know what side to take, or how to lay his money. Mira had good sense enough to see through the villain's design; but the dear delight of being again set up in play, stifled within her all consideration of duty, love, and loyalty she several times traversed the room in a musing posture ; but the struggle was soon over, and, in short, the bargain was struck. She was to procure the count authentic intelligence of the destination, and he in return was to make her a present of five hundred pounds.

Mira, upon her return home, affected an unusual gaiety; and what gave vast pleasure to her husband was, that having invited some friends to sup, the cardtables were early removed, and the remaining part of the evening was dedicated to cheerful conversation. The unsuspecting Hortensio, for that was the husband's name, went to bed, and falling to sleep more profound ly than usual, Mira seized the golden opportunity of transcribing from his pocket-book, which lay upon a bureau in an adjacent closet, a paper which contained all, and more than the count wanted to know. In the afternoon, dinner being over, and her husband abroad, under pretence of walking in St. James'-park, she got into an hackney-chair, and hurried to the place of `assignation with the welcome intelligence to the count. He could not believe his own good fortune when he read it; and being a thorough bred villain, he resolved to seal his correspondence with the beautiful agent with more tender engagements than those of money. Though Mira loathed and detested him, yet the golden bait which he dangled in her eyes, and which was to restore her to the comforts of her soul, proved at last irresistible. She plunged, conscious of her crime, into perdition, and is now undone. She has got in her pocket the wages of her double perfidy, while her passion for play will soon bring her into circumstances that will oblige her to repeat her crime; and a few months will extinguish the remains of that modesty, and those sentiments, that gave dignity to her beauty, and loveliness to her perfections. Such are the effects of a passion for gaming !

Dorinda, cheerful, young, and gay,
Brilliant at balls, at park, and play;.
Blest with a free engaging air;
In short, entirely debonnaire ;
Shall I relate,-excuse the truth—
That bane of misled heedless youth,
Gaming! had quite engross'd her mind;
To not a vice beside inclin'd.
Oft would she melancholy sit,
No partner near for dear piquet!
At last a cruel spoiler came,
Deep in the mysteries of the
game,
A son of Mars, with brazen face,
Furnish'd with impudence and lace;
Yet could he fawn, and seem'd so mild,
That innocence was sure beguil'd.
Her intimacy soon he gains:

She seem'd a prize deserving pains;
Cards, after nonsense, came in course;
By sap he surer works than force.
The table set-the game begins,
The captain soon her money wins :
She can't desist; loses, and frets;
Her brilliant necklace then she bets ;:
Would save her watch, but can't resist,
A miniature can scarce be mist.
At last both watch and trinkets go
A prey to the devouring foe!

Nay more, (if fame doth tell us true)
She lost her diamond buckles too!
Her bracelet next became his prize,
And in his hat the treasure lies.
Upon her virtue next he treats,
And honour's sacred name repeats!
Then swears with hand upon his breast,
That without her he can't be blest;
Plies her, with unremitting pains,
'T' exchange her virtue for his gains.
Shame now with scarlet dyes her face
He triumphs over her disgrace:
Soon turns to jest her scruples nice!
In brief, she falls a sacrifice!

;

So some fair flower its charms displays
Conspicuous to the solar rays;
Pride of the garden where it grows,
Guiltless and unsuspecting where it blows,
Till some foul reptile under ground,
The root approaches, fair and sound:
From noxious bite the flower declines,
And all its beauteous tints resigns ;
Its verdure fades, it droops its head,
From cause unseen the plant is dead.
Spoil'd of her virtue in her prime,
The dread of shame succeeds the crime;
Lost to the hopes of earthly joy,
Rage and despair her mind destroy.
Dorinda-gentle, hapless maid!
Bereft of Reason's timely aid,

From consciousness, from Scandal's rod,
Rous'd, without summons to her God!
Ye fair, if happiness ye prize,

Be warn'd, shun gaming, and be wise.

&c.

