with one's lot in life; and it occafions many to look with the eye of innocent envy. To refolve more than ever, o fhun every public ftation and refponfibility of conduct. To be fatisfied with being mafter of one's felf, one's habits, now a fecond nature, and one's time. De termined not to fol cit, unless trampled upon by fo tune, to live and die in the harness of trade, or a pr feffion. To take care that p ty, huma ity is not here meant, does not find out one in the endurance of any calan ity. When pity is within call, contempt is not far off No to wish to have a greater hold of life, nor to quit that hold. The poffible tenure of existence is of too

fhort poffeffion for the long night that is to fucceed: therefore not a moment to be. lot. Not to lofe fight, even for a fingle day, of these good and proverbial doctors-diet ―merryman—and quiet. Refolve, to remember and to recommend, towards tranquillity and longevity, the three oral maxims of fir Hans Sloane-" Never to quarrel with one's felf one's wife or one's prince." Laftly, not to put one's felf too much in the power of the elements, thofe great enemies to the human frame; namely, the sun→ the wind-the rain-and the night air." MEMORY.

POETRY.

a perfon whofe name fhe might with the greatest fafety employ as the inftrument of her infidious defign, and with the greater chance of fuccefs, as the oblerved that Amelia had conceived for him a particular regard. Mr. Nelfon was a gentleman, who, having met with very fingular events, had contracted a great but very amiable fingularity of character. He was placed, early in life, in a very lucrative commercial fituation, and was on the point of fettling happily in marriage with a very beautiful young lady, when the houfe in which the refided was confumed by fire. Great part of her family, and among them the deftiued bride, was buried in the ruins. Mr. Nelfon, in lofing the object of his ardent affection by fo fudden a calamity, loft for fome time the use of his reafon; and when his health and fenfes returned, he fill continued under the oppreffion of the profoundest melancholy, till his fond devotion to the memory of her, whom he had loft in fo fevere a manner, fuggefted to his fancy a fingular plan of benevolence, in the profecution of which he recovered a great portion of his former fpirits. This plan confifted in fearching for female objects of charity, whofe diftreffes had been occafioned by fire. As his fortune was very ample, and his own private expences very moderate, he was able to relieve many unfortunate perfons in this condition; and his affectionate imagination delight ed itself with the idea, that in thefe uncommon acts of beneficence he was guided by the influence of that lovely angel, whofe mortal beauty had perifhed in the flames. Mr. Nelfon frequently vifited a married fitter, who was fettled in the town where Mrs. Wormwood refided. 1785.

There was alfo, in the fame town, an amiable elderly widow, for whom he had a particular efteem. This lady, whofe name was Melford, had been left in very scanty circumftances on the death of her hufband, and, refiding at that time in London, fhe had been involved in additional diftrefs by that calamity to which the attentive charity of Mr. Nelson was for ever directed: he more than repaired the lofs which the futtained by fire, and affifted in fettling her in the neighbourhood of his fifter. Mrs. Mclford had been intimate with the aunt of Amelia, and was ftill the mot valuable friend of that lovely orphan, who paid her frequent vifits, though the never refided under her roof. Mr. Nelfon had often feen Amelia at the house of Mrs. Melford, which led him to treat her with particular politeness whenever he visited Mrs. Wormwood; a circumstance on which the latter founded her ungenerous project. She perfectly knew all the fingular private history of Mr. Nelfon, and firmly believed, like all the rest of his acquaintance, that no attractions could ever tempt him to marry; but the thought it poffible to make Amelia conceive the hope that her beauty had melted his refolution; and nothing, the fuppofed, could more effectually mortify her guest than to find herself derided for fo vain an expectation.

"Mrs. Wormwood began, therefore, to infinuate, in the most artful manner, that Mr. Nelfon was very particular in his civilities to Amelia; magnified all his amiable qualities, and expreffed the greatest pleafure in the profpect of fo delightful a match. Thefe perty artifices, however, had no effect on the natural modesty and diffidence of Amelia. She faw nothing that

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authorised fuch an idea in the ufual politeness of a well-bred man of thirty feven; fhe pitied the misfortune, the admired the elegant and engaging, though ferious manners, and the revered the virtues, of Mr. Nelfon; but, fuppofing his mind to be entirely engroffed, as it really was, by his fingular charitable purfuits, fhe entertained not a thought of engaging his affection. Mrs. Worm wood was determined to play off her favourite engine of malignity, a counterfeited letter. She had acquired, in her youth, the very dangerous talent of forging any hand that the pleafed; and her paffion for mifchief had afforded her much practice in this treacherous art. Having previoufly, and fecretly, engaged Mr. Nelfon to drink tea with her, fhe wrote a billet to Amelia, in the name of that gentleman, and with the moft perfect imitation of his hand. The billet faid, that he defigned himself the pleasure of paffing that afternoon at the houfe of Mrs. Wormwood, and requested the favour of a private conference with Mifs Nevil in the courfe of the evening, intimating, in the most delicate and doubtful terms, an ardent defire of becoming her husband. Mrs. Wormwood contrived that Amelia fhould not receive this billet till just before dinner time, that he might not fhew it to her friend aud confidant, Mrs. Melford, and, by her means, detect its fallacy before the hour of her intended humiliation arrived.

"Amelia blushed in reading the note, and, in the first surprise of unfufpecting innocence, gave it to the vigilant Mrs. Wormwood, who burst into vehement expreffions of delight, congratulated her blufhing gueft on the full fuccefs of her charms, and triumphed in her own prophetic difcernment. They fat

down to dinner, but poor Amelia could hardly fwallow a morfel; her mind was in a tumultuous agitation of pleasure and amazement. The malicious impoftor, enjoying her confufion, allowed her no time to compofe her hurried fpirits in the folitude of her chamber. Some female vifitors arrived to tea; and, at length, Mr. Nelfon entered the room. Amelia trembled and blushed as he approached her; but she was a little relieved from her embarraffment by the business of the tea-table, over which the prefided. Amelia was naturally graceful in every thing fhe did, but the prefent agitation of her mind gave a temporary aukwardness to all her motions: fhe committed many little blunders in the management of the tea-table; a cup fell from her trembling hand, and was broken; but the politenefs of Mr. Nelfon led him to fay fo many kind and graceful things to her on these petty incidents, that, inftead of increafing her diftrefs, they produced an oppofite effect, and the tumult of her bofom gradually fubfided into a calm and compofed delight. She ventured to meet the eyes of Mr. Nelfon, and thought them expreffive of that tenderness which promifed a happy end to all her misfortunes. At the idea of exchanging mifery and dependence for comfort and honour, as the wife of fo amiable a man, her heart expanded with the most innocent and grateful joy. This appeared in her countenance, and gave fuch an exquifite radiance to all her features, that fhe looked a thousand times more beautiful than ever. Mrs. Wormwood faw this improvement of her charms, and, fickening at the fight, determined to reduce the fplendor of fuch infufferable beauty, and hastily terminate the tri

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