feeling the heat of the fire or fmoak fhe had been inclined to fave her life the dry ftraw which compofed a part of the pile was then lighted. During all which time, that is, from the moment Gocul's wife made her appearance in the circle, to lighting the pile, there was a profound filence. But on the pile being lighted the Bramins called out aloud, fome dancing and brandishing cudgels or fticks, which I took to be praying and a part of the ceremony; perhaps to prevent her cries being heard by the multitude, fo as to give them a bad impreffion of it, or deter other women from following what the Hindoos term a laudable example. But I was fo near the pile, that notwithstanding the noife made by the Bramins, and those who danced round it, I fhould have heard any cries or lamentations fhe might have made: I am convinced the made none, and that the fmoak muft have fuffocated her in a very short space of time. I ftaid about ten minutes after the pile was lighted, for fuch a fight was too dreadful to remain long at; befides, nothing more was to be feen except the flames, which Mr. Shakespeare and I had a perfect view of at a distance, as we returned from the funeral pile. Gocul's wife was a tall, wellmade, good-looking woman, fairer than the generality of Hindoo women are, about twenty or perhaps twenty-two years of age at molt: he was decently dreffed in a white cloth round her waift, and an Oorney of white cloth with a red filk border thrown loosely over her head and shoulders; but her face, arms, and feet were bare. I have heard and indeed fuppofed that women in that fituation intoxicate themselves with bang or toddy; but from the relation given me of what paffed between Gocul's wife, her children and brother-in-law, as well as what Mr. Shakespeare and I faw at the funeral pile, I am perfuaded the was as free from intoxication during the whole ceremony as it is poffible; for the appeared to be perfectly compofed, not in the leaft flurried, except at first for an inftant of time, as before obferved; but went through it deliberately, with aftonishing fortitude and refolution. This barbarous custom, fo fhocking to Europeans, if I miftake not, was practifed by our ancestors in Britain in the times of the Druids; but whether our country-women in those days, who did not facrifice them felves, were treated with the fame contempt after the death of their husbands, as the Hindoo women are, I know not; for by the religion of the Hindoos they never can marry again, or have commerce with another man, without prejudice to their cafts, which to them is as dear as life itself; but generally are reduced to perform the moft menial offices in the family of which they were before the miftrefs. This reflection, together with the great credit they gain amongst the Bramins in undergoing fo painful and horrid a religious ceremony, may be very ftrong in. ducements to their continuing this practice. The Moorish government in thefe provinces have frequently prevented fuch facrifices, which I have heard is very easily done; for that any perfon not a Hindoo, or even a Hindoo of an inferior caft to the victim, barely touching the woman during the ceremony, will have that effect. Job Channock, who obtained the firft Phirmaund from the King at Delhi for the English Company, I am told, and I dare fay you have heard it too, faved a woman from burning by touching her whilft fhe was going through the ceremony, and was afterwards married to her. Mr. Verelit was the means of faving the life of Gocul's mother, who intended to burn herself with her husband, and she is now living; but Gocul's wife was fo refolute, fhe declared last Wednesday morning, that if he was not allowed to burn with her husband, fhe would find means to put an end to her life in the courfe of that or the next day. As a proof of her compofure, and being in her perfect fenfes, immediately on receiving news of Gocul's death fhe refolved to facrifice herfelf, and took an inventory of all the jewels and effects which he was in poffeffion of. I have now given you a full and circumftantial relation of the whole matter refpecting Gocul Gofaul's wife facrificing herfelf on the funeral pile of her husband. Such parts of it as were told me, of what was done out of my fight, I have no reason to doubt; and what I have written, as feen by myfelf, you may depend on as literally true, which Mr. Shakespeare will confirm in every part. But I omitted to obferve, that tho' the Bramins fhed tears when praying by Gocul the night previous to his death, there did not appear the leaft concern in any of them during the ceremony at the funeral pile, not even in Kiftenchurn, the elder brother of Gocul, or any of his dependants. I am told that Gocul's other wife, named Rajeferry, would alfo have facrificed herfelf, at the fame time, if fhe was not with