a poft, which gave him an opportunity of displaying his elegance and politenefs. My mother was equally pleased with splendor, and equally careless of expence; they both juftified their profufion to themfelves, by endeavouring to believe it neceffary to the extenfion of their acquaintance, and improvement of their intereft; and whenever any place became vacant, they expected to be repaid. In the midst of these hopes my father was snatched away by an apoplexy; and my mother, who had no pleasure but in drefs, equipage, affemblies, and compliments, finding that she could live no longer in her accustomed rank, funk into dejection, and in two years wore out her life with envy and discontent.

I was fent with a fifter, one year younger than my felf, to the elder brother of my father. We were not yet capable of obferving how much fortune influences affection, but flattered ourfelves on the road with the tenderness and regard with which we should be treated by our uncle. Our reception was rather frigid than malignant; we were introduced to our young coufins, and for the first month more frequently confoled than upbraided; but in a fhort time we found our prattle repreffed, our dress neglected, our endearinents unregarded, and our requests referred to the housekeeper.

The forms of decency were now violated, and every day produced new infults. We were foon brought to the neceffity of receding from our imagined equality with our cousins, to whom we funk into humble companions without choice or influence, expected only to echo their opinions, facilitate their defires, and accompany their rambles. It was unfortunate

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that our early introduction into polite company, and habitual knowledge of the arts of civility, had given us fuch an appearance of fuperiority to the awkward bafhfulness of our relations, as naturally drew respect and preference from every ftranger; and my aunt was forced to affert the dignity of her own children while they were fculking in corners for fear of notice, and hanging down their heads in filent confufion, by relating the indifcretion of our father, difplaying her own kindness, lamenting the mifery of birth without eftate, and declaring her anxiety for our future provifion, and the expedients which she had formed to fecure us from those follies or crimes, to which the conjunction of pride and want often gives occafion. In a fhort time care was taken to prevent fuch vexatious mistakes; we were told, that fine clothes would only fill our heads with falfe expectations, and our drefs was therefore accommodated to our fortune.

Childhood is not eafily dejected or mortified. We felt no lafting pain from infolence or neglect; but finding that we were favoured and commended by all whofe intereft did not prompt' them to discountenance us, preferved our vivacity and spirit to years of greater fenfibility. It then became irkfome and difgufting to live without any principle of action but the will of another, and we often met privately in the garden to lament our condition, and to ease our hearts with mutual narratives of caprice, peevishnefs, and affront.

There are innumerable modes of infult and tokens of contempt, for which it is not eafy to find a name, which vanish to nothing in an attempt to defcribe

them,

them, and yet may, by continual repetition, make day pass after day in forrow and in terror. Phrases of curfory compliment and established falutation may, by a different modulation of the voice, or caft of the countenance, convey contrary meanings, and be changed from indications of refpect to expreffions of fcorn. The dependant who cultivates delicacy in himself very little confults his own tranquillity. My unhappy vigilance is every moment difcovering fome petulance of accent, or arrogance of mien, fome vehemence of interrogation, or quickness of reply, that recalls my poverty to my mind, and which I feel more acutely as I know not how to refent it.

You are not however to imagine, that I think my felf discharged from the duties of gratitude, only becaufe my relations do not adjust their looks, or tune their voices to my expectation. The infolence of benefaction terminates not in negative rudeness or obliquities of infult. I am often told in exprefs terms of the miseries from which charity has fnatched me, while multitudes are fuffered by relations equally near to devolve upon the parish; and have more than once heard it numbered among other favours, that I am admitted to the fame table with my cousins.

That I fit at the first table I must acknowledge, but I fit there only that I may feel the stings of inferiority. My enquiries are neglected, my opinion is overborn, my affertions are controverted; and as infolence always propagates itfelf, the fervants overlook me, in imitation of their mafter; if I call modeftly, I am not heard; if loudly, my ufurpation of authority is checked by a general frown. I am often obliged to look uninvited upon delicacies, and fometimes defired to rife upon very flight pretences..

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The incivilities to which I am exposed would give me lefs pain, were they not aggravated by the tears of my fifter, whom the young ladies are hourly tormenting with every art of feminine perfecution. As it is faid of the fupreme magistrate of Venice, that he is a prince in one place and a slave in another, my fifter is a fervant to her coufins in their apartments, and a companion only at the table. Her wit and beauty draw fo much regard away from them, that they never fuffer her to appear with them in any place where they folicit notice, or expect admiration; and when they are visited by neighbouring ladies, and pafs their hours in domeftick amufements, fhe is fometimes called to fill a vacancy, infulted with contemptuous freedoms, and difmiffed to her needle when her place is fupplied. The heir has of late, by the inftigation of his fifters, begun to harafs her with clownish jocularity; he seems inclined to make his first rude effays of waggery upon her; and by the connivance, if not encouragement of his father, treats her with fuch licentious brutality, as I cannot bear, though I cannot punish it.

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I beg to be informed, Mr. RAMBLER, how much we can be fuppofed to owe to beneficence, exerted on terms like these? to beneficence which pollutes its gifts with contumely, and may be truly faid to pander to pride? I would willingly be told, whether infolence does not reward its own liberalities, and whether he that exacts fervility can with juftice at the fame time expect affection?

I am, SIR, &c.

HYPERDULUS.

NUMB. 150. SATURDAY, August 24, 1751.

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S daily experience makes it evident that misfortunes are unavoidably incident to human life, that calamity will neither be repelled by fortitude, nor escaped by flight; neither awed by greatnefs, nor eluded by obscurity; philofophers have endeavoured to reconcile us to that condition which they cannot teach us to mend, by perfuading us that most of our evils are made afflictive only by ignorance or perverseness, and that nature has annexed to every viciffitude of external circumftances, fome advantage fufficient to overbalance all its inconveniences.

This attempt may perhaps be justly suspected of resemblance to the practice of phyficians, who, when they cannot mitigate pain, destroy fenfibility, and endeavour to conceal by opiates the inefficacy of their other medicines. The panegyrifts of calamity have more frequently gained applause to their wit, than acquiefcence to their arguments; nor has it appeared that the most mufical oratory or fubtle ratiocination has been able long to overpower the anguish of oppreffion, the tediousness of languor, or the longings of want.

Yet