searching, he was found, and brought before his majesty. The curiosity of this monarch had been long excited by the accounts he had heard of the bottom of the gulf of Charybdis; he, therefore, conceived that it would be a proper opportunity to have more certain information, and commanded our poor diver to examine the bottom of this dreadful whirlpool; and, as an incitement to his obedience, he ordered a golden cup to be flung into it. Nicholas was not insensible of the dangers to which he was exposed,—dangers best known only to himself; and he therefore presumed to remonstrate: but the hopes of the reward, the desire of pleasing the king, and the pleasure of showing his skill, at last prevailed. He instantly jumped into the gulf, and was immediately swallowed up in its bosom. He continued for three quarters of an hour below, during which time the king and his attendants remained on shore, anxious for his fate; but he at last appeared upon the surface, holding the cup triumphantly in one hand, and making his way good upon the waves with the other. It may be supposed he was received with applause upon his arrival on shore; the cup was made the reward of his adventure: the king ordered him to be taken proper care of; and, as he was somewhat fatigued and debilitated by his labor, after a hearty meal he was put to bed, and was permitted to refresh himself by sleeping. - When his spirits were thus restored, he was again brought, to satisfy the king's curiosity with a narrative of the wonders he had seen; and his account was to the following effect: He would never, he said, have obeyed the king's commands, had he been apprised of half the dangers that were before him. There were four things, he observed, that rendered the gulf dreadful, not only to men, but to fishes themselves :first, the force of the water, bursting up from the bottom, which requires great strength to resist: secondly, the abruptness of the rocks that, on every side threaten destruction: thirdly, the force of the whirlpool dashing against those rocks; and fourthly, the number and magnitude of the polypus fish, some of which appeared as large as a man, and which, every where sticking against the rocks, projected their fibrous arms to entangle him. Being asked how he was able so readily to find the cup that had been thrown in; he replied, that it happened to be flung by the waves into the cavity of a rock, against which he himself was urged in his descent. This account, however, not satisfying the king's curiosity, he was requested to venture once more into the gulf for further discoveries he at first refused; but the king, desirous of having the most exact information possible of all things to be found in the gulf, repeated his solicitations, and, to give them still greater weight, produced a larger cup than the former, and added also a cup of gold. Upon these considerations, the unfortunate Pessacola once apain plunged into the whirlpool, -and was never heard of more. THE BAD EFFECTS OF RICHES. "Profusion deluging a state with lusts The wiser part of mankind seem to agree, that real happiness is only to be found where the affections are always accompanied by a serene tranquillity: it hence follows, that those who employ their existence in quest of dissipated joys, meet with the greatest proportion of pains, disappointments, and disgusts. One of our eminent poets says, that virtue is "the strength and beauty of the soul;" a charming simile, and such a one as offers a pleasing one for comment; but we shall only infer that it is virtue which is the only solid prosperity, and the comfort and shield of adversity. Having so done, we shall ask, What are riches?" and endeavour to define their effects. Riches are only a vain something, that claims the admiration of avaricious minds, a gaudy deception, unworthy of man's attention, and a falsely supposed desirable possession. Insignificant as are riches, there are beings who degrade the human understanding by an unquenchable thirst after pelf, acquired by guilt and baseness. Ancient philosophers have, in general, condemned riches as unnecessary evils. Is it not evident that superfluity exceeds the dictates of wisdom and of nature? Not that adversity is of itself desirable--no! for it is a real affliction; yet reflect on the nature of adversity, and you will perceive that this affliction is invariably the attendant on vice, indeed, it may be found otherwise, according to the opinion of the world; but the world's opinion is false, "for the poor man that is grateful, would be benevolent were he rich," consequently, the heart is the standard to judge by. Who so poor as the miser ? Prosperity tends to make us vain, arrogant, and self-sufficient; indeed, it not unfrequently happens, that the mind is so contaminated by wealth, as to render the possessor a sort of overbearing wretch, devoid of every finer feeling, callous to every charitable, generous, and noble principle. Worldly possessions are not requisite to constitute a good or happy man. Still it cannot be denied that riches may be possessed with safety, and tend to the happiness of the possessor. But, alas! we seldom find that people in affluent circumstances are actuated by a truly charitable disposition. Where are the pleasures arising from motives of ostentation? Have not the opulent employments to intrigue for, and obligations to discharge? are they not obliged to perform duties of useless ceremony, and compelled to a continual restraint in their dress, action, and