to continue to offend you by perfifting in my refiftance; no, Sir, I am in your power; it fo pleafed my ftar, and my nearest relations were themfelves willing to deliyer me up to it, though they fhould, on the contrary, have fortified me in the fentiments of virtue, which they force me to renounce. But your Majesty, I hope, will be perfuaded that my virtue is the only confideration that has made me culpable in your eyes, nothing being fo certain that, equally fenfible of your goodness and merit, I an hundred times wifhed the distance was lefs great between us, that I might find means to fatisfy you without incurring the guilt of a crime.--Having now made known to you my fentiments, take it not amifs, Sir, if I fhould endeavour to examine into your's, and to be af fured, if you do me the honour of loving me in reality, or if you have only a defire to fatisfy yourself, and that, piqued by my refufal, you made it a fort of point of honour to yourself to triumph over my refiftance. My delicacy requires this ecclairciffe, ment, which I beg you would give me.

The King protested, that he loved her more than he had ever loved any one in his life. "It is not by words, Sir," replied the Counters, "I can be perfuaded, but by facts. I have a favour to afk of your Majefty; fwear to me that you will grant it, and then, but not till then, I fhall be convinced of your tenderness." The King fwore, by all that was moft dear and facred to him, that he would grant the Countefs all she should ask, were it the half of his kingdom; in this, imitating the complaifance that Ahafuerus had formerly for Queen Efther. But how great was his furprize, when, bound by an oath which it was no longer in his power to violate, he faw the Countefs's face lighted up with smiles, and an air of confidence, on taking from under her gown a dagger, which she had the precaution to carry about her ever since the was threatened with violence. Firmly grafping it, "Sir," said fhe, "the favour I have to ask of you, is, to make no attempt on my honour: you cannot now do it without falfifying your oath, in which cafe I will inviolably keep that which I make to you in my turn, of burying this dagger in my bofom. It is your bufinefs, Sir, to chufe, and to tell me which of these two oaths you would have performed." With thefe words, the threw herself on her knees, and endeavoured by her tears to determine him to what was right.

Heaven feconded her wishes; for the King, moved to find fo much virtue and fo much courage in the foul of the Countess, after remaining for fome time fixed in admiration, and a furprize hard to be expreffed, faid to her, Rife, Madam, I can no longer hold out against fo much virtue. You triumph over me, and this day I am refolved to make your triumph authentic by crowning your virtue. It is the only refource that remains to me for con

H 2

tenting

tenting my love, without violating my oath, and without expofing myself to create difpleafure in you: it is the only one that can make me perfectly happy, and the only one that fuits you, because you are worthy of the throne. Prepare yourfelf, therefore, to hare it with me, to reign over the English, as you reign sovereignly over my heart."

The King, hereupon, gave orders for calling to him the Lords, then in waiting at Court; and having at the fame time sent for the Countess's mother, and the two waiting ladies, he commanded them all to falute the Queen, on whofe finger he put a very beautiful diamond ring, after giving her a kifs as a mark of his engagement. He next ordered a Bishop, diftinguished by his learning and great reputation, who was then prefent, to prepare for giving the benediction to his marriage, after acquainting the affembly of the secret scene that had paffed between him and the Countefs, and fhewing them the dagger, that might be justly called the faithful witnefs of her virtue.

The Countess thanked the King in the most affecting terms for this return of fortune to her, as furprizing as it was illuftrious. The mother teftified her gratitude by tears, which her joy made her fhed in abundance; and there was not one but was touched by fo tender a scene. Couriers were difpatched to the Countess's father and brothers, to affift at her nuptials; and the King embraced them with as much tenderness as if the one had been his father, and the others his brothers. He heaped on all wealth and honours. The marriage at first was private, the King's affections not permitting him to wait for its folemnization, which his Majefty referved for the day on which it was to be publicly cele brated.

This was the firft of July. All the Peers of the kingdom were fummoned to appear in their respective ranks, and affift at the coronation of the new Queen, who, having been carried the evening before incognito from the King's palace to her father's house, was thence conducted to Westminster-Abbey, where his Majesty entered into new engagements with her, declaring her publicly Queen.

The ceremony of her coronation followed that of her fecond efpoufals; after which the was led to the palace, dressed in royal robes, with the crown on her head, and followed by all the Lords and Ladies in the kingdom, who made the moft magnificent appearance imaginable.

It was then were heard the joyful acclamations of the people, and, by a strange alteration, thofe who had fome time before cenfured the Countefs, were forced to render homage to her virtue, by beftowing on her a thousand praifes. The women and maidens were affiduous in ftrewing the streets with flowers through which

fhe

fhe was to pass; and these streets were ornamented with the finest pieces of tapestry, and the air refounded with cries of joy from all parts, Long live our beautiful Queen, whom her virtue has crowned! Nothing but feafts and balls were held for feveral days; and it was in one of these balls that Edward created the Order of the Garter, which is confidered in a very diftinguished light in England, that in all ages the greatest Lords might repute it a fingular honour done them to wear the liveries of that beautiful Queen, and that the gift of her Garter (a) might be to them the conftant object of their ambition.

And HONI SOIT QUI MATY PENSE, whence a confequence may be drawn of more advantage to the Countess than that which has been drawn in favour of Porus; for, if it is faid, in regard to that brave Indian, that virtue pleases, though conquered, we may here conclude that virtue is invincible, that of the Countess having triumphed over all the affaults formed against it, and having opened to her the way to the throne, by. triumphing over royal authority. A great example to invite all to the imitation of fo engaging and triumphant a virtue !

