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Loth to lose the opportunity of fo good a match for one of them, would fain have endeavoured to turn the current of the gentleman's affe&tions to the youngest; but all efforts of that mature were wholly vain,-his reafon avowed the merits of the kinder fair,-it pointed out the lasting comforts he might enjoy with one who tende:Iv loved him; but his heart refufed to liften to any other dictates than its own, and fhut out all imprefions, but those it had at Erft received:-not all the difdain he was treated with by the one, had power to abate the ardour of his flame; nor all the foft though modeft tokens of an affection adequate to her fifter's hate, could in the other kindle the leaft fpark:- a kind look from the one had tranfported him beyond himself, but the tender glances of the other ferved only to add to his difquiet.

Thus did the beautiful insensible, her hapless fifter, and defpairing lover, unwillingly continue to torment each other, till one ill-fated day put a final period to all uncertainty and vain dependance.

The gentleman had lately bought a little pinnace, beautifully ornamented and fitted up for pleasure; to this be invited the two fifters, with several other ladies and gentle men, who lived near the fea-fide, in order to give them a regale on board. The weather being calm and clear when they fet out, tempted them to fail a confiderable diftance from fhore; when all at once the afpect of the heavens was changed, and from a moft ferene fky, became clouded and tempeftuous:

the wind grew every moment higher, and blew fo ftrong againft them, that in fpite of their intention they were borne ftill farther out to fea.

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there was but a moment between the accident and finking, every one was in the utmoft confternation, the circumftances admitted no time for confideration, jumped overboard, taking hold of thofe they were the moft anxious to preferve; —the gentleman catched the two fifters, one under each arm, and for a while, even thus encumbered, combated the waves; bur his ftrength failing, there was an absolute neceffity to quit his grasp of the one, in order to fave the other; on which, following the emotions of his gratitude rather than his love, he let go the elder of these ladies, and swam with the younger till he reached the fhore.

One of the failors, who had none under his protection, faw the diftrefs of her, whom her lover had left floating, and catched hold of her garments just as he was finking; but deftiny forbad fuccefs to his endeavours; a billow too large and boisterous for human skill or strength to cope with, came rolling over them both, and plunged this unfortunate lady, with her intended deliverer, in the immenfe abyfs.

Her lover, who had juft eafed himself of his burthen, beheld from hore what had befallen her, and not able to furvive the fhock, turned to the lady he had preferved at the expence of all he valued in life, and with a countenance full of horror and despair, faid to her, "Madam, I have difcharged my debt of gratitude to you for the unfought affection you have for me,-I must now obey the calls of love, and follow

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her, whom to outlive would be the worst of hells." With thefe words, they fay, he threw himself with the utmost violence among the waves, which immediately fwallowed him up.

The young lady had neither power nor time to utter any thing to pre

vent fo defperate a deed, and only giving a great thriek fell down in a fwoon; in which posture the was found by thofe, who feeing the dif trefs of the pinnace afar off, were coming to adminifter what relief the occafion would admit.

HISTORY of PALEMON and SY L VI A.

To the Authors of the BRITISH MAGAZINE.

GENTLEMEN,

Sylvia,

Ylvia, the daughter of an induftrious farmer, was born with all the beauty which nature could beftow; her air was greatly fuperior to her birth, and good nature fat fimiling on her countenance; he was the object of universal admiration, and the village fwains were always collected about the church-door to fee her pafs: happy he, and envied by all befides was the man on whom the fmiled as he went by.

At no great distance from Sylvia lived Palemon, who had been taken when he was young from his parents by a neighbouring gentleman, who, pleafed with the child's phyfiognomy, and having no off-fpring of his own, had determined to charge himfelf with his education, and fettle him very advantageously in the world. Unhappily for Palemon, in a few years after his patron died fuddenly, without having made any provifion for him in his will; by this event he was obliged to return to his father, after having spent thofe years at a school, where he had made fome little progrefs in the latin lan

guage.