words, and to endure the insupportable pressure of idleness, the nurse of discontent? In short, there is no sort of slavery by which they are not burthened; even their entertainments, sumptuous as they may appear, are enjoyed with less satisfaction than the repasts of the rural swain, who gratefully takes what nature gives, and in reality enjoys. Country scenes abound with an elegant simplicity; grandeur, unknown to the miserable great, who steal through life betwixt luxury and guilt. It is content that diffuses a charm that choaks the thorns of life. In the peasant's hut we may find a calm serenity, a firmness of soul, and a sweet composure of mind, unknown to those in exalted stations; his daily toil becomes a delight; with cheerfulness he rises at morn to resume his peaceful labor, and returns at night to his happy cot;-there finds his loved partner, his smiling children, a sparkling fire, and the food of innocence. These are joys superior to the floating grandeur of a court, which is too often a cloak to cover wretchedness. Again, the conduct of the gay licentious proud is rarely influenced by prudent consideration. Where, then, are the pleasures of riches? or where that happiness to counterbalance the black jealousy and gloomy anxiety of the miser, whose soul is ever racked with conscious remorse. A miser is a sort of grovelling monster, held in detestation. We might make a voluminous selection of incidents, which elucidate the deplorable influence of riches: but why enumerate occurrences from history to prove their immoral and discordant tendency, when the present day presents a serious field for observation? It is too melancholy a truth, that the prospect of self-advantage incites to actions unworthy of man's dignity. Why are Europeans so prone to cultivate inhumanity in the western hemisphere? and why do Britons arrogantly trample on that inestimable jewel which they so proudly boast of themselves? The best families are apt to be contaminated by too frequent habitude to scenes of cruelty. In like manner do virtuous principles die away, when too much exposed to the wiles of temptation; hence the baneful tendency of gambling, a gulf no less hideous than shamefully pernicious. Prosperity introduces luxury, and luxury a poison that saps the very essence of good government, and inevitably hurls vengeance on a nation. We are miserably deceived, when we presume that riches alone will constitute happiness;—whence so many glaring instances of conjugal infidelity? Little else can be expected, when the parties unite with sentiments derogatory to every principle of genuine and pure esteem. Alas! matches of convenience are too prevalent; indeed, we are almost disposed to accuse Cupid for allowing his empire to be so much encumbered by gold. Cruelty is the constant attendant of a narrow, groveling mind. How often is generous love ill requited, and why? Because parents aim rather at interested matches, than such as nature and love dictate. Ye favored sons of Britain's isle! why so different from your manly ancestors? why the advice of dissolute companions more attended to than that of experience? Think and act with noble ardor, and permit not vicious communication to quench this generous flame. We need not be surprised at finding so many unfortunate females, when we consider that the sons of idleness, vulture-like, are ever upon the watch to seduce the imprudent fair. Can that affection, which grasps at sensual enjoyment, be love? No! it is at once sordid and transient. Pure love can only arise from the interchange of soul with soul, and is rendered delightful by mutual confidence and complacency. Socrates said, that "we ought ever to prefer poverty with justice, to injustice and ignominy; and ought never to make a distinction betwixt that which is just, and that which is useful." Ignorance of wealth is the very best of riches, as an immoderate desire of riches is a poison lodged in the soul, which destroys every thing that is good in it. From our misconceptions of the nature of true riches, many, ah! many complicated evils spring; riches were never intended for man in his primitive state; every sympathetic soul shudders at the wretchedness of those poor beings who, weeping, labor in the mines. Nay, the calamities attending the acquirement of gold, and other falsely esteemed metals, are innumerable, and at once evince that nature intended them not for man's use. Why do the mistaken notions of honor, prerogative, and power, lead their votaries, and serve as pretexts to exercise every species of cruelty? It is, in fact, needless to expatiate further on this subject. We shall conclude by observing, that it is from the volume of human life we may every day draw observations which elucidate the immoral tendency of riches. It must, however, be confessed, that happiness is centered in ourselves, as we chiefly make or find our own felicity. May these remarks strengthen this incontestible truth, that riches are of themselves dangerous, and cannot insure happiness! May they prove, that the greatest felicity we enjoy here below, flows from a consciousness of having done our duty to our Creator, to our neighbour, and to our country! THE PAST. The visions of the buried time come thronging dearer far too. For though such retrospect is sad, it is a sadness sweet, The forms of those whom we revere in memory to greet, Since nothing in this changing world is constant but decay, And early flowers but bloom the first to pass the first away. |