from the lady, and embracing it with tears in his eyes..... Heaven help thee indeed! says he......' but if thou art destitute of all other friends, I will be a friend to thee! Pray, Madam, will it not be impertinent to inquire more particularly into the circumstances of the lady's situation?' She is now in my house, Sir,' says she, and will inform you herself." On this she rung a bell, when Maria, dressed in deep mourning, entered, and, rushing across the room, threw herself at her father's feet. With a voice choked in tears she could only say...... Forgive me, Sir! forgive me.' He remained a while in suspense, looking first at his daughter, then at the child......at length the tears began to flow; and catching Maria in his arms......' I do forgive thee, my poor child!' says he, 'from my soul I do; all that is past shall be forgotten...this little angel

makes amends for all.'

This sudden stroke of felicity was too much for Maria, who fainted in her father's arms. A scene of tender confusion ensued, which however soon terminated in transports of affection and gratitude; and the lady whose benevolent ingenuity had brought about the happy event, received the most heart-felt satisfaction from her

success.

GRATITUDE.

AN ANECDOTE.

A Parson Patten, of Whitstable, was well known in his own neighbourhood as a man of great oddity, great humour, and equally great extravagance. Once standing in need of a new wig, his old one defying all farther assistance of art, he went over to Canterbury and applied to a barber, young in business, to make him one. The tradesman, who was just going to dinner, begged the honour of his new customer's company at his meal,. to which Patten most readily consented. After dinner a large bowl of punch was produced, and the reverend guest, with equal readiness joined in its demolition. When it was out, the barber was proceeding to business, and began to handle his measure, when Mr. Patten desired him to desist, saying, positively, he should not make his wig. Why not!' exclaimed the astonished host, have I done any thing to offend you, Sir?' Not in the least,' replied guest, 'but I find you are a very honest, good natured fellow, so I will take somebody else in. Had you made it, you would never have been paid for it.'

the

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PROSPERITY AND ADVERSITY.

AN ALLEGORY.

DUNCOMBE.

ROSPERITY and Adversity, the daughters of Providence, were

whose residence was at Tyre, the capital city of that kingdom. Prosperity, the eldest, was beautiful as the morning, and cheerful as the spring; but Adversity was sorrowful and ill-favoured.

Velasco had two sons, Felix, and Uranio. They were both bred to commerce, though liberally educated, and had lived together from their infancy in the strictest harmony and friendship. They at length both became enamoured with the beauties of Prosperity; but she avowed a resolution never to marry, unless her sister, from whom she said it was impossible for her to be long separated, was married at the same time.

Velasco obliged them, by his authority, to decide their pretensions by lots; each previously engaging in a solemn oath to marry the nymph that should fall to his share. The lots were accordingly drawn, and Prosperity became the wife of Felix, and Adversity of Uranio.

Soon after the celebration of these nuptials, Velasco died, having bequeathed to his eldest son, Felix, the house wherein he dwelt, together with the greatest part of his large fortune and effects.

The husband of Prosperity was so transported with the gay disposition and enchanting beauties of his bride, that he clothed her in gold and silver, and adorned her with jewels of inestimable value. He built a palace for her in the wood; he turned rivers into his gardens, and beautified their banks with temples and pavilions. He entertained at his table the nobles of the land, delighting their ears with music, and their eyes with magnificence; but his kindred he beheld as strangers, and the companions of his youth passed by him unregarded. His brother also became hateful in his sight, and in process of time he ordered the doors of his house to be shut against him.

But as the stream flows from its channel, and loses itself among the vallies, unless confined by banks; so also will the current of fortune be

dissipated, unless bounded by economy. In a few years, the estate of Felix was wasted by extravagance, his merchandise failed him by neglect, and his effects were seized by the merciless hands of creditors. He applied himself for support to the nobles and great men whom he had feasted and made presents to, but his voice was as the voice of a stranger, and they remembered not his face. The friends whom he had neglected derided him in their turns; his wife also insulted him, and turned her back upon him and fled. Yet was his heart so bewitched with her sorceries, that he pursued her with entreaties, till by her haste to abandon him, her mask fell off, and discovered to him, a face as withered and deformed, as before it had appeared youthful and engaging.

What became of him afterwards, tradition does not relate with certainty. It is believed that he fled into Egypt, and lived precariously on the scanty benevolence of a few friends who had not totally deserted him, and that he died, in a short time, wretched and an exile.

Let us now return to Uranio, who, as we have already observed, had been driven out of doors by his brother Felix. Adversity, though hateful to his heart, and a spectre to his eyes, was the constant attendant upon his steps: and to aggravate his sorrow, he received certain intelligence that his richest vessel was taken by a Sardinian pirate; that another was lost upon the Lybian coast; and, to complete all, that the banker with whom the greatest part of his ready money was entrusted, had deserted his creditors, and retired into Sicily. Collecting therefore the small remains of his fortune, he bid adieu to Tyre; and led by Adversity through unfrequented roads, and forests overgrown with thickets, he came at last to a small village at the foot of a mountain. Here they took up their abode for some time; and Adversity, in return for all the anxiety he had suffered, softening the severity of her looks, administered to him the most faithful counsel, weaning his heart from the immoderate love of earthly things, and teaching him to revere the Gods, and to place his whole trust and happiness in their government and protection. She humanized his soul, made him modest and humble, taught him to compassionate the distresses of his fellow-creatures, and inclined him to relieve them.

