When we left the church, she "When Signor Chrysostome had heard:the motive, or rather the pretence, of my visit, which was to praise his nephew, he hastened to send for him, and introduced me to him. You may imagine my joy, and at the same time my fears. Antoni sung, and accompanied on his divine harp; but though he augmented my desires, it was im "When I returned to the casle, and was left alone, every sentiment, every affection I had experienced recurred to my imagination; instead of listening to the dictates of prudence, and combating my pas sion with the arms of wisdom, I abandoned myself to its delightsThe more violent was the love I felt for Antoni, the greater was my hatred towards Zanetta. Determined, however, to spare no pains to triumph over the one, and obtain possession of the other. "Full of this idea, I went the next day to the curate of Peschia. The venerable priest, in whose breast age had destroyed every passion, did not suppose that others could become the victims of them. He was only sensible to the pleasu e of praising and hearing praised, him he called his nephew, and for whom he had the tenderness of a father, considering himself as an aged oak protecting with its foila young and tender shrub. "From that moment he came every day to the castle, and tho' it was under colour of favouring me with his music, and in reality to see Zanetta rather than myself, yet the pleasure of seeing him, of speaking to him, of being near him, of expressing in passionate songs the situation of my heart, nourished the flames of that love before too violent to bear. "A menth passed in this manner, during which time I had only I expressed myself by my looks. however heaped favours on the uncle and nephew, and for the sake of appearances extended them to Zanetta. "One day when we were singing a beautiful cantata of Metastassio, in which the charming po et describes, with so much truth, the delirium of a soul just receiving the reward due to its passion. With what ardor,' I exclaimed to Antoni,'' do you express that passage !-Happy will she be who may have power to inspire; but, alas! wretched must she be whe has only the desire.' rather excites awe than love, need not give you alarm; it is she who has cause to dread you, for you have only to appear near her to outvie her 'At these words, which restored peace to Zanetta, and penetrated me with grief, Antoni threw himself at her feet. The pardon of the perfidious Antoni appeared in the countenance of Zanetta, and was sealed by a tender embrace. "By the excess of my humiliation, it was easy to conceive that of my rage. I passed the night and part of the next day a prey to contending passions. If I had yielded to the first emotions with which I was inspired, the same death had joined those whom love had already united. "But as my revenge was more slow, I determined it should be more terrible. My pride, not less wounded than my passion had been disdained, suggested to my mind a scheme of the most execrable nature; and I resolved to punish what I esteemed an unparalleled injury, by an unheard-of vengeance. "The death of my father had left me mistress of a large fortune at my own disposal. In order to /commit a crime, I had only to con ceive one; for whe is ignorant that with gold crimes may be committed with impunity? It was thus every base passion occupied my soul, and love, the most amiable of all, corrupted by the perverseness of my nature, produced the most monstrous actions. "Antoni for several months had been engaged in writing a miner alogical history of the Cavern of Strozzi, so famous for its rare petrifactions, and which will doubtless now be more so by the horrors I have practised in it: he had made many voyages to this place, and had brought away various of its productions. Filled with enthusiasm at his discoveries, he had often entreated me to go and admire them. "The day but one after the grove scene, I dissembled my fiercer sentiment, and discoursing with him on different subjects, I insensibly introduced his favourite scheme, which I knew I had only to pro... pose to have carried into execution. It was the snare I had laid for him, and he suffered himself to be taken in it. I agreed to accompany him; but I said to him, "I am young, and you are not of an age beyond suspicion: to prevent the tongue of slander, let us take Zanetta with us. What say you, Antoni.' "This proposition embarrassed him; he feared lest the presence of his mistress should make him betray his love for her. The un happy youth would have been agi tated still more, had he known that I was preparing to punish him for his love. (To be concluded next week.) For the Lady's Miscellany. TO CENSOR. Beware, young man of malice; 'Tis the green-ey'd monster, that doth make The meat it feeds on. Mr. Censor, the Chatterer expects that you will not (by this one slight