reputation of it; complaifance; and, often, a decided tone, and light manners; ambitious ideas; and, finally, interested views. With fo many refources, it is almost impoffible that every one fhould not find means to gratify his inclinations during his youth; but, in a riper age, it is neceffary to fix the affections. If we will not renounce every fpecies of gallantry, it is neceffary to accuftome ourselves early to the sweet habitude of living with one whom we love and efteem; with outwhich, wefall into the moft gloomy apathy, or infupportable agitation. The habitude of which I fpeak, is more agreeable and folid, when founded upon the permanent affections of the mind; but this is not fo abfolutely neceffary as not to be difpenfed with. It is certain that the cares of a woman are always more agreeable to an old man than thofe of a relation or friend of his own fex; it seems to be the wifh and intention of nature that the two fexes fhould live and die together. We become infenfible of a fettled habitude; and, as we do not perceive that a mistress grows old, and becomes lefs handfome, we do not obferve that her way of thinking becomes our own, and our reafon fubjected to hers, though fometimes lefs enlightened. We infenfibly facrifice our fortune to her; and this is a neceffary confequence of the refignation we have made of our reafon. Men fometimes pafs over the infidelities of women, because they are not perfectly convinced of them, and that a blind confidence is a neceffary confequence of their feduction: but if, unfortunately, they come to the knowledge of them, it is impoffible for a man, fincerely attached to a woman, not to be fufceptible of jealousy. This jealousy takes a tinge of the character of the perfon who is affected with it. The mild man becomes afflicted, falls ill, and dies; if a repentance, which he is always difpofed to be lieve fincere, does not confole him: the choleric man breaks out into rage; and, in the firft moments, it is not known how far this may carry him; but men of this difpofition are fooneft appeased, and most frequently to be deceived. Pecuniary intereft should never be the bafis of an amorous connec tion; it renders it fhameful, or at leaft fufpicious: money, fays Montaigne, being the fource of concu. binage. But when a tender union is well formed, intereft, like fentiment, becomes common; every thing is mutual; and there is but one fortune for two fincere lovers. If they be equally honest, and incapable of making a bad use of it, this is juft and natural; but frequently the complaifance of one, makes him or her partake too much of the misfortunes and errors of the other. Love should never have any thing to do with affairs: it ought to live on pleafures only: but how is it poffible to refift the folicitations of a beloved object, who, though the ought not to participate in affairs which the has not prudence or cou rage enough to manage, yet having always, for a pretext, her interest in your reputation, welfare, and happiness, how is it poffible to resist an amiable woman, who attacks with fuch weapons? Some ladies have a real, others a borrowed reputation; that of the firft is pure and unfpotted, founded on the principles of religion, con❤ fequently fequently the only genuine one; it belongs to women really attached to their duty, and who have never failed in the leaft point of it, whether they have had the good fortune to love their hufbands, who have returned their affection; or whether, by an effort of virtue, they have been faithful to a man whom they have not loved, nor were beloved by. There is another reputation, unknown to religion, which delicate morality, although purely human, does not admit, but which the world, more indulgent, will fometimes accept as good; that founded upon the good choice of lovers, or rather, of a lover, for multiplicity is always indecent. We are fo difpofed to think that each loves his likeness, that we judge of the character of men and women by thofe of their own fex with whom they have formed an intimacy; but infinitely more by the perfons for whom they conceive a ferious attachment. Many a man of wit has eftablished the reputation of his miftrefs, without compofing madrigals for her, but by making kaown the paffion with which he had infpired him; many a women of merit has created or eftablifhed the reputation of him whom he has adopted her chevalier. After all, it is more dangerous to folicit than to decline this kind of reputation: it happens more frequently that a man lofes himfelf by making a bad choice, than he adds to his fame by making a good one. If the public are indulgent to the attachments of fimple individuals, they are much more fo to thofe of kings, and people in place, when they think them real, and do not fufpect in them either ambition, in trigue, or motives of intereft. All France approved of the love of Charles VII. for Agnefs Sorel, becaufe he had the courage to lay to this prince, that, unless he recovered his kingdom, he was not wor thy