I am sent,' said she, by the Gods to those alone whom they love; for I not only train them up by my severe discipline to future glory, but also prepare them to receive with a greater relish all such moderate enjoyments, as are not inconsistent with this probationary state. As the spider, when assailed, seeks shelter in its inmost web, so the mind, which I afflict, contracts its wandering thoughts, and flies for happiness to itself......It was I who raised the characters of Cato, Socrates and Timoleon, to so divine a height, and set them up as guides and examples to every future age. Prosperity, my smiling but treacherous sister, too frequently delivers those whom she has seduced, to be scourged by her cruel followers, Anguish and Despair; while Adversity never fails to lead those who will be instructed by her, to the blissful habitations of Tranquillity and Content.'

Uranio listened to her words with great attention; and as he looked earnestly on her face, the deformity of it seemed insensibly to decrease. By gentle degrees his aversion to her abated, and, at last, he gave himself wholly up to her counsel and direction. She would often repeat to

him the wise maxim of the philosopher, That those who want the fewest things, approach nearest to the Gods, who want nothing." She admonished him to turn his eyes to the many thousands beneath him, instead of gazing on the few who live in pomp and splendour; and in his addresses to the Gods, instead of asking for riches and popularity, to pray for a virtuous mind, a quiet state, an unblameable life, and a death full of good hopes.

Finding him to be every day more and more composed and resigned, though neither enamoured of her face, nor delighted with her society, she at last addressed him in the following manner:

As gold is purged and refined from dross by the fire, so is Adversity sent by Providence, to try and improve the virtue of mortals. The end obtained my task is finished; and I now leave you, to go and give an account of my charge. Your brother, whose lot was Prosperity, and whose condition you so much envied, after having experienced the error of his choice, is at last released by death from the most wretched of lives. Happy has it been for Uranio, that his lot was Adversity, whom if he remembers as he ought, his life will be honourable, and his death happy."

As she pronounced these words, she vanished from his sight. But though her features at that moment, instead of inspiring their usual horror, seemed to display a kind of languishing beauty, yet, as Uranio, in spite of his utmost efforts, could never prevail upon himself to love her, he neither regretted her departure, nor wished for her return. But though he rejoiced in her absence, he treasured up her counsels in his heart, and grew happy by the practice of them.

He afterwards betook himself again to merchandise; and having in a short time acquired a competency sufficient for the real enjoyments of life, he retreated to a little farm, which he had bought for that purpose, and where he determined to continue the remainder of his days. Here he employed his time in planting, gardening, and husbandry, in quelling all disorderly passions, and in forming his mind by the lessons of Adversity......He took a great delight in a little cell, or hermitage, in his garden, which stood under a turf of trees, encompassed with eglantines and honey-suckles. Adjoining to it was a cold bath, formed by a spring issuing from a rock, and over the door was written, in large characters, the following inscription:

Beneath this moss-grown roof, within this cell,
Truth, Liberty, Content, and Virtue dwell.
Say you, who dare this happy place disdain,
What splendid palace boasts so fair a train?

He lived to a good old age, and died honoured and lamented.

THE hurricane was howling, the hailstones beating against the

Twindows, the hoarse croaking of the raven bidding adieu to

autumn, and the weather-cock's dismal creaking joined with the mournful dirge of the solitary owl, when Kaffman and Walfred, who had been united by the strongest bonds of friendship from their youthful days, were seated by the chearing fire side, hailing the approach of winter.

The gloominess of the weather gave their conversation a serious turn: They began to discourse on the calamities of war, of the dangers they had undergone, and of many distresses and sufferings they had experienced in the earlier part of their lives; as night advanced the tempest grew more serious, the flame in the chimney was wafted to and fro, and began to die away by degrees.

6

Brother,' now said Walfred, who meanwhile had been filling his pipe, brother dost thou believe in apparitions? Dost thou believe in spirits?"

Kaffman smiling shook his head.

I also,' thus Walfred went on, ' do not believe in apparitions; yet, when travelling through Germany, I have met with adventures which I still am unable to unriddle.'

Kaffman pricked up his ears, awaiting in dumb expectation the narrative of his friend's wondrous adventures: Walfred kept him not long in suspence, and began as follows:

The great fair was just beginning, when I arrived at F, the bustle of the buyers and venders, the meeting with a number of dear friends, and the many different amusements, promised to afford me a great deal of pleasure, and I resolved to stay a few weeks at that

town.

The inn where I had taken lodgings was crowded with travellers; an aged hoary man amongst them was particularly noticed by every one, on account of his remarkable appearance: His looks were reverend, his dress, though very plain, was costly; he appeared to be a rich nobleman, and occupied the best apartments: A coach and six, with four servants richly dressed, carried him frequently out; he was seen at all the public places, was present at all amusements, yet, what raised my curiosity, he was constantly alone, and in profound meditation. I often remarked, that wherever he was, he did not take the least notice of what was doing around him, and, as a prey to grief and inward suf