The Perfidious Friend. A Tale. ten endure through life, in despite of every forbidden circumftance; and thus the intimacy and friendfhip between Stephens and Murray continued till they had both entered on the bufy flage of the world; though the difference of their characters, and with it that of their circumftances and fituation, increafed every day. Stephens grew rich, while Murray continued in that humble mediocrity in which he had been originally born. 230 paflion is implanted in every rational mind; and he who cannot find it in his own heart, must have been too inattentive to the cultivation of it. Weeds may overrun, choak, and even root out the faireft plants, and a garden uncultivated, may lofe the choiceft flowers which have been planted there. Some there are who feem to glory in the lofs, and will tell you that they defpife the opinion of the world, and hold the applaufes of men in contempt. If they will examine their hearts, will they not find that they are mistaken, or that their garden is overrun with weeds. Every man ought to wish for the good opinion of his fellow-men, afpire to fame, and purfue it vigorously in the paths of virtue. Thofe are the paths in which it is to be fought. And they who the fooneft purfue it, and perfevere with the greateft diligence, are most likely to be fuc-elegant woman of small fortune, and cefsful. went to refide in a commodious, but not fuperb house, on an eftate which the wealth of Stephens had enabled him to purchase. Here he enjoyed the real happiness of life without the fatiguing oftentation of luxury, and felt that he could not have purchased more with all the riches of his affluent neighbour. T'aunton. BELINDA. The PERFIDIOUS FRIEND. A TALE. (Embellished with an elegant graving.) The familiar intercourfe however, that had fo long fabfifted between them, ftill continued; though Stephens would occafionally give himfelf airs of fuperiority, which the mild temper of Murray induced him to overlook, and nothing occurred to interrupt their friendship and good understanding. At length, Murray married an But Stephens had furveyed Mrs. En-Murray with a paffion which he would perhaps have called love; he was therefore more attentive than ever to his friend, more affiduous in his fervices, and more frequent in his vifits than ever he had hitherto been. Bafe act perpetrated under the A mask of friendship, excites double abhorrence, and the injury inflicted is, from the hypocrify by which it is accompanied, much more injurious and deteflable. As he gained nothing, however, by what he confidered as fair means, determined at length to employ others which he trusted he fhould find more effectual, and therefore planned an artful and diabolical fcheme to carry off Mrs. Murray by the means of hired bravoes, and fatisfy his brutality in difguife, fo that the fhould never know by whom the had been injured. AccordingConnections early contracted, of-y, one morning, when Mr. Murray John Stephens and Charles Murray had been brought up at the fame fchool when boys, and, though not precifely of the fame difpofition, became infeparable companions. Stephens was cunning, paffionate, and fomewhat felfifh; while Murray was unfufpicious, mild, and gene was |