child: And that if he has preferved a lock of his hair, it is confiftent with the Hindoo laws or customs for her to go through the fame ceremony by burning herself with that lock of hair, on another pile, whenever the thinks proper. Gocul had four children by this laft-mentioned wife, one girl ten years, one girl fix years, one boy feven years, and another boy five years of age. I am, dear fir, * Paris. many charms, into that gulf of prejudice and vices, where innocence and happiness are fure to be hipwrecked. . Certain, however, of her and of myself, I defpifed, contemned the remonftrances of prudence, and looked on my fears as groundlefs while I fuffered them to torment me, I confidered them as illufions. Alas! I did not expect to fee them fo foon and fo cruelly verified. I little imagined, that, inftead of finding danger in the capital, it followed me thither. How fhall I tell you of the two years we have remained in that fatal city, and the cruel effect which that infectious refidence had on my mind, and on my fortunes? You know too well thofe fad calamities, remembrance of which, effaced by happier days, now doubles my forrows, by bringing me back to their fource. What a change was wrought in me, through my weaknefs for two agreeable connexions, which habit began to change into friendship! How did example and imitation, against which you had fo ftrongly armed my mind, give it infenfibly a tafte for those frivolous pleafures, which, when younger, I had defpifed? How different is it to fee things by themfelves, and when our minds are distracted by other objects? The time was now paft, when my glowing imagination only defired Sophia, and spurned every thing elfe. I was no longer follicitous about her; I poffeffed her, and the power, of her charms caft a luftre on thofe objects, which, in my youth, it had obfcured. But thefe objects foon weakened my defires by dividing them. My heart, gradually relaxed by thefe frivolous amusements, infenfibly loft its firft fpring, and became incapable of warmth or ftrength; I roved reftlefsly from pleafure to pleafure; I fought after every thing, and grew tired of every thing; I liked only those places where I was not, and endeavoured to forget myself in diffipation. I experienced a revolution, of which I wished not to convince myfelf; I did not give myself time to return to myself, through a dread of not finding myself. All my attachments were leffened, all my affections were cooled. I had fubftituted a jargon of morality and fentiment in the place of truth. I was a gallant without paffion, a ftoick without virtue, a philofopher bufied about trifles.-I had nothing of your Emilius but the name, and fome profeffions. The freedom of my difcourfe, the independence of my fpirit, my pleatures, my duties-you-my fon, even Sophia herfelf; all that before animated, that elevated my foul, and conftituted the plenitude of my exiftence, quitting me by degrees, feemed to make me quit myfelf, and left in my depraved mind only a troublefome fenfation of vacancy and abjection. In a word, I no longer loved, or at leaft thought fo. This violent flame, which feemed almost extinct, lay hid under the embers only to blaze forth fhortly with more fury than ever. But what is infinitely more inconceivable: how came it that fhe, who was the pride and happinefs of my life, now formed its hame and defperation? How thall I defcribe fo deplorable a change? No! the dreadful ftory fhall Thall never come from my mouth nor my pen; it is too injurious to the memory of the beft of wives, too grievous, too horrible for my recollection, too difcouraging to virtue; I fhould die a hundred times over before I could finish it. Morality of the world, ye fnares of vice and example, treachery of falfe friendship, inconftancy and weaknefs of humanity, which of us is proof against you? Oh! if Sophia has fullied her nature; what woman dare rely upon her's? But what a foul muft that have been, which, having fuch a heighth to fall, was able to recover herself. : It is of your regenerated chil. dren that I am about to speak to you all their errors have been known to you: I fhall only speak of what regards their return to virtue, and is neceffary to throw light on the ftory of their repentance. Sophia confoled, or rather diffipated by her female friend, and by the focieties into which fhe led her, had no longer that decided tafte for private life and retirement; fhe forgot all fhe had loft, and almoft all that was left her. Her fon, as he grew up, became lefs dependent on her, and fhe by degrees learnt to be happy without him. I was myfelf no longer her Emilius: I was but her hufband, and the husband of a fashionable woman in great cities is a man whom he treats in public with all poffible refpect and attention, but whom the fees not in private. Our focieties were