ANGER. GOOD SPELLING.

217

8 shamefaced in company, they try a variety of ways to keep themselves in countenance: thus, they fall into those awkward habits I have mentioned, which grow upon them, and in time become habitual.

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Silly trick-foolish way, manner, habit. Define laughing, whenever, grin, distorted, scratching, twirling, fumbling, shamefaced, company. Keep themselves in countenance-to remain selfpossessed, to keep courage up. Define mentioned, grow, in time.

SECT. CCXXXIV.-ANGER.

HEAR me, rash man: on thy allegiance hear me.
Since thou hast striven to make us break our vow,
Which nor our nature nor our place can bear,
We banish thee forever from our sight

And kingdom. If, when three days are expired,
Thy hated trunk be found in our dominions,
That moment is thy death. Away!

EXECRATION.

Cursed be your senate: cursed your constitution:
The curse of growing factions and divisions
Still vex your councils, shake your public safety,
And make the robes of government you wear,
Hateful to you, as these base chains to me.

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define rash, allegiance, striven, vow, (break a vow as you would a stick?) banish, kingdom, (the king's dom, or dominion ?) Define expired, hated, trunk, (this properly means the body of a man without head, arms, or legs; but here it is used for the whole body, the man.) What other meanings has trunk. I think of two at least just now: what are they? Define cursed, senate, factions, councils, safety, robes, base, chains.

1

SECT. CCXXXV.-GOOD SPELLING.

IF writing well shows the gentleman, much more so does spelling well. It is so essentially necessary for a gentleman, 2 or a man of letters, that one false spelling may fix a ridicule on him for the remainder of his life. Words in books are 3 generally well spelt, according to the orthography of the age reading therefore with attention will teach every one to spell right. It sometimes happens that words shall be 4 spelt differently by different authors; but if you spell them

upon the authority of one in estimation of the public, you 5 will escape ridicule. Where there is but one way of spelling a word, by your spelling it wrong, you will be sure to 6 be laughed at. For a woman of a tolerable education would laugh at and despise her lover, if he wrote to her, and the 7 words were ill-spelt. Be particularly attentive then to your spelling.

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define writing, spelling, essentially. A man of letters—a literary man, a writer of books. Define orthography, authority, estimation, (esteemed ?) escape, tolerable, (this word properly means, possible to be endured, borne. A tolerable education is therefore one which people will perhaps bear, put up with, i. e. allow to be just sufficient to escape the condemnation of ignorance.) Define despise, lover, words, ill-spelt, then

3

4

5

Or is it, as I feared, she loves another?

Ha! yes-perhaps the king, the young Count Tancred:
They were bred up together: Surely that,

That cannot be? Has he not given his hand,

In the most solemn manner to Constantia ?

Does not his crown depend upon the deed?

6

No'; if they loved, and this old statesman knew it,
He could not to a king prefer a subject'.

7

His virtues I esteem, (nay '; more'; I trust them,
So far as virtue goes,) but could he place

8

His daughter on the throne of Sicily,

O! 'tis a glorious bribe'; too much for man!
What is it then? 9 I care not what it is.

SUSPICION.

Would he were fatter, but I fear him not'.-
Yes, if my name were liable to fear,

I do not know the man I should avoid,

So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much,
He is a great observer, and he looks

Quite through the deeds of men.

He loves no plays'; he hears no music.
Seldom he smiles; and smiles in such a sort
As if he mocked himself, and scorned his spirit,

15

THE PERFECT SPEAKER.

That could be moved to smile at any thing.
Such men as he be never at heart's ease,

Whilst they behold a greater than themselves;
And, therefore, are they very dangerous.

219

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Pause some time after Sent. 1st, as if thinking to yourself. Define mean, aversion, bred up, count. Given his hand-engaged to marry. Deed—i. e. fulfilling the engagement, being married. Define statesman, esteem, trust. Where is Sicily? Define bribe, fatter, liable, avoid, spare, observer, plays, music, seldom, sort, mocked, scorned, at heart's ease, (content?) dangerous. Ha! in Sent. 3, expresses surprise, and should therefore be delivered with the rising slide. What must be supplied before perhaps in the same sentence?

SECT. CCXXXVII.-NEVER INTERRUPT A STORY.

1 It is a piece of politeness not to interrupt a person in a story, whether you have heard it before or not. Nay'; if a 2 well-bred man is asked whether he has heard it, he will evade the question, and let the person go on, though he knows it already. Some are fond of telling a story, be3 cause they think they tell it well; others pride themselves in being the first teller of it; and others are pleased at being thought intrusted with it. Now, all these persons you would disappoint by answering yes; and, as I have 4 told you before, as the greatest proof of politeness is to make everybody happy about you, I would never deprive a person of any secret satisfaction of this sort, when I could gratify him by a minute's attention.

ness.

