forrow. Life, in which nothing has been done or fuffered to diftinguifh one day from another, is to him that has paffed it, as if it had never been, except that he is conscious how ill he has husbanded the great depofit of his Creator. Life, made memorable by crimes, and diverfified through its feveral periods by wickedness, is indeed eafily reviewed, but reviewed only with horror and remorse. 'I he great confideration which ought to influence us in the use of the present moment, is to arise from the effect, which, as well or ill applied, it must have upon the time to come; for though its actual existence be inconceivably short, yet its effects are unlimited, and there is not the fmalleft point of time but may extend its confequences, either to our hurt or our advantage, through all eternity, and give us reason to remember it for ever, with anguish or exultation. The time of life, in which memory feems particularly to claim predominance over the other faculties of the mind, is our declining age. It has been remarked by former writers, that old men are generally narrative, and fall eafily into recitals of paft tranfactions, and accounts of perfons known to them in their youth. When we approach the verge of the grave it is more eminently true; Vita fumma brevis fpem nos vetat inchoare longam. Life's fpan forbids thee to extend thy cares, 1: CREECH. We have no longer any poffibility of great viciffitudes in our favour; the changes which are to happen in the world will come too late for our accommodation; and those who have no hope before them, and to whom their prefent ftate is painful and irkfome, muft of neceffity turn their thoughts back to try what retrospect will afford. It ought, therefore, ta to be the care of thofe who wish to pafs the laft hours with comfort, to lay up fuch a treafure of pleafing ideas, as fhall fupport the expences of that time, which is to depend wholly upon the fund already acquired. -Petite binc juvenefque fenefque Finem animo certum, miferifque viatica canis. Seek here, ye young, the anchor of your mind; ELPHINSTON, In youth, however unhappy, we folace ourselves with the hope of better fortune, and, however vicious, appease our confciences with intentions of repentance; but the time comes at laft, in which life has no more to promise, in which happiness can be drawn only from recollection, and virtue will be all that we can recollect with pleasure. NUMB. 42. SATURDAY, August 11, 1750. HOR. Mibi tarda fluunt ingrataque tempora. How heavily my time revolves along! ELPHINSTON. I To the RAMBLER. Mr. RAMBLER, AM no great admirer of grave writings, and therefore very frequently lay your papers afide before I have read them through; yet I cannot but confefs that, by flow degrees, you have raifed my opinion of your understanding, and that, though I believe it will be long before I can be prevailed upon to regard you with much kindness, you have, however, more of my efteem than those whom I L6 fome fometimes make happy with opportunities to fill my tea-pot, or pick up my fan. I shall therefore chufe you for the confident of my diftreffes, and ask your counfel with regard to the means of conquering or escaping them, though I never expect from you any of that softness and pliancy, which conftitutes the perfection of a companion for the ladies: as in the place where I now am, I have recourse to the maftiff for protection, though I have no intention of making him a lap-dog. My mamma is a very fine lady, who has more numerous and more frequent affemblies at her house, than any other perfon in the fame quarter of the town. I was bred from my earliest infancy in a perpetual tumult of pleasure, and remember to have heard of little elfe than meflages, vifits, play-houses, and balls, of the aukwardnels of one woman, and the coquetry of another, the charming convenience of fome rifing fashion, the difficulty of playing a new game, the incidents of a mafquerade, and the dreffes of a court-night. I knew before I was ten years old all the rules of paying and receiving visits, and to how much civility every one of my acquaintance was entitled; and was able to return, with the proper degree of referve, or of vivacity, the ftated and established anfwer to every compliment; fo that I was very foon celebrated as a wit, and a beauty, and had heard before I was thirteen all that is ever faid to a young lady. My mother was generous to fo uncommon a degree as to be pleased with my advance into life, and allowed me, without envy or reproof, to enjoy the fame happiness with herself; though moft women about her own age were very angry to see young girls fo forward, and many fine gentlemen told her how cruel it was to throw new chains upon mankind, and to tyrannize over them at the fame time with her own charms, and those of her daughter. I I have now lived two and twenty years, and have paffed of each year nine months in town, and three at Richmond; fo that my time has been spent uniformly in the fame company, and the fame amufements, except as fashion has introduced new diverfions, or the revolutions of the gay world have afforded new fucceffions of wits and beaus. However, my mother is fo good an economift of pleafure, that I have no fpare hours upon my hands; for every morning brings fome new appointment, and every night is hurried away by the neceffity of making our appearance at different places, and of being with one lady at the opera, and with another at the card-table. When the time came of fettling our scheme of felicity for the fummer, it was determined that I should pay a vifit to a rich aunt in a remote county. As you know the chief conversation of all tea tables, in the spring, arifes from a communication of the manner in which time is to be paffed till winter, it was a great relief to the barrennefs of our topicks, to relate the pleasures that were in store for me, to describe my uncle's feat, with the park and gardens, the charming walks, and beautiful waterfalls; and every one told me how much she envied me, and what fatisfaction fhe had once enjoyed in a fituation of the fame kind. As we are all credulous in our own favour, and willing to imagine fome latent fatisfaction in any thing which we have not experienced, I will confefs to you, without reftraint, that I had fuffered my head to be filled with expectations of fome nameless pleasure in a rural life, and that I hoped for the happy hour that fhould fet me free from noise, and flutter, and ceremony, difmifs me to the peaceful fhade, and full me in content and tranquillity. To folace myself under the mifery of delay, I fometimes heard a studious lady of my acquaintance read pastorals, I was delighted with scarce any talk but of leaving the town, and never went to bed without dreaming of groves, and meadows, and frisking lambs. At length I had all my clothes in a trunk, and faw the coach at the door; I fprung in with ecstasy, quarrelled with my maid for being too long in taking leave of the other fervants, and rejoiced as the ground grew lefs which lay between me and the completion of my wifhes. A few days brought me to a large old house, encompaffed on three fides with woody hills, and looking from the front on a gentle river, the fight of which renewed all my expectations of pleasure, and gave me fome regret for having lived fo long without the enjoyment which thefe delightful scenes were now to afford me. My aunt came out to receive me, but in a dress fo far removed from the prefent fashion, that I could fcarcely look upon her without laughter, which would have been no kind requital for the trouble which he had taken to make herself fine against my arrival. The night and the next morning were driven along with enquiries about our family; my aunt then explained our pedigree, and told me ftories of my great grandfather's bravery in the civil wars, nor was it less than three days before I could perfuade her to leave me to myself. At laft economy prevailed, fhe went in the ufual manner about her own affairs, and I was at liberty to range in the wildernefs, and fit by the cafcade. The novelty of the objects about me pleased me for a while, but after a few days they were new no longer, and I foon began to perceive that the country was not my element; that fhades, and flowers, and lawns, and waters, had very foon exhausted all their power of pleafing, and that I had not in myself any fund of fatisfaction with which I could fupply the lofs of my customary amusements. -I |