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moment of time, for thought is quick."

"That faculty, which is ufually called penetration, feems to depend altogether onfuch an intimate know ledge of human nature, as enables us accurately to diftinguish the affociations which influence the train of thought. It is, in fact, the art of filling up the blanks in converfation, and turning over readily a number of ideas which intervene, though not expreffed, and which are the feveral links of the chain in another perfon's mind. It is, as it were, transforming yourself into that other person, and thinking for fome time exactly the fame. Experience will render a man most adroit at this, as at all other exercises. A lively genius is neceffary in the obferver; fome aid may poffibly be derived from phyfiognomy; the general character of the fubject will affift in decyphering his thoughts; and the external manners and behaviour must be carefully noted.

"Similar to this, and connected with it, is the faculty of forefeeing, from the prefent thoughts and acons of men, what they will probably be in future. All our judgments of the future are formed by the recollection of the paft: on our knowledge of human nature, therefore, this power must depend.

Thefe faculties conftitute the truc fecond fight, which, as was imagined of the fabulous, brings

probably as great an addition to our pains as to our pleasures. It reveals to us a number of the distreffes of our fellow-creatures, which escape common eyes; and, I fear, it feldom difcovers evil till it is too late to remedy it.

"The remarks contained in this Effay will in fome measure account for many delicate embarraffments, which a nice obferver experiences in company. He pierces beyond the outward colouring. He fees vices, and confequences, which none but himself remarks. His heart bleeds, when every thing around him wears the face of joy. I have obferved fuch a perfon, at an entertainment, more penfive than those for whom he felt.

But

"These faculties of penetration and forefight will, perhaps, fometimes lead us into error; and, if fancy be but active, we may magnify a small discovery into fomething very extraordinary. whether they contribute or not to the happiness of the poffeffor, the good effects of them to fociety are not to be difputed, if in good hands : and the higher endowments of the mind I hope, and I believe, ufually are. In good hands, thefe faculties may prevent, if not all, a great deal of mifchief, by timely advice; and the evil they can do, in bad hands, is not equal to the good which they in other refpects produce."

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of forfeiting their honour, as an act of religion; but it was feldom practifed by the gay votaries of Epicu. rus, who esteemed life as being fruitful of happiness under almoit any circumstances.

"Our modern Epicureans, who have affiduoufly felected whatever was the worst in all the ancient fystems, have in this refpect deviated from the example of their founder; and fince to commit fuicide has been held contrary to religion, it is become fashionable with thefe confiftent reafoners to contend for its expediency. There is, however, little danger that their tenets on this fubject will ever rife into general eftimation. A few may amufe themselves indeed with fantallical fpeculations; but whatever counteracts the inftincts of nature will never be commonly practifed.

"Whether the love of life be an habitual paffion, refulting from the greater proportion of good than of evil in this ftate of existence; or whether it be an innate principle implanted in us at our firft creation; either way, felf-prefervation appears to be the ordinance of Providence. The advocates for natural religion agree, that we can only know the Creator's will by thofe general arrangements, which are called the laws of nature. Now by what means fhould we be proper judges, when it is lawful or expedient to difpenfe with them?

"But waving these higher fpe. culations, as well as thofe arguments founded on religious principles, which have fo fuccefsfully been urged against fuicide-if I can produce moral, and, ftill more, felfifh arguments against its expediency in any cafe, the difquifition will be more adapted to the notions and capacities of my antagonists.

"In the first place I would ob1785.

ferve, that however a momentary refolution may fortify the mind, however other motives may be predominant on fome particular occa fions, death is in reality the evil which is most generally dreaded, and is the prime caufe why other evils are accounted fuch. Who pities the difeafe that is not mortal? Tell a company, that their friend or neighbour is confined to his chamber by the gout in the extre mities; that he is not only disabled from helping himself, but fuffers the most excruciating torture in his fingers or his toes; the narrative will hardly chace a single fimile from the countenances of the auditors, or give birth to one ferious reflec tion. Tell this company, at another time, that the fame perfon is in the crisis of a fever, that he is deprived of fenfe, and that the fcene of life is expected immediately to clofe, and you may prefently obferve the difference between the fentiment or apprehention of pain and death. An apoplexy is an awful and alarming event; many local complaints will occafion treble the pain, and yet these neither excite our pity nor our apprehenfions.

