receive from the fillier part of my fex. Horrid tyranny of fashion that imposed this upon us! What right can an equality or a fuperiority of 1 fortune give one lady to rob another of her time, fense and patience? I fay her Senfe; for the converfation of fools leaves a tincture of folly up on us. What title has dress or figure to lay a tak upon us for admiration? Do not they who expect this, infult our understanding?

And arè

not those who pay it, the flaves of folly? O that the fhackles of cuftom were once broken, and that we might choose our fociety out of either fex without cenfure, or inconvenience!

Juft before I received your letter, I was delivered from the most despicable and impertinent fet of vifitors, that ever difgraced the name of good company.-To me fuch vifits are always vifitations. To the above mentioned deliverance, you may, if you pleafe, impute fome degree of that extraordinary pleasure I afcribed to the pe rufal of your letter.--This I fay, left I fhould contribute to make you, what you have fo often made. me, vain; and thus, at least, you must acknowledge, that I out-do you in generofity.

M

I am not displeased with your obfervation, that young friendships are the most tender-no doubt they are-for the friendships, like all other pursuits and attachments of youth, have novelty to recommend them, paffions to enliven, and enthufiafm to cherish them.-But ah! my friend! (for once I will fay, my Theodofius!) when novelty is no more; when the paffions fubfide, and enthusiasm vanishes like a dream; will not the friendships, will not the attachments, that these principles produced, vanish with them ?—I will not fear it, though it should be true

-non é prudenza

Ma follia de mortali

L'arte crudel di presagirsi i mali.*

One thing, however, I will freely acknowledge, or rather boast of, that my friendship for Theodofius is, exclufively founded on efteem. For this reafon, I flatter myself, that it will last in all its prefent cordiality-why fhould it not? It has nothing to lofe, when the charm of novelty is loft. Its existence by no means, depends upon the

* It is not prudence,

But folly of mortals,

The cruel art of presaging evils.

paffions; it has, therefore, nothing to apprehend when they languish, or decline.—It derives not its fupport from enthufiafm, and, confequently, cannot fuffer when enthusiasm dies away.

While thus I comfort, I hope I do not deceive myself. But, fhould even that be the cafe, let your fagacity for once give way to your compaffion, and do not undeceive me.-This is, perhaps, the only inftance in which I could be fatiffed with myself, for declining the report of truth. Obferve, however, that I expect you will, with the utmost candour and ingenuity, resolve some parts of my doubts, and tell me freely, whether those young friendships which are heightened by novelty, by the passions and enthusiasm, will not inevitably perish with those sources that fupport them.

You fee I have been at pains to induce you to declare your fentiments, on this fubject; fince I have removed the principal objection that might have occurred to you, by declaring, that my friendship for you cannot be affected by the ar

gument.

ADIEU!

CONSTANTIA.

LETTER XIV.

THEODOSIUS TO CONSTANTIA.

THOUGH there is nothing in which Constantia has not a right to command her friend, and though, in every thing, it is his pride and pleafure to obey her; yet he will own, that he goes unwillingly about the task fhe has appointed him.

Ah! my dear, my amiable moralift! It is frequently the happiness of man to shut his eyes against the infirmities of his nature! In thofe circumstances, where the knowledge of his weaknefs, cannot fave him from fome real evil, that knowledge is of less value than ignorance.

The benevolent purposes of Providence, have concealed the future from us, that we may not be interrupted in the enjoyment of the prefent; and it is, in many cafes, neceflary to our happinefs, that we should imitate this economy of the Supreme Wifdom, and embrace those innocent pleasures, which the feveral periods of life may afford us, without enquiring too officiously into

their causes or events, and without being too folicitous about their duration.

Many, poffibly, of our pleafures, many, I am fure of our amufements, fpring from fuch fources, as, upon enquiry, would be found to do little honour to a creature diftinguished by reason. Their tendency, at the fame time, is frequently as infignificant as their cause, and both are unworthy of a ferious enquiry.

There are, indeed, enjoyments of a higher nature, that may better deferve our attention; and yet, to enquire into the probability of their duration, might contribute very little to our happinefs.

Such, in particular, are the connections of friendship.-Thefe are the property of man, and muft, therefore, be frail, changeable and uncertain like himself. It muft, confequently, be for his ease to fit down unapprehensive to enjoy them, without meditating on all the possible variety of evils, to which they must be exposed, from a change of fentiments and inclinations, and from the several contingencies of chance and time.