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But to the charms of beauty, and the foreig aid of meretricious ornament, thefe gay feducer add, wreathed fimiles, nods, becks, fignificant geftures, gentle conferences, warm embraces, tender dalliance, finging, dancing, mufic, and other artificial allurements, in order to fteal away the heart from the dominion of REASON, and infpire it with this heroic paffion.

It was the sweet smiles of Galla that firft vanquished the heart of Fauftus the fhepherd. "The pleafing gentle smile of Hero," fays Mufæus, "made every heart leap from its sphere;" and " Ifmene," fays Petronius, "fmiled with such a lovely innocence that I could not but admire her."

Such Smiles as these can ne'er sweet Peace destroy, The lovely children of Content and Joy.

Smiles, indeed, are powerful orators, and may convey, though in filence, matters of great fignification to the heart. But they may also lead a lover into a fool's paradife; for there are many who, if they do but fee a fair maid laugh, or fhew a pleafant countenance, immediately fancy it a favour bestowed peculiarly on themfelves. A fmile' is unquestionably a most seducing and attractive grace. The breast of Horace was as much captivated by the charming fmiles of the beautiful Lalage, as by the vivacity and wit of her converfation. And Ovid informs us, that the fex are fo confcious of the powers of this dimpled deity, that they study smiles as the most efficacious inftruments in the art of love, Thefe inftruments, however, may still be innocently used: it is only the harlot fmiles of mischief and deceit, against which we now inveigh; thofe baleful, counterfeit, contrived, affected fmiles and counter-fmiles, which, while

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and fubtle art, into a mutual intercourfe of j gling and intrigue.

Those Smiles accurst, which hide the worst design Which with blithe eye the woos him to be blest, While round her arms she Love's black serpent twin And hurls it hissing at his youthful breast.

GESTURES alfo, when eafy, elegant, and m deft, are proper and allowable accompanimen of beauty, and tend greatly to the perfection the female character: for what can be more re commendatory than an elegant attitude, an eaf gait, a graceful courtefy, and an affable faluta tion: but when women, like the daughters o Sion, "are haughty, and walk forth with out"ftretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and "mincing as they go, and making a tinkling "with their feet;" it fhews that thefe geftures are mere fpringes to catch unwary woodcocks, and that they are ufed as artful delufions, unworthy of a virtuous mind. Such characters

Are empty of all good, wherein consists
Woman's domestic honour and chief praise;
Bred only and completed to the taste
Of lustful appetence, to sing, to dance,
To dress, to troll the tongue, and roll the eye.

CONFERENCE alfo, that " pleafing intercourse of foul, with foul," when confined to modeft, rational and inftructive converfation, ftrengthens the bonds of friendship, and opens the fairest avenues to nuptial love: but when difcourfe is romantic and inflaming,

When each soft whispers in the others ear,
Some secret sweet to tell, and sweet to hear,

it diforders the imagination, and, instead of engendering a pure affection of the heart, leads the mind into all the extravagancies of the Heroic Paffion. It was the frequent conferences which the learned Abelard held with the lovely Eloisa, upon the subject of Heroic Love, that at length inflamed their minds with thofe extravagant fentiments, and unhallowed defires, which terminated in their mutual ruin. A pleasing speech, uttered in a foft endearing tone of voice, is of itself sufficient to captivate the heart; but when affifted by the arts of eloquence, the Syrens themfelves are not more dangerous.

Sweet words the people and the senate move;
But the chief end of eloquence is love.

It was Jafon's discourse as much as his beauty that vanquished the virtue of Medea; and this was the engine by which the unhappy Shore subdued the heart of Edward the Fourth.

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OF LOVE MELANCHOLY.

But oh! ye fair, although with fervent sighs, Your plaintive lovers kneel, and vent their souls In softly swelling strains, let not these charms Dilate your tender hearts.

The opportunities, indeed, of conference are fo dangerous, that weak and unsuspecting maids are frequently deluded by young, pettivanted, trim-bearded, and fwaggering fellows, meer fharpers to get a fortune, who have no other merit than having learned the tricks of courtesy, and the fashionable accomplishments of the day.

Youths, who, full of subtle qualities,

Loving, and well compos'd with gifts of nature,
Flowing, and swelling o'er with arts and exercise,
Can heel the high la volt, and sweeten talk;
Can play at subtle games; and in each grace
Still keep a lurking, dumb, discursive devil,
That tempts most cunningly.

For conference may certainly be carried on without the use of words, not only by the arts above described, but by the ftill more powerful allurements of tender glances, gentle fighs, and fascinating fmiles, as the elegant Mufaus has exemplified in the loves of Leander and Hero.

Her beauties fix'd him in a wild amaze;
Love made him bold, and not afraid to gaze:
With step ambiguous, and affected air,

The youth advancing, fac'd the charming fair:

Each

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