed with the fpirit by which they are defeated. Sir Charles Spearman, as fine a young fellow as nature ever formed, and as feducing as art could make him, prefumed fo much upon his purfe, his perfon, and his addrefs, that he fanci ed every woman he met with was in love with him: his vanity was exceffire, but it would have been a venial failing if it had not prompted him to actions not to be defended in a court of honour, though they might be laughed at in a court of justice. Being of an amorous complexion, and agreeable in the most extenfive fenfe of the word, Sir Charles naturally employed his talents of plealing in order to triumph over female frailty, and his gallantries, indeed his victories, though not brilliant in the eye of reafon, gave him no small importance in the eye of the world, and every new conqueit of the fame kind increafed it. In an excurfion one day through a village in the weft of England his attention was fuddenly engaged by the appearance of a very pretty girl at work with feveral fun-burnt women, who were admirable foils to her, though fhe had evident marks in her face of the power of the folar rays over it. Her complexion was certainly brown, but her features were fo elegantly ar ranged, and she had a pair of fuch bright eyes in her head, that Sir Charles could not for fome moments take his eyes from her: he fat upon his horse as if he was glued to his faddłe, and stared at the handsome villa, ger before him as if he had never seen a female figure till then. In fhort her face, form, and tout ensemble had such an effect upon him-(though he had been un homme de bonne fortune among fome of the first rate females of the age) that he determined to be very intimately acquainted with her. Charmed with her perfon, he was fufficiently encouraged by the humility of her drefs and employment to believe that "he had that with it " which would not only facilitate the completion of his wishes but exclude disappointment, Animated with thefe confiderations, and spurred on by prefumption, he ordered his fervant to make all the inquiries in his power, about the girl who had occafioned fuch a violent commotion in his bofom, and rode towards the public houfe, which was, he knew, at no great distance from the new object of his wishes. Tom having been long accuftomed to any employ of his mafter, as well as to the other duties of a domeftic, very readily undertook to procure all the information he could, and accordingly, upon his master's trotting away, had recourfe to a ftratagem, in order to force the attention of the females labouring in the adjacent field. Throwing himfelf from his horfe, with a great deal of dexterity, and roaring out while he lay upon the ground, as if much hurt, he foon brought the very perfon to his affiftance whofe notice he had chiefly wished to attract: the ruftic herfelf, whofe beauty had fo powerfully operated upon his mafter, and raised fuch a disturbance in his breaft. This girl being much nearer the road than any of her companions, in a few moments appeared upon the fpot where the pretended accident had happened; and as he was naturally of a benevolent difpolition, fhe, with an eagerness which evidently proceeded at at once from her fears and her good jas a libertine he rejoiced at the tyran nic menace of their ruthless landlord, concluding that his purfe, properly employed, would be of fingular service to him. He waited therefore with the utmost impatience for Tom's intel ligence to confirm the information he had himself received. nature, asked the loudly complaining ftranger, where he had hurt himself. Tom told her the truth when he faid that none of his bones were broken, but he ftepped over the line of veracity, when he added, that he was bruifed from head to foot, and never had received fo confounded a fall in In a few hours Tom made his ap his life. Upon fome occafions, a lie pearance. In confequence of his comof this fort might have been honoured, munications Sir Charles hurried to farwith the fafhionable appellation of a mer Fielding's, fupplied him with mowhite one, but as Tom uttered it, with ney more than fufficient to answer his a wicked defign, it was perhaps, ra- landlord's demands, and only defired, ther a black on. However it anfwer-in return, to occupy, for a few days, ed his purpose better than he expected, the room in his houfe which was then for, in confequence of his difmal vacant, he had been informed, by the groans and wry faces, Patty Fielding abfence of the lady who had hired it (that was the villager's name) preffed for the fummer; as he had fome pri him to follow her, if he was able, tovate reafons for living in a very obher uncle's cottage, affuring him, at fcure manner in that part of the counthe fame time, with a heartinefs which try. the little merited, that both her uncle and aunt would do the best they could to fet him