that state of ftupefaction; then he began to groan hideously; a fhower of tears burft from his eyes; he threw himself on the floor, and utterred the most piteous lamentation that ever was heard. Mean while, Mrs. Norton being made acquainted with the doctor's prognostic, vifited Mrs. Clewlin, and invited her to the lodge. Her prophetic fears immediately took the alarm. "What! (cried fhe, ftarting up with a frantic wildness in her looks) then our cafe is defperate-I fhall lofe my dear Tommy!-the poor prifoner will be released by the hand of heaven-Death will convey him to the cold grave!"-The dying innocent hearing this exclamation, pronounced these words: "Tommy won't leave you, my dear mamma -if death comes to take Tommy, pappa fhall drive him away with his fword." This addrefs deprived the wretched mother of all refignation to the will of Providence. She tore her hair, dashed herself on the pavement, shrieked aloud, and was carried off in a deplorable state of distraction.

That fame evening the lovely babe expired, and the father grew frantic. He made an attempt on his own life, and being with difficulty reftrained, his agitation funk into a kind of fudden infenfibility, which feemed to abforb all fentiment, and gradually vulgarized his faculty of thinking. In order to diffipate the violence of his forrow, he continually shifted the scene from one company to another, contracted abundance of low connexions, and drowned his cares in repeated intoxication. The unhappy lady underwent a long series of hysterical fits and other complaints, which feem

ed to have a fatal effect on her brain as well as conftitution. Cordials were adminiftred to keep up her fpirits; and the found it neceffary to protract the use of them to blunt the edge of grief, by overwhelming reflexion, and remove the sense of uneasiness arifing from a disorder in her ftomach. In a word, she became an habitual dram-drinker; and this practice expofed her to fuch communication as debauched her reason, and perverted her sense of decorum and propriety. She and her husband gave a loose to vulgar excefs, in which they were enabled to indulge by the charity and intereft of fome friends, who obtained half-pay for the captain. They are now metamorphofed into the fhocking creatures you have seen; he into a riotous plebeian, and fhe into a ragged trull. They are both drunk every day, quarrel and fight one with another, and often infult their fellowprifoners. Yet, they are not wholly abandoned by virtue and humanity. The captain is scrupulously honest in all his dealings, and pays off his debts punctually every quarter, as foon as he receives his half-pay. Every prifoner in distress is welcome to share his money while it lasts; and his wife never fails, while it is in her power, to relieve the wretched; fo that their generofity, even in this miferable difguife, is univerfally refpected by their neighbours. Sometimes the recollection of their former rank comes over them like a qualm, which they difpel with brandy, and then humorously, rally one another on their mutual degeneracy. She often stops me in the walk, and pointing to the captain, fays, "My husband, tho' he's become a black-guard jail-bird,

must be allowed to be an handfome fellow ftill."-On the other hand, he will frequently defire me to take notice of his rib, as the chances to pafs. Mind that draggle-tail'd drunken drab-(he will fay) what an antidote it is—yet, for all that, Felton, he was a fine woman when I married her-Poor Befs, I have been the ruin of her, that is certain, and deserve to be damned for bringing her to this pass."

Thus they accommodate them felves to each other's infirmities, and pass their time not without some taste of plebeian enjoymentbut, name their child, they never fail to burst into tears, and ftill feel a return of the most poignant forrrow." Sir Launcelot Greaves did not hear this story unmoved. Tom Clark's cheeks were bedewed with the drops of fympathy, while with much fobbing, he declared his opinion, that an action, would lie against the lady's father.-Captain Crowe having listened to the story, with uncommon attention, expreffed his concern that an honest seaman fhould be so taken in ftays: but he imputed all his calamities to the wife for why? (faid he) a feafaring man may have a sweet-heart in every port; but he should steer clear of a wife, as he would avoid a quick-fand you fee, brother, how this here Clewlin lags aftern in the wake of a fniveling b-; otherwife he'd never make a weft in his enfign for the loss of a child-odds heart! he could have done no more if he had fprung a top-maft, or ftarted a timber.—”