"Most of the human paffions, even avarice and ambition, have been traced with equal truth and ingenuity into the love of life. The former is derived from the exceffive care of providing for our fubfiftence: the object of the latter is the admiration of others; and this admiration is coveted only because we can make it fubfervient to the obtaining of the means and the comforts of life. This is certainly the origin of ambition; though in the prefent ftate of fociety men are ambitious from cuftom and example.

"Poverty is dreaded, because it leads to death: it cannot be the mere pain of starving of which men

are

are apprehenfive; for many of the Romans adopted that mode, as one of the eafieft of putting an end to their existence: and there is nothing truly dishonourable in unmerited poverty. As to the lois f honours and dignities, it will admit of the fame folution. I fpeak of the first principles, of the spring of thefe paffions.

"If, therefore, the love of life, and the fear of loting it, be the caufe of most of our uneafinefs, the contradiction and falfe reafoning are manifeft, in flying for a remedy to the very evil which is the prime occafion of that mental agitation, which we unde go, and which we wifh to avoid.

"The viciffitudes of all fublunary things contradict the expediency of fuicide on any occafion. Revolutions as fudden as attonithing have taken place in the human conftitution, both with and without the aid of medicine; and experience affures us, that it is abfurd to defpair in any stage of a distemper. As to thofe evils and afflictions, which depend upon the capricioufnefs of the human mind, it must neceffarily be impoffible to anfwer for their duration. The deaths of Cato and of Brutus have been juftly cenfured as premature of the former, I remember lord Bolingbroke has fomewhere afferted, he thould have died at Munda, not at Utica. The trembling Claudius, after the aflaffination of his nephew, expecting immediate death, is accidentally difcovered by a common foldier, and, dragged by the feet from his hiding-place, is faluted emperor. Nor is the unfrequency of fuch events fufficient to warrant the abandoning of ourfelves to defpair.

Though Epicurus is faid by fome to have admitted of the expediency of fuicide on certain occa

fions, his arguments in favour of fortitude under pain and affliction make fo directly against it, that we muft either attribute the charge to the ignorance and mistake of thofe who have commented on his doctrines, or account it one of those contradictions and inconfiftencies too often apparent in the fytems produced by the unalfifted efforts of human reafon. The evils of life, fays this philofopher, are either bodily or mental. As bodily pain is certainly an evil, a wife man will endeavour to avoid it; but when he cannot, he will be careful not to magnify it by fancy or opinion. If pain be very intenfe, it muit prefently ceafe; if it continue long, habit will leffen its rigour; and feveral intervals will occur of eaie, if not of happiness: as he remarks, that most chronical distempers admit of a greater proportion of pleasure in life than of pain.

"If patience and fortitude can leffen and alleviate fo much of real corporal fuffering as we find they do, much more effectual will they prove in the evils of the mind, fince the greater part of thefe depend upon opinion. If our anxiety proceed from a fenfe of guilt, the true remedy is future virtue and penitence. But if, fays Epicurus, we are made unhappy by the lofs of external goods, it is our own fault that we over-rate their value. Wealth and dignities are mere cheats of the imagination; and even the lofs of friends, though it may lesien, it cannot destroy the fatisfaction of a wife man, whofe chief fource of pleafure is in himself; in the exercife of his faculties, the investigation of truth, and thofe fublimer occupations, which the lofs of externals cannot interrupt. In fine, fince a wife man ought to be informed of the uncertainty of all

fuch

ng their infufferable prefumption. With a peculiar refinement in malice, the first encouraged, and afterwards defeated, thofe amuting matrimonial projects, which the young and the beautiful are fo apt to entertain. The highest gratification which her ingenious malignity could devife, contified in torturing fome lovely inexperienced girl, by playing upon the tender paffions of an open and unfufpecting heart.

"Accident threw within her reach a moit tempting fubject for fuch fiend-like diverfion, in the perfon of Amelia Nevil, the daughter of a brave and accomplished officer, who, cloting a laborious and honourable life in very indigent circumstances, had left his unfortunate child to the care of his maiden fifter. The aunt of Amelia was fuch an old maid as might alo: e fuffice to refcue the fifterhood from ridicule and contempt. She had been attached, in her early days, to a gallant youth, who unhappily lot his own life in preferving that of his dear friend, her brother: the devoted herself to his memory with the most tender, unaffected, and invariable attachment; refuting feveral advantageous of fers of marriage, though her income was fo narrow, that neceffity obliged her to convert her whole fortune into an annuity, just before the calamitous event happened, which made her the only guardian of the poor Amelia. This lovely but unfortunate girl was turned of fourteen on the death of her father. She found, in the houfe of his fifter, the moft friendly afylum, and a relation, whofe heart and mind made her most able and will ing to form the character of this engaging orphan, who appeared to be as highly favoured by nature as

