THIS produced the effect that usually attends law-fuits," a death unto friendfhip, and a new birth unto hatred." Every expence incurred in the course

of the fuit inflamed their mutual hatred; for they never failed to fet down thefe expences to the account of each others roguery: They never deigned to falute, or to exchange a word; and, if accident at any time threw them into the fame company, they caft fuch eyes of death on one another, and were fo pointedly brutal in their manners, as to fhock all who were not loft to humanity. To be threatened with the lofs of two acres of land, or to have that much withheld, though each poffeffed many more than they could cultivate, was enough in fuch fordid fouls, to awaken the moft deadly paffions. These were foon communicated to the reft of their families. The wives and daughters, could not, even at church, treat each other

with common civility; and the fons often difgraced themselves in bloody battles. Nor was this all, for their poor unoffending cattle, their hogs and horfes, who, poor things! knew not the right leg from the left, were made to feel the fad effects of this unnatural ftrife: For, if carelessly wandering in queft of grafs or roots, their homely fare, they happened in lucklefs. hour, to stray within the hostile lines, straight a troop of angry flaves, with worrying dogs and furious stones, attacked them: or flily taking and loading them with yokes, doomed them to waste full many a day in woe and pain.

"CURSED be their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel. O my foul! come not thou into their fecret, unto their affembly; mine honor, be not

thou united!"

JACOB.

Bb

THUS

THUS we see men, though born to walk with angels high in falvation, and the clims of blifs, acting, because deftitute of love, juft as if they were candidates for the fociety of infernal fpirits!

A STRANGER to the origin of this fhameful conteft, would reasonably have fuppofed, from the fury with which it was conducted, that the actors in it, expected fome fignal advantages from it."Surely," it. Surely," would he have faid, "vaft fields of fertile earth, with migh

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ty forefts, and flocks and herds, with "heaps of golden treafure, must de

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pend on this important fuit." But what would have been his astonishment, on finding, that the dear bought purchase of two acres of poor land, was the whole extent of their hopes!

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Verily, man without love is as the wild afs's colt, and stupid as the beast that

Perisbeth."

BUT

BUT to return to our litigious farmers, whom we left juft engaged in a fuit, Gruff against Grub, for two acres and a quarter of land, held and cultivated by the latter, but found by a refurvey to belong to the former. The cafe feemed fufficiently fimple, and, as was generally thought, would foon be knocked off the doquet, and with but fmall damages. But being found, as generally happens, much more complicated than it had at first appeared; it was kept fo long in the different courts in which it had the fortune to be tried, that goodman Gruff was often heard to fay, that " though he had gained "his fuit, yet, through lofs of time, "neglect of business, tavern charges, "and extra fees to lawyers, he had "expended at least one hundred half

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'joes." While poor Grub, obliged to carry on fo long a fuit with monies borrowed on an exorbitant premium, incurred

incurred a debt which coft him the whole tract, together with the two acres and a quarter which he had fso obftinately defended.

"BLESSED are the meek, for they shall nherit the earth.”

HAD thefe unfortunate men but loved, they might have lived happy. Like good Job's children, "they would have gone and feafted in their houfes each man his day, and fent and called for his neighbour to eat and to drink with him." And then having his heart warmed and expanded with generous love, had goodman Gruff difcovered that his neighbour held unknowingly an acre or two of his land, he would have fcorned to notice it.

ASK the benevolent old Ralph, whether he would thus have threatened and perfecuted his neighbour Paul for a couple of acres? Obferve how he shakes his venerable locks, and, with a countenance