mark all her actions, I took the liberty to acquaint her Grace with my diftrefs; and by the return of the poft, I received a letter, with a draft inclosed, upon her banker. Though my indigence was greater than can be expreffed, yet believe me when I affirm, that I was made more happy by the receipt of her Grace's elegant epiftle, than I was by the neceffary gift which accompanied it.

There is a manner in conferring an obligation (as I have already observed) which doubly enhances the value of it. As a proof of this, I shall beg leave to transcribe, for your perufal, a letter I received, fome time fince, from the most worthy of benefactors.

"MADAM,

"I AM much concerned to hear you still labour "under any difficulties. If it did not found cruel, I fhould almoft be tempted to fay, I was "happy in the opportunity of being of fervice

"I have enclofed a draft for one hundred "pounds, which I beg your acceptance of, and "that you will never think of returning the fame. "I hope it will in fome measure relieve your

"mind,

If,

"mind, which will more than repay me. "upon any future occafion, I can be of fervice, "I beg you will command ine, in the affurance, "that I cannot feel a greater pleasure, than in giving ease to a heart like yours. And am, with the greatest esteem,

"Your obedient humble fervant,

Had a youthful beauty received fuch a flattering epifile, vanity would, most probably, have mifconftrued it into a billet-doux; but few fuch, I fear, are written to a perfon of a certain age. Indeed, I fear there are few fuch men; and, for the honour of the age, I wish I was permitted to infert the name; but I am commanded, and I must obey. How exactly does the following paffage in which Shakefpere has fo truly defcribed the pleasures of beneficence, feem to correfpond with the fentiments contained in the foregoing letter!

"Oh, you Gods! (think I) what need we have "any friends, if we fhould never have need of "them? they would moft refemble fweet inftru"ments hung up in cafes, that keep their founds

* Timon of Athens, A&t I. Scene 5.

" to

"to themselves. Why, I have often wished my"felf poorer, that I might come nearer to you: we 66 were born to do benefits. And what better or << properer can we call our own, than the riches "of our friends? O! what a precious comfort 'tis "to have so many, like brothers, commanding "one another's fortunes !"-Real, difinterested friendship, is the rara avis of this age; and to me, the writer of the foregoing letter appears to be the phoenix. There may be, however, I make no doubt, many of the fame generous difpofition; but as I have outlived all my other friends, and have had more than came to my fhare, or than I merited, I ought to be thankful that I retain the good wishes of one.

Having given you the letter of a sensible and liberal friend, I cannot refift the temptation of fending you, by way of contraft, the beginning of one containing a declaration of love, which I received from a noble Lord, upon my return from Ireland and this I fhall do verbatim, to add to the fingularity of it.

"MY DEAR ANGLE,

"I HAVE not capcity to tell you ho mouch I "low you."

This fhort fpecimen, I think, will fuffice to let you into the merits of the elegant epiftle it is

taken

taken from; the whole of which (and it was a long one) was written in the fame learned ftyle, and spelt agreeable to the rules of the fame kind of orthography. As I can fay with Millamont, "that an illiterate man is my averfion," had I been inclined to gallantry, his Lordship's curious letter would have barred his fuccefs.

2

How comes it that ignorance is more confpicuous in a man than in a woman? As drinking and fwearing, though dreadful vices in themselves, appear more horrid in the latter than the former. This obfervation tempts me to proceed a little farther on the fame topic. When once a woman divests herself of that delicacy and softness which is one of the most diftinguifhed adornments of the female character, fhe debafes herself into a brute; and having thus loft all claim to the name of a human being, fhe is looked upon with horror and contempt, by even the moft diffolute of the other sex.

I have often thought, that the legislature ought to interfere upon this occafion, and enact fome law to exclude fuch unhappy wretches from fociety. For as precept is lefs powerful than example, youth and ignorance are often deluded by them; as, in general, they wish to make others as

abandoned

abandoned as themselves. Not that I wifh my loved countrywomen to be tied down to the fevere. rules of the Lacedæmonian ladies. I would only recommend them to join the fortitude, patience, and courage of a Roman matron, to the beauty, good fenfe, brilliancy of wit, and delicacy of an English woman.

Methinks I hear you here exclaim, “You are ❝a very proper perfon, indeed, to fet up for a "dictatress over the conduct of your country"women; you, who have fo erred yourself!"I acknowledge there is fome room for your making this remark-appearances, I own, are against me. But when it is confidered, that my errors have proceeded rather from imprudence, than a bad difpofition; that I have feverely fuffered for them; and that I entertain no affuming ideas of my own understanding; I hope my having intermixed with my ftory, when they occurred, fuch fentiments as feem probable to prove beneficial to those into whofe hands they might fall, will not be objected to.

G. A. B.

LET