7

But, alas! it may be faid, to the fhame of the prefent age, that it is an example little followed. How many has the indulged propenfity to vice led to the precipice of deftruction, if not on gibbots and fcaffolds, at leaft by fignal punishments from the avenging hand of Providence, and the bitter remorfe of confcience? Whereas the testimony of a good confcience is alone fufficient to make us fupport the weight of the moft adverfe fhiftings of fortune.

(a) That fell from her, and was picked up by the King at one of the fe balls.

Examples of LONG LIFE gained by TEMPERANCE. HIPPOCRATES avers that excefs in drinking is not so injurious as excess in eating. By filling the ftomach with a variety of heterogeneous food, the most deplorable confequences muft neceffarily enfue. All the fine veffels and tubes of the human fyftom must be choaked and overloaded; and the current of the blood, being interrupted, move turbid and flow, through the oppreffion. and violence done to nature.

By furfeiting and gluttony, the most fatal disorders must of neceffity be occafioned, and the human body be foon converted into one univerfal infirmary. Nothing is fo friendly to nature as Temperance. It is conducive both to health of body and foundness of mind. If we lived but according to nature, and made her genuine dictates and calls the rule and standard of our eating and drinking, one third of those diseases and evils which now infeft human

life

life would hardly be known. In proportion as luxury encreased, the life of man was abreviated. The feven Kings of Rome reigned longer than the first twenty Emperors.

It is agreeable to contemplate the advanced years which those have attained, who recommended Temperance and moderation of defire both by their precepts and their examples.

Pythagoras, who fo pathetically inculcated abftinence from animal food, and fo ftrictly enjoined upon his disciples frugality and felf-government, lived, according to an anonymous writer of his life, mentioned in Photius, a century.

The Philofopher Gorgias, who declared that he never had eaten or done any thing for the mere gratification of his appetite, lived 107 years.

Hippocrates, the father of phyfic, lived above 100 years.

Sophocles, the Tragedian, at 90 years of age produced one of the most elaborate compofitions of the dramatic kind that the human genius ever perfected, and lived to be near 100.

The amiable Xenophon, who hath written fo much in praise of Temperance and Virtue, lived above 90. Plato, his cotemporary, reached his 81ft year. Diogenes, the Cynic, died about 90. Xenocrates at 84. Zeno, the father of the Stoic philofophy, attained his 98th year, and his immediate fucceffor and difciple Cleanthes, his 99th.

Pindar, who begins his poems with declaring water to be the beft thing in nature, lived almoft through a century.

Agefilaus, whofe character is fo beautifully pourtrayed by Xenophon, led armies at 80, established Nectanebus in his kingdom; and at 84, on his return from Egypt, finished a life adorned with fingular glory.

Cicero, in his treatife on old age, introduces Cato the Cenfor in his 84th year haranguing the people, and affifting the Senate, the people his clients and his friends, with his counfels.

The famous Lewis Cornaro, the Venetian, was of an infirm conftitution till forty; at fourfcore he publifhed his celebrated book, entitled, "Sure and certain Methods of attaining a long and healthy life;" and having paffed over his hundredth year, died in his elbow-chair without pain.

Aurengzebe, according to Gemelli, from the time that he ufurped the throne, never once tafted either flesh, fifh, or strong liquors, and died in 1707, near a hundred years old.

The Bishop of Bergen, in his natural history of Norway, relates from credible witneffes, that in the year 1733 four married couple danced in the prefence of Chriftian VI. King of Denmark, whofe ages joined together amounted to more than eight hundred years, none of the four couple being under an hundred.

Our

Our happy island, in those inftances where the rules of fobriety have been uniformly regarded, can vie with Greece and Rome, or any other region, in examples of longevity. Plutarch reprefents the Britons as living feveral of them beyond the age of 120; for Diodorus Siculus honours the primitive inhabitants of this ifle with this teftimony, that they were distinguished for the fimplicity of their manners, and were happy ftrangers to the profligacy and depravity of modern times; that the islands fwarmed with multitudes, that their food was fimple, and far removed from that luxury which is infeparable from opulence.

Henry Jenkins, the fifherman, lived 169 years. Dr. Robinson fays that his diet was coarse and four.

Old Parr died in the 153d year of his age. Dr. Harvey, in his anatomical account of him, fays, that if he had not changed his diet and air, he might perhaps have lived a good while longer. His diet was old cheese, milk, coarse bread, small beer, and whey.

Buchanan speaks of a fisherman, in his own time, who married at 100, went out in his little fishing-boat in the roughest weather at 140, and at last did not die of any painful diftemper, but merely worn out by age.

Hobbes, the celebrated Malmesbury Philofopher, who was as remarkable for the temperance of his life as the fingularity of his opinions, died at Hardwicke in Devonshire, in the 92d year of his age.

Dr. Mead, one of the beft phyficians and scholars of his age, even in London reached his 80th year.

Dr. Benjamin Grofvenor, who was not inferior in erudition, tafte, and genius, to any of the laft race of diffenting Ministers, died in 1758, at the advanced age of 83.

Dr. Nathaniel Lardner, though fo indefatigable a ftudent, yet, by the regularity and temperance he exercised, enjoyed the vigour of his faculties almoft to his laft hour, wrote with the greatest clearness and precifion at 80, and ended a most useful and glorious life in his 84th year.

But the late Dr. Jabez Earle furnishes the most remarkable modern instances of ftrength of understanding and memory in very advanced life. This gentleman, who was a very learned and worthy diffenting Clergyman, regularly preached till the age of 92; and it was remarkable, confidering how fond the English are of fights, that he was not more popular. Had he lived but a few years, probably his miniftrations would have been very acceptable, and he would once more have preached to a crowded audience. I have heard this noneagenarian preach with great fatisfaction. He was totally blind, and devoutly uttered his difcourfes not inelegantly delivered, and not immethodically digefted.

Dr.