may fometimes be avoided, but that which is regretted to-day, may be regretted again to-morrow. Regret is indeed useful and virtuous, and not only allowable but necessary, when it tends to the amendment of life, or to admonition of error which we may be again in danger of committing. But a very finall part of the moments spent in meditation on the paft, produce any reasonable caution or falutary forrow. Most of the mortifications that we have fuffered, arose from the concurrence of local and temporary circumstances: which can never meet defeat; the reflection which has been once over-powered and ejected, seldom returns with any formidable vehemencé. Employment is the great inftrument of intellectual dominion. The mindcannot retire from its enemy into total vacancy, or turn aside from one object but by paffing to another. The gloomy and the refentful are always found a mong those who have nothing to do, or who do nothing. We must be busy about good or evil, and he to whom the prefent offers nothing will often be looking backward on the past. again; and most of our difappoint- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ments have fucceeded thofe expectations, which life allows not to be formed a fecond time. It would add much to human happiness, if an art could be taught of forgetting all of which the remembrance is at once useless and afflictive, if that pain which never can end in pleasure could be driven totally away, that the mind might perform its functions without incumbrance, and the past might no. longer encroach upon the prefent. Little can be done well to which the whole mind is not applied: the business of every day calls for the day to which it is affigned, and he will have no leifure to regret yesterday's vexations, who resolves not to have a new subject of regret to-morrow. But to forget or to remember at pleasure, are equally beyond the power of man. Yet as memory may be affifted by method, and the decays of knowledge repaired by stated times of recollection, fo the power of forgetting is capable of improvement. Reafon will, by a refolute conteft, prevail over imagination, and the power may be obtained of transferring the attention as judgment fhall direct. The incurtions of troublesome thoughts are often violent and importunate and it is not eafy to a mind accustomed to their inroads to expel them immediately, by putting better images into motion; but this enemy of quiet. is above all others weakened by every From the COURT MAGAZINE. Reflections on the Uncertainty of Friend. fhip. L IFE has no pleasure higher or no bler than that of Friendship. It is painful to confider, that this fublime. enjoyment may be impaired or destroyed by innumerable causes, and that there is no human poffefsion of which the duration is lefs certain. Many have talked, in very exalted language, of the perpetuity of Friendship, of invifible Conftancy, and an unalienable kindness; and fome examples have been seen of men who have continued faithful to their earliest choice, and whofe affection has predominated over changes of fortune, and contrariety of opinion, But these instances are memorable, because they are rare. The Friendship, which is to be practiced or expected by common mortals, must take its rife from mutual pleasure, and must end when the power ceafes of delighting each other. Many accidents therefore may happen, by which the ardour of kindness, will be abated, without criminal bale. nefs or contemptible inconftancy on either part. To give pleasure is not always in our power; and little does he know himself, who believes that he can be always able to receive it.r Those who would gladly pass their days together may be feparated by the different 326 The BEAUTIES of all the MAGAZINES felé and different courfe of This, however, is a flow malignity, obviate as inconwhich a wife wid a will fiftent with quiet, and a good man will reprefs as contrary to virtue ; but human happiness is sometimes violated by fome more fudden strokes. Dong pas ? known, and fometimes defeated by Friendship, like Love, is deftroyed by wanton petulance; but fuch attacks are Tafeldom made without the loss of Friendu long abfence, though it may be increal, ed by thort intermiffions. What we fhip; for whoever has once found the have mitfed long enough to want it, we vulnerable part will always be feared, value more when it is regained; but and the relentment wil wayn be that which has been loft till it is forgot- cret, of which fhame hinders the difcovery. ten, will be found at Iaft with little gladness, and with ftill lefs, if a fubftitute has fupplied the place. A man deprived of the companion to whom he uled to open his bofom, and with whom he shared the hours of leifure and merriment, feels the day at firft hanging heavy on him; his difficulties opprefs, and his doubts distract him; he fees time come and go, without his wonted gratification, and all is fadnefs within, and folitude about him. But th uncaunefs never lafts long; neceffity produces expedients, new amufements are difcovered, and new converfation is admitted.. No expectation is more frequently difappointed, than that which naturally arifes in the mind, from the profpect of meeting an old Friend, after long feparation. We