ers to thofe complaints which flow from fpleen, caprice, and all the fantastical diftreffes of a vitiated mind. While riotous indulgence enervates both the body and the mind, purity and virtue heighten all the powers of human fruition.

me, it

gave

Feeble are all pleafures in which the heart has no fhare. The selfish gratifications of the bad, are both narrow in their circle, and short in their duration. But profperity is redoubled to a good man, by his generous ufe of it. It is reflected back upon him from every one whom he makes happy. In the intercourfe of domeftic affection, in the attachment of friends, the gratitude of dependents, the efteem and good will of all who know him, he fees bleffings multiplied round him, on every fide. "When the ear heard me, then it bleffed me; and when the faw eye witnefs to me : because I delivered the poor that cried, the fatherlefs, and him that had none to help him. The bleffing of him that was ready to perifh came upon me, and I caufed the widow's heart to fing with joy. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame: I was a father to the poor; and the cause which I knew not, I fearched out" Thus, while the righteous man flourishes like a tree planted by the rivers of water, he brings forth alfo his fruit in its feafon and that fruit he brings forth, not for himself alone. He flourishes, not like a tree in fome folitary defert, which scatters its bloffoms to the wind, and communicates neither fruit nor fhade to any living thing; but like a tree in the midst of an inhabited country, which to fome affords friendly fhelter, to others, fruit ; which is not only admired by all for its beauty; but bleffed by the traveller for the flade, and by the hungry, for the fuftenance it hath given.

SECTION IX.

On the Beauties of the Psalms.

BLAIR.

GREATNESS Confers no exemption from the cares and forrows of life; its thare of them frequently bears a melancholy proportion to its exaltation. This the monarch of Ifrael experienced. He fought in piety, that peace which he could not find in empire; and alleviated the difquietudes of state, with the exercifes of devotion. His invaluable Pfalms convey thofe comforts to others, which they alforded to himself.

Compofed upon particular occafions, yet defigned for genera! ufe; delivered out as fervices for Ifraelites under the Law, yet no lefs adapted to the circumftances of Chriftians under the Gofpel; they prefent religion to us in the most engag ing drefs; communicating truths which philofophy could never investigate, in a style which poetry can never equal; while history is made the vehicle of prophecy, and creation lends all its charms to paint the glories of redemption. Calculated alike to profit and to pleafe, they inform the understanding, elevate the affections, and entertain the imagination. Indited under the influence of HIM, to whom all hearts are known, and all events foreknown, they fuit mankind in all fituations; grateful as the manna which defcended from above, and conformed itfelf to every palate.

The faireft productions of human wit, after a few perufals. like gathered flowers, wither in our hands, and lofe their fragrancy; but thefe unfading plants of paradife become, as we are accustomed to them, ftill more and more beautiful; their bloom appears to be daily heightened; fresh odours are emitted, and new fweets extracted from them. He who has once tasted their excellencies, will defire to tafte them again; and he who taftes them ofteneft, will relish them best.

And now, could the author flatter himself, that any one would take half the pleasure in reading his work, which he has taken in writing it, he would not fear the lofs of his labour. The employment detached him from the bustle and hurry of life, the din of politics, and the noife of folly. Vanity and vexation flew away for a feafon, care and difquietude came not near his dwelling. He rofe, fresh as the morning, to his tafk; the filence of the night invited him to purfue it; and he can truly fay, that food and reft were not preferred before it. Every pfalm improved infinitely upon his acquaintance with it, and no one gave him uneafinefs but the laft: for then he grieved that his work was done. Happier hours than those which have been spent in thefe meditations on the fongs of Sion, he never expects to fee in this world. Very pleafantly did they pafs; they moved fimoothly and swiftly along for when thus engaged, he counted no time. They are gone, but they have left a relifh and a fragrance upon the mind; and the remembrance of them is fweet.

HORNE

SECTION X.

Character of Alfred, King of England.

THE merit of this prince, both in private and public life, may, with advantage, be fet in oppofition to that of any mon arch or citizen, which the annals of any age, or any nation, can prefent to us. He feems, indeed, to be the complete model of that perfect character, which under the denomination of a fage or wife man, the philofophers have been fond of delineating, rather as a fiction of their imagination, than in hopes of ever feeing it reduced to practice: fo happily were all his virtues tempered together; so justly were they blended; and fo powerfully did each prevent the other from exceeding its proper bounds.

He knew how to conciliate the moft enterprising spirit with the coolest moderation; the moft obftinate perfeverance, with the eafieft flexibility; the most severe justice, with the greateft lenity; the greatest rigour in command, with the greatest affability of deportment; the highest capacity and inclination for fcience, with the moft fhining talents for action.

