ing my future ruin. In every company I found myself addreffed in a warmer train of paffion than other ladies who were fuperior in point of rank and beauty; and this I imputed to an excess of refpect, which in reality proceeded from very different mo⚫tives.

Among the number of fuch as paid me their addreffes, was a gentleman, ⚫ a friend of my father, rather in the decline of life, with nothing remarkable, either in his perfon or addrefs, to ⚫ recommend him. His age, which was about forty, his fortune, which was moderate, and barely fufficient to fupport him, served to throw me off my guard; fo that I confidered him as the only fincere admirer I had.

Defigning lovers, in the decline of life, are ever moft dangerous. Skilled in all the weakneffes of the fex, they feize each favourable opportunity; and by having lefs paffion than youthful admirers, have lefs real refpect, and therefore lefs timidity. This infidious wretch used a thoufand arts to fucceed in his base designs; all which I faw, but imputed to different views, because I thought it abfurd to believe the real motives.

As he continued to frequent my father's, the friendship between them ⚫ became every day greater; and at last, ⚫ from the intimacy with which he was ⚫ received, I was taught to look upon him as a guardian and a friend. Though I never loved, yet I efteemed him; and this was enough to make me wish for an union, for which he feemed defirous, but to which he feigned several delays; while, in the mean time, from a falfe report of our being married, every other admirer ⚫ forfook me.

I was at laft, however, awakened from the delufion, by an account of his being just married to another young lady with a confiderable fortune. This was no great mortification to me, as I had always regarded him merely from prudential motives; but it had a very different effect upon my father, who, rash and paffionate by nature, and, befides, ftimulated by a miftaken ⚫ notion of military honour, upbraided his friend in fuch terms, that a challenge was foon given and accepted.

It was about midnight, when I was awakened by a meflage from my fa

ther, who defired to fee me that moment. I rofe with fome furprize; and following the meffenger, attended only by another fervant, came to a field not far from the house, where I found him, the affertor of my honour, my only friend and fupporter, the tutor and companion of my youth, lying on one fide covered over with blood, and just expiring. No tears streamed 'down my cheeks, nor figh escaped from my breaft, at an object of fuch terror. I fat down, and fupporting his aged head in my lap, gazed upon the ghaftly vifage with an agony more poignant even than despairing madness. The ⚫ fervants were gone for more affiftance. In this gloomy ftillness of the night, no founds were heard but his agonizing refpirations; no object was prefented but his wounds, which ftill continued to ftream. With filent anguish I hung over his dear face, and with my hands ftrove to ftop the blood as it flowed from his wounds; he feemed at firft infenfible; but at last, turning his dying eyes upon me→→ "My dear, dear child!" cried he; "dear, though you have forgotten your 66 own honour, and ftained mine, I will yet forgive you; by abandoning vir

TH HE news of your freedom lifts the

load of former anxiety from my mind; I can now think of my fon with out regret, applaud his refignation under calamities, and his conduct in extricating himself from thein..

You are now free, just let loofe from the bondage of an hard mafter.' This is the crifis of your fate; and, as you now manage fortune, fucceeding life will be marked with happiness or mifery; a few years perfeverance in prudence, which at your age is but another name for virtue, will enfure comfort, pleafure, tranquillity, efteem; too eager an enjoyment of every good that now offers, will reverfe the medal, and prefent you with poverty, anxiety, remorse, contempt.

As it has been obferved that none are better qualified to give others advice, than those who have taken the leaft of it themselves; fo, in this refpect, I find myfelf perfectly authorized to offer mine,, even though I fhould wave my paternal, authority upon this occafion.

The moft ufual way among young men who have no refolution of their own, is first to afk one friend's advice, and follow it for fome time; then to ask advice of another, and turn to that; fo of a third, ftill unfteady, always changing. However, be affured that every change of this nature is for the worfe: people may tell you of your being unfit for fome peculiar occupations in life; but heed them not; whatever employment you follow with perfeverance and affiduity, will be found fit for it will be your fupport in youth, and comfort in age. In learning the useful part of every profeffion, very moderate abilities will fuffice; even if the mind be a little balanced with ftupidity, it may in this cafe be useful. Great abilities have always been lefs ferviceable to the poffeffors than moderate ones. Life has been compared to a race; but the allufion ftill improves, by obferving, that the moft swift are ever the leaft manage. able.

you;

To know one profeffion only, is

enough for one man to know; and this (whatever the profeffors may tell you to the contrary) is foon learned. Be contented therefore with one good employment; for if you understand two at a time, people will give you business in neither.