The knight declaring that he would take another view of the prifon in the afternoon, Mr. Felton infifted upon his doing him the hohis doing him the ho

nour to drink a difh of tea in his apartment, and Sir Launcelot accepted his invitation. Thither they accordingly repaired, after having made another circuit of the jail, and the tea-things were produced by Mrs. Felton, when he was fummoned to the door, and in a few minutes returning, communicated fomething in a whifper to her hufband, He changed colour, and repaired to the ftair-cafe, where he was heard to talk aloud in an angry tone. When he came back he told the company he had been teazed by a very importunate beggar. Addreffing himself to our adventurer, "You took notice (fays he) of a fine lady flaunting about our walk in all the frippery of the fafhion-she was lately a gay young widow that made a great figure at the court end of the town; the diftinguished herself by her fplendid equipage, her rich liveries, her brilliant affemblies, her numerous routs, and her elegant taste in dress and furniture. She is nearly related to fome of the beft families in England, and it must be owned, miftress of many fine accomplishments. But, being deficient in true delicacy, the endeavoured to hide that defect by affectation. She pretended to a thousand antipathies which did not belong to her nature. A breast of veal threw her into mortal agonies. If fhe faw a fpider fhe screamed; and at fight of a mouse she fainted away. She could not without horror behold an entire joint of meat; and nothing but fricaffees and other made-dishes were seen upon her table. She caufed all her floors to be lined with green bays, that the might trip along them with more. eafe and pleasure. Her footmen

wore

wore clogs, which were depofited in the hall, and both they and her chairmen were laid under the strongeft injunctions to avoid porter and tobacco. Her jointure amounted to eight hundred pounds per annum, and the made shift to spend four times that fum: at length it was mortgaged for nearly the entire value; but, far from retrenching, the seemed to increase in extravagance until her effects were taken in execution, and her perfon here depofited in safe custody. When one confiders the abrupt tranfition fhe underwent from her spacious apart ments to an hovel scarce eight feet fquare; from fumptuous furniture to bare benches; from magnificence to meanness; from affluence to extreme poverty; one would imagine she must have been totally overwhelmed byfuch a fudden guth of mifery. But this was not the cafe: the has, in fact, no delicate feelings. She forthwith accommodated herfelf to the exigency of her fortune; yet, she ftill affects to keep ftate amidst the miseries of a gaol; and this affectation is truly ridiculous.--She lies abed till two o'clock in the afternoon: fhe maintains a female attendant for the fole purpose of dreffing her perfon. Her cabin is the leaft cleanly in the whole prifon; fhe has learned to eat bread and cheese, and drink porter; but she always appears once a day dreffed in the pink of the fafhion. She has found means to run in debt at the chandler's fhop, the baker's, and the tap-house, tho' there is nothing got in this place but with ready money: The has even borrowed small fums from divers prisoners, who were themselves on the brink of starving. She takes pleasure in being furrounded with

duns, obferving that by fuch people a person of fashion is to be distinguifhed. She writes circular letters to her former friends and acquaintance, and by this method has raised pretty confiderable contributions; for the writes in a most elegant and irresistible stile. About a fortnight ago fhe received a supply of twenty guineas; when, inftead of paying her little goal-debts, or withdrawing any part of her apparel from pawn, fhe laid out the whole fum in a fashionable fuit and laces; and next day borrowed of me a fhilling to purchase a neck of mutton for her dinner-She feems to think her rank in life intitles her to this kind of affiftance. She talks very pompously of her family and connexions, by whom, however, he has been long renounced. She has no fympathy nor compaffion for the diftreffes of her fellow-creatures; but she is perfectly well bred; fhe bears a repulfe the best of any woman I ever knew; and her temper has never been once ruffled fince her arrival at the King's-bench-She now intreated me to lend her half a guinea, for which the faid he had the most preffing occafion, and promised upon her honour it should be repaid to-morrow; but I lent a deaf ear to her requeft, and told her in plain terms that her honour was already bankrupt.-"

Sir Launcelot thrusting his hand mechanically into bis pocket, pulled out a couple of guineas, and defired Felton to accommodate her with that trifle in his own name; but he declined the proposal, and refused to touch the money. "God forbid, (faid he) that I fhould attempt to thwart your charitable intention: but, this, my good fir, is no obje&