upon his horfe again. With this invitation Tom complied, as it may be eafily imagined, without the flighteft demurring; and to the care of his innocent conductress we fhall leave him for a while, and give fome account of the Baronet's proceedings. Sir Charles, upon his arrival at the houfe at which he had intended to put up, made the minuteft inquiries after the poor people in the neighbouring cottages, and by afking mine hoft of the Red Lion, if there were any pretty girls near him, received an anfwer very much to his fatisfaction. By that anfwer he discovered that the girl who had flung him almoft into a fever of love, was the niece of an induftrious old couple who made a fhift to gain a bare fubfiftence, and who were then particularly to be pitied, as their landlord, a four, fevere man, had threatened to turn them out of their dwelling, and to feize their goods, as fome late loffes had prevented them from paying Fielding was ftruck dumb by his generofity: and his dame was not able, tho' a loquacious women-to articulate a fyllable. When they had reco vered the use of their tongues, they expreffed the most grateful acknowledgments in language which wanted no tricks of oratory to fet it off: it was the language of the heart; and on that account more valuable than the richeft flowers of elocution. Sir Charles's gratitude was by no means equal to that of the honeft people under whofe roof he was entertained in an homely, indeed, but truly hofpitable manner. He was, it is true, entertained, in a great measure, at his own expence; but he plainly perceived that the Fieldings, if fortune and education had placed them in an exalted sphere of life, would have exhibited princely difpofitions -In return for all the civilities which he received from this humble happy pair-civilities which no money could buy, he attempted to feduce their Patty, whom they loved as well as if fhe had been their own daughter, from the paths of innocence. His every attempt was fruitlefs; for fhe was neither to be deceived by his promifes, nor dazzled with his gold; but nobly rejected alt his difhonourable offers, and told him when The Sufpicicus Hafband's Stratagem. when he made his laft efforts to ftager her virtue," that he had rather work from morning to night for her bread, for an honeft livelihood, than be the miftrefs of a king :" while I am kartuous" added the," if I am ever fo poor, I fhall not envy the fineft lady in the land who has loft her honour." Struck with the conclufion of this Speech, Sir Charles, libertine as he was, found himself so much shaken by that he refolved (looking upon her as a jewel of confiderable value, and thinking that the only wanted, to be well iet to appear with a luftre equal, if not fuperior, to the fparklers of a court) to talk to her in a different ftile. To drop the metaphor he made honourable addreffes to her, provided the most eminent masters of all kinds for her; and as fhe had an excellent natural underftanding, as well as a beautiful perfon, fhe in a few months afterwards was, in the character of Lady Spearman, diftinguished even in the CIRCLE. T The SUSPICIOUS HUSBAND'S STRA TAGEM: A MORAL TALE. [For Modern Wives.] When love begins to ficken and decay, SHAKESPEARE By fome of her female companions Mifs Selwyn was fufpected of having defigns upon Mr. Medley, on account of his fortune alone; but their fufpicions were injurious; they wronged her, by fuppofing that he had, by giving all the encouragement which decency permitted to her new admirer, no prejudices in his favour as a man, he had for fome time really preferred him to his whole fex, and was therefore highly delighted to find him difcover fentiments fimilar to her own. Mr. Medley and Mifs Selwyn grew every hour more pleafed with each other's fociety while they refided upon the continent, and the intimacy between them was improved to fuch a de gree on their return to England, that in a few weeks after their debarkation they were married. During the first three years of their conjugal union, their felicity was hardly ever interrupted; by nothing of importance was it during that time interrupted. By the numberlefs proofs which his Sophia gave him of her perfonal attachment to him, Medley was the happiest of hufbands; and while he enjoyed every mark of her connubial affection with thofe tranfports by happy hufbands only to be experienced, he flattered himfelf that the duration of his happinefs would be in proportion to the duration of his. life. When a married man feels himself in this enraptured condition, he muft IN a large party, with fome friends be doubly chagrined, doubly diftrefone fummer to France, a Mrs. fed, on the detection of her infidelity, Medley, poffeffed of a very good eftate upon whofe conftancy he had firmly in N-hire, and a very amiable ac-relied, and whofe virtue he had deemcomplished young