her fincerity, and thanked her for the caution; but told her that fhe danced to please herfelf, and was in very little concern what the men might take the liberty of faying, but that if her appearance gave her dear Floretta any uneafinefs, fhe would stay away. Floretta had now nothing left but to make new proteftations of fincerity and affection, with which Felicia was fo well fatisfied, that they parted with more than ufual fondnefs. They ftill continued to vifit, with this only difference, that Felicia was more punctual than before, and often declared how high a value fhe put upon fincerity, how much fhe thought that goodness to be efteemed which would venture to admonish a friend of an errour, and with what gratitude advice was to be received, even when it might happen to proceed from mistake. In a few months Felicia, with great ferioufnefs, told Floretta, that though her beauty was fuch as gave charms to whatever fhe did, and her qualifications fo extenfive, that fhe could not fail of excellence in any attempt, yet fhe thought herself oblig ed by the duties of friendship to inform her, that if ever the betrayed want of judgment, it was by too frequent compliance with folicitations to fing, for that her manner was fomewhat ungraceful, and her voice had no great compafs. It is true, fays Floretta, when I fung three nights ago at lady Sprightly's, f was hoarfe with a cold; but I fing for my own fatisfaction, and am not in the leaft pain whether I am liked. However, my dear Felicia's kindness is not the lefs, and I fhall always think myfelf happy in fo true a friend. From this time they never faw each other without mutual profeffions of efteem, and declarations of confidence, but went foon after into the country to visit their relations. When they came back, they were prevailed on, by the importunity of new acquaintance, to take lodgings in different parts of the town, and had frequent occafion when they met, to bewail the distance at which they were placed, and the uncertainty which each experienced of finding the other at home. Thus are the fondeft and firmest friendships diffolved, by fuch opennefs, and fincerity, as interrupt our enjoyment of our own approbation, or recal us to the remembrance of thofe failings, which we are more willing to indulge than to correct. It is by no means neceffary to imagine, that he who is offended at advice, was ignorant of the fault, and resents the admonition as a false charge; for perhaps it is most natural to be enraged, when there is the strongest conviction of our own guilt. While we can easily defend our character, we are no more difturbed at an accufation, than we are alarmed by an enemy whom we are fure to conquer; and whofe attack, therefore, will bring us honour without danger. But when a man feels the reprehenfion of a friend feconded by his own heart, he is cafily heated into refentment and revenge, either because he hoped that the fault of which he was confcious had escaped the notice of others; or that his friend had looked upon it with tenderness and extenuation, and excufed it for the fake of his other virtues; or had confidered him as too wife to need advice, or too delicate to be fhocked with reproach: or, because we cannot feel without pain thofe reflections roused which we have been endeavouring to lay afleep; and when pain has produced anger, who would not willingly believe, that it ought to be discharged on others, rather than on himself? The refentment produced by fincerity, whatever be its immediate caufe, is fo certain, and generally fo keen, that very few have magnanimity fufficient for the practice of a duty, which, above moft others, expofes its votaries to hardships and perfecutions; yet friendship without it is of a very little value, since the great use of fo clofe an intimacy is that our virtues may be guarded and encouraged, and our vices repreffed in their firft appearance by timely de tection, and falutary remonftrances. It is decreed by Providence, that nothing truly valuable fhall be obtained in our prefent ftate, but with difficulty and danger. He that hopes for that advantage which is to be gained from unrestrained communication, muft fometimes hazard, by unpleafing truths, that friendship which he afpires to merit, The chief rule to be observed in the exercise of this dangerous office, is to preferve it pure from all mixture of intereft or vanity; to forbear admonition or reproof, when our confciences. tell us that they are incited, not by the hopes of reforming faults, but the defire of fhewing our difcernment, or gratifying our own pride by the mortification of another. It is not indeed certain that the most refined caution will find a proper time for bringing a man to the knowledge of his own failings, or the most zealous benevolence reconcile him to that judge, ment, by which they are detected; but he who en deavours deavours only the happiness of him whom he reproves, will always have either the fatisfaction of obtaining or deferving kindnefs; if he fucceeds, he benefits his friend, and if he fails, he has at least the consciousness that he fuffers for only doing well. NUMB. 41. TUESDAY, August 7, 1750. Nulla recordanti lux eft ingrata gravifque, Nulla fuit cujus non meminiffe velit. Ampliat ætatis fpatium fibi vir bonus, hoc eft Vivere bis, vitâ poffe priore frui. No day's remembrance fhall the good regret, MART. F. LEWIS. few of the hours of life are filled up with objects adequate to the mind of man, and fo frequently are we in want of prefent pleasure or employment, that we are forced to have recourfe every moment to the paft and future for fupplemental fatisfactions, and relieve the vacuities of our being, by recollection of former paffages, or anticipation of events to come. I cannot but confider this neceffity of fearching on every fide for matter on which the attention may be employed, as a ftrong proof of the fuperiour and celeftial nature of the foul of man. We have no reafon to believe that other creatures have higher faculties, or more extenfive capacities, than the prefervation -S 4 servation of themfelves, or their fpecies, requires a they feem always to be fully employed, or to be completely at eafe without employment, to feel few intellectual miferies or pleasures, and to have no exuberance of understanding to lay out upon curiofity or caprice, but to have their minds exactly adapted to their bodies, with few other ideas than fuch as corporal pain or pleasure imprefs upon them. Of memory, which makes fo large a part of the excellence of the human foul, and which has fo much influence upon all its other powers, but a small portion has been allotted to the animal world. We do not find the grief with which the dams lament the loss of their young, proportionate to the tenderness with which they carefs, the affiduity with which they feed, or the vehemence with which they defend them. Their regard for their offspring, when it is before their eyes, is not, in appearance, less than that of a human parent; but when it is taken away, it is very foon forgotten, and, after a fhort abfence, if brought again, wholly difregarded. That they have very little remembrance of any thing once out of the reach of their fenfes, and scarce any power of comparing the present with the paft, and regulating their conclufions from experience, may be gathered from this, that their intellects are produced in their full perfection. The fparrow that was hatched laft fpring makes her firft neft the enfuing feason, of the fame materials, and with the fame art, as in any following year; and the hen conducts and fhelters her firft brood of chickens with all the prudence that fhe ever attains. It |