Nature alfo, as if defirous that fo bright a production of her skill should be fet in the fairest light, had bestowed on hira all bodily accomplishments; vigour of limbs, dignity of fhape and air, and a pleafant, engaging, and open countenance. By living in that barbarous age, he was deprived of hiftorians worthy to tranfmit his fame to pofterity; and we wifh to fee him delineated in more lively colours, and with more particular strokes, that we might at least perceive fome of thofe fmall specks and blemishes, from which, as a man, it is impoffible he could be entirely exempted.

SECTION XI.

Character of Queen Elizabeth.

HUME.

THERE are few perfonages in hiftory, who have been more expofed to the calumny of enemies, and the adulation of friends, than Queen Elizabeth ; and yet there scarcely is any, whofe reputation has been more certainly determined by the unanimous confent of pofterity. The unufual length of her administration, and the ftrong features of her charac

ter, were able to overcome all prejudices; and, obliging her detractors to alate much of their invectives, and her admirers fomewhat of their panegyrics, have, at laft, in fpite of politi cal factions, and what is more, of religious animofities, produced a uniform judgment with regard to her conduct. Her vigour, her conftancy, her magnanimity, her penetration, viligance, and address, are allowed to merit the highest praises; and appear not, to have been furpaffed by any person who ever filled a throne: a conduct lefs rigorous, lefs imperious, more fincere, more indulgent to her people, would have been requifite to form a perfect character. By the force of her mind, the controlled all her more active, and ftronger quali ties; and prevented them from running into excefs. Her heroifm was exempted from all temerity; her frugality from avarice; her friendship from partiality; her enterprife from. turbulency and a vain ambition. She guarded not herself, with equal care, or equal fuccefs from lefs infirmities; the rivalship of beauty, the defire of admiration, the jealousy of love, and the fallies of anger.

Her fingular talents for government were founded equally on her temper and on her capacity. Endowed with a great command over herfelf, the foon obtained an uncontrolled afcendant over the people. Few fovereigns of England fucceeded to the throne in more difficult circumftances; and none ever conducted the government with fuch uniform fuccefs and felicity. Though unacquainted with the practice of toleration, the true fecret for managing religious factions fhe preferved her people, by her fuperior prudence, from those confufions in which theological controverfy had involved all the neighbouring nations; and though her enemies were the moft powerful princes of Europe, the moft active, the moft enterprifing, the leaft fcrupulous. fhe was able, by her vigour, to make deep impreffions on their ftate; her own greatnefs meanwhile remaining untouched and unimpaired. The wife minifters and brave men who flourished during her reign, fhare the praife of her fuccefs; but, instead of leffening the applaufe due to her, they make great addition to it They owed, all of them, their advancement to her choice; they were fupported by her conftancy; and, with all their ability, they were never able to acquire an undae

endant over her. In her family, in her court, in her kingdom, the remained equally miftrefs. The force of the tender paffions was great over her, but the force of her mind was ftill fuperior and the combat which her victory visibly cost her, ferves only to display the firmnefs of her refolution, and the loftinefs of her ambitious fentiments.

:

The fame of this princefs, though it has furmounted the prejudices both of faction and of bigotry, yet lies ftill expofed to another prejudice, which is more durable, because more natural; and which, according to the different views in which we furvey her, is capable either of exalting her beyond measure, or diminishing, the luftre of her character, This prejudice is founded on the confideration of her fex. When we contemplate her as a woman, we are apt to be ftruck with the highest admiration of her qualities and extenfive capacity; but we are alfo apt to require some more foftnefs of difpofition, fome greater lenity of temper, fome of thofe amiable weakneffes by which her fex is diftinguished. B the true method of eftimating her merit, is, to lay afide all thefe confiderations, and to confider her merely as a rational being, placed in authority, and intrufted with the government of mankind. HUME.

SECTION XII.

On the Slavery of Vice.

THE flavery produced by vice appears in the dependence under which it brings the finner, to circumftances of external fortune. One of the favourite characters of liberty, is the independence it beftows. He who is truly a freeman is above all fervile compliances, and abject subjection. He is able to rest upon himfelf; and while he regards his fuperiors with proper deference, neither debafes imfelf by cringing to them, nor is tempted to purchase their favour by difhonourable means. But the finner has forfeited every privilege of this nature. His paffions and habits render him an abfolute dependent on the world, and the world's favour; on the uncertain goods of fortune, and the fickle humours of For it is by these he fubfifts, and among these his happiness is fought; according as his paffions determine him to purfue pleafures, riches, or preferments.. Having no

men.