Happy Man. parks beautified with the finest lawns, and most extensive prospects, stretched themselves around him; ample estates were in his possession, sufficient to supply every necessity, and sufficient for the calls of magnificence, liberality, and charity; and Heaven had blessed him with a mind capacious of the largest enjoyments, with sense equal to the most elegant refinement. Happy peculiarity-Heaven had blessed him too with a bride, whose virtuous endearments were themselves sufficient to have constituted perfect bliss ; and in whose love scarce a man exists, who would not have thought himself amply crowned with his heart's full content. Ah, wretched ALTAMONT !-the want of that Christian virtue, which alone will felicitate, robbed thee of the enjoyment of all these blessings, and brought thee in early youth to a despairing death; thy soul undone, thy fortune ruined, thy wife broken-hearted, and thy orphans beggared! ah, vain and worthless nobility! what availed to thy miserable remains, the nodding plumes and the escutcheoned hearse, with all the pomp of funeral solemnity! Here thou liest mouldering in the velvet clad coffin; and I, Nobility-Countess of so much beneath thee in station, can weep thy sad fate, and commiserate thee, thou fallen son of greatness! Oh, ye nobles of the earth, consider and be wise! Nobility without virtue, is but a polished shaft, more quick and keen to destroy: adorned with Christian faith, it is a coronet of gold, graceful and honourable to the brow; it will dignify you in time, and add honour to your greatest honours in eternity. So thought the incomparable lady, whose sad relics I view with joy, and am transported to find in this doleful vault an inscription like the following, over her honoured remains. Let us peruse it, and leave it to our reader's reflections. "Here rests the body of MARY, countess of &c.—who departed this life, &c. whom it were unpardonable to lay down in silence, and of whom it is difficult to speak with justice; for her just character will look like flattery, and the least abatement of it is an injury to her memory. In every condition of life she was a pattern to her sex; appeared mistress of those peculiar qualities, which were requisite to conduct her Countess of through it with honour, and never failed to exert them in their proper seasons, to the utmost advantage. She was modest without affectation, easy without levity, and reserved without pride;-knew how to stoop without sinking, and to gain people's affections without lessening their regard. She was careful without anxiety, frugal without parsimony; not at all fond of the superfluous trappings of greatness, yet abridged herself of nothing which her quality required. She was a faithful member of the church of England. Her piety was exemplary, her charity universal. She found herself a widow in the beginning of her life, when the temptations of honour, beauty, youth, and pleasure were in their full strength; yet she made them all give way to the interest of her family, and betook herself entirely to the matron's part. The education of her children engrossed all her care: no charge was spared in the cultivation of their minds, nor any pains in the improvement of their fortunes. Countess of In a word, she was truly wise-truly honourable-and truly good. More can scarce be said; and yet he who said this, knew her well, and is well assured, that he has said nothing which either veracity or modesty should oblige him to suppress.” * *The reader may be assured of the strict truth of what is here delivered, as this character was penned by that excellent prelate Dr. Hough, formerly bishop of Worcester. Monuments. CHAPTER XIV. Why all this toil for triumphs of an hour? YOUNG. FROM the vault where rest the precious remains of the great and noble, I ascended into the church, and was immediately led to that part of the sacred edifice, which is dedicated to the memory of these illustrious personages. What superb monuments! what elaborate declarations! what pompous inscriptions! what high-sounding epitaphs! One would imagine from a perusal of these, that all the sons and daughters of this noble house, like those mentioned in another sacred |