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8. The houfe of God is alfo the house of prayer. Here nations meet with God, to ask, and to receive, national bleffings. On the fabbath, and in the fanc、uary, the children of the Redeemer will, to the end of the world, affemble for this glorious purpose. Here he is ever pres ent to give more than we can ask. If we faithfully unite here, in feeking his protection, no weapon formed again us will profper."

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CHAPTER XXIX.

THE OCEAN AND THE RIVERS.-A FABLE.

HE Rivers, having long paid their voluntary. tribute to the Ocean, were at length fpirited up to oppofition by fome Ragnant pools, which being formed into canals, had found their way to the grand reservior of waters. Thefe upstart gentlemen, with a characteriftic pride began to exclaim, "What! fhall we, who have been collected with fo much care, and conducted hither with fo much expense and art, lofe our freibnefs in the briny wave?"

2. "Were we rivers of magnitude, like the Nile, the Danube, the Ganges, the Miflilippi and de la Rio Plata, we would foon teach the Ocean to be a little more reafonable and polite and, instead of converting every thing to its own filthy purposes without acknowledgment, we would make it known to whom it is indebted for its con-fequence; for our parts we are ashamed of fuch tamenefs. Does not the Ocean deprive us of our sweetness and purity, and yet monopolize the gratitude of furrounding nations, which is due to us alone? If it will not allow us to affert our natural rights in the fcale of social union, we are determined immediately to withdraw our fupport from the voracious abyss, that fwallows us up without mercy and without thanks."

3. From this mean fource, the murmurs of discontent arofe. Thefe collected puddles had influence enough to fpread disaffection among the noble streams. Some of the latter hoped to ufurp the dominion of the whole, and

therefore fided in the quarrel. Each had his private views in what he did, or wished to do. Committees were formed refolutions were paffed, and deputations appointed. Memorials, remonstrances, and all the artillery of political manoeuvers were determined to be played off against the venerable head.

4. The Ocean heard of thefe meditated attacks; but heard them unmoved. It knew the general good, even the order of nature, had factioned, and would maintain its supremacy; and on this account it did not fear the blind malice of impotent oppofition. When deputations, however, arrived from the principal Rivers to state griev. ances, and to demand redress, they were refpectfully received. The firmness that will not yield to idle murmurg of discontent, and the pride that defpifes them, are very different qualities.

5: Having patiently liftened to futile and unmeaning complaints, the mighty chief thus tried to filence them; "Gentlemen," faid the ocean, "after having enjoyed the uninterrupted liberty of falling into my bofom, where, by my chemical power, I preferve you from corruption, and render you not only harmlefs but ufeful in promoting the intercourfe of nations-it is with furprife I hear your claims. Were I to refufe taking you under my protec. tion, what would be the confequence?you mult, in that cafe, overflow your banks, and deluge the countries you now beautify and delight. Your ftreams would run counter one to the other; you would become tainted; and mankind would be deftroyed by your unbridled violence, or your peftilential effluvia ”

6. "What is mankind to us!" exclaimed a little fcane

ty stream. "Hold!" replies the Ocean; "it is useless I fee to waste words. If argument and milanefs cannot bring you to reafon; force, however unpleasant to me, muft. Till you agree to flow in your accustomed chan nels, I will cut off every fecret communication that fup plies your fprings and thus feeds your pride. Know, you are entirely in my power; the favours I receive from you are amply and gratefully repaid From me at first you came; and to me you must again return.

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CHAPTER XXX.

THE FORCE OF IMAGINATION.

AN must have fomething for his affections to an chor on; there is no getting for ward pleasantly in the journey of life, without having certain pre eminent objects to which the thoughts may recur, whenever we grow languid by the way, or our path becomes rugged and perplexed.

2. The paf appertains to the dominion of memory; the future is the inheritance of hope; and the prefent, which only is our own, by that property of the mind which we term imagination, may be pushed afide to make way for its own illufions, when the wishes to enliven the profpect, and spread a funfhine which the prefent does not offer.

3. Sweet illufions! amiable deceivers! how cheerfully have ye led my eager fteps through the state of youth, and folac d me as I journeyed forward with a thousand visionary fcenes from the claffic page! Having gained the afcent of life, and fhut up my books to read the more compli cated volume of the world; when I have found hope difappointed confidence betrayed-kindness forgotten

and feen around me characters that convinced me vice was not fiction; then have ye been as a lantern to my feet, diflipated the gloom that darkened my courfe, by. lighting me on to new objects of pleasure, glowing with the alluring graces of undiffembled virtue.