of her affection. The Parifians applauded the love of Henry IV. for La Belle Gabrielle, and fung with pleafure the fongs this monarch made for her; because, knowing her to be handfome, and of a good difpofition, they imagined fhe would infpire the king with fentiments of benevolence. Never did a woman love a man more fincerely than Madame de l Valliere loved Lewis XIV. She never quitted him but for God alone; and, fwelled with vanity as that monarch was, he could not complain of this rivality; fo much the lefs, as the Supreme Being had but the remains of the heart of his miftrefs, and perhaps never po feffed it entirely. I have heard an ancedofe of Madame de Valliere, which I do not remember to have feen in print. This lady was fo modeft, and had fo little ambition, that the had never told the king the had a brother, much lefs had the ever afked any favour for him. He was ftill young, and had made his first campaig among the cadets of the king's houfehold. Lewis XIV. reviewing his troops, faw his miftrefs fimile a a friendly manner at a young man, who, on his part, bowed to her, with an air of familiarity. In the evening, the king afked, in a fe vere and irritated tone of voice, who this young man was. Madanie de la Valliere was at firft confuled but afterwards told his majefly it was her brother. The king, ha ving affured himself of it, conferred diftinguished favours upon the young gentleman, La gloire et l'amour, On the contrary, the public were a good deal difgufted with the amours of the king and Madame de Maintenon, although more decent, and that a fecret marriage had rendered them legitimate. It was obferved, that a love, conceived when both parties were in years, afforded a ridiculous fpectacle: moreover, Madame de Maintenon meddled with the affairs of government; and it was when the most interfered with them, that things fell into decline, and that Lewis XIV. began to experience misfortunes, which were "all laid to her charge. When the late Duke of Orleans, who was regent, fell in love with Mademoiselle de Sery, he was not cenfured on account of it. The Duchefs of Orleans, natural daughter to the king, was rather beautiful, but he was not amiable; Mademoiselle de Sery, on the contrary, was very much fo. She had a fon, and it was predicted of him that he would one day become Duke of Dunois. We fee him at prefent in Paris, under the title of Chevalier d'Orleans, Grand Prior of France. He has not fulfilled what was expected of him; yet he has wit, and is, in many refpects, amiable. In procels of time the regent fell into fuch an irregularity of conduct, that the public were fhocked at it. It was neceffary for him to have many other brilliant and eftimable qualities to be pardoned fo great a defect; but people were fo much difpofed to indulgence for him, that his affection for Madame de Parabere was approved of, because it was fuppofed the really loved him, and that he loved her, although he was frequently unfaithful to her. Exterior decency is generally admired, and princes and men of dif-tinétion ought to do nothing to difguft the public; but, right or wrong, it is but too true, that in the end, this public affumes the authority of centuring, without delicacy, every fault: woe to them who are the first objects of grofs fcandal; they become the victims to its rage: the public judges and punthes them for it; or at leaft hoots at, hiffes, and defpifes them; but, when the number of the guilty increase to a certain degree, it is found, that although hifles are fufficient to condemn bad pieces, they are not rods enough for thofe men who deferve to be lafhed: they then become tolerated, nothing more is faid, and, what is worse than all, a refolution is fometimes taken to imitate them. It must be acknow ledged that the temptation to tin is very great, when we are fure to do it with impunity; and that people are made ealy upon this head, when they they are fheltered from reproach and ridicule. The Death of Mahomed, a TranЛlation from the Déh Mujlis. From the Afiatic Mifcellany. "TR RADITIONISTS of grievous tidings, and narrators of heart-breaking events, have handed down to us, that in the tenth year of the Hegiry, after the prophet had performed his laft pilgrimage, on the day named Urfa, and in the plain furnamed Urfaat, the following fentence was communicated to him from above: Now "have I completed the work of your religion, and bestowed per"fect happiness upon you." After which, whenever he preached to the people, he mixed with his difcourfe the tidings of his expected and welcome diffolution. At length, upon the 28th of the moon Suffer, of the 11th Hegiry, the prophet repaired to the burial ground of Bukea, and paffed a conderable time in prayer for the fouls of those whole remains were depofited in the tombs around him: the following day he was feized with an head-ach, in which condition he came forth, and gave directions for the people to be allembled, as he was about to preach to them for the laft time. When they were