His father, to whom he was an only child, died foon after he was of age, and left him in poffeffion of the

little he had acquired by feveral years induftry, which Palemon determined to increase by the fame arts it had been acquired. Sylvia's perfon had attracted his attention; he had danced with her at a wake, had prefented her with a ribbon, and had been flattered, by the fmiles fhe beftowed on him, to believe he was not indifferent to her. He found, ar feveral opportunities he enjoyed of mentioning his paffion, a hefitation and trembling, which always prevented him, and therefore determined to write her the following letter. "Dearest SYLVIA,

"I am but little acquainted with the language of love, however truly I feel its power, and have found my felf at a lofs to tell you that your charms have made a deep impreffion on my heart. You may, perhaps, be led to imagine, that this confeffion arifes from one of the momentary ftarts of paffion which beauty generally creates, and is only of a fhort duration; but believe me, Sylvia, notwithstanding your perfonal recommendations, 1 fhould never have follicited your love, if I had not ob ferved your difpofition to be equally amiable.

"You have it in your power, bylvia,

Sylvia, to make me the happieft of mankind. I tremble when I confider that your heart may be engaged, and I may become wretched without being able to accufe you of cruelty. I fhall come, my dearest maid, this evening to your house, and fhall then read my fate in thy eyes. Heaven grant they tell me that Sylvia shall be mine. I am, with the fincereft affection, your's, &c."

It will be neceffary only to fay, that Sylvia's eyes convinced the happy fwain that her heart was all his own, and that they were foon after united in the tender link. Sylvia could give to Palemon nothing but the most perfect love, and this her Palemon would have purchased with the wealth of Craefus if he had poffeffed it. They lived the envy of all around, and happy in each other, faw nothing in fuperior circumstances which deferved a wifh. Thus day fucceeded day 'till an accident of the most terrible nature happened, which reduced them from the ambition of their humble wishes to poverty and want.

By fome misfortune the farm took fire, the greatest part of his cattle were destroyed, the hay burnt, and all that Palemon could truly call his own was loft. At this melancholy feafon, the only ferenity he could find was in the prefence of his beloved Sylvia; her fmiles fecluded the thoughts of his misfortune, and taught him to acquiefce in his condition; his own understanding convinced him that honeft poverty was no difgrace, and that a reasonable man should never think himself unhappy whilft he has it in his power to be virtuous. Reflections of this kind, and the chearfulness which his Sylvia for ever wore before him, by degrees reconciled him to his cir

cumftances, and the morning which called him to the labours of the field, found them as happy as they had ever been. He went with content to that labour which fupported the woman he loved, and was repaid at his return by emanations of gratitude and affection from his Sylvia's eyes. He felt a pleasure when he faw her with their infant off-spring on her lap, which the fons of wealth might envy; and connubial felicity feemed to have fixed its refidence in their humble cottage. Health smiled upon their labours, and dispensed its bleffings with a liberal hand, whilst decent neatnefs appeared in every thing around them.

When they were thus reftored by the lenient power of time to ease and tranquillity, a meffage came one morning to Palemon, which fummoned him with the utmost hafte to a village at fome distance. He left his Sylvia with reluctance though but for a trifling fpace, and bad her be chearful in his absence, which should be as fhort as poffible.

When Palemon arrived at the place where the meffenger was to conduct him, he was shown into the chamber of a fick man, whom he foon difcovered to be a person who had once lived in the fame village with himfelf. "You fee here, faid he to Palemon, a man whom love has made as unhappy as a human creature can be. Sylvia, with whom you are happy, is the caufe of all my pain. I fought with honour, and the most earnest entreaties, her af fections, which I could never gain, and felt, when your hands were united, the fevereft pang. If you can form any idea of the distraction you yourself would have felt if Sylvia, inftead of yielding to your folicitations, had bleffed another with her love,

Peak fay

NCE.

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