our esteem. It is not the fuggeftion of our virtues which is confulted in the choice of our friends, but the depravity of our inclinations. Does a man drink a bottle more than the generality of our companions-good; that man is a very honeft tellow, and very proper to be fet down as a friend: does another tell a ftory, fing a fong, or fpend the fubftance of other people with an uncommon degree of fpirit-better and better; there can be no doubt of his worth; and we clap him in our heart's core, as Hamlet has it, in our heart of hearts: or has a third butchered his neighbour in fome fcandalous quarrel, arifing from the outrageous excels of midnight profligacy-heft of all; fuch a friend is ineftimable; an intimacy with him is not more flattering to our pride than agreeable to our wishes; we mention his he roifm upon every occafion; and in proportion to the clofenefs of our acquaintance, we conftantly claim a fhare in the luftre of his reputation.

In like manner, where we form a still nearer connection than friendship is capable of admitting, when we abfolutely look about for wives, by what falutary ftandard do we regulate our inclinations? Will not a tolerable face have more weight with us than the most exalted understanding? And will not a tolerable fortune appear of more confequence than the united recommendation of all the mental accomplishments? When thefe things are notoriously fo, what are we

SIR,

to expect but shame and difappointment, but mortification and regret? At a fituation like this, who are we to find fault with but ourselves? If we truft our property to the hands of a robber, can we expect it to be fafe? And if we lodge our confidence or our felicity in the bofoms of the worthlefs, what greater fecurity can we poffibly hope to find, ei ther for the prodigal depofit of our friendships, or the frantic repofe of our affections? Inftead, therefore, of quarrelling with the world for deceiving us fo often, we should acknowledge ourfelves obliged that we are not deceived ftill oftener. Our connections for the moft part are injudicious, and confequently thould be for the most part unfortunate; yet, for the honour of hu man nature be it mentioned, the world is not fo ready to deceive as we are to let it; nor are our acquaintance half fo much difpofed to be villains as we are difpofed to be fools. Let us not, therefore, because we ourfelves are profligate or ridiculous, impeach the integrity of other people. If we have a mind to be fortunate in our friendships, or happy in our loves, let us not form attachments according to the advice of our paffions, but according to the direction of our reafon; the wire and the virtuous are thofe which will stand the test of the clofeft examination; and thefe are the only people whom reafon will ever point out as entitled in the leaft to our esteem or our affection.

TO THE BABLER.

Make no doubt, Sir, but the

and though their epitaph at Lyons in France has been printed in our books of travels, yet their story at length is but

Aranthes was fon to the governor of one of the Mediterranean islands, and favoured with all the advantages of nature, fortune, and education. Afpafia was a Greek lady, beautiful beyond expreffion, and admired by all the youth of Athens, which was then the place of concourfe for all the polite of the Ro man empire.

Their mutual merit foon produced a mutual efteem; and this was after fome time converted into the molt ardent paffion. They both indulged the hopes of being happy in each other for life, when

Z

Aranthes

Aranthes returning home to obtain his father's confent, was taken by a pirate, fold into the internal parts of Africa, and there condenined to toil with the molt unremitting feverity.

In the mean time, Afpafia felt all that Jove and impatience could infpire; one year paffed away without hearing any news from her lover; another came, but ftill the fame filence: at length, an account arrived that Aranthes was no more; fo that Aspasia now lost her love in desperation.

Time, that obliterates every paffion, by degrees affuaged the pain which was felt by Alpalia; he was at laft brought to liften to new addreffes, and fo far prevailed upon by the admonitions of her parents, that the confented to go into France with an old merchant who defigned her for his fon, then in Africa, trading with the natives of that barbarous region. Her voyage was fuccefsful; and if her refined manners charmed the old man, the fon, who foon after returned, was not lefs enchanted.

A day was fixed for their nuptials; and as he was the most opulent man of the country, all the inhabitants came fucceffively to offer their congratulations; and in order to add still greater fplenflour to the folemnity, the young merchant who was to be bridegroom made her a prefent of fifty flaves, who were at that time just landed, and within half a day's journey to attend her.

