and he always returned to her, who by her engaging converfation and sweetness of temper, by an undiffembled love, and even by the force of habit, had made herself miftrefs of his heart, without the help of artifice. But in the year 1669, the perceived that Madam de Montefpan had gained the afcendant; fhe oppofed her with her usual softness, and supported a long time, almost without complaint, the mortification of feeing her rival's triumph. She thought herself happy in her misfortune, as fhe was ftill treated with respect by the King, whom fhe continued to love, and ftill enjoyed his prefence, though she was no longer beloved by him. At length, in 1675, fhe had recourse to the laft relief of tender minds, which are not fubdued but by profound reflections. She thought that the heart, which had been engaged by her lover, ought henceforth to be dedicated only to heaven. Her converfion was as eminent as her fondnefs: She turned Carmelite at Paris; and fteadily continued to wear a hair-cloth, to walk barefoot, to faft with great severity, and to fing whole nights in the choir; all which was borne without fhrinking, by the delicacy of a woman (then in the pride of beauty) who had long lived in much fplendor, luxury and pleasure. In these aufterities fhe continued from 1675, to 1710, under the name of fifter Louisa de la Mifericorde. A King who fhould punish the moft 179 moft atrocious criminal in this manner, would be guilty of tyranny; yet many women have voluntarily fentenced themselves to this punishment for the crime of love. There are few inftances of politicians, who have taken this rigorous course, and yet the crimes of ftate feem to require greater expiations than the weaknesses of love.-I will only add, that when she was told of the death of the Duke de Vermandois, whom she had by the King, she said, I have reafon to lament his birth, more than his death." NUMBER LXVI. Οι περ φύλλων γενεν, το δε και ανδρων. WHI Simonides. HEN I walk along my garden, and fee the trees late fo blooming and verdant, now divefted of their honours, and naked of thofe leaves which lie withering on the ground; it reminds me of the transitory state of mortals, and the fleeting fucceffion of all things below. Nor can I help looking upon my fellow creatures, without melancholly concern; when full of these thoughts I exchange the sweets of retirement for the bufy fcenes of this populous city. Thronged with multitudes innumerable as the leaves upon a flourishing tree, not one of its prefent inhabitants fhall in a few years remain every individual must fall, as a leaf; when a new generation fhall spring forth; occupy their places; be bufied for a while in the fame manner; and then fade away, like their forefathers, and leave their places and poffeffions to others! important as we may think ourfelves, nothing in nature will witness our departure; every thing in life will proceed in its ufual channel. A little, very little time, will wipe us entirely from the tables of human memory and the ftreets, which we now crowd fo bufily, will not be less thronged for our absence. What an important leffon fhould this reflec&tion teach us; and how much ought it to diminish, in our esteem, the transitory pursuits and poffeffions of this prefent world! But when we confider further, that as foon as this paffing moment of life is done, an immortality awaits us, when eternal good or evil must be the confequence of our good or evil conduct in this life; how abfurd, as well as criminal, does it render the actions of thofe, who, with unwearied anxiety, labour to gratify their worldly or fenfual paffions! there is a beautiful paffage in the Pfalms, which, under the finest image, fets to view the folly of fuch behaviour., "I myfelf, fays the facred writer, have seen the ungodly in great power, and flourishing like a green baytree. I went by. and lo! he was gone! I fought him, but his place could no where be found. Nothing can be imagined more picturesque, nervous and expreffive: nor can any moral be drawn with greater beauty and propriety, than that in the following verfe - Keep innocency, and take heed to the thing which is right; for that shall bring a man peace at the last. This allufion of human honours, and human life, to trees, leaves, &c. is familiar with our best poets; the speech which Shakespear puts into the mouth mouth of Cardinal Wolfey, on his fall, is particularly excellent; This is the ftate of man; to-day he puts forth But the most famous fimile of this fort, is that of Homer, in the fpeech of Glaucus, Iliad, B. VI. v. 181, which I give my reader in Mr. Pope's tranflation. What, or from whence I am, or who my fire, Another race the following spring supplies, Upon which paffage Mr. Pope obferves, “That there is a noble gravity, in the beginning of this Speech of Glaucus, according to the true stile of antiquity, |