for a confiderable time the fame. They changed infenfibly, Each of us hoped to be more at eafe when at a distance from the other's in fpection. We were no longer one, we were two diftinct perfons; the tyranny of fashion had divided us, and our hearts fought no re-union. We never faw each other, but when our country neighbours, or town friends brought us together. The wife, after feveral advances, which I had fometimes no fmall difficulty to refift, was at length difgufted, and attaching herself entirely to Sophia, they became infeparable. The husband paffed much of his time in company with his wife, and of confequence with mine. Their exterior deportment was regular and decent, but their maxims fhould have alarmed me. Their harmony proceeded lefs from a real attachment, than from a mutual indifference to the duties of their ftate. Little jealous of their reciprocal rights, they pretended their love was the greater, as they impofed lefs reftraint on each other; and neither was offended in not being the objec of the other's attention. "Above "all (faid the wife) let my huf"band live happy."-" Provided my wife be my friend, I am contented (faid the husband). Our fentiments, continued he, do not depend on ourselves, but our actions do; each contributes as much as poffible to the happiness of the other. Can we better fhow our love for those who are dear to us, than by agreeing to all they defire ? We avoid the cruel neceffity of flying from each, other." This fyftem, abruptly laid open, fhould have fhocked us. But it is not eafy to imagine, what power the overflowings of friendship. have in reconciling us to things which otherwife would difguft us; nor nor how much a philofophy, fo well adapted to the vices of human nature a philofophy which, inftead of thofe affections we are no longer capable of entertaining instead of that inward duty which torments and benefits no one, prefents nothing but politenefs, refpect, complaifance, attention nothing but freedom, liberty, fincerity, confidence: it is not eafy, I fay, to imagine what charms every thing that maintains an union between the perfons, when the hearts are no longer united, has for the best difpofitions, and how attractive it becomes under the mask of propriety. Reason would with difficulty defend herself, if confcience did not come to her aid. It was this that made Sophia and me ashamed to show a fondness which we had not. Our two friends, who had fubjugated us, quarrelled without restraint, and thought they loved one another, But an habitual refpect, which we could not lay afide, made it impoffible for us to give mutual pain without fhunning each other. Though we appeared to be a burthen to each other, we were nearer a reconciliation than those who were always together. Not to quit one another when in anger is a fure fymptom of eternal difunion, But when our difunion was moft evident, every thing changed in the most extraordinary manper poffible. Sophia, on a fudden, became as fedentary and retired as fhe was before diffipated. Her temper, naturally unequal, became continually fad and gloomy. Shut up from morning to night in her chamber, without fpeaking, without weeping, without regarding any one, he could not bear 66 to be interrupted. Even her female friend became infupportable to her: he told her fo, and gave her an ill reception without preventing her return: fhe befought me more than once to deliver her from her. I quarrelled with her for this caprice, which I attributed to jealoufy. I even told her of it one day in jeft. No, Sir, I am not jealous (anfwered fhe, with a cold and decided air) but I deteft that woman, and all I ask of you is, that I may never see her.” Struck with thefe words, I defired to know the cause of her hatred ; fhe refufed to answer me. She had already denied admittance to the husband; I was obliged to treat the wife in the fame manner, and we faw them no more. Her melancholy, however, continued and became alarming. I began to be disturbed by it; but how fhould I find out the cause which fhe perfifted in concealing? I could not pretend to dictate to fo haughty a foul: we had ceafed for fo long a time to be the confidents of each other, that I was little furprised the disdained to unbosom herself to me. It was neceffary to merit that confidence; and whether her afflicting melancholy had re-kindled an extinguished paffion, or that the flame only waited an opportunity of blazing out afresh,' perceived no great effort was neceffary on my part, to fhow her all the attentions by which I hoped to conquer her filence. I I quitted her no more: but it was in vain that I returned to her, and marked my return with the moft tender anxiety; I faw with forrow that I made no advances. I attempted to refume the privileges of a husband, which I had too long renounced: I experienced the |