As the prefence of fuch a number of flaves, it was thought, would add to the magnificence of the entertainment, they were led up to the merchant's palace, loaded with merchandizes, as was then the custom, and bending beneath their forrows and fatigue. Alpafia felt all that humanity can infpire upon the

T

fight of fuch diftrefs, while they paffed on fucceffively before her. But what could equal her emotions, when among the hindmoft of those unhappy wretches fhe beheld her own Aranthes, emaciated with labour and affliction, and with his eyes unalterably fixed upon the ground! She gave a loud convullive fhriek, and fell fenfelefs into the arms of her attendants. As her fituation naturally drew the eyes of all upon her, Aranthes faw once again the dear object of her earliest paffion, and flew with hafte to her afiftance. Their ftory, and his misfortunes, were foon made known to the company, and the young me chant, with peculiar generofity, refigned his mistress to the more early claim of Aranthes.

Were this story a novel, it would end with the greatest propriety in this place; but truth difagreeably lengthens the account; for one day fitting in a window of one of the apartments, happy in each other, and flushed with expectations of fill greater rapture, a youth, who with a bow had been shooting at birds in a neighbouring grove, drew it at random, and the arrow pierced both lovers at the fame time. Thus a life of misfortune was terminated by as unfortunate an end. They were both laid in the fame grave; and their epitaph ftill continues legible, though erc&ted near a thousand years, a monument at once both of the caprice of their fate, and of their mutual fidelity.

I fhall not make any addition to this ftory, Mr. Babler, by unneceffary obfervations: if the ftory itself is not worth the attention of your readers, it can receive no benefit from any remarks of mine; fo that I fhall trespass no longer on your patience than to affure you, with how much regard I am your conftant reader, and very humble fervant,

HE character of an author is what fuch numbers are ambitious of obtaining, that every day produces fome addition to the republic of letters, and fhows us a great many honet gentlemen who imagine that the publication of a book, let it be ever fo utelefs or defpi

cable, mu't rife t'em in the estimation of the world, as if the forest way to eftabath an idea of their understanding was

NARRATOR,

to prove themfelves triflers or fools. For my own part, great a partiality as I may feel for the productions of the prefs, I fet but a very fmall value on thole works which are not likely to be of fervice to foriety. The most ingenious treatife on the wing of a butterfly has but very little merit, in my opinion; and my ridicule is much more cafily moved where a man of real talents takes

an

an infinite deal of pains to prove fome hypothefis, which, when it is proved, does not fignify a fixpence to the world, than where I fee a writer fetting out to gain fome point which will be really advantageous to mankind, but failing, through an obvious want of abilities, in the attainment of his end.

There is, however, no part of literature in which men of genius are fo apt to trifle, or in which blockheads are fo apt to be infufferable, as in poetry. Who, for inftance, that reads Mr. Pope's Rape of the Lock, can forbear lamenting to find fo much sterling fancy and exquifite verfification thrown away upon a fubject which cannot poffibly be of the fmallest benefit to the reader? Perhaps, of all the pieces which this great man ever published, the Rape of the Lock is the most finished and poetical; yet, must it not grieve a confiderate mind to recollect that the Rape of the Lock is at beft but a glittering toy, an elevated gewgaw, merely capable of amufing the fancy, but no way calculated to enlarge the understanding? Mutt it not grieve a confiderate mind to fee thofe aftonishing abilities prodigally fquandered on fuch defpicable objects, when the choice of fubjects fuited to their natural dignity would have afforded the world a ftili greater degree of entertainment, and given it besides the moft ample and faJutary fources of inftruction?

It is a very abfurd opinion which a great many people adopt in regard to the end of poetiy. So it amules the fancy, they imagine it may neglect the heart; and fo it tickles the ear in an agreeable manner, they never once trouble themfelves about the effect which it is likely to have upon the understanding: thus they conclude, that the most exalted walk of all literature is to be the leaft ufeful to the world, and fet down men of inferior talents only as the proper inftructors of fociety. Abfurd as this opinion is, it has nevertheless a prodigious number of advocates; and the ge. nerality of our modern poets feem to be fo perfectly fatisfied of it's juftice, that one half of our compofitions are nothing more than elegies on linnets or blackbirds-defcriptions of a river or a meadow-verses to the fpring-and ballads about milliners giris and mautua makers apprentices.

Did these worthy gentlemen, however, confider, that poetry is to the full as capable of improving the mind as of amufing the imagination, perhaps they would endeavour to give us fome gleams of common fenfe in their productions. Did they confider, that the principal number of our celebrated poets, while they entertained us with the finest ebullitions of genius, have given us alfo the foundest leffons of morality; and did they confider, that the harmony of numbers is almoft entirely calculated to enforce the fentiments of virtue more strongly on our bofoms; they might be kindly led to mix a little reafon now and then with their rhyme, and induced to believe, that the moft polished verfification is but a poor apology for dullness and infipidity."