DEFINITIONS, &c.-A piece of politeness—a dictate or rule of politeDefine well-bred, evade, person, fond, intrusted, disappoint, proof, (evidence or trial?) deprive, secret, sort, (manner, as in the preceding piece? or kind?) What is a minute's attention?

1

SECT. CCXXXVIII.-THE PERFECT SPEAKER.

IMAGINE to yourselves, Demosthenes, addressing the most illustrious assembly in the world, upon a point, whereon 2 the fate of the most illustrious of nations depended. How 3 awful such a meeting! how vast the subject! Is man pos4 sessed of talents adequate to the great occasion? Adequate! Yes, superior: by the power of his eloquence, the 5 augustness of the assembly is lost, in the dignity of the

orator; and the importance of the subject, for a while superseded, by the admiration of his talents. With what 6 strength of argument, with what powers of the fancy, with what emotions of the heart, does he assault and subjugate the whole man, and at once captivate his reason, his im7 agination, and his passions!-To effect this, must be the utmost effort of the most improved state of human nature. 8 Not a faculty that he possesses is here unemployed: not a faculty that he possesses, but is here exerted to its highest 9 pitch. All his internal powers are at work: all his external, testify their energies. Within, the memory, the 10 fancy, the judgment, the passions are all busy without, every muscle, every nerve, is exerted; not a feature, not a limb, but speaks. The organs of the body attuned to the 11 exertions of the mind, through the kindred organs of the hearers, instantaneously, and, as it were, with an electrical spirit, vibrate those energies from soul to soul.-Notwith12 standing the diversity of minds in such a multitude, by the lightning of eloquence, they are melted into one mass: the whole assembly actuated in one and the same way, become, 13 as it were, but one man, and have but one voice. The universal cry is-Let us march against Philip: let us fight for our liberties: let us conquer-or die!

DEFINITIONS, &c.-What is meant by a perfect speaker? who by Demosthenes? Define addressing, most, illustrious, assembly, upon, point, (subject?) whereon, fate, depended, awful, meeting, vast, possessed of, (in possession of, the owner?) talents, adequate, superior, power, eloquence, augustness, dignity, orator, importance, while, superseded, admiration, strength, argument, fancy, assault, subjugate, captivate, reason, imagination, (the difference between this and fancy,) passions, effect, utmost, faculty, exerted, pitch, internal, external, testify, (show? What other meaning has it?) energies, memory, judgment, busy, muscle nerve, feature, limb, organs, attuned, mind, kindred, instantaneously electrical, vibrate, diversity, multitude, lightning, melted, mass, actuated universal, cry, marck, fight, conquer, die.

1

SECT. CCXXXIX.-COURAGE.

A GENEROUS few, the eteran hardy gleanings
many a hapless fight, with a fierce

Of

Heroic fire, inspirited each other:

Resolved on death; disdaining to survive

THE PSALMS.

2

Their dearest country.

"If we fall," I cried,

"Let us not tamely fall, like passive cowards'!
No'; let us live, or let us die like men!"

221

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define generous, few, veteran, hardy, gleanings, (remains, remnants?) hapless, (less, i. e. without, hap, i. e. good chances, happiness, fortune,-hapless, i. e. unfortunate?) fierce, heroic, fire, (cour. age?) inspirited, (put spirit, courage in?) each. What little word is understood Letween this word and other? the? What is meant by resolved on death? disdaining to survive? Does fall here mean simply to fall down! Define tamely, passive, cowards. Does dearest mean most expensive, or most loved? And does it mean dearer than any thing else, or dearer than any other country of ours? Can a man have more than one country?

SECT. CCXL.-THE PSALMS.

NEVER did the spirit of true piety breathe more strongly 1 than in these divine songs; which, being added to a rict vein of poetry, makes them more captivating to my heart and imagination, than any thing I ever read. You will con2 sider how great disadvantages any poem must sustain from being rendered literally into prose, and then imagine how beautiful these must be in the original. May you be enabled by reading them frequently, to transfuse into your own 3 breast that holy flame which inspired the writer! to delight in the Lord, and in his laws, like the Psalmist; to rejoice in him always; and to think "one day in his courts better than a thousand!”—But may you escape the heart-piercing sorrow of such repentance as that of David, by avoiding sin, 4 which humbled this unhappy king to the dust; and which cost him such bitter anguish, as it is impossible to read of without being moved.

Not all the pleasures of the most prosperous sinners, could counterbalance the hundredth part of those sensations which are described in his penitential Psalms, and which must be the portion of every man, who has fallen from a religious 5 state into such crimes, when once he recovers a sense of religion and virtue, and is brought to a real hatred of sin. However available such repentance may be to the safety and 6 happiness of the soul after death, it is a state of such exquisite suffering here, that one cannot be enough surprised at the folly of those who indulge sin, with the hope of living to make their peace with God by repentance.