ftorm, and he himself caft on the fhore, helpless and naked, and scarcely with the appearance of life. A Macedonian, whofe lands were contiguous to the fea; came opportunely to be witnefs of his diftrefs, and, with all humane and charitable tenderness, flew to the relief of the unhappy tranger. He bore him to his houfe, laid him in his own bed, revived, cherished, comforted, and, for forty days, fupplied him freely with all the neceffaries and conveniences which his languishing condition could require. The foldier, thus happily refcued from death, was inceffant in the warmest expreffions of gratitude to his benefactor, affured him of his intereft with the king, and of his power and refolution of obtaining for him, from the royal bounty, the noble returns which fuch extraordinary benevolence had merited. He was now compleatly recovered, and his kind hoft fupplied him with money to purfue h's journey. In fome time after he prefented himself before the king, he recounted his miffortunes, magnified his fervices; and this inhuman wretch, who had looked with an eye of envy on the poffeffions of the man who had preferved his life, was now fo abandoned to all fense of gratitude, as to reqneft that the king would bestow upon him the houfe and lands where he had been

fo tenderly and kindly entertained, Unhappily Philip, without examination, inconfiderately and precipitately granted his infamous requeft; and this foldier now returned to his preferver, and repaid his goodnefs by driving him from his little fettlement, and taking immediate poffeffion, of all the fruits of his honeft industry. The poor man, ftung with this intance of unparalleled ingratitude and infenfibility, boldly determined, inftead of fubmitting to his wrongs, to feek relief; and, in a letter addref fed to Philip, reprefented his own and the foldiers conduct in a lively

and affecting manner. The king. was inftantly fired with indignation; he ordered that justice should be done without delay; that the poffeffions fhould be immediately restored to the man whose charitable offices had been thus horridly repaid; and, having feized his foldier, caufed these words to be branded on his forehead, THE UNGRATEFUL GUEST: a character infamous in every age, and among all nations; but particularly among the Greeks, who, from the earlieit times, were moft fcrupulously obfervant of the laws of hofpitality.

TO THOSE WHOM IT CONCERNS.

Ah! little think the gay, licentious, proud,

Whom pleasure, power, and affluence furround;

They, who their thoughtless hours in And wanton, often cruel, riot waste; giddy mirth, ! little think they, while they dance along, How many pine in want and dungeon glooms;

Shut from the common air, and common ufe

Of their own limbs! how many drink the cup

Of baleful grief, to eat the bitter bread of mifery; fore pierc'd by wintry winds,

of cheerless poverty; How many fhrink into the fordid but How many, rack'd with honeft paffion, droop

In deep-retir'd diftrefs.

reformation produced? Where is the attention paid to thofe gentle, feafonable and falutary remonftrances? In what inftance hath power cloathed itfelf with mercy? Or where has mifery fupplicated, but to be denied?

To paint to you, ye darlings of fortune who have been dandled upon the knee of indulgence, and reared up under their foftering hand, who have basked all your days in the funfhine of affluence and profperity, ftrangers to every real ill but fuch as proceed from a pampered imagination, or a debilitated con tution; I fay how difficult, how nearly impoffible is the task to paint to your gentle, ideas (unused to scenes of honeft poverty, wretchedness and distress) the long train of complicated woes, which thoufands of your fellow-creatures and fellow-fubjects at this moment endure?

Do you fet down all the various reports you hear on this head as fable? Your conduct answers in the affirmative. Would to God they were really fo! And may the direful confequences, which feem impending over this guilty land, be averted by the timely exercife of temperance, judgment and mercy! You have alarming precedents to recur to. Study them, and be wife.

Your ancestors, ye prefent race of British nobility and gentry, were fuch as would do honour to any nation, or any period of time; rough, brave, warlike, generous and hofpitable; not enervated by debauchery, nor were the faculties of their fouls benumbed by a giddy round of delufive pleasure. No! their recreations were manly and noble, and their diffufive beneficence was of the patriarchal kind; and yet, notwithtanding their princely liberality, what avaritious heir had caufe to lament his disappointed hopes, or to condemn the extravagance of his father for loading his patrimony with a mortgage of more than half

its value? Such inftances were very rare: œconomy went hand in hand with munificence; and the generous man that knew how to diftribute liberally, knew how to withhold prudently, and was conftantly replenish ed with bountiful fupplies from the great Source of all plenty and happinefs.

