ment. her deformity by being continually seen, and intimately known. The hideous monster never can be beheld without horror-she can assume no form that can tempt us to love, or allure us to embrace her. In fact, she is never so odious, as when she appears in the disguise of a fair and sensible female. The most exquisite personal beauties, the most refined mental endowments, cannot for a moment conceal the infernal fiend. Who has not seen " lips of delight," in a moment changed to objects of abhorrence, by giving utterance to a malicious hint or an ill-natured remark? Their honey becomes gall, when the bitterness of slander has passed over and blighted their roses. Nor will it avail, that the slander is propagated and circulated in the language of eloquence,that the wicked intention is rendered dazzling with the brilliance of wit. These means of concealing, aggravate the offence by proving, that it proceeds from black malevolence of heart, and not from imbecility of understanding or error of judgeThe bloom of health and youth may adorn the face; intelligence may give expression to the countenance, and wit may sparkle in the eye-the form may surpass in symmetry the Medicean Venus, and art may exhaust her accomplishments in the decoration of an elegant woman; but this pow erful combination of charms is deprived of all its magic, when the captivated admirer discovers that she has an envious mind and an unbridled tongue. When this discovery is made, the loves and graces vanish, and in their stead appear impure harpies and poisonous serpents, and the object so lately adored as the paragon of created beings, is converted to a "goblin damned," in the energetic language of Shakspeare, bringing with her "blasts from hell." But, behold! what ethereal spirit approaches, with "airs from heaven!" As she moves along, the face of nature wears a brighter smilethe vocal groves breathe a sweeter lay-her footsteps are traced by the roses that spring wherever she treads-every eye is gladdened with the sight of her-she rejoices every heart when she speaks-doves play about her flowing tresses, 1 and lambs gambol with delight around their guardian-for when she is near, even savage wolves are enchanted-they forget the taste of blood; and the happy shepherd no longer selects a trembling innocent from his fold to satisfy his hunger, but regales himself beneath the wide spreading branches of the oak, with delicious fruits and water from the cool and limpid fountain. Who is this most amiable of beings? Who is this that dispenses so many blessings ?—She is BENEVOLENCE! Worship her, imitate her-let her never be absent from your memory-let your breast be her shrine, your heart her altar, EVELINA, and you will not only be happy yourself, but communicate inexpressible delight to the grateful circle of your relatives and friends. Be the mild evangelist of Benevolence-teach your fair sisters how to gain happy captives; how to secure lovers and admirers, by ties which they will bless, in bondage, from which it would be the severest punishment to set them free. In promoting the felicity of others, we increase our own— "The heart that feels for other's woes, FOR THE POLYANTHOS. THE FREEBOOTER. "The good humor is to steal at a minute's rest-Convey, the wise it eall; steal! a fico for the phrase." Shakspeare. MR. EDITOR, ENCLOSED is a small collection of maxims, anecdotes, bon mots, &c. &c. &c. which if you approve, may serve occasionally to fill a page in your miscellany. Though I have styled myself a freebooter, I am not one of those literary plunderers who steal whole pages without mercy, and then pass off their plundered goods as their own manufacture. I claim no property whatever in the articles I send you. I could perhaps 1 mark some of them with the names of their owners; but others have been so long in my common-place book, that the original proprietor is entirely forgotten; and if the thing be good, it matters but little whence it be derived. The intention is "to convey, as it were by stealth, the treasure of good into man's mind,”—and if this prove acceptable to your readers, under favor of their patronage I will continue to steal. Yours, &c. DE MOOR. Patriotism. No man can be too ambitious of the glory and security of his country; nor too angry at its misfortunes and ill usage; nor too revengeful against those that abuse and betray it; nor too avaricious to enrich it, provided that in doing it, he violates not the rights of others. Humility. Humility is a virtue that all preach, none practise, and yet every body is content to hear. The master thinks it a good doctrine for his servants, the laity for the clergy, and the clergy for the laity. Thus we deal with all the virtues; we leave and recommend the practice of them to others, and reserve the advantage and praise of them to ourselves. To Sleep-a new translation from the Latin. For in the calm thy slumbers give, Thus, without life, how sweet to live-- Natural Equality. Whoever pretends to be naturally superior to other men, clairns from nature what she never gave to any man. He sets up for being more than a man; a character with which nature has nothing to do. She has thrown her gifts in common amongst us; and as the highest offices of nature fall to the share of the mean as well as the great, her vilest offices are Death and performed by the great as well as by the mean. diseases are the portion of kings as well as of clowns; and the corpse of a monarch is no more exempted from putrefaction, than the corpse of a slave. Cause of epidemic Madness. A writer of the last century says, "There seems to be no difficulty in conceiving that the effluviums, which steam from the body of an enthusiast, should infest others, suitably quali fied, with the same distempers; as experience shows us, that the minute particles which are conveyed by the bite of a mad dog, cause madness, and will make the person infected bark like the dog who bit him; and such particles in other instances may be conveyed through the pores. Thucidydes tells us, that at Abdera, a city of Greece, upon a hot day, all the spectators, who were present in the theatre to see Andromache acted, were suddenly seized with a madness, which made them pronounce Iambics; and the whole town was infected with the distemper as long as that weather continued." Our own age and country furnish examples of the contagion of enthusiasm; it has often happened that those who have gone from curiosity, or a less laudable motive, to the meetings of the Shakers, have been caught by their groanings and shakings, and become steady converts and who has not seen that the yawning of one man will set open the mouths of a whole company? On hearing it remarked that a Wit's' fire was extinct. No, no his fire he still retains, Whate'er you may suppose; (To be continued.) FOR THE POLTANTHOS. A COURSE OF LECTURES ON NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, Delivered under the patronage of the Honorable Council of WELLESLEY COLLEGE in Calcutta, in the years 1807 and 1808; and afterwards in Boston, in the year 1811. By JOHN LATHROP, jun. A. M. INTRODUCTORY LECTURE. THE business of Natural Philosophy is to describe the phenomena of the universe; to trace the relations and dependencies of causes; and to make art and nature subservient to the purposes of life. The inducements which lead to the study of Natural Philosophy are various; and they originate in desires and principles the most honorable and interesting to the human mind. Its extensive usefulness is daily becoming more and more obvious to every man, whether engaged in the investigation or establishment of theories, or employed in the practice of mechanical or liberal arts. Natural Philosophy is the only sure basis of Natural Religion The universe is full of God. In every object that we behold, we view an evidence of his being. The philosopher, whose subjects of contemplation are hidden from common eyes in the centres of other systems, mounts with confidence to the Great First Cause, and penetrates into the very temple of divine truth. The solid earth, the air, the ocean, the firmament of heaven-contain innumerable proofs to strengthen and confirm his faith. The book of nature, is the scripture and revelation of Providence. The name of philosophy is disgraced when atheists pretend to be her disciples; men, whose avowed tenets are not only subversive of the first principles of reason, but lead to the extinction of all religion, and spread a mournful gloom over the whole face of nature. Among the ancients, the irreligious plan of Epicurus was peculiarly acceptable to people of profligate manners, whose vicious and debauched dispositions powerfully stimulated them to follow it. But in the sublimer VOL. I. 2 |