-Hafte, Shimei!-hafte; or thou wilt be undone for ever— -Shimei girded up his loins and speeded after him-behold the hand which governs every thing,takes the wheels from off his chariot, fo that he who driveth, driveth on heavily-Shimei doubles his speed-but it is the contrary way; he flies like the wind over a fandy defart, and the place thereof shall know it no more- stay, Shimei! it is your patron -your friend-your benefactor; it is the man who has raised you from the dunghil-it is all one to Shimei: Shimei is the barometer of every man's fortune; marks the rife and fall of it, and with all the variations from fcorching hot to freezing cold upon his countenance, that the fmile will admit of.- -Is a cloud upon thy affairs?-fee-it hangs over Shimei's brow -haft thou been spoken for to the king or the captain of the hoft without fuccefs? look not into the court-kalendar-the vacancy is filled up in Shimei's face-art thou in debt?. hough not to Shimei-no matter--the worst officer of the law fhall not be more infolent.

What then, Shimei, is the guilt of poverty fo black-is it of fo general a concern, that

the first man also who haftes to greet himand had the wheel turned round a hundred times, Shimei, I dare fay, in every period of its rotation, would have been uppermoft.

O Shimei! would to heaven when thou wast flain, that all thy family had been flain with thee; and not one of thy resemblance left! but ye have multiplied exceedingly and replenished the earth; and if I prophefy rightly--Ye will in the end fubdue it.

There is not a character in the world which has so bad an influence upon the affairs of it, as this of Shimei: whilft power meets with honeft checks, and the evils of life with honeft refuge, the world will never be undone; but thou, Shimei, haft fapp'd it at both extremes; for thou corrupteft profperity-and it is thou who haft broken the heart of poverty: and fo long as worthless spirits can be ambitious ones, it is a character we fhall never want.

infefts the court

it infests the church

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O! it

-the camp the cabinet

go where you will

every quarter, in every profeffion, you see a Shimei following the wheels of the fortunate through thick mire and clay.-

-Hafte, Shimei!-hafte; or thou wilt be undone for ever—Shimei girded up his loins and speeded after him-behold the hand which governs every thing,takes the wheels from off his chariot, fo that he who driveth, driveth on heavily-Shimei doubles his speed-but it is the contrary way; he flies like the wind over a fandy defart, and the place thereof fhall know it no more- stay, Shimei! it is your patron -your friend-your benefactor; it is the man who has raised you from the dunghil—it is all one to Shimei: Shimei is the barometer of every man's fortune; marks the rife and fall of it, and with all the variations from fcorching hot to freezing cold upon his countenance, that the smile will admit of.- -Is a cloud upon thy affairs?-fee-it hangs over Shimei's brow -haft thou been spoken for to the king or the captain of the hoft without fuccefs? — look not into the court-kalendar-the vacancy is filled up in Shimei's face-art thou in debt?

-

hough not to Shimei-no matter- the worst officer of the law fhall not be more infolent.

What then, Shimei, is the guilt of poverty fo black-is it of fo general a concern, that . II.

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thou and all thy family muft rife up as one man to reproach it?when it loft every thingdid it lose the right to pity too? or did he who maketh poor as well as maketh rich, ftrip it of its natural powers to mollify the hearts and fupple the temper of your race?-Trust me, ye have much to anfwer for; it is this treatment which it has ever met with from spirits like yours, which has gradually taught the world to look upon it as the greatest of evils and shun it as the worst disgrace—and what is it, I be feech you--what is it that man will not do, to keep clear of fo fore an imputation and punifhment is it not, to flie from this, that he rifes early-late takes reft; and eats the bread of carefulness?that he plots, contrives-fwears-lies-fhuffles -- puts on all shapes-tries all garments,-wears them, with this, or that fide outward-just as it favours his escape.

They, who have confidered our nature, af. firm, that shame and disgrace are two of the most infupportable evils of human life: the courage and spirits of many have mastered other misfortunes and borne themselves up against them; but the wifeft and beft of fouls have not

been a match for thefe; and we have many a tragical inftance on record, what greater evils have been run into, merely to avoid this one.

Without this tax of infamy, poverty, with all the burdens it lays upon our flesh-so long as it is virtuous, could never break the fpirits of a man; all its hunger and pain and nakednefs are nothing to it: they have fome counterpoife of good; and befides they are directed. by providence, and must be fubmitted to: but those are afflictions not from the hand of GoD or nature-" for they do come forth of the DUST, and most properly may be faid to spring out of the GROUND, and this is the reason they lay fuch stress upon our patience,--and in the end, create fuch a distrust of the world, as makes us look up-and pray, Let me fall into thy hands, O God! but let me not fall into the hands of men"

Agreeable to this was the advice of Eliphas to Job in the day of his diftrefs;" acquaint thyfelf, faid he, Now with God:"-indeed his poverty feemed to have left him no other: the fwords of the Sabeans had frightened them away-all but a few friends; and of what kind