is now no name, and of which the moft creative fancy can form no diftin& idea.

Were it poffible for a man to reach the fabled age of Neftor, he might meet with fome of his owa defcendants in the shapes of moving wens, and warts, and polypues, and fee the boasted masters of the globe deprived of every lineament which now helps to conftitute the human face divine. Who can forefee this calamitous degeneracy, without feeling an emotion of tendernefs and pity; without conceiving a wifh, that fome effectual method might be taken for the prevention of fuch evils, that feem to threaten even the total extinction of the fpecies?

first appearance of infection, let her be fecluded om her fellows, and put under the duction of an able and honeft furgeon, who will do her juice. As a further check upon both parties in this traffick, let the proculer infuse his cafome/'s conftituli a under a certain penalty, to be payed on the coth of the fufferer; and the gallant pay for the cure of the difeate which he has communicated, on being convicted by the evidence of the procurer and furgeon.

I have often thought that the ravages made by the venereal diftemper might be, in a great meafure, prevented by fubjecting the ftews to proper regulations, established by the legiflature, as they were formerly in this, and still are in many other civilized countries. Even without fuch authority, I conceive, the mafter or mistress of a brothel might acquire a great fortune, and at the fame time remarkably conduce to the welfare of the community, by exercising their occupation in an intelligent and confcientious manner. Let him, for example, entertain in his house a certain number of agreeable curtezans, of whofe health and fobriety he is affured. Let every voluptuary, who defires to have commerce with one of these creatures, pay for his pleasure a price fufficient to indemnify her mafter for a fubfequent vacation, during which the may be certain whether or not the has received an injury from her gallant. Upon the

This expedient is at beft but a palliative, and may be condemned as a fcandalous connivance at vice and debauchery, which I would by no means be thought to encourage, though it might be eafily proved, that fuch connivance is a neceffary evil. I fhall therefore propofe another scheme, which, though apparently gigantic, is, I apprehend, not impracticable, for the total and final expulfion of this plague from the inlands of Great Britain and Ireland: a scheme which, though it may excite the mirth and ridicule of little wits, will one day, I hope, attract the notice and engage the attention of the legislature. Let the parliament enact a law, that, after a certain day, every person found infected with the venereal distemper shall be deemed guilty of felony, without benefit of clergy, unless the cafe falls within the following exceptions: That no perfon may plead poverty as an excufe, let hospitals be opened at the expence of the public for the reception and cure of paupers, whofe private circumstances cannot afford proper medicines and attendance: Let officers of health be established at all the fea-ports, under the direction of furgeons,

who

who fhall examine all perfons that arrive from abroad in any part of Great Britain or Ireland, who fhall receive certificates of health, if free from the diftemper; or, if otherwife, be confined until they are cured, if in good circumftances, at their own expence; if poor, at the public charge. Those who have run any rifque of contracting the distemper abroad, though perhaps it may not have appeared at their firft arrival in England, will, for their own fakes, abftain from any venereal commerce for a certain length of time, that they may be certain of their being uninfected: but, fhould any fymptoms appear during this recefs, they shall apply to the officers of health, make affidavit of the cafe, and put themfelves immediately under the proper regimen; and, upon a certificate of the cafe and cure, be deemed exempted from all penalty. The fame exemption may be pleaded in favour of those who, after having undergone the regimen prescribed by law, fhall be found incurable; provided they never attempt to communicate the disease in the fequel. The like indulgence fhould be fhewn to those who can prove that the diforder has lurked in their conftitutions longer than the time of vacation prescribed, provided

they give notice, upon oath, to the magiftrates appointed to take cognizance of fuch affairs, and forthwith fubject themselves to a regular courfe of medicine, so as to obtain a certificate of health.