A conjurer and a taylor once happened to converfe together. Alas," cries the taylor, what an unhappy poor creature am I! If people fhould ever take it in their heads to live without cloaths, I am undone; I have no other trade to have recourfe to.'-' Indeed, friend, I pity you fincerely,' replies. the conjurer; but, thank Heaven, things are not quite fo bad with me; for if one trick fhould fail, I have a hundred tricks for them yet. However, if at any time you are reduced to beggary, apply to me, and I will relieve you.' A famine overfpread the land; the taylor made a fhift to live, becaufe his cuftomers could not be without cloaths; but the poor conjurer, with all his hundred tricks, could find none that had money to throw away: it was in vain that he promised to eat fire, or to vomit pins; no fingle creature would relieve him, till at last he was obliged to beg from the very taylor whofe calling he had formerly defpifed.

There are no obstructions more fatal to fortune than pride and refentment. If you muft refent injuries at all, at least fupprefs your indignation until you become rich, and then fhew away: the resentment of a poor man is like the efforts of a harmless infect to fing; it may get him crushed, but cannot defend him. Who values that anger which is confumed only in empty menaces?

Once upon a time a goofe fed it's young by a pond fide; and a goose, in fuch circumftances, is always extremely proud, and exceffively punctilious. If any other animal, without the least defign to offend, happened to pass that way, the goofe was immediately at him. The pond, the faid, was hers, and the would maintain a right in it, and fuppart her honour, while he had a bill

themselves, but to soften ours. Their tenderness is the proper reward for the dangers we undergo for their prefervation; and the eafe and chearfulness of their converfation, our defirable retreat from the fatigues of intense application. They are confined within the narrow limits of domeftic affiduity; and when they ftray beyond them, they move beyond their Sphere, and confequently without grace.

Fame, therefore, has been very unjustly difpenfed among the female fex. Thofe who leaft deserved to be remembered, meet our admiration and applause; while many, who have been an honour to humanity, are paffed over in filence. Perhaps no age has produced a stronger inftance of mifplaced fame than the prefent: the Semiramis and the Thaleftris of antiquity are talked of, while a modern character, infinitely greater than either, is unnoticed and unknown.

CATHERINA Alexowna, born near Derpat, a little city in Livonia, was heir to no other inheritance than the virtues and frugality of her parents. Her father being dead, the lived with her aged mother, in their cottage covered with straw; and both, though very poor, were very contented. Here, retired from the gaze of the world, by the labour of her hands the fupported her parent, who was now incapable of fupporting herself. While Catherina fpun, the old woman would st by, and read some book of devotion; thus, when the fatigues of the day were over, both would fit down contentedly by their fire-fide, and enjoy the frugal meal with vacant fetti vity.

Though her face and perfon were models of perfection, yet her whole attention feemed beftowed upon her mind; her mother taught her to read, and an old Lutheran minister inftructed her in the maxims and duties of religion. Nature had furnished her not only with a ready but a folid turn of thought; not only with a ftrong but a right under ftanding. Such truly female accomplifhments procured her feveral folicita tions of marriage from the peasants of the country; but their offers were refufed; for the loved her mother too tenderly to think of a feparation.

Catherina was fifteen when her mo

ther died; the now therefore left her cottage, and went to live with the Lutheran minifter, by whom the had been inftructed from her childhood. In his houfe fhe refided, in quality of governess to his children; at once reconciling in her character unerring prudence with furprizing vivacity.

The old man, who regarded her as one of his own children, had her infructed in dancing and mufic, by the mafters who attended the rest of his family: thus the continued to improve, till he died; by which accident the was once more reduced to priftine poverty. The country of Livonia was at this time wafted by war, and lay in a most miferable ftate of defolation. Thofe calamities are ever moft heavy upon the poor; wherefore Catherina, though poffeffed of fo many accomplishments, experienced all the miferies of hopeless indigence. Provifions becoming every day more fcarce, and her private stock being entirely exhaufted, the refolved at last to travel to Marienburgh, a city of greater plenty.

With her feanty wardrobe, packed up in a wallet, the fet out on her journey on foot: fhe was to walk through region miferable by nature, but rendered ftill more hideous by the Swedes and Ruffians, who, as each happened to become matters, plundered it at difcretion: but hunger had taught her to defpife the dangers and fatigues of the way.

One evening, upon her journey, as fhe had entered a cottage by the way fide, to take up her lodging for the night, the was infulted by two Swedish, foldiers, who infifted upon qualifying her, as they termed it, to follow the

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