"Thy wolfish fangs no entrance gain, "They gnaw, they tug, they gnash in vain, "Avaunt, profane! 'tis confecrated ground : "Let no unholy foot be found "Where the Arts mingle, where the Muses haunt, "Ye moral masters of the human heart! "Come forth, and boldly strike the lyre, "Let Tragedy's loud strains in thunder roll; "She fmites the ftring, and Dullness flits away. "For envious Dullness will essay to fling "Sometimes alas! in troubled water dips. " But "But stop not, fair one, faint not in thy task, "And catch the manners as they pass; "And chear them with a livelier firain; "Fame weaves no wreath that is not earn'd with " pain. "And thou, whofe happy talent hit “The richest vein of Congreve's wit, "Ah fickle rover, falfe ingrateful loon, "Did the fond eafy Mufe confent too soon, "That thou should't quit Thalia's arms "For an old Begum's tawny charms, "And shake us, not with laughter, but alarms? "Curft be ambition! Hence with mufty laws! "She taught his faithful scene to show "Thou too, thrice happy in a Jealous Wife, "And ye, who teach man's lordly race, "That woman's wit will have it's place, U 4 "Matrons "Matrons and maidens, who infpire "The fcenic flute or fweep the Sapphic lyre, "Go, warble in the sylvan feat, "Ánd stamp the rugged foil with fernale feet. "'Tis ye, who interweave the myrtle bough "With the proud palm that crowns Britannia's brow, "Who to the age in which ye live "It's charms, it's graces and it's glories give; "For me, I feek no higher praise, "But to crop one fmall fprig of bays, " And wear it in the funfhine of your days." 12 I No. CXXIV. THINK the ladies will not accufe me of bufying myself in impertinent remarks upon their dress and attire, for indeed it is not to their perfons my services are devoted, but..to their minds: If I can add to them any thing ornamental, or take from them any thing unbecoming, I fhall gain my wifh; the reft I fall leave to their milliners and mantua-makers. Now if I have any merit with them for not intruding upon their toilets, let them fhew me fo much complaifance, as not to read this paper, whilft they are engaged in thofe occupations, which I have never before interrupted; for as I intend to talk with them a little metaphyfically, I would not wifh to divide their attention, nor fhall I be contented with lefs than the whole. In the first place I must tell them, gentle though they be, that human nature is fubject to a variety of paffions; fome of these are virtuous paffions, fome on the contrary. I am afraid are evil; there are however a number of intermediate propenfities, most of which might also be termed paffions, which by the proper influence of reafon may become very useful allies to any. one fingle virtue, when in danger of being overpowered by a hoft of foes: At the fame time they are as capable of being kidnapped by the enemies of reason, and, when enlisted in the ranks of the infurgents, feldom fail to turn the fate of the battle, and commit dreadful havock in the peaceful quarters of the invaded virtue. It is apparent then that all these intermediate propenfities are a kind of balancing powers, which feem indeed to hold a neutrality in moral affairs, but, holding it with arms in their hands, cannot be supposed to remain impartial spectators of the fray, and therefore must be either with us, or against us. I fhall make myself better understood when I proceed proceed to inftance them, and I will begin with that, which has been called the univerfal paffion, The love of Fame. I prefume no lady will difavow this propenfity; I would not wifh her to attempt it; let her examine it however; let her first enquire to what point it is likely to carry her before the commits herself to it's conduct: If it is to be her guide to that fame only, which excels in fashionable diffipation, figures in the first circles of the gay world, and is the loadstone to attract every libertine of high life into the sphere of it's activity, it is a traiterous guide, and is feducing her to a precipice, that will fooner or later be the grave of her happiness: On the contrary, if it proposes to avoid these dangerous pursuits, and recommends a progress through paths lefs tempting to the eye perhaps, but terminated by fubftantial comforts, fhe may fecurely follow a propenfity, which cannot mislead her, and indulge a paffion, which will be the moving spring of all her actions, and but for which her nature would want energy, and her character be no otherwife distinguished than by avoidance of vice without the grace and merit of any `pofitive virtue. I can hardly fuppofe, if it was put to a lady's choice at her outfet into life which kind of fame the would be diftinguished for, good or evil, 9 |