essay) flatter yourself with the vain hope that he intends to enter the list with you in newspaper calumny. Far be it from him particular person, on account of some fault of which he is not guilty, loses its aim; a very moderate share of philosophy will enable a man to treat with contempt, attacks that are founded on foibles which have no existence; and he who is more careful of the nature of his actions than their consequences, which is I hope the case with with every wise and honest mau, will find very little cause of dissatisfaction with himself; while the censures that are passed upon the events of his resolutions, are to act so derogatory to the receiv- mistakenly applied to those reso ed principles of a gentleman; 'tis exposing one's self too much to the "scoffs and sneers of knaves and fools." I merely wish to suggest the propriety of not too hastily condemning all productions but our own; I am always thankful for the information I receive from others: but there is a better and more congenial method of advising, than driving it down one's throat with a paving rod. What literary, moral or useful purpose could be promoted by an unprovoked attack upon an invisible foe; who, in the true spirit of Indian warfare, hurls his tomax, and aims his arrows from the covert of concealment, and the ambush of safety. Such a latent foe, cannot with the slightest semblance of truth be greeted with the epithets of gallant, generous, or brave; but leaving his motives to his own conscience, his object is utterly vain and visionary. Satire, when levelled against a lutions themselves; while he sees. the reflections intended to take place against his conduct, really falling only on the natural uncertainty of human actions. CHATTERER. For the Lady's Miscellany. Beware, O man of hatred'Tis the extirminating fiend that doth. drive From out the breast the nobler passions, And sets a blister there. NO greater or more heinous crime can be cherished in the breast of man, than that of seeking an unjust revenge: it offers to the understanding under the influence found to have over strong and enlightened minds, a paradox the most bewildering and humiliating that ever existed. 'Tis a passion that urges on its votaries to deeds of dreadful note-accustoms him to scenes which make e'en banditts tremble, and finally precipitates him with impetuosity down the dread abyss from whose bourne no traveller returns. He who sufferrs his feelings to be hurled in its destructive vortex, does his heart but little credit for purity. The unprovoked and unmerited attack on Chatterer in a preceding number of the Miscellany, strongly evinces the damned passionsThe being who could so unfeelingly pierce with his poisoned arrows the unsuspecting bosom, is unworthy the epithet of natural; for “ nature shudders at a crime like his." A man possessed of intellectual talents, (says Shentone) would be more blameable in confining them to his own private use, than the mean spirited miser that did the same by his money; the latter is indeed obliged to bid adieu to what he communicates; the former enjoys his treasures, even while he renders others the better for them. A composition that enters the world with a view of improving or amusing it, has a claim to our utmost indulgence, even though it fail of the effect intended, Now, in the name of common sense, what could induce Censor in the most diabolical manner to let fly the malignant shafts of calumny at our friend Chat? What private or public benefit could he derive from so mean, so paltry an artifice? If there exists in this western world a wretch so lost to every noble feeling, then, by the arm of my body, but I must blush for my degenerate country! Open, O earth, cover his crimes, cover his shame. That a man can spy a moat in another's eye, and not a beam in his own, is a true and ancient proverb. Now, by the pen in my hand, but this hits friend Censor on the very pate. I've got you, friend Chat, with your grammar: Oh yes, so you have, friend Censor; but how? Why, as the crabs swim, the wrong end foremost.E'er you attempt to correct and expose the errors of others, take a retrospective view, and see if you are not driving towards the same rock on which they are destined by your pen to founder. A little grammar would not set you crazy. To wield the sceptre of criticism, an acquaintance with grammar extensively, a profundity of logical composition, and a copious store of satire, keen and del. icate, is indispensably necessary; and since the preceding qualities are not, nor is either of them peculiarly discernable in the style and composition of Censor; with propriety can we swear by the goose quill he wields, he is, altogether unworthy the dignity his vanity tempts him to aspire to, and which time out of mind has belonged to the literati of this renowned and beautiful Island of Manna hatte. |