Many objections may, no doubt, be started to thefe crude hints, which I propofe only as the outlines of a plan to be properly and maturely digefted: but where is the scheme, against which plausible objections may not be offered? Perhaps fuch a scheme as I have been sketching, might not answer the purpofe in its full extent; neverthelefs, it would certainly reduce the Hydra to fuch a languifhing flate, that the breed of men would be confiderably mended, before it could retrieve ftrength enough to do much mifchief. Nay, I am fully convinced in my own mind, that the venereal distemper, if not totally extinguifhed by the vigorous execution of fuch a law, might be fo far fubdued, confidering the advantage of our infular fituation, detached from all our neighbours, and this worst plague of Pandora's box might be always kept in such a state of fubjection and debility, that it would never afterwards have any hereditary effect upon the rifing generation of Britons.

difcord in families, mifunderstand.

ductive of the greatest misfortunes: from them has frequently fprung

ment of domeftic affairs. The truth of this affertion will appear abun

dantly

dantly from the following hiftory, which is founded on fact, and which too many will, from their own experience, allow to be probable.

A gentleman, who in perfon and accomplishments had but few equals, paid his addreffes to a young lady of great beauty, and a confiderable fortune, named Afpafia; who was by an indulgent father left to her own discretion in the choice of a husband, after he had vainly exerted all his eloquence to perfuade her to marry Mr. Richmore, an elderly gentleman, who had no other claim to the preference but that of being poffeffed of a much more ample fortune than his rival. Philander, whofe paffion for Afpafia was fincere, was diftinguished by her in a manner equal to his merits; and the completion of their happiness seemed to draw nigh, when an unforeseen accident interrupted it.

Philander's father being at the point of death, he was obliged to quit his miftrefs, and go to a remote part of the kingdom. Nothing could be more tender than their parting: they both swore eternal love, and their proteftations were equally fincere on both fides. But lovers are never in a state of fecurity, till Hymen has united them by an indiffoluble union. The father of Afpafia, who did not care openly to thwart the inclinations of his daughter, had recourfe to fraud and artifice to alienate her affections from Philander. He found means to intercept all her lover's letters but the firft; and when he perceived the anxiety which this occafioned in his daughter, he artfully infinuated that Philander was prone to inconftancy, like most young men; and that ab. fence, and perhaps a new miftrefs,

had moft probably obliterated his former paffion. We are generally inclined to believe what we fear, as well as what we wish. This dif courfe made a deep impreflion upon the mind of Afpafia, and she could not help entertaining some suspicion of the fidelity of her lover. She, however, endeavoured to account for his negligence the best she could, imputing it to his grief, or fome perplexity arifing from his affairs; and when her father made new application in behalf of Mr. Richmore, she rejected it with the greatest conftancy and refolution.

It is time for us now to return to Philander, who, after having closed the eyes of his dying father, and received his benediction, took poft for London, impatient to rejoin his dear Afpafia. In his way he was ftopped by an unforeseen accident: a young lady, who was travelling that road, being attacked by a highwayman, he flew to rescue her, and took particular care of her at the inn to which they repaired. Afpafia, whose anxiety was grown infupportable, took a refolution to go in quest of her lover; and departed from her father's houfe, accompanied only by her waiting-woman. They happened to lodge that night at the fame house with Philander and the young lady abovementioned. Afpafia, having feen Philander conduct her to a room, conceived the strongest fufpicions of his fidelity; and upon making inquiry of the maid, who attended her, concerning the perfons that he had feen, the ignorant girl told her, that it was a gentleman and his lady; and that he believed they had travelled a great way, for they seemed to be very much fatigued. This intelligence was fuf

ficient

ficient to confirm all her father had before infinuated to her. She immediately returned to London, and told her father, that, as she was fully convinced of Philander's falfhood, she was ready to give her hand to Mr. Richmore, if he perfevered in his former resolution. Her father, overjoyed at her compliance, took no notice of her elopement; and a few days after her fate was united for ever to that of Mr. Richmore.

It is easy to conjecture, that she received but little fatisfaction from her marriage: but her mifery was foon after greatly increafed, when Philander fully exculpated himself,

and made it appear, that the lady, whom he had affifted, was fo far from being his wife, that she had been married three years before. This he did by producing letters which he had received, both from her and her husband, to thank him for the affiftance he had afforded ́ her. Her life, which was unhappy' before, was rendered compleatly miferable by this conviction of her rashness; and the must remain a deplorable example of the folly of forming precipitate refolutions, till. a broken heart puts an end to it. I am, &c.

