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grounds for the report of her chamber being haunted. "I am as well perfuaded as yourself "of that," the replied; "I know 'tis only one of "Johnson's whims; but people you know will « have their whims, and it was great courtesy in <c you to facrifice a night's reft to his humour: << my fervants have been spoilt by indulgence, "but it is to be hoped they will learn better "fubmiffion by your example." There was a farcastic tone in my aunt's manner of uttering this, which gave it more the air of ridicule than compliment, and I blusht to the eyes with the consciousness of deferving it.

After breakfast fhe took me into her closet, and, defiring me to fit down to a writing table, "Nephew," fays fhe, "I know my brother "Antony full well; he is a tyrant in his nature, "a bigot to his opinions, and a man of a moft " perverted understanding, but he is rich and "you have your fortune to make; he can infult, "but you can flatter; he has his weakneffes,

and you can avail yourself of them; fuppofe << you write him a penitential letter."-I now faw the opportunity prefent for exerting my new-made refolution, and felt a fpirit rifing within me, that prompted me to deliver myself as follows. "No, madam, I will neither gra

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"tify my uncle's pride, nor lower my own felf

cfteem, by making him any fubmiffion; I defpife him for the infults he has put upon me, and myself for having in fome fort deserved them; but I will never flatter him or any living creature more; and if I am to forfeit your favour by refifting your commands, I "must meet the confequences, and will rather

truft to my own labour for fupport than de"pend upon the caprice of any perfon living; leaft of all on him." "Heyday," cried my

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aunt, you refuse to write !—you will not do as "I advise you?" "In this particular," I replied, "permit me to fay I neither can, nor will,

obey you." "And you are refolved to think and act for yourself?" "In the prefent cafe “I am, and in all cafes, let me add, where my honour and my confcience tell me I am right.” "Then," exclaimed my aunt, " I acknowledge

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you for my nephew; I adopt you from this. "hour" and with that he took me by the hand most cordially; "I faw," said the, "or

thought I faw, the fymptoms of an abject

fpirit in you, and was refolved to put my "fufpicions to the teft; all that has paft here "fince your coming has been done in concert "and by way of trial; your haunted chamber,

"the

"the pretended fears of my butler, his blunt "refufal, all have been experiments to found "your character, and I fhould totally have de"fpaired of you, had not this last instance of a "manly spirit restored you to my esteem: you' "have now only to perfift in the fame line of " conduct to confirm my good opinion of you, "and enfure your own profperity and hap"piness."

Thus I have given my hiftory, and if the example of my reformation fhall warn others from the contemptible character, which I have fortunately escaped from, I fhall be most happy, being truly anxious to approve myself the friend of mankind, and the Obferver's very fincere well-wisher.

WILL. SIMPer.

1

N° CXXXIII.

Citò fcribendo non fit ut bene fcribatur; bene fcribendo fit ut citò.

THE

(QUINTIL. LIB. X.)

HE celebrated author of the Rambler in his concluding paper fays, I have laboured to refine our language to grammatical purity, and

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to clear it from colloquial barbarisms, licentious idioms and irregular combinations: fomething perhaps I have added to the elegance of its construction, and fomething to the harmony of its cadence. I hope our language hath gained all the profit, which the labours of this meritorious writer were exerted to produce: in file of a certain defcription he undoubtedly excels; but though I think there is much in his effays for a reader to admire, I fhould not recommend them as a model for a difeiple to copy.

Simplicity, eafe and perfpicuity fhould be the first objects of a young writer: Addison and other authors of his clafs will furnifh him with examples, and affift him in the attainment of thefe excellencies; but after all, the ftile, in which a man fhall write, will not be formed by imitation only; it will be the ftile of his mind; it will affimilate itfelf to his mode of thinking, and take its colour from the complexion of his ordinary difcourfe, and the company he conforts with. As for that diftinguishing characteristic, which the ingenious effayift terms very properly the harmony of its cadence; that I take to be incommunicable and immediately dependant upon the ear of him, who models it. This harmony of cadence is fo ftrong a mark of difcrimination between

between authors of note in the world of letters, that we can depofe to a ftile, whofe modulation we are familiar with, almoft as confidently as to the hand-writing of a correfpondent. But though I think there will be found in the periods of every established writer a certain peculiar tune, (whether harmonious or otherwife) which will depend rather upon the natural ear than upon the imitative powers, yet I would not be understood to fay that the ftudy of good models can fail to be of use in the first formation of it. When a subject prefents itself to the mind, and thoughts arife, which are to be committed to writing, it is then for a man to chufe whether he will express himself in fimple or in elaborate diction, whether he will comprefs his matter or dilate it, ornament it with epithets and robe it in metaphor, or whether he will deliver it plainly and naturally in fuch language as a well-bred perfon and a scholar would use, who affects no parade of fpeech, nor aims at any flights of fancy. Let him decide as he will in all these cafes he hath models in plenty to chufe from, which may be faid to court his imitation.

For inftance; if his ambition is to glitter and furprize with the figurative and metaphorical brilliancy of his period, let him tune his ear

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