fhe was perfecuted by fortune. The
beauty of Amelia was fo ftriking,
and the charms of her lively un-
dertlanding began to difplay them
felves in fo enchanting a manner,
that her affectionate aunt could not
bear the idea of placing her in any
lower order of life: the gave her
the education of a gentlewoman,
in the flattering and generous hope
that her various attractions muft
fupply the abfolute want of for-
tune, and that the fhould enjoy the
delight of feeing her dear Anelia
fettled happily in marriage, before
her death expofed her lovely ward
to that poverty, which was her
only inheritance. Heaven difpofed
it otherwife. This amiable wo-
man, after having acted the part of
a moft affectionate parent to her in-
digent niece, died before Amelia
attained the age of twenty. The
poor girl was now apparently defli-
tute of every refource, and expofed
to penury, with a heart bleeding
for the lofs of a most indulgent
protector. A widow lady of her
acquaintance very kindly afforded
her a refuge in the first moments of
her diftrefs, and proposed to two of
her opulent friends, that Amelia
fhould relide with them by turns,
dividing her year between them,
and patling four months with each.
As foon as Mrs. Wormwood was
informed of this event, as the de-
lighted in thofe oftentatious acts of
apparent beneficence, which are
falfely called charity, fhe defired to
be admitted among the voluntary
guardians of the poor Amelia. To
this propofal all the parties affent-
ed, and it was fettled that Amelia
fhould pafs the last quarter of every
year, as long as the remained fingle,
under the roof of Mrs. Wornwood.
This lovely orphan had a fentibi-
lity of heart, which rendered her
extremely grateful for the protec

foner, as well as from the depofition of witneffes, that Don Juan had lived from his infancy in the family of a rich merchant at Lisbon, who carried on a confiderable trade and correfpondence in the Brazils. Don Juan being allowed to take this merchant's name, it was generally fuppofed that he was his natural fon; and a clandeftine affair of love having been carried on between him and the merchant's daughter, Jofepha, who was an only child, the became pregnant, and a medi. cine being administered to her by the hands of Don Juan, fhe died in a few hours after, with all the fymptoms of a perfon who had taken poifon. The mother of the young lady furvived her death but a few days; and the father threw himself into a convent of Mendicants, making over by deed of gift the whole of his property to the fuppofed murderer.

In this account there seemed a ftrange obfcurity of facts; for fome made ftrongly to the crimination of Don Juan, and the laft mentioned circumftance was of fo contradictory a nature, as to throw the whole into perplexity; and therefore to compel the prifoner to a farther elucidation of the cafe, it was thought proper to interrogate him by torture.

"Whilst this was preparing, Don Juan, without betraying the leaft alarm upon what was going forward, told his judges that it would fave them and himself fome trouble, if they would receive his confeffion upon certain points, to which he fhould truly fpeak, but beyond which all the tortures in the world could not force one fyllable. He faid that he was not the fon, as was fuppofed, of the merchant, with whom he lived, nor allied to the deceased Jofepha any

otherwife than by the tendereft ties of mutual affection and a promise of marriage, which, however, he acknowledged had not been folemnized: that he was the son of a gentleman of confiderable fortune in the Brazils, who left him an infant to the care of the merchant in question: that the merchant, for reasons best known to himself, chose to call him by his own name, and this being done in his infancy, he was taught to believe that he was an orphan youth, the fon of a di ftant relation of the perfon who adopted him. He begged his judges therefore to obferve, that he never understood Jofepha to be his fifter; that as to her being with child by him, he acknowledged it, and pray ed God forgiveness for an offence, which it had been his intention to repair by marrying her; that with refpect to the medicine, he certainly did give it to her with his own hands, for that she was fick in confequence of her pregnancy, and being afraid of creating alarm or fufpicion in her parents, had required him to order certain drugs from an apothecary, as if for himfelf, which he accordingly did; and he verily believed they were faithfully mixed, inafmuch as he ftood by the man whilft he prepared the medicine, and faw every ingredient separately put in.

"The judges thereupon afked him, if he would take it on his confcience to say, that the lady did not die by poifon. Don Juan, bursting into tears for the first time, answered, to his eternal forrow he knew that the did die by poifon.Was that poifon contained in the medicine he took? It was-Did he impute the crime of mixing the poifon in the medicine to the apothecary, or did he take it on himfelf? Neither the apothecary nor

himfelt

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