PHILALETHES.

than the violent defire which excites them to feize all that offer: nothing leads more certainly to mifery than a refolution to indulge one's felf in every fort of pleasure. An indifference for pleasure fecures us from a variety of inquietudes; and, in our prefent ftate of probation, man fhould afpire to no higher happiness than an exemption from pain. Philofophy amufes us with hopes of felicity; but it deceives us: the most it can do is to make us wife. The world cannot afford us an example of a person who has perfevered in wisdom for a long time. The example of Solomon himself is fufficient to convince us of this truth. It is not easy to determine what is the greatest weakness of human nature; but certainly pride is the moft univerfal. Self-intereft holds the next place, and it is evident that it derives its fource from felf-love.. January 1761.

virtue, and fo few examples of the practice of it? Why do thofe, who think it so amiable, discover fo little regard for it? This is a contradic tion which the greateft philofophers would find it hard to reconcile. Certain it is, that the vaineft hope that can enter into the heart of man is, that he can divest himself of all his weakneffes. In this respect, the ftoicks were the most prefumptuous of mortals. Nothing, indeed, can be more astonishing than to meet with fo many weaknefies and infirmities in the fame being, that makes fo many noble, fublime, and just reflections. It is hardly possible to conceive, how man fhould unite views fo extended, to a life fo fhort and limited, and the inordinate defire of prying into things intirely ufelefs, to a profound ignorance of what is most important.

Opinion is the most powerful

cause which determines man, and the most prolific source of all his errors and illufions: all men are agreed in this point, and yet no man can raise himself above opinion.

The charms of virtue would be very powerful, if the charms of vice did not appear more fo; and of all the attractions which render vice contagious, the fortune that accompanies, it appears to be the most dangerous. The greateft obftruction to

virtue, arifes from the little esteem fhewn it by the world.

To form a juft estimate of human virtues, we should be able to penetrate the human heart, in order to discover the motive from which eve-› ry action takes its rife. Virtue confifts intirely in the motive, and not. in the external acts; though a celebrated author has laid it down as a maxim, that the motives of the best actions will not bear a fcrutiny.

IT

T is a juft obfervation of the younger Pliny, that thofe are not always the greatest actions which are attended with the most extensive reputation, and most loudly celebrated by the voice of fame. There cannot be a ftronger proof of the reasonableness of this affertion, than the great renown which both Socrates and Cato acquired by their deaths: yet thefe, to a perfon void of partiality, and free from narrow prejudices to antiquity, will appear in a light very different from that in which they are generally viewed.

It has been justly obferved, concerning Socrates, by a modern author, that he was not put to death for afferting the unity of the Godhead; but for having, very indifcreetly, made himself enemies amongst perfons poffeffed of great credit and influence; and it is no less true, that his death was rather an effect of obftinacy, or vain-glory, than a proof of heroifm. It is well known, that means were offered him to make his escape out of prifon, which he rejected, alledging,

that he had always approved of the laws of his country, and, fince he had been condemned by them, was in duty bound to undergo the punifhment they prefcribed. But his innocence he constantly maintained; and his ftaying to fuffer death, whilft he knew himself void of crime, may be looked upon as confpiring with his enemies to his own deftruction. It feems therefore highly probable, that the defire of signalizing himfélf by a glorious death was the motive by which he was actuated; and if fo, his phrenzy muft appear equal to that of Empedocles, who leapt into one of the volcanos of Ætna, in order to immortalize his name. His action may indeed be accounted for in a different manner, and that from his own principles. In his apology he declares human life to be fo wretched a ftate, that the philofopher, though he does not chufe to lay violent hands upon himfelf, is ready to embrace the first opportunity of quitting fo undesirable a fituation. But a man that rushes upon death, when he has it in his power

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