part of the Tillage is left to the weaker Hands of fo many Women and Children. Whatever was the Lofs, it muft undoubtedly be placed to the Account of his Ambition.

' AND fo must also the Deftruction or Banifhment of · 3 or 400000 of his reformed Subjects; he could have no other Reasons for valuing thofe Lives fo very cheap, but only to recommend himself to the Bigotry of the Spanish Nation.

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HOW fhould there be Industry in a Country where all Property is precarious? What Subject will fow his Land that his Prince may reap the whole Harvest & Parfimony and Frugality must be Strangers to fuck a People; for will any Man faye to-day what he has Reafon to fear will be taken from him to-morrow? And where is the Encouragement for marrying? Will any Man think of raifing Children, without any Affurance of Cloathing for their Backs, or fo much as Food for their Bellies? And thus by his fatal Ambition he muft have leffened the Number of his Subjects not only by Slaughter and Destruction, but by preventing their very Births, he has done as much as was poffible towards deftroying Pofterity itself.

IS this then the great, the invincible Lewis This the immortal Man, the tout-puiffant, or the Almighty. · as his Flatterers have called him? Is this the Man that is fo celebrated for his Conquefts? For every Subjec ⚫ he has acquired, has he not loft three that were his Inheritance? Are not his Troops fewer, and those neither fo well fed, or cloathed, or paid, as they were formerly, tho' he has now fo much greater Caufe to • exert himself? And what can be the Reafon of all this, but that his Revenue is a great deal less, his Subjects are either poorer, or not fo many to be ⚫ plundered by conftant Taxes for his Ufe?

IT is well for him he had found out a Way to steal <a Kingdom; if he had gone on conquering as he did before, his Ruin had been long fince finished. This brings to my Mind a Saying of King Pyrrhus, after he had a fecond time beat the Romans in a pitched Battel, ⚫ and was complimented by his Generals; Yes, fays he *Such another Victory and I am quite undone. And fince

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I have mentioned Pyrrhus, I will end with a very good, though known Story of this ambitious mad Man. When he had fhewn the utmoft Fondness for his Expedition against the Romans, Cyneas his chief Minister asked him, what he propofed to himfelf by this War? Why, fay's Pyrrhus, to conquer the Romans, and reduce all Italy to my Obedience. What then? fays Cyneas. To pafs over into Sicily, fays Pyrrhus, and then all the Sicilians must be our Subjects. And what does your Majefty intend next? Why truly, fays the King, to conquer Carthage, and make my felf Mafter of all Africa. And what, Sir, fays the Minifter, is to be the End of all your Expeditions? Why then, fays the King, for the rest of our Lives we'll fit down to good Wine, How, Sir, replyed Cyneas, to better than we have now before us? Have we not already as much as we can • drink?

T

RIOT and Excefs are not the becoming Characters of Princes; but if Pyrrhus and Lewis had debauched like Vitellius, they had been lefs hurtful to their People. Your humble Servant,

PHILARITHMUS,

N° 181. Thursday, September 27.

His lacrymis vitam damus, & miferefcimus ultrò. Virg.

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Am more pleafed with a Letter that is filled with Touches of Nature than of Wit. The following one is of this Kind.

SIR,

AMONG all the Diftreffes which happen in Fami

lies, I do not remember that you have touched upon the Marriage of Children without the Confent of their Parents. I am one of these unfortunate Perfons. I was about Fifteen when I took the Liberty to chufe for my felf; and have ever fince languished

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under the Difpleasure of an inexorable Father, who, though he fees me happy in the best of Husbands, and ⚫ bleffed with very fine Children, can never be prevailed upon to forgive me. He was fo kind to me before this unhappy Accident, that indeed it makes my Breach of Duty, in fome measure, inexcufable, and at the 'fame Time creates in me such a Tenderness towards him, that I love him above all things, and would die to be reconciled to him. I have thrown my felf at his Feet, and befought him with Tears to pardon me; but he always pushes me away, and fpurns me from him :I have written feveral Letters to him, but he will neither open nor receive them. About two Years ago I fent my little Boy to him, dreffed in a new Apparel; but the Child returned to me crying, because he faid his Grand-father would not fee him, and had ordered him to be put out of his Houfe. My Mother is won over to my Side, but dares not mention me to my Father for fear of provoking him. About a Month ago he lay fick upon his Bed, and in great Danger of his Life: I was pierced to the Heart at the News, and could not forbear going to enquire after his Health. My Mother took this Opportunity of speaking in my Behalf : She told him with abundance of Tears, that I was come "to fee him, that I could not speak to her for weeping, ⚫ and that I should certainly break my Heart if he refus'd at that Time to give me his Bleffing, and be reconciled to me. He was fo far from relenting towards me, that he bid her fpeak no more of me, unless he had a Mind to disturb him in his laft Moments; for, Sir, you must know that he has the Reputation of an honeft and religious Man, which makes my Misfortune fo much the greater. God be thanked he is fince recovered: But his fevere Ufage has given me fuch a Blow, that I fhall foon fink under it, unless I may be relieved by any Impreffions which the reading of this in your Paper may make 6. upon him.

