My reader, from this my little narrative you will be taught, I trust, to feel, that the worst your enemies can say of you falls infinitely short of what you could tell of yourself; and hence will be made to bear the reproaches of those who do not love you, as being more your due than the praises of those who are stimulated to the expression of them by interest or affection.

THE OLD LADY'S COMPLAINT.

"SAY not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning them."-Eccles. vii., 10. These are the words of Solomon, and prove that man was given to murmur nearly three thousand years ago just in the same key as is used by us in the present day. The truth is this; that in looking back on former days we remember only those things which are agreeable, and, generally speaking, entirely leave out from the picture all that is evil and disagreeable; the real state of the case being this-that every situation in life has its advantages and its disadvantages, and that every age of the world's duration has had its peculiar errors and offences. We are apt to cry down the present day, and it is well that we should see and feel our offences, in order that we may endeavour to put a check upon them: but when we compare our present trials and sufferings with those of the nations which have gone before us in barbarous times, and with the situation of many people now existing in remote regions of the globe, instead of complaining of the times and the seasons-of our rulers and of our inferiors-we ought continually to praise our God, who has so far rendered the path of our pilgrimage through this present evil world safe, and to a certain degree pleasant; that we are protected from the hand of cruelty and rapine, and assaulted only by that which cannot materially harm us, namely, the strife of tongues, and the petty encroachments of dishonest men.

But while we ought to acknowledge with humble thanksgiving that, take all things together, our lot has fallen on a propitious time, and in a goodly place of present abode, it may be advantageous to consider the peculiar errors of the present day, in order, as I before said, that the check may be placed, and the defence affixed, on that side where the enemy is making his attack. It is half the battle to know where the danger lies; and it is one of the principal arts of the evil one to keep up the hue and cry against a vanquished and dead

enemy, at the moment in which he is preparing, or perhaps carrying on an attack, through the instrumentality of a powerful and living champion.

But without entering into a farther explanation of my purpose I shall proceed to my narrative, which, if it does not speak for itself, and point to the quarter from which danger is to be feared to the present and rising generation, I am much mistaken, and will acknowledge that the trouble I am now taking is altogether in vain.

I belong to the generation which is now rapidly passing away. I have been a great-aunt more than ten years, and was made a great-grandmother a few weeks since; a circumstance which naturally induced me to endeavour to peep further into the future state of this world than I might perhaps have done had it not been so.

My birth was respectable. My father having been a country gentleman of easy fortune, living in an old mansion, and through the economy of my mother having been enabled to bring up and portion off a very large family without encumbering his eldest son, on whom his estate was entailed. I thank God that I can also add that my parents were pious, although I do not suppose that they could have given a reason for the hope that was in them so accurately as religious persons of their condition would now be able to do.

I was the fifth of six daughters; and although my mother was by no means a harsh person, on the contrary, being one who was keenly alive to every feeling of her children, yet there were certain family, and I might almost say national customs, at that time established, which no person in respectable life, and desiring to preserve a suitable appearance, ever thought of departing from. For example-we, the children of the family, had apartments of our own; first a nursery, and then a school and play-room; where undoubtedly we were left much to ourselves, but beyond the precincts of which we never presumed to make a noise or a litter-unless it might have been in some remote corner of the garden, where we were permitted to delve and plant at our pleasure. The leading rule or principle which was taught us was this-that we were to keep ourselves to our own apartments when desirous of exercising our limbs or lungs; that it was a favour and an honour to be admitted to the presence of our parents; and that this

favour would be immediately forfeited, should we attempt to transgress any of the rules prescribed at that time for the proper behaviour of little masters and mis

ses.

These rules for behaviour were few and simple; a courtesy, low and profound, was required at our entrée and exit into and from the paternal presence; we were not to sit down till directed so to do by the eye of our mother, and never to speak in the presence of a stranger till first addressed. We were taught to pronounce those very difficult and obsolete words, "sir," and "ma'am," as soon as we could speak; and never thought of the possibility of omitting either of these titles when addressed by an elder, a superior, or an equal. We had other rules of behaviour of a more minute nature-such as always allowing precedence in company to an elder sister; refusing any nicety, though offered to us, when we saw but little on the table; never answering when reproved; combing our hair and arranging our persons before we appeared in the parlour, &c. &c. All of which observances (though in themselves powerless in changing and renewing the naturally depraved heart of man) were undoubtedly serviceable in checking the growth of the passions, and accustoming us, in small matters, to prefer the pleasures of others to our own.

It is certain that parents can no more give a new nature to a child than a physician can give a new constitution to a patient. No mere man can say to the leper, "Be thou cleansed," but he may use the means supplied by nature for relieving the sufferer, and consequently may withhold swine's flesh from the infected person; and so far would parents do well to imitate the wise physician: while humbly and piously awaiting from above the descent of the regenerating spirit on the children whom God has given them, they may use the appointed means for their conversion-no one of which is more directly within their reach than the enforcing of those gentle and decent restraints which proceed from a constant attention to the common courtesies of life. Thus, as it regarded external observances, passed the years of my childhood; it is not my present purpose to enter into the other branches of my education: I shall only say that as we grew up we were gradually emancipated from the schoolroom, and made companions of our mother, going out and coming in with her; but still

we were admonished to kep our places, and not to be too forward to give our opinions, and, above all things, never to contradict our elders. Any transgression of this kind was immediately noticed by our parents-our elderly visiters looking grave on the occasion, and chiming in with the senior authorities, by some such remarks as these: "When miss is older she will know better." "I am sure miss would not distress her honoured parents on any account." "Dear miss, beg your kind mamma to give you her hand to kiss, then all will be well."

Now, my gentle reader, you will please to observe that I have not told my name, nor that of my family; therefore I shall hurt no one by what I may say in the conclusion of my narrative. No family need to put the cap on unless it should find it particularly suitable; in that case I do not withhold my permission. My brothers and sisters were most of them married and settled before me. I also in due time entered the marriage state. My husband was an excellent man-a gentleman of small landed property entailed on the male heir. He died, however, within two years, leaving me a young widow with an infant son: it was the will of God; and I trust that I have been enabled to say, "Father, thy will be done." Where was so happy a refuge for one in such circumstances as a father's house?-to that I returned with my babe, and was received with open arms. From that period I remained in the paternal mansion till the death of my mother, an event which did not take place till my son was more than thirty years of age, and had been married eight years. My mother had survived my father several years, and had become in her latter days very infirm, requiring much attention, and being easily put out of her way, so that it had been necessary for me to devote much of my time to her service, and to accommodate my habits very much to hers. But I had considered, when I returned as a widow to my father's house, that it would not become me to interfere with the arrangements of the family. I felt that the society of my parents, and the protection extended by them to me, was a sufficient recompense for any exercises of free-will which I had forfeited by not choosing to reside by myself; and I was led to form a just estimate of the advantages to be derived from a residence in my paternal mansion. I had more time to