SECT. XVII. ADVICE TO PARENTS AND MEN OF FORTUNE. Marriage is fure a matter of more worth SHAKESPEARE. IN W, a small village of Saxony, there lived a poor but honeft and upright Curate, who for many years had enjoyed, without alloy, the tranquil pleasures of domeftic happiness. He had a wife and an only daughter. Content within the sphere in which they were placed, and unacquainted with the turbulent paffions of the fashionable world, their days flowed quietly on in an uniform courfe of undisturbed felicity. The mother and daughter took a joint care of all the domeftic concerns, and ftrove, by every confiderate act of attention and love, to diminish the burthen which the duties of the good old man impofed on him. HARRIOT (this was the name of his daughter) was, in the ftricteft fenfe of the words, the child after his own heart. He was unhappy if he was abfent even for a few hours, and fhe was therefore his conftant attendant. She She was about eighteen years old, but had not yet experienced the inquietudes of that paffion which often exhibits itself in very early life in the great world, and her principles and mode of thinking were too noble and good to infpire her parents with even the slightest apprehenfions as to the wanderings of her heart-But hear her history. It is the custom, in that country, for the cavalry to be quartered, during the time of peace, in different villages, where it is maintained at the expence of the peafantry. Many of thefe foldiers are riotous young men, who, by virtue of their profeffion and uniform, have an entrance into the houses of all the peafantry, and even of the curates. One of them, a handsome but giddy young man, was quartered at W, where he foon made the acquaintance of the good old parfon. The young foldier had more culture of mind than is commonly met with in fuch a clafs of men. He pleased the curate; they met fre quently, and often fat up till past midnight, entertaining themselves with the hiftories of battles and warlike atchievements, of which each of them knew an abundance of anecdotes. HARRIOT found great entertainment in the company of the warrior, and like OTHELLO'S mistress, the story of his life, the battles, fieges, fortunes that he had past, the hair-breadth 'fcapes, the the moving accidents by flood and field, o'ercame her heart. Love had taken poffeffion of her bofom before he was aware of its approach. The progrefs of this paffion, when once admitted into the human breast, is certain as fate. She blushed when he took her by the hand, and was unhappy when he left her. The foldier could not refift the beautiful girl, his heart was formed for love; they therefore foon came to an explanation, but carefully concealed their mutual attachment from her parents; for they were juftly afraid that prudential motives would cause them to oppose it. They bound themfelves to each other, however, by an oath, which at the fame time that it fhewed the ftrength of their affection, exhibited the most romantic turn of mind. They promised to marry each other as foon as he fhould attain the rank of Serjeant-major, and agreed that the one fhould deftroy the other who firft failed in the engagement. Thus matters ftood when, contrary to the hopes of the lovers, a lawyer from a neighbouring town applied to the father of HARRIOT for the hand of his daughter. He was well received, and, his views promoted by the old people; but when his intention was declared to the unfortunate girl, fhe fell into the arms of her father as if. ftruck with lightning, and upon her recovery fhe wept bitterly, and intreated him not to encourage the addreffes of this new lover,.. Her Her parents, being ignorant of the true caufe of her averfion, thought that time alone would overcome it, and they therefore gave their folemn promise to the lawyer, and refolved to employ every means in their power to fecond his wifhes. HARRIOT, however, refifted every argument, and remained true to her promife; but her parents at laft, growing tired of her oppofition, determined to employ their authority. The arguments that were made ufe of are needlefs to mention, and they were attended with fuccefs. The young foldier foon received the intelligence, and from that moment defifted from vifiting the parfonage. His refolution was taken-for without the girl he could not live. A fhort time before the marriage-day, a dance was given in W- in honour of the pair. To this he reforted, unable any longer to refift the defire of feeing his once beloved. He concealed himfelf among the fpectators until he faw her dance; this roufed him to a state of fury; he ran home, took a pair of pistols which were loaded, and waited until the party broke up. It was a dark night, but he difcerned the unhappy bride and her bridegroom, walking hand in hand. He ftept up to her, and in a low voice requested that she would indulge him with a moment's converfation. She difengaged her arm from that of the lawyer, intreated him to walk on, affuring him fhe would immediately return; but alas! it was the laft minute minute of her exiftence: a piftol fhot was heard, and when her friends reached the place, fhe was feen lying weltering in blood at the feet of her murderer. "Now art thou mine again!" cried the foldier, "our oaths are fulfilled;" and with thefe words he disappeared, favoured by the obfcurity of the night: but he did not fly to escape. He delivered himself to the officers of justice who were nearest the place, and defired to be inftantly executed; which event indeed foon followed. Learn, parents, from this story, the danger of marrying your children to thofe they cannot love; for should an event lefs tragical enfue than the above, yet what should be their paradife would be hell, and your grand-children the worthy offspring of fuch purchased connubial rites, If children inherit the eyes and forehead of their parents, it is certain that they as often are heirs to the internal formation of their vifcera, Nothing is more certain than that there are hereditary difeafes, or what comes to the fame thing, predifpofition to fuch. Men of fortune and opulence have it in their power to obey the laws of nature and of love; and yet how common are the examples of fuch men acting an interested part in their matrimonial engagements. Inftead of following the dictates of nature, they difregard the high privilege they enjoy, facrifice their tafte, their paffion, and often their happiness during life, at the fhrine of gold. To accomplish this |