6. The Indian victim, whofe name was Mingo, was produced. He rofe up, and, agreeably to the cuftom of the people, harangued the affembly to the following purpose.

7. "I am a true man; that is to fay, I fear not death; but I lament the fate of my wife and four infant children, whom I leave behind in a very tender age. I lament too my father amy mother, whom I have long maintained by hunting. Them, however, I recommend to the French, fince, on their account, I now fall a facrifice."

8. Scarcely had he finished this fhort and pathetic harangue, when the old father, ftruck with the filial affection of his fon, arofe, and thus addressed himself to his audience.

9. My fon is doomed to death: but he is young and vigorous, and more capable than I, to fupport his mother, his wife, and four infant children. It is neceffary, then, that he remain upon the earth to protect and provide for them. As for me who draw towards the end of my career, I have lived long enough. May my fon attain to my age, that he may bring up my tender infants. I am no longer good for any thing; a few years more or lefs are to me of fmall importance. I have lived as a man. I will die as a man.

I therefore take the place of my fon."

10. At thefe words, which expreffed his paternal love and greatness of foul in the moft touching manner, his wife, his fon, his daughter-in-law, and the little infants, melted into tears around this brave, this generous old man. He embraced them for the last time, exhorted them to be ever faithful to the French, and to die rather than betray them by any mean treachery unworthy of his blood. "My death," concluded he, "I confider neceffary for the fafety of the nation, and I glory in the facrifice."

11. Having thus delivered limfelf, he prefented his head to the kinfman of the deceased Chataw; and they accepted it. He then extended himself over the trunk of a tree, when, with a hatchet, they fevered his head from his body.

12. The French, who affited at this tragedy, could not contain their tears, whilft they admired the heroic conftancy of this venerable old man; whofe refolution bore a refemblance to that of the celebrated Roman orator, who, in the time of the triumvirate, was concealed by his fon.

13. The

13.

The young man was moft cruelly tortured in order to force him to difcover his father, who, not being able to endure the idea, that a fon fo virtuous and fo generous, fhould thus fuffer on his account, went and prefented himfelf to the murderers, and begged them to kill him and save

his fon.

14. The fon conjured them to take his life, and spare the age of his father; but the foldiers, more barbarous than the favages, butchered them both on the spot.

THE ART OF PLEASING..

I HAVE often lamented, that they, who

have taken the moft pains to recommend an attention to the art of pleafing, have urged it only on the mean mo. tives of felf-intereft.

2. In order to attain the power of pleafing, they have recommended flattery and deceit; and though they have required in their pupils the appearances of many good qualities, they have not infifted on any fubftantial or confiftent virtue.

3. It is my wifh to exalt this amiable talent of pleafing to the rank of a virtue founded on principle, and on the beft difpofitions of human nature. I would feparate it from thofe varnished qualities, which, like whited fepulchres, are but a difguife for internal deformity.

4. A ftudent of the art of pleafing, as it is taught in the fchool of fashion, is all foftness and plaufibility, all benevo-, lence and generofity, all attention and affiduity, all gracefulnefs and gentility. Such is the external appearance; but compare it with his private life, with thofe actions which pass unfeen, and you will find it by no means correfpon

dent.

5. You will ufually find a hard heart, meannefs, selfish-. nefs, avarice, and a total want of thofe principles from which alone true benevolence, fincere friendship, and gen-. tleness of difpofition can originate. You will, indeed, find even the appearances of friendship and benevolence proportioned to the fuppofed riches and rank of him whofe favor and patronage are cultivated..

6. It

6. It is a favorite maxim with thofe who teach the art of pleasing, that if you defire to please, you can scarcely fail to please. But what motive, according to their doctrine, is to excite this defire? A wish to render all with whom you converfe fubfervient to your interested purposes of avarice or ambition.

7. It is a mean and despicable motive, when made the fole and conftant principle of converfation and behaviour. If this life is the whole of our existence; if riches and civil honors are the chief good; if truth, honor, and generofity, are but names to adorn declamation; then, indeed, they who practise the art of pleafing, according to the vulgar idea of it, are, after all, the truly, and the only wife.

8. But let us not think fo meanly of the world and its Creator; and if our favorable opinion of things be an error, it is not only pardonable, but glorious; and a generous man will fay, like the noble ancient, he had rather err with a Socrates and a Plato, than be right with a Machiavel.

