PORTRAIT OF MIRANDA.

145

render it pretty obvious which is likely to be fuccessful in his advances.

Miranda is a tall and elegant woman, with ftrong, but not large, or mafculine features, a fine aquiline nofe, a pair of dark fparkling eyes, crowned with an arched eyebrow of a deep cheftnut colour, and a complexion beautifully compounded of red, and a clear animated brown. With a great deal of delicacy, and fome little of gravity in her own deportment, the has really a high relish for vivacity, and difplays great ambition of being thought equally attached to wit, understanding, and erudition. She has, indeed, from nature, fome portion of what is generally called manly fense (though it has been not a little counteracted by the prevalence of certain female foibles, the love of flattery and pleafure); and had from her infancy a tafte for the cultivation of her mind, though, unfortunately, it was not fufficiently strong to break through the prejudices of a bad education, and the inducements to the gratification of her vanity, which theatres and places of public amusement continually offered,

Miranda, therefore, is rather a lover than a judge of wit and erudition, and is to be caught by the exterior appearances of mental fuperiority, as easily as a giddy boarding-fchool girl, by the affumed ftar and garter of an Irifh adventurer. She would, indeed, like the lady of a certain great lawyer, readily relinquish a coronet for the fake of a man of genius,-though, like her, fhe is not very unlikely to be mistaken in her man.

In all human probability, therefore, Miranda will overlook the perfections of Modeftus, and be for ever blind to the paffion of a man, who, it is not unlikely, will fall a facrifice to his difappointment in lefs than fix months; while Ambio, on whom the will beftow her hand and affections, will, in a much thorter time, become infenfible of the favour, and turn with loathing indifference from charms which poffeffion will cause to

"Fade in his eyes, and pall upon his sense."

So fuperior, in the eyes of too many of the fex, are the glittering exteriors of vivacity and confidence to all the folid endowments: of understanding; and fo much more efficacious are volubility: and a happy afurance, than all the artlefs fighs of the molt genuine and violent affection.

As a portrait painter, for certain obvious reasons, is never introduced into a houfe to pourtray the blooming refemblance of fome favourite child, without feeling a longing defire to paint' the whole family, and endeavouring, without regard to wrinkles or decrepitude, fquinting eyes. or distorted features, to perfuade his employer that all would glow with equal grace upon his can

T

vas,

146

PORTRAIT OF DEBORAH AUTUMN.

vas, and be equally admitted by pofterity to have been worthy of having their forms perpetuated by his pencil; fo I, though for reasons perhaps not equally palpable, having ftruck off the likeneffes of Miranda, and her lovers, feel a ftrong defire to prefent also the portrait of Mifs Deborah Autumn, her maiden aunt, in whose house indeed the refides: nor do I doubt but that the picture will be equally entertaining with the preceding: albeit, the first attractions that prefent themselves to my view, are a long thin face, with high cheek bones, a fhrivelled yellow skin, a small pair of grey eyes, funk pretty deep into the head, and about half a hundred whitish hairs decorating each venerable temple.

Mifs Deborah then is one of those excellent characters, whose fenfibility is tempered by the most ineffable discretion, so as never to be permitted to betray her into any indecorums, or hurry her into any unfashionable perturbations; except only in fuch cases where felf happens to be particularly interested. Of fine feelings, indeed, the will often talk in terms of the most eloquent admiration; but it is easy to discover that her's, with no other exceptions than fuch as are hinted above, are entirely absorbed by the more noble principle of philofophy.

Indeed, the dignity and tranquillity of her mind have never been known to be difturbed, either by the indifpofitions or difafters of even her nearest relations. She never mortified the unfortunate by impertinent and common-place confolations, nor, by vifiting them in the time of calamity, infulted them by the unavoidable comparison between their fallen, and her own flourishing fituation. She never teazed the fick by reiterated enquiries, nor difturbed their flumber by her anxious care to adminifter the drugs of the apothecary. But the difcharged her duty by morning and evening enquiries. And this (by her proxies) the regularly performed, with the most benevolent impartiality; whether the patient were a sister philofopher, or a lap dog; an afthmatic relation, or a moulting paroquet.

But as for hovering over the couch of death, with tears or endearments, and thus rendering the expiring more unwilling to relinquish life, by proofs of friendship and expreffions of regret, this is a weakness the has never been guilty of, fince the time when her father lay languifhing of his laft illness; and she had reafon to fear he would make his will more in favour of her brother than herself.

The philofophic dignity of her character, is, however, softened by a peculiar attention to all the graces of drefs, and all the arts and manners which conftitute a principal part of the allurements of youthful beauty. In fhort, fhe has the highest veneration for the foft and amiable feafon of youth, and nothing fo.certainly

roufes

A CURIOUS LETTER.

147

raufes the generous warmth and indignation of her mind, as any flattering infinuation of her having attained the more honourable period of life, when wifdom and experience are supposed to superfede the agreeable levity of the vernal season.

A Curious LETTER from an OxONIAN to his FATHER.

MR.

