boundaries of the universe, it should, on a sudden, fiave all its lights at once extinguished, and sink into everlasting darkness and insensibility ? --Spectator. . 0. Suppose a youth to have no prospect either of sitting in Parliament, of pleading at the bar, of appearing upon the stage, or in the pulpit; does it follow that he need bestow no pains in learuing to speak properly his native language? Will he never have occasion to read, in a company of his friends, a copy of verses, a passage of a book or newspaper? Must he never read a discourse of Tillotson, or a chapter of the Whole Doty of Man for the instruction of his children and servants ? Cicero justly observes, that address in speaking is highly ornamental, as well as useful, even in private life. The limbs are parts of the body much less noble than the tongue ; yet no gentleman grudges a considerable expense, of time and money, to have his son taught to use them properly; which is very commendable. And is there no attention to be paid to the use of the tongue, the glory of man?-Burgh. 7. Does greatness secure persons of rank from infirmities, ei. ther of body or mind? Will the head-ache, the gout or fever spare a prince any more than a subject? When old age comes to lie heavy upon him, will his engineers relieve him of the load? Can his guards and sentinels, by doubling and trebling their pumbers and their watchfulness, prevent the approach of death? Nay, if jealousy, or even ill humor disturb his bappiness, will the cringes of his fawning attendants restore his tranquillity? What comfort has he in reflecting (if he can make the reflection) while ibe cholic, like Prometheus' vulture, tears bis bowels, that he is under a canopy of crimson velvet, fringed with gold? When the pangs of the gout or stone, extort from him screams of agony, do the titles of Highness or Majesty come sweetly into his ear? If he is agitated with rage, does the sound of Serene, or Most Christian, prevent his staring, reddeping and gnashing his teeth like a madman? Would not a twinge of the toothach, affront from an inferior, make the mighty Cesar forget that he was the conqueror of the world ?---Montaigne. 8. When will you, my countrymaer, when will you rouse from your indolence, and bethink yourselves of what is to be done? When you are forced to it by some fatal disaster? When irresistible necessity drives you? What think you of the disgraces which are already come upon you? Is not the past suficient to stimulate your activity ? Or, do you wait for somewhat more forcible and urgent? How long will you amuse yourselves with inquiring of one another after news, as you ramble idly about the streets? What news so straage ever came to Athens, as. that a Macedonian should subdue this state, and lord it over Greece.Demosthenes. 9. What is the blooming tincture of the skin, an 1. To the soft soothing of a calm reply? 10. Wrong'd in my love all proffers I disdain: Repel the rage of Priam's single son ?-Pope's Homer. Sense or Passion. 1. ONSULT your whole nature. Consider yourselves, not tional, but social; not only as social, but immortal. --Blair. 2. Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate ; and whom he did predestinate, them he also called ; and whom he called, them he also justified ; and whom he justified, them he also glorified.-Sl. Paul. 3. What hope is there remaining of liberty, if whatever is their pleasure, it is lawful for them to do ; if what is lawful for them to do, they are able to do; if what they are able to do, they dare do; if what they dare do, they really execute; and if what they execute, is no way offensive to you.-Cicero. 4. Nothing is more pleasant to the faney, than to enlarge itself by degrees in its contemplation of the various proportions which its several objects bear to each other; when it compares the body of a man to the bulk of the whole earth; the earth to the circle it describes round the sun; that circle to the sphere of the fixed stars ; the sphere of the fixed stars to the circuit of the whole creation: the whole creation itself, to the infinite space that is every where diffused around it.-Speclator. 5. After we have practised good actions awhile, they become easy; and when they are easy, we begin to take pleasure in them; and when they please us, we do them frequently, and by frequency of acts a thing grows into a habit; and a confirmed habit is a second kind of nature; and so far as any thing is natural, so far it is necessary, and we can hardly do otherwise ; nay, we do it many times when we do not think of it.--Tillotson. 6. It is pleasant to be virtuous and good, because that is to ex. cel many others ; it is pleasant to grow better, because that is to excel ourselves ; it is pleasant to mortify and subdue our luste, beoause that is victory ; it is pleasant to command our ap petites and passions, and to keep them in due order, within the bornds of reason and religion, because that is empire.-Tillotson. 7. Tully has a very beautiful gradation of thoughts to show how amiable virtue is. We love a righteous man, says he, who lives in the remotest parte of the earth, though we are altogether out of the reach of his virtue, and can receive from it po manner of henefit: nay, one who died several ages ago, raises a secret fondress and benevolence for him in our minds, when we read his story : nay, what is still more, one who has been the enemy of our country, provided his wars were regulated by justice and bu. inanity.-Spectator. 8. As trees and plants necessarily arise from seeds, so are you, Antony, the seed of this most calamitous war. You mourn, Romans, that three of our armies have been slaughtered--they were slaughtered by Antony: you lament the loss of your most illustrious citizens—they were torn from you by Antony; the authority of this order is deeply wounded-it is wounded by Antony; in short all the calamities we have ever since beheld, (and what calamitice have we not beheld?) have been entirely owing to Antory. As Helen was of Troy, so the bane, the miery, the destruction of this state is Antony.-Cicero. 9. -Give me the cup. 10. At thirty, man suspects himself a fool; Resolves, and re-resolves-then dies the same. -Young. VII.- Examples of the principal Emotions and Passions ADMIRATION, CONTEMPT, Joy, GRIEF, COURAGE, FEAR, LOVE, HATRED, Pity, ANGER, REVENGE, and JEALOUSY. 1. HAT a piece of work is nein! How noble in reason ! How kan admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! Hamlet. 2. Awas! No woman could descend so low. 3. Let mirth go on; let pleasure know no pause, He shines for Altamont, and for Calista. 4. All dark and comfortless. 5. Thou speak'st a woinan's ; hear a warrior's wish. And roving armies shun the fatal shore.-Trag. of Douglas. 6. Ah! Mercy on my soul! What's that? My old friend's ghost! They say, none but wicked folks walk. 'I wish I were at the bottom of a coalpit ! La! how pale, and how long his face is grown since his death! He never was handsome ; and death has very much improved him the wrong way.-Pray, do not come near me ! I wished you very well when you were alive. But I could never abide a dead man cheek by jowl with me.-Ah! Ah! mercy on me! No nearer, pray! If it be only to take your leave of me, that you are come back, I could have excused you the ceremony with all my heart.- Or if you-mercy on us !--No nearer, pray-or if you have wrong’d any body, as you always lov'd money a little, i give you the word of a frighted Christian, I will pray, as long as you please, for the deliverapce and repose of your departed soul. My good, worthy, noble friend, do, pray, diaappear, as ever you would wish your old friend, Anselm, to come to his senses again. Moliere's Blunderer. 7. Who can behold such beauty and be silent ! 0! I could tsi!k to thee forever, Forever fix and gaze on those dear eyes ; For every giance they send darts through my soul !-Orphar, 8. I like a fawning publican he looks! I hate him for he is a Christian : But more, for that in low simplicity 9. As, in a theatre, the eyes of men, 10. Hear me, rash man, on thy allegiance hear me. -Tragedy of Lear. -Ha ! She sleeps- Young. |