verfation was tedious that had not some tendency to difengage him from human affairs, and open his profpects into eternity. It is now past; we have clofed his eyes, and heard him breathe the groan of expiration, At the fight of this laft conflict, I felt a sensation never, known to me before; a confufion of paffions, an awful stilness of forrow, a gloomy terror without a name. The thoughts that entered my foul, were too strong to be diverted, and too piercing to be, endured. But fuch violence cannot be lafting; the ftorm fubfided in a fhort time; I wept, retired, and grew calm. I have from that time frequently revolved in my mind the effects which the observation of death produces in those who are not wholly without the power and ufe of reflection: for by far the greater part it feems to be wholly unregarded. Their friends and their enemies fink into the grave, with out railing any uncommon emotion, or reminding them, that they are themselves on the edge of the precipice, and that they must foon plunge into the gulph of eternity. It seems to me remarkable, that death increases our veneration for the good, and extenuates our hatred of the bad. Thofe virtues which once we envied, as Horace obferves, because they eclipfed our own, can now no longer obftruct our reputation; and we have therefore no interest to suppress their praise. That wickedness which we feared for its malignity, is now become impotent; and the man whofe name filled us with alarm, and rage, and and indignation, can be confidered only with pity, or contempt. When a friend is carried to the grave, we at once find excufes for every weakness, and palliations of every fault; we recollect a thousand endearments, which before glided off our minds without impreffion, a thousand favours unrepaid, a' thousand duties unperformed, and with, vainly wifh for his return; not fo much that we may receive, as that we may bestow happiness, and recompense that kindness which before we never underfood. There is not perhaps, to a mind well inftructed, a more painful occurrence, than the death of one whom we have injured without reparation. Our crime feems now irretrievable; it is indelibly recorded, and the stamp of fate is fixed upon it. We confider, with the moft afflictive anguish, the pain. which we have given, and now cannot alleviate; and the loffes which we have caused, and now cannot compenfate. Of the fame kind are the emotions which the death of an emulator, or competitor, produces. Whoever had qualities to alarm our jealoufy, had excellence to deserve our fondness; and to whatever ardour opposition of interest may inflame us, no man ever outlived an enemy, whom he did not then wish to have made a friend. Thofe who are verfed in literary history, know that the elder Scaliger was the redoubted antagonist of Cardan and Erafmus; yet at the death of each of his great rivals he relented, and complained that they were fnatched fnatched away from him before their reconciliation was completed. Tune etiam moreris? Ah! quid me linquis, Erafme, Ante meus quam fit conciliatus amor? Such are the fentiments with which we at lalt review the acts of paffion, but which we sometimes delay till we can no longer rectify our errors. Let us therefore make hafte to do what we fhall certainly at last wish to have done; let us return the careffes of our friends, and endeavour, by mutual endearments, to heighten that tenderness which is the balm of life: let us be quick to repent of injuries, while repentance may not be a barren anguifh; and let us open our eyes to every rival excellence, and pay early and willingly thofe honours which juftice will compel us to pay at last. ATHANATUS. Maturo propior define funeri Et ftellis maculam fpargere candidis: Non fi quid Pholoen fatis Et te, Chlori, decet. To the RAMBLER. SIR, T HOR. Hough I have been but a little time converfant in the world, yet I have already had frequent opportunities of obferving the little efficacy of remonftrance and complaint; which, however extorted by oppreffion, or fupported by VOL. III. C reafon, |