Christianity is, to alleviate the miferies of that part of mankind, whom, indeed, the world defpifes, but whom He who made them pities, like as a father pitieth his own children. Their miferies are not fanciful; their complaints are not exaggerated. The clergy, when they are called upon to vifit the fick, or to baptize newborn infants, are often spectators of such scenes as would cure the difcontented of every malady. The following reprefentation is but too real, and may be paralleled in many of its circumstances in almost every parish throughout the kingdom. The minifter of a country village was called upon to baptize an infant juft born. The cottage was fituated on a lonely common, and as it was in the midft.of the winter, and the floods were out, it was abfolutely neceffary to wade in water through the lower room to a ladder, which ferved instead of stairs. The chamber (and it was the only one) was fo low, that you could not ftand upright in it; there was one window which admitted air as freely as light, for the rags which had been stuffed into the broken panes were now taken out to contribute to the covering of the infant. In a dark corner of the room stood a small bedstead without furniture, and on it lay the dead mother, who had just expired in labour for want of affiftance. The father was fitting on a little ftool by the fire-place, though there was no fire, and endeavouring to keep the infant warm in his bofom. Five of the feven children, half naked, were asking their father for a piece of bread, while a fine boy, of about three years old, was standing by his mother at the bed-fide, and crying as he was wont to do, "Take me, take me, mammy ?" 166 Mammy is afleep," faid one of his fifters, with two tears standing on her cheeks; "mammy is afleep, Johnny, go play with the baby on daddy's knee." The father took him up on his knees; and his grief, which had hitherto kept him dumb, and in a ftate of temporary infenfibility, burst out in a torrent of tears, and relieved his heart, which feemed ready to break. "Don't cry, pray don't cry," cry," faid the eldest boy, "the nurse is coming up ftairs with a two-penny loaf in her hand, and mammy will wake presently, and I will carry her the largest piece." Upon this, an old woman, crooked with age, and clothed in tatters, came hobbling on her little stick in the room, and, after heaving a groan, calmly fat down, dreffed the child in its rags, then divided the loaf as far as it would go, and informed the poor man that the church-wardens, to whom fhe had gone, would fend fome relief, as foon as they had dispatched a naughty baggage to her own parish, who had delivered herself of twins in the 'fquire's hovel. Relief indeed was sent, and a little contribution afterwards raifed by the interpofition of the minifter. If he had not seen the cafe, it would have paffed on as a common affair, and a thing of course. Ministers and medical practitioners are often witnes ses to scenes even more wretched than this; where, to poverty, cold, nakednefs, and death, are added the languors of lingering and loathsome diseafes, and the torments of excruciating pain. A feeling heart, among the rich and the great, who are at the fame time querulous without caufe, would learn a leffon in many a garret of Broad St Giles's or Shoreditch, more efficacious than all the lectures of the moral or divine philo fopher. The The Resignation of the Emperor Charles V. CHA HARLES refolved to refign his kingdoms to his fon, with a folemnity fuitable to the importance of the transaction; and to perform this last act of fovereignty with fuch formal pomp, as might leave an indelible impreffion on the minds, not only of his subjects, but of his fucceffor. With this view, he called Philip out of England, where the peevish temper of his queen, which increased with her defpair of having iffue, rendered him extremely unhappy; and the jealousy of the English left him no hopes of obtaining the direction of their affairs. Having affembled the states of the Low Countries, at Bruffels, on the twenty-fifth of October, one thousand five hundred and fifty-five, Charles feated himself, for the laft time, in the chair of state; on one fide of which was placed his fon, and on the other his fifter the queen of Hungary, regent of the Netherlands; with a fplendid retinue of the grandees of Spain, and princes of the empire, ftanding behind him. The prefident of the council of Flanders, by his command, explained, in a few words, his intention in calling this extraordinary meeting of the ftates. He then read the inftrument of refignation, by which Charles furrendered to his fon Philip all his territories, jurifdictions, and authority in the Low Countries; abfolving his fubjects