I am, &c.

OF all Hardneffes of Heart, there is none fo inexcufable as that of Parents towards their Children. An obftinate, inflexible, unforgiving Temper is odious upon

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all Occafions, but here it is unnatural. The Love, Tendernefs, and Compaffion which are apt to arife in us, towards those who depend upon us, is that by which the whole World of Life is upheld. The Supreme Be ing by the tranfcendent Excellency and Goodnefs of his Nature, extends his Mercy towards all his Works; and because his Creatures have not such a fpontaneous Benevolence and Compaffion towards thofe who are under their Care and Protection, he has implanted in them an Inftinct, that fupplies the Place of this inherent Goodnefs. I have illuftrated this kind of Inftinct in former Papers, and have fhewn how it runs thro' all the Species of brute Creatures, as indeed the whole Animal Creation fubfifts by it.

THIS Inftinct in Man is more general and uncircumfcribed than in Brutes, as being enlarged by the Dictates of Reason and Duty. For if we confider our felves attentively, we fhall find that we are not only enclined to love those who descend from us, but that we bear a kind of sopy, or natura! Affection, to every Thing which relies upon us for its Good and Prefervation. Dependance is a perpetual Call upon Humanity, and a greater Incitement to Tenderness and Pity than any other Motive whatfoever.

THE Man therefore who, notwithstanding any Parfion or Refentment, can overcome this powerful Inftinet, and extinguish natural Affection, debafes his Mind even below Brutality, fruftrates, as much as in him lies, the great Defign of Providence, and ftrikes out of his Nature one of the most Divine Principles that is planted in it.

AMONG innumerable Arguments which might be brought against fuch an unreasonable Proceeding, I fhall only infift on one. We make it the Condition of our Forgiveness that we forgive others. In our very Prayers we defire no more than to be treated by this kind of Retaliation. The Cafe therefore before us feems to be what they call a Cafe in Point; the Relation between the Child and Father being what comes nearest to that between a Creature and its Creator. If the Father is inexorable to the Child who has offended, let the Of fence be of never fo high a Nature, how will he ad

drefs

drefs himself to the fupreme Being, under the tender Appellation of a Father, and defire of him fuch a Forgiveness as he himself refuses to grant?

TO this I might add many other religious, as well as many prudential Confiderations; but if the last-menti oned Motive does not prevail, I defpair of fucceeding by any other, and fhall therefore conclude my Paper with a very remarkable Story, which is recorded in an old Chronicle published by Freher among the Writers of the German History.

EGINHART, who was Secretary to Charles the Great, became exceeding popular by his Behaviour in that Poft. His great Abilities gained him the Favour of his Mafter, and the Efteem of the whole Court. Imma, the Daughter of the Emperor, was fo pleafed with his Perfon and Converfation, that fhe fell in Love with him. As fhe was one of the greatest Beauties of the Age, Eginhart anfwered her with a more than equal Return of Paffion. They ftifled their Flames for fome Time, under Apprehenfion of the fatal Confequences that might enfue. Eginhart at length refolving to hazard all, rather than live deprived of one whom his Heart was fo much fet upon, conveyed himself one Night into the Princefs's Apartment, and knocking gently at the Door, was admitted as a Person who had fomething to communicate to her from the Emperor. He was with her in private moft Part of the Night; but upon his preparing to go away about Break of Day, he obferved that there had fallen a great Snow during his Stay with the Princefs. This very much perplexed him, left the Prints of his Feet in the Snow might make Discoveries to the King, who often ufed to vifit his Daughter in the Morning. He acquainted the Princefs Imma with his Fears; who, after fome Confultations upon the Matter, prevailed upon him to let her carry him through the Snow upon her own Shoulders. It happened, that the Emperor not being able to fleep, was at that Time up and walking in his Chamber, when upon looking through the Window he perceived his Daughter tottering under her Burden, and carrying his firft Minifter across the Snow; which fhe had no fooner done, but fhe returned again with the utmoft Speed to her own Apartment.