enthufiafm, that elevates hei foul, and fubdues evety irregular appetite. 7. Of the abfent she never talks but with circumspection, her female acquaintance efpecially. She has remarked, that what renders women prone to detraction, is talking of their own fex; and that they are more equitable with refpect to the men. Sophia therefore never talks of women, but to exprefs the good he knows of them: of others the fays nothing. 8. Without much knowledge of the world, he is attentive, obliging, and graceful in all the does. A good difpofition does much more for her than art does for others. She poffeffes a degree of politenefs which void of ceremony, proceeds from a defire to please and which confequently never fails to pleafe. CHAP. XII. MODESTY, DOUBT AND TENDER AFFECTION. 1. CAL ALISTA was young and beautiful, endowed with a great share of wit and folid fenfe. Agathocles, whof: age very little exceeded hers, was well made, brave and pru. dent. He had the good fortune to be introduced to Califta; where his looks, wandering indifferently over a numeroas circle, foon diftinguished and fixed upon her. 2. But recovering from the fhort ecftacy occasioned by the firit fight, he immediately reproached himfelf, as being guilty of rudeness to the reft of the company; a fault which he had endeavored to correct, by looking round on other objectsVain attempts! They were attracted by a powerful charma, and turned again towards Califta, He blufhed as well as the, while a fweet emotion, till then unfelt, produced a kind of fluttering in his heart, and confufion in his countenance. 3. They both become at the fame time more timid and more curious. He was pleafed with gazing at Califta, which he could not do without trembling; while Califta, fecretly fatif fied with this flattering preference, caft her eyes on him by ftealth. They were both under an apprehenfion, but especi ally Calita, of being caught by the other in the fact—and yet caught they were almost every moment. 4. The hour of feparation came, which to them appeared too fudden; melancholy were the reflections they made on, the rapidity of time. Imagination, however, did not permit the to be entirely abfent from each other; for the image of Califta was deeply engraved on the mind of Agathocles, and his features were frongly impreffed on that of Califta. They both appear. ed lefs cheerful the reft of the day. A lively fentiment, which they did not well comprehend themselves, entirely employed their minds, in fpite of every attempt to divert themselves. 5. Two days paffed without feeing one another again, and tho this interval of time had been filled up either by bufinefs or recreations, yet they both, notwithstanding, experienced a wea rinefs and diffatisfaction in their minds, for which they could no way account. But the moment which brot them together again, explained it to them: The perfect contentment they felt in each other's company, made them fenfible of the real fource of their melancholy. 6. Agathocles took more courage that day: He addreffed Califta in a moft obliging manner, and had the happinefs to converfe with her for the first time. As yet he had seen only her outward charms; but now he discovered the beauty of ker mind, the integrity of her heart, the dignity of her fen timents, and the delicacy of her wit; but what charmed him moft, was the opinion he conceived that he did not judge him unworthy of her efteem, 7. From this time he made her frequent vifite in every one of which he discovered fome new perfection in the fair Ca'ifta. This is the characteristic of true merit; it gains by being expofed to the eye of a judicious perfon. A man of fenfe will soon diflike a coquette, a fool or a giddy woman: But if he fall in love with a woman of merit, time, far from weakening, will only ftrengthen and augment his paffion. 3. The fixed inclination of Agathocles convinced him now, that what he felt for Califta, was love and that of a moft ten. der nature. This he knew ; but Califta did not as yet know it, or at leaf bad not learnt it from his lips. Love is timorous and diffident. A bold fuiter is not the real lover of the lady whom he addreffes; he feeks for nothing but pleasure. ; 9. Agathocles at laft refolved to open his heart to Califta but he did not do it in the affected language of a romantic paffion. "Lovely Califta," faid he ingeniously," it is not mere eflcem that binds me to you, but a moft paffionate and tender love. I feet that I cannot live without you: Can you, with. ut violence to your inclinations, confent to make me happy? I may love you without offence 'tis a tribute due to your merit: But may I flatter myfelf with the hopes of fome fmall return ?" 10. A coquette woull have aff. &ted to be difpleafed at fuch a declaration. But Calita not only listened to her lover without interrupting him, but aufwered him without ill nature, and gave him leave to hope. Nor did fhe put his conftancy to a tedious trial: The happinels for which he fighed was no longer delayed than was neceflary to prepare the ceremony. 11. The marriage fettlements were eality regulated betwixt the parties; for intereft was out of the question: The chief article confifted in the mutual exchange of hearts, which was a'ready fulfilled. What will be the lot of the new married couple? The happieft, I may venture to foretell, that mortals can enjoy upon earth. 