there from their oath of allegiance to him, which he required them to transfer to Philip, his lawful heir, and to ferve him with the fame loyalty and zeal which they had manifefted, during fo long a courfe of years, in fupport of his government. Charles then rofe from his feat, and leaning on the fhoulder of the prince of Orange, because he was unable to stand without fupport, he addreffed himself to the audience, and, from a paper which he held in his hand, in order to affift his memory, he recounted with dignity, but without oftentation, all the great things which he had had undertaken and performed fince the commencement of his administration. He obferved, that, from the seventeenth year of his age, he had dedicated all his thoughts and attention to public objects; referving no portion of his time for the indulgence of his ease, and very little for the enjoyment of private pleasure: That, either in a pacific or hoftile manner, he had vifited Germany nine times, Spain fix times, France four times, Italy feven times, the Low Countries ten times, England twice, Africa as often, and had made eleven voyages by fea: That, while his health permitted him to discharge his duty, and the vigour of his conftitution was equal, in any degree, to the arduous office of governing fuch extenfive dominions, he had never fhunned labour, nor repined under fatigue: That now, when his health was broken, and his vigour exhaufted by the rage of an incurable distemper, his growing infirmities admonished him to retire; nor was he fo fond of reigning, as to retain the fceptre in an impotent hand, which was no longer able to protect his fubjects, or to render them happy: That, instead of a fovereign worn out with difeafes, and fcarcely half alive, he gave them one in the prime of life, accuftomed already to govern, and who added to the vigour of youth all the attention and fagacity of maturer years: That if, during the courfe of a long administration, he had committed any material error in government; or if, under the preffure of fo many and great affairs, and amidst the attention which he had been obliged to give to them, he had either neg. lected or injured any of his fubjects, he now implored their forgivenefs: That, for his part, he should ever retain a grateful fenfe of their fidelity and attachment, and would carry the remembrance of it along with him to the place of his retreat, as his fweeteft confolation, as well as the best reward for all his fervices; and, in his laft prayers to Almighty God, would pour forth his ardent wishes for their welfare. Then, turning towards Philip, who fell on his knees, and kiffed his father's hand, "If," fays he, "I had left left you, by my death, this rich inheritance, to which I have made fuch large additions, fome regard would have been juftly due to my memory on that account: but now, when I voluntarily refign to you what I might ftill have retained, I may well expect the warmest expreffions of thanks on your part. With these, however, I difpenfe; and fhall confider your concern for the welfare of your subjects, and your love of them, as the best and most acceptable teftimony of your gratitude to me. It is in your power, by a wife and virtuous administration, to juftify the extraordinary proof which I this day give of my paternal affection; and to demonftrate that you are worthy of the confidence which I repofe in you, preferve an inviolable regard for religion; maintain the Catholic faith in its purity; let the laws of your country be facred in your eyes; encroach not on the rights and privileges of your people: and, if the time fhall ever come, when you fhall wish to enjoy the tranquillity of private life, may you have a fon endowed with fuch qualities, that you can refign your fceptre to him with as much fatisfaction as I give up mine to you !" As' foon as Charles had finished this long address to his fubjects and to their new fovereign, he funk into the chair exhausted, and ready to faint with the fatigue of such an extraordinary effort. During his discourse, the whole audience melted into tears; fome, from admiration of his magnanimity; others, foftened by the expreffions of tenderness towards his fon, and of love to his people; and all were affected with the deepest sorrow, at lofing a fovereign, who had distinguished the Netherlands, his native country, with particular marks of his regard and attachment. A few weeks afterwards, Charles, in an affembly no lefs fplendid, and with a ceremonial equally pompous, refigned to his fon the crowns of Spain, with all the territories depending on them, both in the Old and in the New World. Of all these vaft poffeffions he referved nothing to himself, but an annual pension of a Ꮓ hundred |