arrived, he ascended the pul pit; and, having concluded a long difcourfe, he addressed them in these words: "Know, O ye people, my "diffolution is at hand; my defire "of being united to God overpowers me, and I fhall quickly depart from among yon: say, then, "in what manner have I not per"formed my prophetic miffion for your falvation? For your fakes, "and for religion, I have fought, "whilst you, in return, have fmote my teeth, and defiled my face "with blood." They acknow. ledged what he said was true; that he had fhewn them the right, and taught them to fhun the crooked path; befeeching the Almighty to reward him accordingly. The prophet then, in the name of God, solemnly enjoined any whom he might have ftruck, to arife and take repa ration; or any he might have injured in his property, forthwith to receive back whatever was his due: on which, a man named Akaufha arofe, and faid, "O prophet, fince "you fo earneftly urge this matter, "Ifhould be a finner, if I conti"nued filent: know then, that in "the expedition to Tehouck, in"tending to fmite your female ca"mel, Kufwah, the whip defcended " on my shoulders, and was attend"ed with excruciating pain; for "which I now expect retaliation.” May God reward you in both "worlds," replied the prophet, "O Akausha, for giving me an The Deb Mujlis, from which the two following narratives are taken, is itself an extract from a work entitled, Rodbut ús Shoda, or the Garden of Martyrs; written by Múlla Húffain Waiz. The Deb Majlis contists, as the name implies, of ten fuch narratives as the two which are here prefented to our readers'; each containing an account of the death of one of the Mahommedan patriarchs, or fome other diftinguished perfonage. A portion of the Deb Mujlis is read daily, during the Aborab, or folemn mourning, celebrated by the Muffulmans on the first ten days of the month of Mohurrum. opportunity of compounding this "aflair now, and for not having "deferred it to the day of judge, "ment: can you inform me with "what whip the offence was com"mitted?" AkauЯa anfwered, that it was with the rod Mamthuke, having a thong fufpended from the end of it; which the prophet ordered immediately to be brought.* In obedience to the commands of his master, Soliman repaired to the prophet's houfe, and knocked at the door of Fatima's apartment, repeating the ufual falutation obferved toward the prophet's family. Fatima knew the voice, and on being advised of his errand, obferved that as her father was afflicted with a fever, and had not ftrength to fit his horfe, he could have no occafion for fuch an inftrument. On being informed of farther particulars, the gave a loud fhriek, and folemn ly adjured Soliman to imprefs on Ákaufha's mind, that out of regard to the weak and fickly condition of her father, he ought to be merciful, and fpare him. When Soliman had departed, Fatima fent for her fons, Huffen and Hoflain, and acquainted them with what had happened, bidding them repair to the place where their grandfather was, and instead of one ftroke, which Akausha was about to inflict on him, receive each an hundred in his room. But on their informing the prophet of the bufinefs on which they were come, he pronounced that they could not grant retaliation for that which he had committed; at the fame time defiring Akauha to rife, and ftrike. Akaufha remonftrated, that as his fhoulders were bare when he received the blow, the prophet's ought to be fubmitted to him in the fame condition; which the holy man prepared to do, a murmur of mingled pity and indignation arifing from the angels of heavens, who beheld the fcene. But when Akaufha faw the naked fhoulders of the prophet, and beheld thereon the feal of his apoftolic miffion, he fprang forward, and applied his lips to the holy fign, faying, "O prophet! to kifs this "mark, and not to obtain retalia"tion, was the object I fought after; yourfelf having often pronoun"ced, Whoever touches the kin "of my body, him the fire of hell "hall pare." 66 The prophet now defcended from the pulpit; his indifpofition vifibly increafing upon him. He, however, defired Ali to leave him, and repofe himself; which having done, he returned, and informed his fatherin-law that in a dream he had beheld himself clad in complete armour, which on a fudden was torn from his body. The prophet replied, "That armour am I, of whom you are about to be deprived." Fatima came next, and related, that being in a deep fleep, the thought the held in her hand a fheet of the holy Koran, which was fuddenly ravished from her fight. The prophet replied "That sheet of the "Koran am I, who fhall quickly "be loft to you." Huffen and Hoffain alfo related, that in their dreams they had juft beheld a throne moving on the bofom of the wind, under which they walked, with Great ftrefs is laid by devout Mahommedans, on the humility and meekness teftified -by their prophet, in this instance, in submitting to retaliation for an involuntary offence; which, in strictnefs of law, he was not obliged to do. |