THE CHARITY.

HERE is a long dark paffage iffuing out from the opera comique into a narrow, ftreet; 'tis

trod by a few who humbly wait for a fiacre, or wish to get off quietly o'foot when the opera is done. At the end of it towards the theatre, 'tis lighted by a fmall candle, the light of which is almost loft before you get half-way down; but near the door-'tis more for ornament than ufe, you see it as a fix'd star of the leaft magnitude; it burns-but does little good to the world that we know of.

In returning along this paffage, I difcern'd, as I approach'd within five or fix paces of the door, two ladies flanding arm in arm, with their backs against the wall, waiting, as I imagined, for a fiacre-as they were next the door, I thought they had a prior right; fo edged myself up within a yard, or little more, of them, and quietly took my ftand-I was in black, and fcarce feen.

The lady next me was a tall lean figure of a woman, of about thirty-fix; the other of the fame fize and make, of about forty; there was no mark of wife or widow in any one part of either of them-they feem'd to be two upright veftal fifters, unfapp'd by careffes, unbrokę in upon by tender falutations; I could have wish'd to have made them happy--their happiness was deftin'd that night, to come from another quarter.

A loud voice, with a good turn of expreffion, and sweet cadence at the end of it, begg'd for a twelvefous piece betwixt them, for the love of Heaven., I thought it fingular that a beggar would fix the quota of an alms-and that the fum fhould be twelve times as much as what is usually given in the dark. They both feemed astonish'd at it as much as myfelf.Twelve fous! faid one- -A twelve-fous piece! said the other-and made no reply.

The poor man faid, he knew not how to ask lefs of ladies of their rank; and bow'd down his head to the ground.

Poo! faid they

we have no money.

The beggar remained filent for a moment or two, and renew'd his fupplication.

Do not, my fair young ladies, faid he, ftop your ears against me-Upon my word, honeft man! faid the younger, we have no change-Then God blefs you, faid the poor man, and multiply thofe joys which you can give to others without change!-I obferved the elder fifter put her hand into her pocket-I'll fee, faid fle, if I have a fous.-A fous! give twelve, faid the fupplicant: Nature has been bountiful to you, be bountiful to a poor man.

I would, friend, with all my heart, faid the younger, if I had it.

My fair charitable! said he, addreffing himself to the elder--What is it but your goodness and humanity which makes your bright eyes fo fweet, that they outfhine the morning even in this dark paffage? and

what was it which made the Marquis de Santerre and his brother fay fo much of you both as they pafs'd by?

The two ladies feemed much affected; and impulfively at the fame time they both put their hands into their pocket, and each took out a twelve-fous piece. The contest betwixt them and the poor fupplicant was no more—it was continued betwixt themselves, which of the two should give the twelve-fous piece in charity—and, to end the difpute, they both gave it together, and the man went away.—,—

SENT. JOURNEY, VOL. V. P. 206,

MISFORTUNE AND CONSOLATION.

THERE

HERE is not an object in this world which GoD can be fupposed to look down upon with greater pleasure, than that of a good man involved in misfortunes, furrounded on all fides with difficulties-yet cheerfully bearing up his head, and struggling against them with firmness and conftancy of mind.-Certainly, to our conceptions, fuch objects must be truly engaging:-and the reafon of fo exalted an encomium from this hand, is eafily to be gueffed: no dɔubt the wifeft of the heathen philofophers had found, from

obfervation upon the life of man, that the many trowbles and infirmities of his nature, the fickneffes, difappointments, forrows for the lofs of children or property, with the numberless other calamities and cross accidents to which the life of man is fubject, were in themselves fo great,and fo little folid comfort to be administered from the mere refinements of philofophy in fuch emergencies, that there was no virtue which required greater efforts, or which was found fo difficult to be atchieved upon moral principles which had no foundation to fuftain this great weight, which the infirmities of our nature laid upon it. And for this reafon, 'tis obfervable, that there is no fubject, upon which the moral writers of antiquity have exhaufted fo much of their eloquence, or where they have spent fo much time and pains, as in this of endeavouring to reconcile men to thefe evils. Infomuch, that from thence, in most modern languages, the patient enduring of affliction, has by degrees obtained the name of philofophy, and almoft monopolized the word to itself, as if it were the chief end or compendium of all the wifdom which philosophy had to offer. And, indeed, confidering what lights they had, fome of them wrote extremely well; yet, as what they faid proceeded more from the head than the heart, 'twas generally more calculated to filence a man in his troubles, than to convince and teach him how to bear them. And therefore, however fubtile and ingenious their arguments might appear in the reading, 'tis to be feared they loft much of their efficacy, when

tried in the application. If a man were thrust back in the world by difappointments, or as was Job's cafe-had fuffered a fudden change in his fortunes, from an affluent condition were brought down by a train of cruel accidents, and pinched with poverty -philofophy would come in, and exhort him to stand his ground;-it would tell him, that the fame greatness and ftrength of mind which enabled him to behave well in the days of his profperity, fhould equally enable him to behave well in the days of his adverfity that it was the property only of weak and bafe fpirits, who were infolent in the one, to be dejected and overthrown by the other; whereas great and generous fouls were at all times calm and equal.-As they enjoyed the advantages of life with indifference, they were able to refign them with the fame temper, and confequently-were out of the reach of fortune. All which, however fine, and likely to fatisfy the fancy of a man at eafe, could convey but, little confolation to a heart already pierced with forrow ;-nor is it to be conceived how an unfortunate creature should any more receive relief from such a lecture, however juft, than a man racked with an acute fit of the gout or ftone, could be supposed to be fet free from torture, by hearing from his phyfi. cian a nice differtation upon his cafe. The philofophic confolations in fickness, or in afflictions for the death of friends and kindred, were juft as efficacious;

and were rather in general to be confidered as good fayings than good remedies. So that, if a man were