that the manners of the world will justify a departure from every duty, are too apt to deem them a sufficient apology for relaxing the strictness of moral principle.

Without setting up for a reformer, and without any intention of advising you to such a hopeless undertaking at any period of your life, I can have. no hesitation in exhorting you to be upon your guard against whatever has a tendency to lessen the influence of truth upon your heart. A con stant practice of perverting the use of language appears to me to have this tendency; and therefore, however it may be authorized by fashion, I would advise you not to fall into it.

To frivolous minds, that are inca pable of reflecting upon any subject, the use of general terms affords indeed a great relief. Those who would find

it very difficult to tell why they are pleased or displeased, do well to shelter their want of discrimination behind a set of hyperbolical phrases, which their parrots could repeat with as good an emphasis, and apply with little less sagacity. But it is not from fools alone that we hear these exaggerations. Fools brought them into fashion, but fashion taught those who ought to set a better example to use the same language. Whatever falls short of expectation must be detestable! Whatever affords a momentary pleasure must be exquisitely charming! Whatever is in the least degree serious must be horridly stupid or shockingly dull! It is thus that compositions of all sorts are judged of and pronounced upon, and this frequently at second-hand. And it would be well if these sweeping invectives were confined to such

objects

objects of criticism. But it is thus that characters, as well as compositions, are by the lump applauded or condemned. I need not tell you that this is against the principles of justice. But it is an act of injustice into which many, who would not deliberately make a sacrifice of its principles, are insensibly led, by habituating themselves to the constant use of exaggerating epithets.

In order to avoid this error, young people ought very carefully to abstain from giving decisive opinions upon what they do not thoroughly understand; nor ought they ever to give an opinion unsupported by a reason which can fully justify it. The impressions made upon the youthful mind by whatever greatly pleases or displeases, is sufficiently vivid to bear being expressed in the simple language of truth, without any danger

Accustom

of its being mistaken. yourself then, I beseech you, to relate and describe with plainness and simplicity; and depend upon it, that by so doing your descriptions will lose nothing of their force,

Considering

As to those who have cast off all regard to truth from their minds, and who believe that all are equally unprincipled as themselves, they will glory in deceiving, and expect to be deceived. The most dangerous deception which such persons practise, is that of assuming the appearance of perpetual enjoyment, pleasure as the chief good, they seek it in the gratification of every selfish passion: but their vanity must likewise be gratified; and therefore they wish to be admired, as the persons who alone have discovered the true arcana of felicity. When oppressed by a sense of weariness and disappointment,

pointment, they wear the smile of gaiety to hide their aching hearts. They are never happy; but it is the fashion to seem happy; and happy they must therefore, at all events, appear.

Against being deceived by this false appearance of happiness, I would anxiously warn you. I have heard it lamented by the blind, as a great misfortune, that from their being only seen when their spirits were exhilarated by society, they lost much of that sympathy which sensibility would have bestowed upon their situation, had the melancholy hours they spent in retirement been fully known. Were the gay votaries of pleasure to be as candid in their confessions, I believe the description of their lonely hours would prove them still more worthy of compassion. Could we read their hearts, should we then see them as leading

VOL. I.

M