R. Benjamin Juxin, the writer of this letter, was much more addicted to pleasure than to study, and had made fre- ' quent applications to his father for a fupply of cafh, which were as often refufed, and at last accompanied with a refolution of recalling him from Oxford, for having made fo 'little progress in his learning. To remove, therefore, the opinion which his father entertained of his literary abilities, he prevailed upon a fellowcollegian to pen a letter for him, and to fill it with hard words, not doubting but that by this means he should obtain the remittance he defired. Accordingly, the following letter was written, and dispatched to the old gentleman :

"Honoured Sir,

"Ifhould not trouble, you with an epiflolization, but that the incidents and contingencies which are interwoven in my present condition, neceffitate me to call forth all that is Juxinian in me, which is too great to tolerate those hodiurnal affronts, with feveral quotidian calumnies, which are for ever accumulated on me; and although I can confront them fometimes, yet the dignity of my gown feems to infer, that from the premifes which I am infligated to lay before you, I cannot draw this conclufion, viz. tole-. tation of the premifed propofitions.

"And first, I am to exift here as a commoner; but I am of no more estimation than a non-entity, for want of now and then a pecuniary fupply; the deprivation of which fingularizes me from every one in the college, which makes me the object of fun and ridicule. If you thould fupply my wants now and then, it would not fubtract much from thofe ponderous heaps which you have fo avariciously treafurized. My gown, and other accoutrements, truly denote my feniority, and are the true emblems of a fcattered antique ftreamer, that circumfcribes the air, after the penetration of refiftlefs bullets. My cap has loft it's priftine rotundity, which was the only effence appropriated to it, and is now content with triangularity; which form, likewise, if not amended with a new one, will fhortly be fubject to a privation, and dwindle into an irreparable concavity. My cackfon contends

T 2

in

in emulation with any horfe-tail, fcorning the denomination of a cackfon, productive of any manner of hairs that tend upon- the curvity. When the nocturnal fhades approach, after a long perambulation, for want of an ignification to defend myself from frigidity, I am compelled to fink into my Tartarean conclave, and terminate the day without illumination in obfcurity. It is very hard that I fhould be debarred of a little pecuniary fupply. and I humbly proftrate these propofitions to the veftiges of you clemency, defiring you to reflect upon the aforefaid premifes, and think whether it is not hard upon the fon of Benjamin. So hoping for a speedy viciffitude of affairs, I beg leave to fubfcribe myself,

Your most obfequious fon,

B. JUXIN."

The WIDOW. A Character.

By Mary Wollstonecraft.

a

ET fancy prefent a woman with a tolerable understanding, for I do not wish to leave the line of mediocrity, whole conftitution, ftrengthened by exercife, has allowed her body to acquire it's full vigour; her mind, at the fame time, gradually expanding itself to comprehend the moral duties of life, and in what human virtue and dignity confist.

Formed thus by the difcharge of the relative duties of her ftation, the marries from affection, without lofing fight of prudence, and looking beyond matrimonial felicity, the fecures her husband's refpect before it is neceffary to exert mean arts to please him, and feed a dying flame, which nature doomed to expire when the object became familiar, when friendfhip and forbearance take place of a more ardent affection. This is the natural death of love, and domestic peace is not deftroyed by ftruggles to prevent it's extinction. I also fuppofe the hufband to be virtuous; or the is still more in want of independent principles.

Fate, however, breaks this tie. She is left a widow, perhaps, without a fufficient provifion; but the is not defolate; the pang of nature is felt; but after time has foftened forrow into melancholy refignation, her heart turns to her children with redoubled fondnefs, and anxious to provide for them, affection gives a facred heroic caft to her maternal duties. She thinks that not only the fees her virtuous efforts from whom all her comfort flow, and whofe approbation is life; but her imagination, a

eye

now

muft

little

HISTORY OF FELIX AND OLIVER.

149

little abstracted and exalted by grief, dwells on the fond hope. that the eyes, which her trembling hand clofed, may ftill fee how the fubdues every wayward paffion to fulfil the double duty of being the father as well as the mother of her children. Raifed to heroifm by misfortunes, the repreffes the firft faint dawning of a natural inclination, before it ripens into love, and in the bloom of life forgets her fex, forgets the pleasures of an awakening paffion, which might again have been infpired and returned. She no longer thinks of pleafing, and confcious dignity prevents her from priding herself on account of the praife which her conduct demands. Her children have her love, and her brighteft hopes are beyond the grave, where her imagination often strays.

I think I fee ber furrounded by her children, reaping the reward of her care. The intelligent eye meets her's, while health and innocence smile on their chubby cheeks, and as they grow up, the cares of life are leffened by their grateful attention. She lives to fee the virtues which the endeavoured to plant on principles, fixed into habits, to fee her children attain a ftrength of character fufficient to enable them to endure adverfity without, forgetting their mother's example.

The talk of life thus fulfilled, the calmly waits for the fleep of death, and rising from the grave, may say, "Behold, thou gavest me a talent, and here are five talents."

TH

The HISTORY of FELIX and OLIVER.

Tranflated from the French.

HERE were two men, who might be called the Pylades and Oreftes of Bourbon. The one was named Oliver, and the other Felix. They were born on the fame day, in the fame house, and of two fifters. They were nourished with the fame milk, for one of the mothers dying in child-birth, the other took both the children. They were brought up together, and converfed with none but each other. Their mutual love was like existence, which admits of no doubt; they perceived it inceffantly, but perhaps had never spoke of it to each other. Oliver once faved the life of Felix, who piqued himfelf on being a great swimmer, and was near being drowned. This action neither of them remembered. Felix has a hundred times extricated Oliver from dangerous adventures in which the impetuofity of his temper had involved him, yet he never thought of thanking the other; they returned home without fpeaking, or talking of other matters.

When