expect the attraction to be revived, and the coalition to be renewed; no man confiders how much alteration time has made in himself, and what effect it has had very few enquire upon others. The first hour convinces them, that the pleasure, which they have formerly enjoyed, is for ever at an end; different fcenes have made differLent impreffions, the opinions of both are changed, and that fimilitude of manners and fentiment is loft, which confirmed them both in the approbation of them felves. Friendship is often deftroyed by oppofition of intereft, not only by the ponderous and visible intereft, which the defire of wealth and greatnefs forms and maintains, but by a thousand fecret and flight competitions, fcarcely known to the mind upon which they operate. There is fcarcely any man without fome favourite trifle which he values above greater attainments, fome defire of petty praife, which he cannot patiently fuffer to be croffed before it is A difpute begun in jeft, upon a Tob-* ject which a moment before was on both parts regarded with careless indifference, is continued by the defire of conqueft, till vanity kindies into rage," and oppofition rankles into enmity. Againft this hafty mischief I know not what fecurity can be obtained men will be fometimes forprited into quarrels, and though they might both haften to reconciliation, as foon as their tu mult had fubfided, yet two minds will feldom be found together, which can at once fubdue their difcontent, or immediately enjoy the fweets of peace, with out remembring the wounds of the con flict. Friendship has other enemies. Sufpicion is always hardening the cautious, and Difguft repelling the delicate. Very flender differences will fometimes part thofe whom long reciprocation of civility or beneficence has united, Lonelove and Ranger retired into the country to enjoy the company of each other, and returned in fix weeks cold and petulant; Ranger's pleasure was to walk in the fields, and Lonelove's to fit in a bower; each had complied with the other in his turn, and each was angry that compliance had been exacted. The molt fatal disease of Friendship is gradual decay, or diflike hourly encreafed by caufes too flender for complaint, and roo numerous for removal, Thofe who are angry may be reconeiled; those who have mjured may receive a recompence, but when the defire of pleating and Willingness to be pleafed is filently -filently diminished, the renovation of Friendship is hopeless, as, when the vital powers fink into languor, there is no longer any use of the Physician.. b sa A smedì dbidw to From the CoURT MAGAZINE. را 3 1311 Ill Consequences of Hölyday-making THE HE custom of keeping holidays at particular festivals is productive of many evils, and cannot poffibly do any good. 'Tis merely an encouragement to the vitious and the profigate, instead of exciting any principle of morality or religion; and perhaps it would not be going too far, if I affert ed, that there are more enormities committed at Christmas, Eafter, and Whitfuntide, than can be expiated by the virtues of the whole year befides—I am Jed to this fubject from fome domeftic occurrences, during the course of the two holidays, at the beginning of Whitfun-week. Breakfast was no fooner over laft monday, than my maid Hannah came up stairs, and begged leave to pafs the remainder of the day with fome relations of her's, who had made a party for Fulham. As the girl was a very -good fervant, I not only granted the sequeft, but made her a prefent of half a crown towards defraying the expences of the excurfion-She thanked me, promifed to return early in the evening, and set out.-About nine o'clock I expected her home, but no Hannah came -Ten ftruck, and ftill there was no fign of her appearance-Eleven ftruck, but no Hannah; I can't lay but I was terrified, left fome accident fhould have happened to the poor girl, and therefore fent my Tom, with the other maid Nanny, to her filters, a difcreet, fober fort of a young woman, who keeps a chardler's hep within two or three streets; all that this produced was a new uneasiness-the fifter knew nothing of her; heard of no party the was engaged in, and feemed to be frightened out of her wits. On this report, I ons went to bed, but defired Nanny to wait up till twelve o'clock the did, but to no purpofe-Hannah never came near the house fince; and we have juft difcovered, that the went out with a footman belonging to an officer, on mot day, inftead of going with any relatithat the dined with this forry fel." low at Chelsea, where after dinner he perfuaded her to drink a glafs or two of punch, which had fuch an effect upon her, being utterly unafed to ftrong liquors, as rendered it absolutely necelfary for her to be put to bed. No doubt, the whole was a defign of the artful villain's; for the was no fooner under the blankets, than he stept without any ceremony into bed too; and deftroyed in one moment that reputa tion, which the unhappy creature had preferved unfufpected for a whole life: when the had recovered the use of her reafon, fhame and distraction prevented her from coming home; and thinking the worft that could have now happencd, the retired with her betrayer to a little room in a hedge alehouse, where fhe had