The herd of modern verfifiers unfortunately copy nothing but the defects of our celebrated writers. Instead of endeavouring to imitate the exalted flights of a Pope, they only follow him where he evidently defcends; and because he, or because other great men, like Scipio and Lælius, have employed themselves in fkimming fome little poetical pebbles on the furface of genius, they claim an everlasting privilege to trifle alfo, and run continually into their faults, without once fpiritedly attempting to reach the leaft of their perfections.

It is in reality furprising, when the main end of literature is to make mankind wifer and better, that the prefs is unceafingly teeming with productions which often want even the negative merit of having no harm to countenance the groffness of their itupidity. Whoever is defirous of being an author should always carefully attend to this material circumstance, the inftruction of his read er; he should judiciously confider with himilf, whether the publication which he is about to make is fuch as can either be ferviceable to the judgment or the heart; advantageous to the cause of good fenfe, or beneficial to the intereits of morality: uniefs it anfwers one of thefe ends, he never can promite himself either profit or reputation; and it will be much more for his credit to continue in his ufual ftate of obfcurity, than to call for the attention of the world to fhew himself a weak or a worthlefs member of the community.

make the most dangerous deviations from the laws of fociety and the principles of virtue, in a great measure owe their crimes to the very benevolence of their hearts; and that, in the midst of all their guilt, we find a dignity of foul which commands our highest admira

tion.

Frank Leefon was the fon of a country gentleman in Ireland, who poffeffed a little eftate of about three hundred pounds a year; but who, with that libe. rality of fentiment fo particularly the characteristic of his nation, gave into an hofpitality rather beyond the power of Kis circumstances, and in promoting the happiness of his friends, too frequently forgot a necessary attention to his own. The confequence may be eafily forefeen by the intelligent reader. Old Mr. Leefon was involved in perpetual difficulties, and was upon the eve of being thrown into prifon, when he was faved from a disgrace of that nature by the extraordinary piety of his fon. Frank, to a very excellent understanding, joined a very amiable perfon; on which account, a young lady with an independ ent fortune of 8000l. had long beheld him with a favourable eye: but Frank, being attached to another, whofe beauty and merit were her only recommenda tions, had hitherto declined to profit by this lady's partiality; however, when he faw there was no other method of saving an infirm father and mother from poverty and bondage, the force of his filial affection got the better of his love. He tore himself from the woman of his foul, and married the eight thousand pounds. With this money he paid off all the old gentleman's debts, and entered the world with a degree of reputation confiderably fuperior to the generality of his acquaintance.

As nothing could feparate Frank and his father, the old couple and the young lived for fome time in the most perfect ftate of harmony under the fame roof; and the feverity of their former fituation producing a neceffary regulation in their expences, they were every day rifing no lots in opulence than in felicity; when

expected misfortune left them, in

without fhelter and without bread. Old Mr. Leeton, finding his health very much impaired, and conceiving a difguit, moreover, at the part in which he refided, because his friends had not formerly been fo ready to affift him in his neceffities as he had reason to expect; refolved, with the concurrence of his fon, to difpofe of his estate, and to make an adequate purchase in the neighbourhood of Dublin, where he might have an opportunity of confulting the best phylicians, and establishing a more agreeable circle of acquaintance. Pursuant to this plan, he fold every acre he poffeffed; had the purchase-money home in bills; and was preparing to fet off for another part of the kingdom in a day or two, when an accidental fire reduced his habitation to an heap of afhes, deftroyed all his effects, and gave him fcarcely a moment more than was abfolutely neceffary for the prefervation of his family. Frank, whole whole property was alfo in bills, and packed up ready for the intended departure, loft all in the general calamity; and was obliged, together with his father, his mother, and his wife, to take refuge at a neighbouring gentleman's for a few days, till they were in a capa. city of reaching the metropolis; where Frank expected, from fome letters which he obtained to the lord lieutenant, to procure a little establishment either in the army or the public offices.

On the arrival of our unfortunate fa. mily in town, young Mr. Leefon applied himself induftriously to profit by his recommendations; but, alas! though he met with civility, he could obtain no relief. Every fresh application gave him nothing but freth occafion to lameat the miferable profpect before him; and while he was continually cheering every botom at home with the speedy expectation of halcyon days, he had no thing but defpair in his own. length, destruction became too evident to be concealed: his father, who was now confined to his bed, had been a whole day without futtenance; and young Mrs. Lecfon was every hour trembling, left the pains of parturiency thould oblige her to folicit the charitable affiftance of

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the