12. No pleafures are comparable to thofe that effect the heart, and there are none, as I have obferved before, that af. fect it with fuch exquifit delight, as loving and being beloved. To this tender union we can never apply the words of Demo critus, that the pleasure of love is but a fhort epilipfy. He meant, without doubt, that mere fenfual pleasure, which had fo little in it of the nature of love, that a man may enjoy it without loving, and love without ever enjoying it. : 13. They will be conflant in their love. This I dare alfo to predict and I know the reafon. Their affection is not found. ed on the dazzling charms of beauty; they are both the friends of virtue; they love each other on this account. They will therefore continue to love as long as they are virtuous-and their union itself is a pledge of their perfeverance-for nothing fo mach fecures our continuance in the paths of virtue, as to have perpetually before our eyes the example of a perfon whom we love. 14. Nothing is capable of diflurbing their happinefs, but thofe difafters and misfortunes from which their love cannot Thelter them. But, fuppofing fuch a reverfe of fortune, would not their fate in this refpe&te common with that of the reft of mankind? Thofe who have never tafted the pleasures of love are not exempt from the like cafualties; and the lover is, at leaft, a gainer in regard to thofe pleafures, which conftitute no fmall part of the happiness of life. 15. Befides, even love itfelf, will greatly diminish the fenfe of their misfortunes. For love has the peculiar property of alleviating the fufferings of two fond hearts and of rendering their pleafures more exquifite. By this communication of diftrefs they feem do divide its weight: And on the contrary, by par ticipation, their fatisfaction is doubled. 16. As a fquadron of horse is with greater difficulty broken thro by the enemy, in proportion to its clofenes; fo the happy pair refift the attacks of adverfity with fo much the more frengi and fuccefs, as they are the more closely united. I. SORROW, PIETY, DEVOTION, FILIAL OBEDIENCE, Mhefe works have ince been read and admired by FORE than forty years ago, an English philofopher all Europe, refided at a little town it France. Some dilappoint. ments in his native country had first driven him abroad, and he was afterwards induced to remain there, from having found in his retreat, where the connections even of nation and language were avoided, a perfect feclufion and retirement, highly favor able to the developement of abftract fubjects, in which he ex. celled all the writers of his time. 2. Perhaps in the ftru&ure of fuch a mind, the finer and more delicate fenfibilities are feldom known to have place; or, if originally implanted there, are in a great measure extinguished by the exertions of intenfe ftudy and profound investigation. 3. Hence the idea that philofophy and unfeelingness are uni ted, has become proverbial, and in common language the for mer word is ofter ufed to exprefs the latter. Our philofopher has been cenfured by fome as deficient in warmth and feeling! but the mildness of his manners has been allowed by all; and it is certain that if he was not eafily melted into compaffion, it was, at least, not difficult to awaken his benevolence. 4. One morning, while he fat bufied in thofe fpecidations which afterwards aftonished the world, an old female domeftic, who ferved him for a houfe keeper, brought him word, that an elderly gentleman and his daughter had arrived in the village, the preceding evening, on their way to fome diftant country, and that the father had been fuddenly feized in the night with a dangerous diforder, which the people of the inn, where they lodged, feared would prove mortal. 5. That he had been fent for as having fome knowledge of medicine, the village furgeon being then abfent; and that it was truly piteous to fee the good old man, who feemed not fo much effected by his own diftrefs, as by that which it caufed to his daughter. 6. Her mafter laid afide the volume in his hand, and broke off the chain of ideas it had infpired. His night gown was ex changed for a coat, and he followed his governante to the fick man's apartment. It was the beft in the little inn where they lay, but a paltry one notwithstanding. Our philofopher was obliged to floop as he entered it. It was floored with earth, and above were the joifts not plaiftered, and hung with cobwebs. 7. On a flock bed at one end, lay the old man whom he came to vifit; at the foot of it fat his daughter. She was dreffed in a clean white bed gown; her dark locks hung loofe. ly over it as the bent forward, watching the languid looks of her father. The philofopher and his houfe keeper had tool fome moments in the room, without the young lady's being fenfible of their entering it. 8. Mademoiselle ! faid the old woman at laft, in a soft tone. She turned and showed one of the finett faces in the world. It was touched, not fpoiled with forrow; and fhe perceived a franger, whom the old waman now introduced to ber; a blush at first, and then the gentle ceremonial of native politeness, which the affliction of the time tempered, but did not extinguifh, croffed it for a moment, and changed its expreffion. It was sweetness all, however, and our philofopher felt it strongly. 9. It was not a time for words; he offered his fervice in a few fincere ones. "Monteur lies miferably ill here," faid the governante; "if he could poffibly be moved any where," "If he could be moved to our houfe," faid her maller. He had a fpare bed for a friend and there was a great room, unoccupied, next to the governate's. It was contrived accordingly. 10. The fcruples of the ftranger, who could look fcruples, though he could not speak them, were overcome, and the bathful reluctance of his daughter gave way to her belief of its use to her father. The fick man was wrapped in blankets and carried across the ftreet to the English gentleman's. The old woman helped the daughter to nurse him there. The furgeon, who arrived foon after, prescribed a little, and nature did much for him; in a week he was able to thank his benefactor. 11. By that time his hoft had learned the name and charact er of his gueft. He was a proteftant, and clergyman of Swit zerland, called La Roche, a widower,, who had lately buried his wife, after a long and lingering illness, for which travelling had been preferibed; and was now returning home after an ineffectual journey, with his only child, the daughter we have mentioned. 12. He was a devout man, as became his profeffion. He poffeffed devotion in all its warmth, but with none of its afperity, I mean that afperity which men, who are called devout, fome times indulge. The philofopher, though he felt no devotion, never quarrelled with it in others. His governante joined the |