continued with him ever fince refufing either to see her fifter, or return to her place, tho' I Tent her word I should take her back again, it she left the villain, and would give an abfolute promise never to have any intercourfe with him for the future. i Such is the confequence of holidaymaking; and now fuffer an old wo. man to make two or three curfory remarks-I remember my first husband, and as honeft a man he was as ever broke the world's bread, ufed to fay, poor man! that the church, by the inftitution of holidays, perverted its own defign, and laid in reality a fare to deftroy, where it meant to improve the morals of the people. Indeed, I am perfectly of opinion with Mr. Robinfon, holidays were originally inftituted to infpire a folemn ene of religious duties, and to give thofe a favourable opportunity of profecuting their devotions at particular feafons, whole ne. ceflary avocations might prevent them from fo conftant an attendance as they the caufes that produced it. By the report of this committee it appears, that the price of beef in the several markets in London, is a halfpenny a pound dearer to the vender than has ufually been in the fame month, for many years past, and mutton from a farthing to a halfpenny a pound dearer... Bethlem hofpital is ferved this year from the 25th of March, to the 29th of September, at 28. 3d. per stone for mutton, veal, and beef, whereas for the fame months last year, the charge was only 1s. 9d. per ftone. Several falefmen were examined to discover the causes of this increase of price, who alledged many causes not at all conclufive or probable. might poffibly with at other times; but Upon the whole, the committee were of opinion, that the high price of provisions had been occafioned partly by circumstances peculiar to the feason, and partly by defect of the laws in force for convicting and punishing forestallers. To remove the charge of monopolies and combinations, it has been asked, Seeing, therefore, that holidays, fo How is it poffible for such combinations far from answering, rather defeat the to be entered into, without its being -purpose of religion, and knowing also known where they met ? Have not the how destructive they are to the com- . proprietors of any commodity an indifmunity, by encouraging a shameful idle-putable right to with hold their goods nefs among all ranks of people (the from market, in expectation of a better Jower order particularly, whole families fale? it is meeting and combining not must be material sufferers by the small- to fell till fuch a stated time and price, est neglect). I think that every confide- that makes it criminal. One true caufe ration, both divine and human, should of the prefent price is, that salesmen, induce us to lay them afide, fince no-, whofe proper business it is only to act as thing can be more fcandalous, than to agents, too frequently act as principals; fet a feafon apart for the fupport both many of these people keep large tracts of idleness and irreligion; and nothing of pasture lands in their own hands, and more repugnant to wisdom or virtue, make use of every drooping market, than to fanctify, as one may fay, a from whence their grounds are supplied, time for prejudicing the fortunes, and the cattle fo purchased, lay in readiness corrupting the morals of the people. for a sharp market, by which means the public lofe the benefit of a falling market. RACHAEL REDMAN. XXXXXXXXXXXXKX From the COMPLETE MAGAZINE, Of the dearness of Provifions, and the conduct of Engroffers. If the magistrate would properly exert his authority, it would, in a great measure, prevent the ill confequences of combinations, an inftance of this kind occurs in the city of Hereford. 2 The beginning of this month, the price of fresh butter was 10d. per pound. Mr. Campbell, the prefeut mayor all manufactured at home, it would fut- mayor, knowing there was no good rea- Several acts of Parliament have been made, whereby the importing, vending, or wearing thofe of foreign manuface ture are prohibited under fevere penal ties, and those laws are fufficient to put a stop to thote illicit practices, did they not come under the protection of fach perfons, as officers dare not prefume to examine. About fifty patte ns of gold and file ver embroidery, brocade, and several of gold and filver lace, were lately feized at a Frenchman's lodgings at treet, but the pieces were not found. The monfieur faid, by his interpreter, that they might take the patterns, but he had fold upwards of ten thousand pounds worth, in a fhort time, again bis majesty's birth-day, and that he intended setting out for own country in few days, which, as there is no law in being to hold him to bail, it will be in vain to bring an action against him, of to attempt to prevent. Some of the patterns were marked at eight guineas, and an half per yard, and fome ap-peared much riclier. A fmall premium offered by the puba lic fpirited fociety in the Strand, for thefe kind of manufactures, would foom produce fomething more brilliant than any one that ever appeared from Frances this is the most proper means to effect it, as it will mckt effectually convince the nobility and gentry, that France is not able to excel if equal, those made here: |