The most usual way among young men who have no refolution of their own, is first to ask one friend's advice and follow it for some time; then to aik advice of another, and turn to that; so of a third, ftill unfteady, always changing. However, be affured that every change of this nature is for the worfe; people may tell you of your being unfit for fome peculiar occupations in life; but heed them not; whatever employment you follow with perfeverance and affiduity will be found fit for you; will be your fupport in youth, and comfort in age. In learning the ufeful part of every profeffion, very moderate abilities will fuffice; even if the mind be a little balanced with ftupidity, it may in this cafe be useful. Great abilities have always been lefs ferviceable to the poffeffors than moderate ones. Life has been compared to a race, but the allufion still improves, by obferving that the most swift are ever the leaft manageable.

it

To know one profeffion only, is enough for one man to know; and this (whatever the profeffors may tell you to the contrary) is foon learned. Be contented therefore with one good employment; for if you understand two at a time, people will give you bufinefs in neither.

A conjurer and a tailor once happened to converfe together. Alas, cries the tailor, what an unhappy poor creature am I; if people fhould ever take it in their heads to live without cloaths I am undone; I have no other trade to have recourse to. Indeed, friend, I pity you fincerely, replies the conjurer; but thank heaven, things are not quite fo bad with me; for if one trick fhould fail I have a hundred tricks more for them yet. However, if at any time you are reduced to beggary, apply to me, and I will relieve you. A famine overfpread the land; the tailor made a fhift to live, because his

customers

cuftomers could not be without cloaths; but the poor conjurer, with all his hundred tricks, could find none that had money to throw away: it was in vain that he promised to eat fire, or to vomit pins; no fingle creature would relieve him, till he was at laft obliged to beg from the very tailor whose calling he had formerly despised.

There are no obftructions more fatal to fortune than pride and refentment. If you must refent injuries at all, at least fupprefs your indignation until you become rich, and then fhew away; the refentment of a poor man is like the efforts of a harmlefs infect to fting; it may get him crufhed, but cannot defend him. Who values that anger which is confumed only in empty menaces?

Once upon a time a goofe fed its young by a pond fide; and a goofe in fuch circumftances is always extremely proud, and exceffively punctilious. If any other animal without the leaft defign to of fend happened to pass that way, the goofe was immediately at him. The pond, fhe faid, was hers, and fhe would maintain a right in it, and fupport her honour, while fhe had a bill to hifs, or a wing to flutter. In this manner fhe drove away ducks, pigs, and chickens; nay, even the infidious cat was feen to fcamper. A lounging maftiff, however, happened to pafs by, and thought it no harm if he fhould lap a little of the water, as he was thirsty. The guardian goofe flew at him like a fury, pecked at him with her beak, and flapped him with her feathers. The dog grew angry, had twenty times a good mind to give her a fly fnap; but fuppreffing his indignation, becaufe his mafter was nigh, A pox take thee, cries he, for a fool, fure those who have neither frength nor weapons to fight, at least fhould be civil; that fluttering and biffing of thine may one day get VOL. III.

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thine

thine head fnapt off, but it can neither injure thy enemies, nor ever protect thee. So faying, he went forward to the pond, quenched his thirft, in spite of the goose, and followed his mafter.

Another obftruction to the fortune of youth is, that while they are willing to take offence from none, they are alfo equally defirous of giving none offence. From hence they endeavour to please all, comply with every requeft, attempt to fuit themfelves to every company; have no will of their own, but like wax catch every contiguous impreffion. By thus attempting to give univerfal fatisfaction, they at laft find themfelves miferably difappointed; to bring the generality of admirers on our fide, it is fufficient to attempt pleafing a very few.

A painter of eminence was once refolved to finish a piece which should please the whole world. When, therefore, he had drawn a picture, in which his utmoft fkill was exhaufted, it was expofed in the public market-place, with directions at the bottom for every fpectator to mark with a brush, which lay by, every limb, and feature, which feemed erroneous. The fpectators came, and in general applauded; but each, willing to fhew his talent at criticism, marked whatever he thought proper. At evening, when the painter came, he was mortified to find the whole picture one univerfal blot; not a fingle ftroke that was not ftigmatized with marks of difapprobation: not fatisfied with this trial, the next day he was refolved to try them in a different manner, and expofing his picture as before, defired that every spectator would mark those beauties he approved or admired. The people complied, and the artift returning, found his picture replete with the marks of beauty; every ftroke that had been yefterday condemned now received the character of approbation. Well cries the

painter,

painter, I now find that the best way to pleafe one half of the world, is not to mind what the other half fays; fince what are faults in the eyes of thefe, fhall be by thofe regarded as beauties.

Adieu.

LETTER LXI.

FROM THE SAME.

A CHARACTER, fuch as you have reprefented. that of your fair companion, which continues virtuous, though loaded with infamy, is truly great. Many regard virtue because it is attended with applaufe; your favourite only for the internal pleasure it confers. I have often wifhed that ladies like her were propofed as models for female imitation, and not fuch as have acquired fame by qualities repugnant to the natural foftnefs of the fex.

Women famed for their valour, their fkill in politics, or their learning, leave the duties of their own fex, in order to invade the privileges of ours. I can no more pardon a fair one for endeavouring to wield the club of Hercules, than I could him for attempting to twirl her distaff.

The modeft virgin, the prudent wife, or the careful matron are much more ferviceable in life than petticoated philofophers, bluftering heroines, or virago queens. She who makes her hutband and her children happy, who reclaims the one from vice, and trains up the other to virtue, is a much greater character than ladies defcribed in romance, whofe whole occupation is to murder mankind with fhafts from their quiver or their eyes.

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Women,

Women, it has been obferved, are not naturally formed for great cares themfelves, but to foften ours. Their tenderuefs is the proper reward for the dangers we undergo for their prefervation; and the ease and chearfulness of their converfation, our defirable retreat from the fatigues of intenfe application. They are confined within the narrow limits of domeftic affiduity; and when they ftray beyond them, they move beyond their fphere, and confequently without grace.

Fame therefore has been very unjustly dispensed among the female fex. Thofe who leaft deferved to be remembered, meet our admiration and applause; while many, who have been an honour to humanity, are paffed over in filence. Perhaps no age has produced a ftronger inftance of mifplaced fame than the prefent: the Semiramis and the Thaleftris of antiquity are talked of, while a modern character, infinitely greater than either, is unnoticed and un

known.

Catherina Alexowna *, born near Derpat, a little city in Livonia, was heir to no other inheritance than the virtues and frugality of her parents. Her father being dead, fhe lived with her aged mother in their cottage covered with ftraw; and both, though very poor, were very contented. Here, retired from the gaze of the world, by the labour of her hands fhe fupported her parent, who was now incapable of fupporting herfelf. While Catharina fpun, the old woman would fit by and read fome book of devotion; thus when the fatigues of the day were over, both would fit down contentedly by their firefide, and enjoy the frugal meal with vacant feftivity.

* This account seems taken from the manufcript memoirs of H. Spilman, Efq.

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