gentleman, became ed impregnable. fo much pleased with the converfation With regard to her virtue it is in the of a Mifs Selwyn, into whofe company, power of every married woman to though he had often feen her at pub-keep that in the higheft prefervation: lic places, he had never fallen before, with regard to her love, fhe may not. that he could not help behaving to her always be able to anfwer for its im with more than common politenefs, mutability; for that is fometimes to with particular attention: that atten- be pitied, but never to be blamed, till tion, as it was the thing fhe had long it leads her into the commiffion of an wished for, gave her the greateft fatif-action detrimental to her honour.faction, and she did all in her power Women, before they are married will,. to increase the prepoffeffions he evi-if they are not criminally changeable, dently felt in her favour. be only called flirts; but when they become become wives, the alienation of their aflections may be attended with serious confequences. In the clafs of mutable wives Mrs. Medley must be ranged, the gradual diminution of her regard for her hufband corrupted her heart, and it occafioned a difference in her behaviour to him which made him first uncafy, and was afterwards alarming. No man was ever perhaps more furprised than Medley when he perceived an alteration in his Sophia's carriage to him when he found mere civility fubftituted in the room of an affectionate folicitude, to make his home every way delightful to him. He was pained by the alteration in her deportment; he was alfo perplexed by it. To enquire into the decrease of her warmth, while he behaved to him with the moft refined complaifance, was a delicate point; but her coldness was almost infupportable. In order to account for the fickening and decaying of Mrs. Medley's conjugal affection, it will be neceffary to introduce a new character to the reader's acquaintance. The arrival of an intimate friend of Mr. Medley, from his Italian tour, was the first cause of Sophia's coolness to him. From liking Mr. Lumley, as a chearful fenfible companion, fhe began to efteem him for his amiable qualities: fhe foon, indeed, felt a friendship for him; and her friendship, cherifhed by frequent interviews, ripened into love. At first, however, Sophia started at the thoughts of being falfe to her husband's bed; and therefore ftrove to conquer a paffion which might, fhe feared, tempt her to dif honour it but all her efforts to drive her new lover from the poft he occupied in her heart were in vain. A married woman in this fituation is, it must be allowed, in a dangerous one; and tho' she may herfelf imagine that her virtue will rife fuperior to the moft vigorous, or the most artful attacks, every deep inquirer into the female character will pronounce it to be in a tottering condition. In this condition Sophia's virtue certainly was, and after every conflict between her duty to her husband, and her inclination for the man who had fupplanted him, the latter gained ground upon the former. Medley had married Mifs Selwyn without any fortune at all, and had behaved to her with ur.common generofity; he was the more hurt at the declenfion of her affection to him. However, tho' he was greatly pained by the lofs of her love, he was ftill more fo when he began to suspect her of having injured his reputation. He was extremely unwilling indeed to believe that she had transferred her affec tions to another man: he was lefs willing to fuppofe that his moft_intimate friend was her feducer. Happening one day to come into a room unexpectedly, in which they were fitting tete-a-tete, he thought he observed in them both a confiderable embar raffment. Still he was inclined to attribute the furprise he discovered in their faces, to fomething which had paffed in their conversation, rather than to his abrupt appearance. He, therefore, took not the leaft notice of their being difconcerted at his entrance, but fell into chat upon general fubjects, with his accustomed vivacity and ease. From this time, however, his fufpicions made him vigilant; but his vigilance did not produce any proofs of an improper connection between his friend and his wife, stronger than those which they had exhibited. The truth is, they were from that time, as guarded as he was watchful, and by the addrefs with which they conducted their fubfequent meetings, eluded all his efforts to arrive at a full confirmation of his tormenting conjectures. For feveral months the address of Sophia and her new lover was attended with the wifhed-for fuccefs: but at laft the fufpicious hufband gained his point by the following ftratagem. Taking leave of his Sophia one morning, and telling her that he wa going out of town for a few days, he went to the house of the milliner whom fhe generally employed, and by th powerful operation of a bank note pre |