tell me, my coufin, how could you be fo long ignorant of the dear girl's affection for you? The language of Jove is fo very intelligible, fo expreffive through every motion and every organ, as must, with fufficient clearnefs, have opened your eyes to the object. Indeed, madam, replied Mr Clinton, fhe herfelf led me away from any fuch apprehenfions, by drawing fo many pictures of the man whom the faid fhe loved, all copied from the creature of her own brain, and covered and difguifed with fuch imaginary excellencies, as must have prevented myself, as well as every one living, from perceiving therein the fmalleft trace of my own refemblance. Do not tell me, cried lady Maitland, she was a true and a fweet painter; and I should have known you by her portrait in the midst of a million. But proceed, I beseech you; my whole foul is in your story.

Within a few months after my marriage, continued Mr Clinton, you, my coufin, first opened your fair eyes to the light, and my Matty and I had the honour of being your fponfors.

Within the first year of my marriage, my girl, alfo, brought a fon into the world, and within the two years following was delivered of a daughter.

The

The joy of the grandfather, on those events, was indefcribable. Alas, good man! he thought that he perceived, in their infant afpects, a thousand happy promises and opening profpects: He faw himself, as it were, perpetuated in a defcending and widening progeny, who, like their native Thames, fhould roll down in a tide of expanding wealth and profperity. He wanted that all the world fhould participate of his happiness, and our house once more became the house: of festivity.

A number of external fucceffes, alfo,, affifted to perfuade us, in thote days, that felicity was to be attained and afcertained upon earth. The regency of Cromwell was adminiftred with the ftrictest juftice: at home, while, at the fame time, it be came revered and formidable abroad, and extended its influence to regions the moft: remote. Under the protection of the Bri-: tifh flag, we fent our thips out to the Eat,, and to the Weft, and wealth came pouring in upon us from all quarters of the globe.

In the mean while, my wite and I lived together in perfect harinony. Though my commerce and acquaintance was greatly extended, I had yet formed no friendihips trom home, that partook of

A 3,

hearts

heart-felt tenderness, except for your mamma. All my pleasures and defires, all my world was, in a manner, confined and abforbed within the compass of my own walls. In the good old man and his daughter, and in the pledges of their endearing attachment to me, every wish that my foul could form was centered.. Mutual joy fat round our board, mutual peace prepared our pillows: and, during a fwimming period of fix years, I fcarce remember to have experienced the fmalleft discontent, fave what arofe from the inordinancy of my wife's affection for me.

Y

While the continued to blefs my arms, I thought that no one had ever loved with greater warmth than I loved her; and yet, at times, I remarked a very ftriking difference between the manner and ef fects of our feelings for each other. If business detained me an hour extraordi. nary abroad, the panting of her bofom, that eagernefs of look with which the received me, was to me a painful evi dence of her anxiety during my abfence. One evening I found her in fainting fits, merely becaufe fhe was told that a duel had: juft happened between lord Mohún and a perfon who had much the refemblance of her Clinton. In short, if my head or my finger ached,, I found myfelf under the

neceffity

receflity of concealing my ailment, and of affuming a cheerfulness difagreeable to the occafion, to prevent the worse confe quences of her ready alarms. On the other hand, my affection was tranquil and ferene; it was tender and fervent, indeed, but without tumult or disturbance; a fpecies of love which I afterwards found to be by far the moft eligible; for every kind of paffion is unquestionably a kind of fuffering love in God, therefore, muft be wholly an action; it acts infinitely upon others without any poflibility of being acted upon..

Thus the years of my life moved onward upon down, when the small-pox, that capital enemy to youth and beauty, became epidemical in the city. Our chil dren caught the contagion. All poflible care was taken, and all poffible art employed. A number of phyficians was kept constantly about them. Fifteen days of their illness were already elapfed, and the doctors pronounced them out of danger when the diftemper took a fudden and malignant turn, and, in one and the fame: minute, both my babes expired in the arms of their mother.

I was in the room at the time; and as I knew the extreme tendernefs of my Matty's nature, all my concern, as well

as

as attention was turned upon her. I took her fondly by the hand, and, looking up to her face, I was inftantly alarmed and shocked by that placid ferenity which appeared in her countenance, and which I expected to be quickly changed into fome frantic eruption. But, first dropping a fmiling tear on her infants, and then lifting her glistening eyes to heaven!! I thank thee, I thank thee, O my master ! fhe cried, thou haft made me of fome ufe; I have not been born in vain; thou haft ordained me the humble vehicle of two fafe and certain angels, living attendants on thy throne, and fweet fingers of thy praises in the kingdom of little children, for ever and for ever. I have yet fuffi cient left, more bleffings remaining than fuit the lot of mortality! take me from them, I beseech thee, whenever it is thy good pleasure; for I fear there are fome of them, which I could not, I could not bear to have taken away from me! So prayed the dear faint; and looking ea-gerly at me, No my Harry, fhe cried out, Itear, I fear I could not bear it! So fay-ing, fhe fuddenly caft heifelf into my bo fom, and graiping at my neck, and guihing into a flood of anguish, we mingled. our fobs and our tears together tili no more were left to be shed.

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