I'll grant it fo. Yet let me pour
The tide of praise on beauty's ore,
And mingle hope with fear;
Left inward pangs corrode my foul,
And frowning doubts my thoughts controul,
As trembling paffions tear.
Perhaps on confcious love rely,
When I behold with piercing eye,
The wonders of thy face;
No fond delufive fancy wrought,
No youthful bard had ever thought
He could fuch charms difgrace.
His Laura, Petrarch fung fo fine,
His Stella, Swift with art divine,
His Chloe, Prior too;

And Shenstone footh'd his tender care,
And Hammond his unhappy fair,

In numbers foft and true.

But not the ftrength of Wifdom's pen,
Not all the force of tuneful men,

Can ald one grace to thee;
'Tis W-
-- wears the art to please,
With Nature's fmile, and Nature's ease;
Oh! born alone for me!

Then cease the look of dubious glance,
Then cease the words which doubt enhance,
And falt'ring fall on me;

Thy eye can fee without difmay,

Thy tongue can tell without delay,
How love invites to thee!

May 10.

CLIO.

STANZAS TO AN INFANT.

L

OVELY infant, fweet beguiler,

Source of thy fond parents joy; Little cherub, chearful fmiler, May no forrows thee annoy! As thon onward art advancing, In this dreary vale of tears, Though the profpects feem enhancing, Yet, alas, they're full of cares. Oh! when youth begins to brighten On thy foft and rofy cheek, May thy little thoughts enlighten, Teaching thee all good to feek! May'st thou ever be pursuing

Virtue's path, and Honour's way, Every baneful vice fubduing;

Then no tear thy cheek shall stray. Pleafant are the paths of Pleasure,

Lovely feem they to the eye, But they yield no lafting treasure, All their beauty foon will fly. Still perfift to follow Virtue,

Stamp her precepts on thy heart,
So no care fhall ever hurt you,

No bad action bid thee ftart.
Peace, content, around thee flowing,
Giving ftill thy parent joy;
Every true enjoyment knowing,
Mixed with no bafe alloy.

T. L-D.

(Difpenfer of dark midnight's gloom forlorn,) Smiling, difpels the drops of pearly dew; As fair, as blooming, fo my Ella grew, While white-rob'd Virtue did her mind adorn: Then, oh! what forrow muft this breast have felt! [have known! What keen-edg'd anguish must this beart When pale-hued Death his fatal arrow dealt, And left me here her abfence to bemoan. My days, my nights, my hours, in tears I'll melt,

For all my joy with her fair form is flown. T. L-D.

B

Y the active part which the Emperor has taken in the prefent war, and the languor obfervable in the proceedings of the Ruffian armies, a jealoufy feems to have arifen, which, it is apprehended, will foon pave the way, if not to a general, yet certainly to a feparate peace.

In the mean time, if the accounts from Vienna may be credited, the war is vigorously pushed on by the Auftrians, and with uninterrupted fuccefs; for though their armies are obliged to fly and leave their camps in the night, yet ftill they boaft of victory. Of this fact the London Gazette of May the 17th furnishes a proof. "According to accounts received from Prince Lichenstein, of the 26th of April, fays our Gazette, copied from the Court Gazette of Vienna, an attempt was made by the Auftrians on the 25th to ftorm Dubicza, but they were repulfed as they were entering the breach they had made. In return, the Turks having received a reinforcement, which augmented the garrifon to the number of 12,000 men, they fallied out, and attacked the Auftrians in their trenches. A general action commenced which lasted three hours; and though the Auftrians were victorious, Prince Lichenftein thought proper (all bis works being deftroyed) to raise the fiege, and in the night of the 25th (that is, the night of the action) he croffed the Unna, and camped on the heights between Dubicza and Bacin, to cover the Auftrian territories from the incurfions of the enemy."-Such are the Auftrian victories, with which the Vienna Court Gazette has been filled of late; and in proportion as their loffes have been diminished, their advantages have been increased, as appears by the Gazette above quoted, where the taking the little fort of Schabatz, with the lots of 6 men killed and II Wounded, is pompously reprefented as a grand atchievement, and the garrifon highly extolled for their brave defence.

ed

Thefe impofitions may now be fecurely praised, as almost all the German, Dutch, and Low Country preffes are under controut; and the Vienna COURT GAZETTE, licenfed by the Emperor, the Original from which they all copy.

There is now a serious difpute between the courts of Naples and Venice, in confequence of a Neapolitan officer having been arrested, and conducted out of the Venetian territories, with menaces of death if he thould return; and this on a frivolous charge of his attempting to recruit there. On this infult the Neapolitan Ambaffador left Venice without taking leave.

A royal fquadron of 12 Swedish men of war is fting out at Calfcroon, to be in readiness by the end of May. Where their destination, or what their purpofe, is not

.

yet known. It is fuppofed that France is privy to this armament.

The Court of St. Petersburg is faid to be divided. The friends of the antient fyftem begin to gain the afcendency, though the Freach intereft has for fome time patt carried all before them. Paul Jones has certainly been employed through the intereff of the French court.

To forward the negociations for peace, which fome advices fay are already fet on foot through the mediation of Pruffia, his Britannic Majefly has publicly declared, that he would be happy, by every means in his power, to accommodate the differences that fubfift among the powers at war; but will allow ne aid to be given in his port the shipping belonging to any of the parties concerned, or in any other way. In conformity to this refolution, the Venetian republic has published a like declaration. Her Imperial Majefty of Ruffia will confequently foon fee her error in deferting her Old Ally for the fake of new connex

ions.