-The

-fhe has many refources. Neither fhould we number the clamorous beggar among those who really feel diftrefs. He is generally gorg'd with bounty mifapplied. The liberal hand of charity fhould be extended to modeft want that pines in filence, encountering cold, and nakedness, and hunger, and every fpecies of diftrefs. Here you may find the wretch of keen fenfations, blafted by accident in the bloffom of his fortune, fhivering in the folitary recefs of indigence, difdaining to beg, and even afhamed to let his mifery be known. Here you may fee the parent who has known happier times, furrounded by his tender offspring, naked and forlorn, demanding food, which his circumftances cannot afford.-That man of decent appearance and melancholy afpect, who lifted his hat as you paffed him in the yard, is a perfon of unblemished character. He was a reputable tradesman in the city, and failed through inevitable loffes. A commiffion of bankruptcy was taken out against him by his fole creditor, a quaker, who refused to fign his certificate. He has lived these three years in prifon, with a wife and five fmall children. In a little time after his commitment, he had friends who offered to pay ten fhillings in the pound of what he owed, and to give fecurity for paying the remainder in three years, by inftallments. The honeft quaker did not charge the bankrupt with any dishoneft prac tices; but he rejected the propofal with the moft mortifying indifference, declaring that he did not want his money. The mother repaired to his house, and kneeled before him with her five lovely chilAugust 1761.

dren, imploring mercy with tears and exclamations. He ftood this scene unmoved, and even seemed to enjoy the profpect, wearing the looks of complacency while his heart was fteeled with rancour. "Woman, (faid he) these be hopeful babes, if they were duly nurtured. Go thy ways in peace; I have taken my refolution." Her friends maintained the family for fome time; but it is not in human charity to persevere : fome of them died; fome of them grew unfortunate; fome of them fell off; and now the poor man is reduced to the extremity of indigence, from whence he has no profpect of being retrieved. The fourth part of what you would have beftowed upon the lady would make this poor man and his family fing with joy."

He had fcarce pronounced thefe words when our hero defired the man might be called, and in a few minutes he entered the apartment with a low obeifance. "Mr. Coleby, (faid the knight) I have heard how cruelly you have been used by your creditor, and beg you will accept this trifling prefent, if it can be of any fervice to you in your diftrefs." So faying, he put five guineas into his hand. The poor man was fo confounded at fuch an unlooked-for acquifition, that he ftood motionless and filent, unable to thank the donor; and Mr. Felton conveyed him to the door, cbferving that his heart was too full for utterance. But, in a little time, his wife burfting into the room with her five children, looked around, and going up to Sir Launcelot, without any direction, exclaimed: "This is the angel fent by Providence to fuccour me and my poor innocents." Then falling

lii

NAT

ATURAL tafte is apt to be feduced and debauched by vicious precept and bad example. There is a dangerous tinfel in falfe tafte, by which the unwary mind and young imagination are often fafcinated. Nothing has been fo often explained, and yet fo little underftood, as fimplicity in writing. Simplicity in this acceptation has a larger fignification than either the a

of the Greeks, or the fimplex of the Latins; for it implies beauty. It is the datov za úder of Demetrius Phalereus, the fimplex munditiis of Horace, and exprefied by one word, naiveté, in the French language. It is in fact, no other than beautiful nature, without affectation or extraneous ornament. In ftatuary, it is the Venus of Medicis; in architecture, the Pantheon. It would be an endless task to enumerate all the inftances of this natural fimplicity that occur in poetry and painting, among the antients and moderns. We shall only mention two examples of it, the beauty of which confifts in thepathetic. Anaxagoras, the philofopher and precep

[Continued.]

tor of Pericles, being told that both his fons were dead, laid his hand upon his heart, and, after a fhort paufe, confoled himself with a reflexion couched in three words, drès yèysunmás, "I knew they were mortal." The other inftance we felect from the tragedy of Mackbeth. The gallant Macduff, being informed that his wife and children were murdered by order of the tyrant, pulls his hat over his eyes, and his internal agony bursts out into an exclamation of four words, the most expreffive, perhaps, that ever were uttered: “He has no children." This is the cnergic language of fimple nature, which is now grown into disrepute. By the prefent mode of education we are forcibly warped from the biafs of nature, and all fimplicity in manners is rejected. We are taught to difguife and diftort our fentiments, until the faculty of thinking is diverted into an unnatural channel; and we not only relinquifh and forget, but also become incapable of our original difpofi