9. But, indeed, the virtues and the graces are much nearer allied, than they who are ftrangers to the virtues are willing to acknowledge. There is fomething extremely beautiful in all the moral virtues, clearly understood and properly reduced to practice.

10. Religion is alfo declared to be full of pleafantnefs, in that volume in which its nature is defcribed with the greatest authenticity. It muft indeed be allowed, that he who is actuated in his defire of pleafing by morality and religion, may very properly add all the embellishments of external gracefulnefs; and he may reft affured, that the fincerity of his principles, and the goodnefs of his character, will infure a degree of fuccefs in his attempts to please, which a falfe pretender, with all his duplicity, can never obtain.

11. If true politenefs confifts in yielding fome of our own prentenfions to the felf-love of others, in repreffing our pride and arrogance, and in a gentleness of fentiment and conduct, furely nothing can be more conducive to it than a religion which every where recommends brotherly love, meeknefs, and humility.

12. I know not how paradoxical my opinion might appear to the fashionable clubs at St. James', or to the pro

feffed

felfed men of the world, or to the proficient in what I call the infincere art of pleafing; but I cannot help thinking, that a true Chriftian, one who thinks and acts, as far as the infirmity of his nature willl permit, confiftently with the principles of his religion, poffeffes qualities more capable of pleasing, than any of those which are said so eminently to have distinguished a Marlborough and a Bollingbroke.

13. The pious and amiable Mr. N- feems to me to have deferved the epithet of all-accomplished, much better than he to whom it has been fo often applied; and if we may judge of his writings, and the accounts given of his life, as on the one hand, there never was a better Christian, fo, on the other, there never appeared a more polite gentleman.

14. It is evident he derived his art of pleasing, not from a ftudy of the world, or practifing the tricks of the little worldling, but from the lovely qualities reccommended in the gospel, and from an imitation of the humble Jefus.

15. They who ftudy the art of pleafing would perhaps fmile were an inftructor to refer them, for the best rules which have ever been given, to the fermon on the mount.

16. It is however certain, that the art of pleafing, which is founded on fincere principles, derived from reli gion and morality, is as far fuperior to that falfe art, which confifts only in fimulation, and diffimulation, as the fine brilliancy of the real diamond excels the luftre of French pafte; or as the rofeate hue on the cheek of Hebe, the painted vifage of a haggard courtezan.

17. The infincere art of pleafing resembles the inferior fpecies of timber in a building, which, in order to please the eye, requires the affiftance of paint; but the art which is founded on fincerity, is more like that which displays far greater beauty in the variety and richness of its own native veins and color.

18. A fhort time, or a flight touch, deftroys the fuperficial beauty of the one; while the other acquires new graces from the hand of time.

19. The rules and doctrines of religion and morality tend to correct all the malignant qualities of the heart; fuch as envy, malice, pride, and refentment. In doing this, they cut off the very fource of disagreeable behaviour. 20. Morality

20. Morality and religion inculcate whatever is just, mild, moderate, candid, and benevolent. In doing this, they effectually promote a fyftem of manners, which, with out any finifter defign in the perfon who poffeffes them, cannot fail of being agreeable.

21. If to thefe fubftantial powers of pleasing are added the last polish of a graceful deportment, the habits acquired in good company, an acquaintance with men and manners, a tafte for polite arts and polite books, no other requifites will be wanting to perfect the art, and form an all-accom plished character.

22.

A man will not be under the neceffity of hurting his confcience and reputation in cultivating, I know not what, of a deceitful and affected behaviour. He may be at once pleafing and refpectable, and grow in favor with men, without offending God.

EXAMPLE OF JUSTICE AND

NIMITY.

MAGNA

AMONG the feveral virtues of Aristides,

that for which he was most renowned was juftice; because this virtue is of most general ufe, its benefits extending to a great number of perfons, as it is the foundation, and in a manṛer the foul, of every public office and employment.

2. Themiftocles, having conceived the defign of fupplanting the Lacedemonians, and of taking the government of Greece out of their hands, in order to put it into thofe of the Athenians, kept his eye and his thoughts continually fixed upon that great project; and as he was not very nice or fcrupulous in the choice of his measures, whatever tended towards accomplishing the end he had in view, he looked upon as just and lawful.

3. On a certain day, he declared in a full affembly of the people, that he had a very important defign to propofe; but that he could not communicate it to the people, because its fuccefs required it fhould be carried on with the greateft fecrecy; he therefore defired they would appoint a perfon to whom he might explain himself upon the matter in question..

4. Ariftides