and her virtue, she is often tempted to give broad hints, that somebody is dying for her; and, of the two, she is less unwilling to let the world think she may be sometimes profaned, than that she is never worshipped.

Very great beauty may, perhaps, so dazzle for a time, that men may not so clearly see the deformity of these affectations; but, when the brightness goes off, and the lover's eyes are by that means set at liberty to see things as they are, he will naturally return to his senses, and recover the mistake, into which the lady's good looks had at first engaged him; and, being once undeceived, ceases to worship that as a goddess, which he sees only as an artificial shrine, moved by wheels and springs to delude him. Such women please only like the first openimg of a scene, that hath nothing to recommend it but the being new. They may be compared to flies, that have pretty shining wings for two or three hot months, but the first cold weather makes an end of them: so the latter season of these fluttering creatures is dismal; from their nearest friends they receive a very faint respect, from the rest of the world the utmost degree of contempt.

Let this picture supply the place of any other rules, which might be given to prevent your resemblance to it. The deformity of it, well considered, is instruction enough: from the same reason, that the sight of a drunkard is a better sermon against that vice, than the best that was ever preached upon that subject.

LORD HALIFAX,

ON FAMILY MANAGEMENT.

REMEMBER well, that no respect is lasting, but that which is produced by our being in some degree useful to those that pay it. Where that faileth, the homage and the reverence go along with it, and fly to others, where some

thing may be expected in exchange for them. And, upon this principle, the respects even of the children and the servants will not stay with one, that doth not think them worth their care; and the old housekeeper shall make a better figure in the family, than the lady, with all her fine clothes, if she wilfully relinquishes her title to the government. Therefore, take heed of carrying your good breeding to such a height, as to be good for nothing, and to be proud of it. Some think it hath a great air to be above troubling their thoughts with such ordinary things as their house and family; others dare not admit cares for fear they should hasten wrinkles; mistaken pride maketh some think they must keep themselves up, and descend not to these duties, which do not seem enough refined for great ladies to be employed in; forgetting all this while, that it is more than the greatest princes can do, at once to preserve respect, and to neglect their business. No age ever erected altars to insignificant gods; they had all some quality applied to them, to draw worship from mánkind: this maketh it the more unreasonable for a lady to expect to be considered, and at the same time resolve not to deserve it. Good looks alone will not do; they are not such a lasting tenure, as to be relied upon; and, if they should stay longer than ` they usually do, it will by no means be safe to depend upon them: for when time hath abated the violence of the first liking, and that the napp is a little worn off, though still a good degree of kindness may remain, men recover their sight, which before might be dazzled, and allow themselves to object as well as to admire.

In such a case, when a husband seeth an empty, airy thing sail up and down the house, to no kind of purpose, and look as if she came thither only to make a visit; when he findeth, that, after her emptiness hath been extremely busy about some very senseless thing, she eats her breakfast half an hour before dinner, to be at greater liberty

to afflict the company with her discourse; then calleth for her coach, that she may trouble her acquaintance, who are already cloyed with her; and, having some proper dialogues ready to display her foolish eloquence at the top of the stairs, she setteth out like a ship out of the harbour, laden with trifles, and cometh back with them; at her return, she repeateth to her faithful waiting woman the triumphs of that day's impertinence; then, wrapped up in flattery and clean linen, goeth to bed so satisfied, that it throweth her into pleasant dreams of her own felicity: such a one is seldom serious but with her tailor; her children and family may now and then have a random thought, but she never taketh aim but at something very impertinent. I say, when a husband, whose province is without doors, and to whom the economy of the house would be in some degree indecent, findeth no order nor quiet in his family, meeteth with complaints of all kinds springing from this root; the mistaken lady, who thinketh to make amends for all this, by having a well chosen petticoat, will at last be convinced of her errour, and with grief be forced to undergo the penalties, that belong to those, who are wilfully insignificant. When this scurvy hour cometh upon her, she first groweth angry; then, when the time of it is past, would perhaps grow wiser, not remembering, that we can no more have wisdom than grace, whenever we think fit to call for it. There are times and periods fixed for both; and, when they are too long neglected, the punishment is, that they are irrecoverable, and nothing remaineth but an useless grief for the folly of having thrown them out of our power. You are

to think what a mean figure a woman maketh, when she is so degraded by her own fault; whereas, there is nothing. in those duties, which are expected from you, that can be a lessening to you, except your want of conduct makes it so. LORD HALIFAX,

A CLIMAX.

NOW, when my mind has all this world survey'd, And found that nothing by itself was made; When thought has rais'd itself by just degrees, From valleys crown'd with flow'rs and hills with trees, From smoking minʼrals, and from rising streams, From fatt'ning Nilus, or victorious Thames; From all the living, that four-footed move Along the shore, the meadow, or the grove; From all that can with fins or feathers fly Through the aërial or the watʼry sky; From the poor reptile with a reas'ning soul, That miserable master of the whole; From this great object of the body's eye, This fair half-round, this ample azure sky, Terribly large, and wonderfully bright, With stars unnumber'd and unmeasur'd light; Erom essences unseen, celestial names, Enlight'ning spirits, and ministerial flames, Angels, Dominions, Potentates, and Thrones, All that in each degree the name of creature owns : Lift we our reason to that sov'reign cause,

Who blest the whole with life, and bounded it with laws;

Who forth from nothing call'd this comely frame,
His will and act, his word and work the same;
To whom a thousand years are but a day :
Who bade the light her genial beams display,
And set the moon, and taught the sun his way;
Who, waking Time, his creature, from the source
Primeval, order'd his predestin'd course;
Himself, as in the hollow of his hand,
Holding, obedient to his high command,

The deep abyss, the long continu'd store,

Where months, and days, and hours, and minutes,

pour

Their floating parts, and thenceforth are no more;
This Alpha and Omega, First and Last,

Who, like the potter, in a mould has cast
The world's great frame, commanding it to be
Such as the eyes of Sense and Reason see,
Yet, if he wills, may change or spoil the whole,
May take yon beauteous, mystic, starry roll,
And burn it like a useless parchinent scroll;
May from it's basis in one moment pour
This melted Earth —

Like liquid metal, and like burning ore;
Who, sole in pow'r, at the beginning said,

Let sea, and air, and earth, and heav'n be made,
And it was so - And when he shall ordain

-

In other sort, has but to speak again,

And they shall be no more: of this great theme,
This glorious, hallow'd, everlasting name,
This God, I would discourse.

PRIOR.

ON CONVERSATION.

CONVERSATION calls out into light what has been lodged in all the recesses and secret chambers of the soul. By occasional hints and incidents, it brings old, useful notions into remembrance; it unfolds and displays the hidden treasures of knowledge, with which reading, observation, and study had before furnished the mind. By mutual discourse the soul is awakened and allured to bring forth it's hoards of knowledge, and it learns how to render them most useful to mankind. A man of vast reading, without conversation, is like a miser, who lives only to himself. In E