Solid plea fure in a thousand varied forms danced before them; their domeftick dependents blithe and happy; the peasants of the neighbouring village, with countenances blooming with health, eyes sparkling with delight, and bofoms overflowing with gratitude to their benefactors, gave back with tenfold intereft the felicity they enjoyed. Thus bleffing, and thus bleffed by all within the circle of their knowledge, did they pafs admired and beloved through life, and left it lamented and regretted by thofe whofe prophetic feelings whifpered, they "ne'er fhould fet eyes upon their like again."

But alas my country! what a mortifying, what an humiliating contraft doft thou now prefent to us! What a race of beings pafs in review before the eye of my mind! Are thefe the fad remains of British heroifm and virtue? How degenerated! how fallen! how funk! Soft, effeminate, inglorious, daftardly, and selfish: Every nerve unbraced by riot and debauchery, and ever noble feeling of the foul lulled faft afleep on the lap of fenfuality. Revenues fufficient to fupply the wants of thousands are foolishly diffipated upon the vague and irrational amufement of an evening at Cornelys's or the pantheon, (which are a ftain

upon government, and a reproach to the morals of the prefent period. In vain ye attempt to clear the ftreams while yourfelves, the fource, is choaked with filth) or are fquandered at Arthur's and New-market in purfuits ftill more degrading to the dignity of human nature.

1

Which of you can now produce urdiminished

diminished the rent-roll of three hundred years back? I believe very few, notwithstanding that you have, by a peculiar prócels (referved to be difcovered in this enlightened age) extracted from the hard hands and hungry bellies of the labouring poor, and that with large intereft, the fums which your fathers had generously given to the neceffities of theirs.

But be affured the evils you fo la vifhly diffuse will generate, nay have already begun to generate defperate remedies, which will one day, if not timely appeased, plunge daggers into your guilty bofoms. Where now is confidence? Fled with content. Where is perfonal fafety? Vanished with integrity. Inftead of their bleffings, you are accofted wherever you appear with the execrations of the poor: And you would do well to remember (I mean fuch of you who have not renounced your creed with your humanity) that a greater than you has folemnly promifed "to avenge the caufe of the poor upon their oppreffors: " And where will you feek for fhelter then ye gilded shadows! ye important infignificants!

But why am I thus lavish of time and argument upon ideots and fucklings? There yet remain among us 'many honourable famples of antient virtue. With the most profound refpect I address the noble few, whose elevated minds add luftre to their high defcent, whofe higheft gratification is in employing the powers with which Heaven has entrusted them to the most valuable purposes, by relieving the diftreffes of the neceffitous, and lightening the iron hand of affliction: Employments truly worthy the delegates of Heaven! Like conftellations of the first mag. nitude, your luftre gathers additional ftrength from the darkness which furrounds you. When avenging Powers fhall crufh a guilty land, already ripe for deftruction, the fame Powers fhall wrap you up in full fecurity. When all the idle glittering toys of life are laid afide, when "ftars fhall fade away," more permanent, more fatisfying joys await you, and "The bleffing of him that was ready to perifh fhall come upon you." MEDIOCRITY.

John Mills, Efq; is the author of thefe effays; and, from an attentive perufal, it is with pleasure that we find they deferve to be recommended, not only from the eafy propriety with bich they are written, but from the weight of many of the truths they inculcate. Monthly Review.

This is no other than a tranflation, by Mr. Mills, from a French publisation, entituled, Effais fur divers fajets interreffans, &c. printed in 1770.

620. Effays on various Subjects.

Vide articles, 243, 530.

Thefe little volumes contain an agreeable mifcellany, in which, the

fair writer (now deceased) prefents us with a variety of fubjects, treated in a fenfible and agreeable manner. The author is Mrs. Catharine Tal

bot, the intimate and amiable friend of the late Archbishop Secker. In duct of her life, she discovers great this publication, as in the whole coningenuity, fenfibility, and piety; and has here provided an agreeable and inftructive amusement for young people. Monthly Review. 621. Hurd's Sermons on the Prophecies. Vide article, 411.

on that

The main defign of the inftitutigave rife to thefe fermons is, to interpret and apply particular prophecies; and this introductory courfe of lectures is admirably calculated to prepare and facilitate the execution of it. Dr. Hurd does not comment on prophecy by the falfe lights of the

imagination