A proposal of so base a nature filled our unhappy couple with horror; they ordered the messenger immediately out of the room, and falling upon each other's neck, indulged an agony of sorrow: for now even all hopes of relief were banished. The messenger who made the proposal, however, was only a spy sent by Ariana to sound the disposition of a man she loved at once and persecuted.

This lady, though warped by wrong passions, was naturally kind, judicious, and friendly. She found that all her attempts to shake the constancy or the integrity of Sabinus were ineffectual: She had, therefore, begun to reflect, and to wonder how she could, so long and so unprovoked, injure such uncommon fortitude and affection.

She had, from the next room, herself heard the reception given to the messenger, and could not avoid feeling all the force of superior virtue; she therefore re-assumed her former goodness of heart; she came into the room with tears in her eyes, and acknowledged the severity of her former treatment. She bestowed her first care in providing them all the necessary supplies, and acknowledged them as the most deserving heirs of her fortune. From this moment Sabinus enjoyed an uninterrupted happiness with Olinda, and hoth were happy in the friendship and assistance of Ariana, who, dying soon after, left them in possession of a large estate; and, in her last moments confessed, that Virtue was the only path to true glory; and that, however Innocence may for a time be depressed, a steady perseverance will in time lead it to a cerain victory.

THE

TRUE HONOUR.

Blair.

HE proper honour of man arises not from those splendid actions and abilities which excite high admiration. Courage and prowess, military renown, signal victories and conquests, may render the name of a man famous, without rendering his character truly honourable. To many brave men, to many heroes renowned in story, we look up with wonder. Their exploits are recorded. Their praises sung. They stand as on an eminence, above the rest of mankind. Their eminence, nevertheless, may not be of that sort before which we bow with inward esteem and respect. 80mething more is wanted for that purpose, than the conquering arm, and the intrepid mind. The laurels of the warrior must at all times be dyed in blood, and bedewed with the tears of the widow and the orphan. But if they have been stained by rapine and inhumanity; if sordid avarice has marked his character; or low and gross sensuality has degraded his life; the great hero sinks into a little man. What at a distance, or on a superficial view, we admire, becomes mean, perhaps odious, when we examine it more closely. is like the Colossal statue, whose immense size struck the spectator afar off with astonishment; but, when nearly viewed, it appears disproportioned, unshapely, and rude.

It

Observations of the same kind may be applied to all the reputation derived from civil accomplishments; from the refined politics of the statesman, or the literary efforts of genius and erudition. These bestow, and, within certain bounds, ought to bestow, eminence and distinction on men. They discover talents which in themselves are shining; and which become highly

valuable, when employed in advancing the good of mankind. Hence, they frequently give rise to fame. But a distinction is to be made between fame and true honour. The former is a loud and noisy applause; the latter, a more silent.and internal homage. Fame floats on the breath of the multitude; Honour rests on the judgment of the thinking. Fame may give praise while it with-holds esteem; true honour implies esteem mingled with respect. The one regards particular distinguished talents; the other looks up to the whole character. Hence the statesman, the orator, or the poet, may be famous, while yet the man himself is far from being honoured. We envy his abilities. We wish to rival them. But we would not chuse to be classed with him who possessed them.

From all this it follows, that in order to discern where man's true honour lies, we must look, not to any single adventitious circumstance of fortune; not to any sparkling quality; but to the whole of what forms a man; what entitles him, as such, to rank high among the class of beings to which he belongs; in a word, we must look to the mind and the soul. A mind superior to fear, to selfish interest and corruption; a mind governed by the principles of uniform rectitude and integrity; the same in prosperity and adversity; which no bribe can seduce, nor terror overawe; neither by pleasure melted into effeminacy, nor by distress sunk into dejection; such is the mind which forms the distinction and eminence of men.-One, who in no situation of life is either ashamed or afraid of discharging his duty, and acting his proper part with firmness and constancy; true to the God whom he worships, and true to the faith in which he professes to believe; full of affection to his brethren of mankind; faithful to his friends, generous to his enemies, warm with compassion to the unfortunate; self-denying to little private interests and pleasures, but zealous for public interest and happiness; magnanimous, without being

1

proud; humble, without being mean; just, without being harsh; simple in his manners, but manly in his feelings; on whose word you can entirely rely; whose countenance never deceives you; whose professions of kindness are the effusions of his heart; one, in fine, whom, independent of any views of advantage, you would choose for a superior, could trust in as a friend, and could love as a brother :-This is the man, whom in your heart, above all others, you do, you must honour.

THE TWO BEES.

Anonymous.

Na fine morning in May, two bees set forward

ON

in quest of honey; the one wise and temperate, the other careless and extravagant: they soon arrived at a garden enriched with aromatic herbs, the most fragrant flowers, and most delicious fruits. They regaled themselves for a time on the various dainties that were spread before them: the one loading his thigh at intervals with provisions for the hive against the distant winter; the other revelling in sweets, without regard to any thing but his present gratification. At length they found a wide-mouthed phial that hung beneath the bough of a peach-tree filled with honey ready tempered, and exposed to their taste in the most alluring manner. The thoughtless epicure, in spite of all his friend's remonstrances, plunged headlong into the vessel, resolving to indulge himself in all the pleasures of sensuality. The philosopher, on the other hand, sipped a little with caution; but being suspicious of danger flew off to fruits and flowers, where, by the moderation of his meals, he improved his relish

for the true enjoyment of them. In the evening, however, he called upon his friend to enquire whether he would return to the hive, but found him surfeited in sweets which he was as unable to leave as to enjoy, Clogged in his wings, enfeebled in his feet, and his whole frame totally enervated, he was but just able to bid his friend adieu, and to lament with his latest breath that though a taste of pleasure might quicken the relish of life, an unrestrained indulgence is inevi table destruction.'

ADVANTAGES OF REVELATION.

us

Robinson.

teaches us clearly, without a doubt, that God willeth our immortality. It carries our thoughts for ward to a future state, as to a fixed period whither the greatest part of the promises of God tend. It commands us, indeed, to consider all the blessings of this life, the aliments that nourish us, the rays which enlighten us, the air that we breathe; sceptres, crowns, and kingdoms, as effects of the liberality of God, and as grounds of our gratitude: but at the same time it requires us to surmount the most magnificent earthly objects. It commands us to consider light, air, and aliments; crowns, sceptres, and kingdoms, as unfit to constitute the felicity of a soul created in the image of the blessed God, and with whom the blessed God has formed a close and intimate union. It assures us that an age of life cannot fill the wish of duration, which it is the noble prerogative of an immortal soul to form. It does not ground the doctrine of immortality on metaphysical speculatious, nor on complex arguments,