THE late colonel Daniel, who took great pleasure in giving advice to young officers, guiding them in their military functions, the management of their pay, whenever he was upon the article of Gaming, he used always to tell the following story of himself, as a warning to others, and to show that a little resolution may conquer this absurd passion. In queen Anne's wars he was an ensign in the English army then in Spain: but he was so absolutely possessed by this evil, that all duty, and every thing else that prevented his gratifying his darling passion, was to him most grievous: he scarcely allowed himself time for rest; or if he slept, his dreams presented packs of cards to his eyes, and the rattling of dice to his ears his meals were neglected, or if he attended them, he looked upon that as so much lost time; swallowed his neat with precipitance, and hurried to the dear gaming-table again. In one word, he was a professed gamester. For some time fortune was his friend: and he was so successful, that he has often spread his winning on the ground, and rolled himself on them, in order that it might be said of him, "he

wallowed in gold.". Such was his life for a considerable time; but as he hath often said, and I dare say every considerate man will join with him, "it was the most miserable part of it."- -After some time he was ordered on the recruiting duty, and at Barcelona he raised one hundred and fifty recruits for the regiment: though this was left entirely to his serjeant, that he might be more at leisure to attend to his darling passion. After some changes of good and ill luck, fortune declared so openly against him, that in one unlucky run he was totally stript of the last farthing. In this distress he applied to a captain of the same regiment with himself for a loan of ten guineas; which was refused, with this speech, "What! lend my money to a professed gamester! No, Sir, I must be excused for of necessity I must lose either my money or my friend; I therefore choose to keep my money.' With this taunting refusal he retired to his lodging, where he threw himself on the bed, to lay himself and his sorrows to a momentary rest, during the heat of the day. A bug, gnat, or some such vermin, happening to bite him, he awoke ; when his melancholy situation immediately presented itself to him. Without money! and no prospect how to get any to subsist himself and his recruits to the regiment, then at a great distance from him; and should they desert for want of their pay, he must be answerable for it; and he could expect nothing but cashiering, for disappointing the queen's service.-He had no friend; for he whom he had esteemed so had not only refused to lend him money, but had added taunts to his refusal. He had no acquaintance there! and strangers he knew would not let him have so large a sum as was answerable to his real necessity. This naturally led him to reflect seriously on what had induced him to commence gamester, and this he presently perceived was idleness. He had now found the cause, but the cure was still wanting how was that to be effected so as to prevent a relapse? Something must be done; some method must be pursued so effectually to employ his time as to prevent his having any to throw away at gaming. It then occurred to him, that the adjutancy of the regi ment was to be disposed of; and this he determined to purchase, as a post the most likely to find him a suffici

ent and laudable way of passing his time. He had letters of credit to draw for what sum he pleased for his promotion in the army; but not to throw away idly, or to encourage his extravagancy. This was well: but the main difficulty remained, and he must get to the regiment before he could take any steps towards the intended purchase, or draw for the sum to make it with. While he was endeavouring to fall upon some expedient to extricate himself out of this dilemma, his friend, who had refused him in the morning, came to pay him a visit. After a very cool reception on the colonel's side, the other began by asking him, what steps he intended to take to relieve himself from the anxiety he plainly saw he was in? The colonel then told him all that he had thought upon that head, and the resolution he had made of purchasing the adjutancy as soon as he could join the regiment: his friend then getting up and embracing him, he said, “ My dear Daniel, I refused you in the morning in that abrupt manner, in order to bring you to a sense of the dangerous situation you were in, and to make you reflect seriously on the folly of the way of life you had got into. I heartily rejcice that it has had the desired effect. Pursue the laudable resolution you have made; for be assured, that IDLENESS AND GAMING ARE THE RUIN OF YOUTH. My interest, advice, and purse, are now at your command: there, take it, and please yourself with what is necessary to subsist yourself and recruits to the regiment." This presently brought the colonel off the bed; and this afternoon's behaviour entirely obliterated the harshness of his friend's morning refusal: he now viewed him in the agreeable light of a sincere friend, and for ever after esteemed and found him such. In short, the colonel set out with his recruits for the regiment, where he gained great applause for his saccess, which, as well as his commission, he had well nigh lost by one morning's folly he immediately solicited for and purchased the adjutancy; and from that day forward never touched cards or dice, but, as they ought to be used, merely for diversion, or to unbend the mind after too close an attention to serious affairs.

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FRIENDLY ADVICE TO OFFICERS.