is poffeffed of the art of prolonging it at pleafure to whom has the fecret been imparted? Either they are deceived by a vain hope of evading death, or there is fomething in a life of diffipation not worth preferving. I am aftonished at the ftupidity of any man, who can deny himfelf the gratification of conscious integrity: The proud man must be a confummate blockhead to take fuch wearifome pains for a little extorted Hattery of the moft fervile fort, and overlook the ready means of gaining general respect upon the nobleft terms: Is it not an abuse of language and an infult to common fenfe for a filly fellow to announce himself to the world as a man of pleasure, when there is not an action in his life, but leaves a fting behind it to belye the character he profeffes? Can one fellow-creature find amufement in tormenting another? Is it poffible there can be a recreation in malice, when it flanders the innocent; in fraud, when it cheats the unfufpecting; in perfidy, when it betrays a benefactor? If any being, who does me wrong, will juftify himfelf against the wrong by confeffing, that he takes delight in injury, I will own to one inftance of human depravity, which till that shall happen I will perfift to hope is not in exiftence: The fact is that all men have that refpect for juftice,, that they attempt to shelter

their very worst actions under it's defence; and even thofe contemptible pilferers of reputation," who would be as much unknown by their names as they are by the concealment of them, qualify (I am perfuaded) the dirty deed they are about by fome convenient phantomy of offence in the" character they affault; even their hands cannot be raised to strike without prefacing the blow by faying to themfelves-This man deferves to die." Foolish wretches, whatredimputation must they make of life, who devote fo great a portion of it to miferies and reproaches of their own' creating cla

Let a rationab creature for once talk common fenfe to himself, and if no better words than the following occur to his thoughts, let him make ufe of them; he is heartily welcome to the loan.

2)

"I know there is a period in approach, when' "I must encounter an enemy to my life, whose

power is irrefiftible: This is a very serious "thing for me to reflect upon, and knowing it "to be a truth infallible, I am out of hope, that "I can fo far forget the terms of my existence, "as totally to expel it from my thoughts: If I "could foresee the precife hour, when this

enemy will come, I would provide against it "as well as I am able, and fortify my mind to

« receive

"receive him with fuch complacency as I could "mufter: But of this hour I have alas! no "forefight; it may be this moment, or the next, "or years may intervene before it comes to "país: It behoves me then to be upon my "guard: He may approach in terrors, that "agonise me to think of; he may seize my foul " in the commiffion of fome dreadful act and "transport it to a place, whose horrors have no "termination: I will not then commit that "dreadful act, because I will not expofe myself « to that dreadful punishment: It is in my own "choice to refrain from it, and I am not such a "desperate fool to make choice of mifery: If I "act with this precaution, will he still appear. "in this fhape of terror? Certainly he will. 66 not, nor can he in justice transport me to a "place of punishment, when I have committed. "nothing to deferve it: Whither then will he "convey me? To the manfions of everlafting "happiness: Where are my fears? What is "now become of his terrors? He is my paff« port, my conductor, my friend: I will welcc come him with embraces; I will fmile upon "him with gratitude, and accompany him with "exultation."

N° CVIII.

N° CVIII.

OWEVER difpofed we may be to exe

H crate the bloody act of the regicides, yet

we must admit the errors and mifconduct of Charles's unhappy reign to be such as cannot be palliated; in our pity for his fate we must not forget the hiftory of his failings, nor, whilft we are fympathifing in the pathos of the tragedy,

overlook it's moral.

Four fucceffive parliaments, improvidently diffolved, were fufficient warnings for the fifth to fall upon expedients for fecuring to themfelves a more permanent duration by laying some restraints upon a prerogative fo wantonly exerted.

Let us call to mind the inauspicious commencement of this monarch's reign; before the ceremony of his coronation had taken place, he espoused a fifter of France and fet a catholic princess on the throne of a protestant kingdom, scarce cool from the ferment of religious jea loufies, recently emancipated from the yoke of Rome and of courfe intolerant through terror, if not by principle: The most obnoxious man in

the

the kingdom was Montagu, author of the profcribed tract, intitled Apello Cæfarem, and him Charles enrolled in his lift of royal chaplains: By throwing himself incontinently into the handsof Buckingham he fhewed his people they were to expect a reign of favoritif, and the choice of the minifter marked the character of the monarch: He levied mufters for the Palatinate of twelve thousand men, exacted contributions for coat and conduct-money, declared martial law in the kingdom and furnifhed his brother of France with a fquadron of fhips for the unpopular reduction of Rochelle, and the mariners refufed the fervice: Thefe meafures ftirred the parliament then fitting to move for a redrefs of grievances, before they provided for his debts, and their remonftrances provoked him upon the inftant to diffolve them.

Every one of these proceedings took place before his coronation, and form the melancholy prelude to his mifguided government.

A fecond parliament was called together, and to intimidate them from refuming their redress of grievances and divert their attempts from the perfon of his favorite, he haughtily informs them, that he cannot fuffer an enquiry even on the meanest of his fervants. What was to be expected from fuch a menacing declaration? They, difdaining