At prefent all Europe are impatiently waiting the event of a conteft between the French King and his people, which is to fix the government of that kingdom on the bafis of defpotifm, or on that of a limited monarchy.

The conteft has been carried on with great firmnefs on the part of the King, and with much fpirit on the part of the people; and the rights of each have been fairly ftated on both fides.

The conteft originated on the 19th of Nov. laft (fee vol, LVII. p. 1019) at a meeting between the King and his Parliament, when his Majefly propofing a tax, against which he perceived the majority of members against him, he immediately broke up the affembly, and ordered the tax to pass into a law.

Against this unconftitutional proceeding, as it was termed, remonftrance after remon france was prefented to the throne, but without effect, till on the 11th of April. On that day a remonftrance was prefented, tracing the foundation of the King's prerogative, and the manner in which his predeceffors had been refrained when endeavouring to infringe on the privileges of the fubject. "The leading objects, (they fay, in this remonftrance), which again oblige your Parliament to prefent themselves at the foot of your throne, are, that public. liberty is attacked in its very principles; that defpotifm is fubftituted for the law of the land; that, in short, the privileges of ma gift.acy are trampled upon, and Parliament made the mere inftrument of arbitraly

power.

"The folemn affembly held by your Majesty in Parliament on the 19th of November laft,

.which, by fhewing to the world the juftice of your reign, fhould have prepared the means of laying a permanent foundation for the liberty of your fubjects, has on the contrary only produced a miftreft of their Alavery. But your Parliament can never allow that one act of arbitrary power should deftroy the effential rights by which your fubjects have been governed for 1300 years past.

"Your Parliament can never remain filent on witneffing fo direct an infringement on monarchical government. Our privileges are not our own, they belong to the people at large, and it is our duty not to fee them violated.

"The will of the King alone does not make the law complete, nor dees the fimple extreffion of this will conftitute the formal 22 of the nation. It is neceffary that this will, in order to be binding, thould be published under legal authority; that, in order to make the publishing of it legal, it must have been freely difcuffed. Such is, Sire, the principle of the French conftitution. [Here follow feveral examples in proof of The above opinion.]

"Your Majefty cannot therefore fuppofe youfelf able, in defiance of thefe teftimonies, to destroy the conftitution at a fingle blow, by concentrating Parliament in your own perfon.

"Since then there exift reciprocal duties between Kings and Subjects, what would become of this principle in practice, if Kings, by a fingle word, had the right of restraining some, and extending others, according to the nature of circumstances?

"It remains therefore for us to fupplicate your Majefty, to pay an attentive regard to the state of your kingdom. We are ignorant how long the enemies of Magistracy and the public tranquillity will have the ignominious glory of triumphing over the laws; but we will venture to anfwer to your Majefty for the courage and fidelity of thofe who have the execution of them."

THE KING'S ANSWER, April 17, 1788. "I HAVE read your remonftrances; and it is my purpofe to anfwer with that fpirit of decifion, that you may not doubt of my intentions, nor fuffer yourselves to act in oppofition to them.

"It was very needlefs, indeed, to speak to me of the law, of the nature of enregiftering, or the liberty of giving your fuffrages. When I hold my Parliament, it is to hear a difcuffion of the law, and to obtain the neceffary information to guide my judgment upon the business of enregifteri g.

"Such was my conduct the 19th of laft November. I then paid a due attention to all your opinions; nor is it neceffary to refume them but when I affift at your delibera

tions.

GENT. MAO, May, 1788.

"The plurality of voices does nothing more than inform me of the refult of your opinions. When I am piefent, I judge for myfelf. If the plurality of voices in my Courts fhould forcibly direct my will, the Monarchy would be no more than an ariftecracy of magiftrates, as contrary to the rights and interests of the nation as to thofe of the Sovereign Power. That would be, indeed, a strange constitution of Government, which would reduce the will of the King to fubmit to that of his Minifters, and fubject the Sovereign Power to as many different determinations as there have been deliberations in the various courts of justice in the kingdom.

"It becomes me to guarantee the nation from fuch a misfortune. Every thing was perfectly according to law in the fittings of the 19th of November laft.

"The deliberations were complete, becaufe all your opinions were heard. Your voices were not collected, because I was prefent; the plurality of votes need not be known, when it is without power. There was an arret, becaufe when I hold my Parliament, either on a matter of adminiftration or legiflation, there may be an arret, but fuch only as I command to be pronounced. I therefore reprove you for your arrets, and prohibit you from a repetition of them. To destroy an error which I am difpofed to attribute to a moment of furprize or illu. fion, is to purify, and not to alter your regifters.

For how many falutary laws, which daily form the rules of your judgement, is France indebted to the authority of her Kings! who have not only ordered them to be registered without any attention to the plurality of voices, but in oppofition to it, and in defiance of refifting Parliaments.

"Thefe principles ought to rule your conduct; and I fhall not fuffer the leaft deviation from them."

Here the conftitution of France, as underfood by the fubject and fovereign, is fairly ftated, and forcibly maintained on both fides; but the executive power being wholly in the hands of the King and his minifters, the refiftance must be feeble on the part of the people, who have nothing but autient ufage and ftrong argument for their de

fence.

Matters being thus brought to a crifis, the difpatch of public bufinefs totally at a fland, the caufes which came before the provincial aflemblies ftopped, and a rumour prevailing that the King's Printing-office at Verfailles had for fome time been compleatly guarded by centinels at every avenue, and upwards of 100 additional hands employed; at this moment of general expectation, when the people's minds were anxious for the iffue, an order came forth for the meeting of Parliament.

RESO