heavens, or the delights of the earth; the splendour of the Divinity, or the lowliness of man; the dangers of the past, or the risk of the future; of plague, famine, or pestilence; the joys of the blessed, or the misery of the lost. Excessive laughter occasions weeping, and mirth is frequently the introduction to sadness. The practice of evil produces tears of repentance; the performance of good works the feeding of the hungry, and the clothing of the naked-occasions tears of joy. Devotion is frequently accompanied by weeping; as when the Babylonians fell down before Baal, and the Hindoos prostrated themselves in the presence of Vishnou; when the Druids worshipped in their gloomy woods, and the Ghebers adored the brilliant flame; the Delphians Apollo, and the Thebans Serapis; when they retired into holy cells or sacred groves, then would they moisten the ground with tears of repentance. And thus may the Papist weep before the holy cross, or the image of the virgin; and the Protestant at the altar, or in the stillness of solitude, when no human sound is heard, but where the ear of the Deity is opened to the softest sigh. Ben Jonson says of Lady Digby, in her retirement,

"She spent more time in teares her selfe to dresse

For her devotions, and those sad essayes

Of sorrow, than all pompe of gaudy daies."

The appearance of ruins, of broken statues, of worm-eaten books, of mouldering paintings; the remains of splendid monuments, and of sacred temples — these show the transitory nature of human grandeur, and occasion tears. The revisiting

of the scenes of youth - the fields, the walks, the gardens, the house where happy hours were spent, occasions weeping.

Children cry when they are christened; they cry when they are dressed; they cry when they are at school; they cry when they are home. People weep when they are severely blamed, and when they are greatly praised. Tears start into the eyes of the disappointed voyager, when having seen, as he fancied, the haven of repose, he finds that he must still weather many a dark and boisterous night before he will be welcomed by his smiling family; and he weeps tears of joy when he safely arrives in port. We weep when we anticipate days and years of sorrow, and we weep when we consider that we shall die so soon. We weep at the prospect of death, and weep with joy at the hopes of a blessed resurrection. Warriors weep at defeat, and they weep with delight at gaining a victory. Alexander wept that he had not another world to conquer; Cæsar, that he had not performed as much as the Macedonian; Xerxes, that his army would perish in a century; Charles XII. and Napoleon, that they could not contend with the ice, the storms, and the snows of Russia. People ex-cite themselves to tears at the imagery of their own fancy they conjure up alarms, both ghostly and bodily. The tear of feeling trickles down the cheek at pleasing thoughts and painful remembrances. The din of war produces weeping among women and children; the account of a battle occasions lamentation among widows and orphans. The blessing of peace produces tears of gratitude

and joy. The chains of slavery, and the lash of the taskmaster, occasion groans and tears. The emancipation from bondage, when the chains are broken off, and the limbs regain their freedom, when the heavens smile on the liberated slave, and rays of liberty and joy shine around himthis is accompanied by weeping. The passion of love is accompanied by tears. And as the bright rays of the morning sparkle among dew-drops, so the ceremony of marriage is preceded and followed by weeping. People weep when they are powerfully excited by gratitude, by anger, or spleen; they weep when they are anticipating, and when they are experiencing; when they are waking, and when they are sleeping; when they are living, and when they are dying. In all cases, the effect is somewhat alike, but how dissimilar is the cause!

CHAP. IV.

THE INFLUENCE OF NOVELTY.

THE term novelty applies to everything new-either newly invented, or newly exhibited to us; in the former case the thing is novel to the world, in the latter it is novel to ourselves. Novelty powerfully influences the senses, the passions, and the manners of human beings; it furnishes amusement, employment, and maintenance for man; it accompanies him in his progress through this variable being, from the commencement of life to the period of dissolution.

Novelty may be either pleasing or unpleasing. When it affects the senses by grateful influences, it occasions admiration and delight. How powerfully must the vision of Adam have been affected, when he was introduced to being! Every thing which he beheld was new. There was drawn out before him, the plain, the fruitful valley, the verdant hill. Shrubs and trees were distributed around him. The earth was strewed with flowers: rivulets and rivers diversified the scene,

"Rolling on orient pearl, and sands of gold."

The ocean, perhaps, was stretched out as a plain of silver in the distant view; the heavens were

robed in splendour; the sun shone brilliantly. His own person-himself, was an inextricable mystery. He could move; he could think; he could behold the display of creation; he could close his eyes, and exclude every impression. All was new; and every thing, he might naturally have fancied, would remain the same; but, he was destined to behold a series of novelties.

In a

short time, he saw the sun sinking below the horizon. The heavens were adorned in their most splendid robes, like the gorgeous display of an Eastern monarch. A shade was cast over the valleys, and darkness began to gather among the trees, while their tops and branches were still illumined in the sunbeams. The shadows of evening are now gathered around him; the twinkling stars adorn the heavens; but the beauties of hill, vale, waters, trees, and flowers, are departed! How sensibly must he have been affected! He would now conclude that his future time must be spent in darkness; but he looks towards the east, and across the wide expanse of waters he beholds a gleam of light, which leads the eye to some great luminary, rising above the horizon, to cheer the nightly solitude; and, as it mounts to the zenith, new beauties delight the vision of this lonely and astonished inhabitant of the earth. After a short period the moon sinks, the sun rises in the heavens, and the same delightful scenery is exhibited which was beheld the previous day.

We can imagine the effect of novelty in producing admiration; when travellers, who having been toiling for many days or weeks, on the burn