4. Bounteous imagination! be still my guide, my com panion, my friend! Thy fenfibility may fometimes blacken the ftorm, or give added ftrength to the blow of affliction; but thou beftoweft in counterpoife a thoufand beams of radiant joy which are ever playing round minds thou' inhabiteft-they feel them reflected from each delicacy of fentiment each act of humanity-each triumph of hon our! every thing, from the fummit of the mountain to the depth of the vale, lives and bloffoms for them; the im menfe round of creation is theirs!

5. It is by thy power, now fitting among my fellow mortals, far feparated from the object I once adored, as the fond partner of my joys, that I can place her image

before me, as I last beheld it, without lofing one tint of colouring I fee the look of tendernefs with which fhe bid me adieu-hear the laft accents of her voice-ftill feel the impreffion of her laft fad, and affectionate embrace--nor wilt thou fuffer a fingle line of the picture to be effaced, till our re-union fhall give thee a happier fubject.

SIR,

*"I

CHAPTER XXXI.

ADVENTURES OF A HALF-PENNY.

you

SHALL not pretend to conceal from the il. legitimacy of my birth, or the bafenefs of my exfraction; and, though I feem to bear the venerable marks of old age, I received my birth at Birmingham not fix months ago. Hence I was tranfported, with many of my brethren of different dates, characters, and configu rations, to a Jew pedlar in Duke's place, who paid for us in fpeclè fcarce a fifth part of our pominal and intrinsic value.

2.

"We were foon after feparately difpofed of, at a moderate profit, to coffee houfes chop-houfes, chandler's fhops, and gin fhops. I had not been long in the world' before an ingenious tranfmuter of metal laid violent hands on me; and obferving my thin fhape, and flat furface, by the help of a little quick-filver, exalted me into a fhilling. Ufe, however, foon degraded me again to my native low station; and I unfortunately fell into the pof. feffion of an urchin juft breeched, who received me as a christmas box of his god mother.

3. "A love of money is ridiculously inftilled into children fo early that, before they can poffibly comprehend the use of it, they confider it of great value; I loft therefore the very effence of my being in the cuftody of a hopeful difciple of avarice and folly; and was kept only to be looked at and admired; but a bigger boy after a while fnatched me from him, and releafed me from my confinement.

4. "I now underwent various hardships among his playfellows, and was kicked about, huftled, toffed up, and chucked into holes; which very much battered and im-

paired me; but I fuffered moft by the pegging of tops, the marks of which I have borne about me to this day. I was in this ftate the unwitting caufe of rapacity, ftrife, envy, rancor, malice, and revenge, among the little apes of mankind; and became the object and the nurse of thofe paffions which difgrace human nature, while I ap. peared only to engage children in innocent paftimes. At length I was difmiffed from their fervice by a throw with a barrow woman for an orange.

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5 "From her, it is naturai to conclude, I pofted to the gin fhop; where, indeed, it is probable I fhould have immediately gone, if her husband, a foot-foldier, had not wrefted me from her, at the expenfe of a bloody nofe, black eye, fcratched face, and torn regimentals. By him I was carried to the Mall in St. James' Park, where I am fhamed to tell how I parted from him; let it fuffice that I was soon after depofited in a night-cellar.

6. " Hence I got into the coat pocket of a blood, and remained there with feveral of my brethren for fome days unnoticed. But one evening as he was reeling home from the tavern, he jerked a whole handful of us through a sash window into the dining-room of a tradefman, who he remembered had been fo unmannerly to him the day before as to defire payment of his bill. We repofed in foft ease on a fine Turkey, carpet till the next morning, when the maid fwept us up; and fome of us were allotted to buy tea, fonie to purchase fnuff, and I myself was immediately trucked away at the door for the sweet-heart's delight.

7. "It is not my design to enumerate every little accident that has befallen me; but fuffice it to say, that the poor acknowledge me as their conltant friend; and the rich, though they affect to flight me, and treat me with contempt, are often reduced by their follies to distreffes which it is even in my power to relieve.

8. "I fhall conclude, Sir, with informing you by what means I came to you in the condition you fee. A choife fpirit, a member of Hill Care Club, broke a link boy's pate with me last night, as a reward for lighting him across the kennel; the lad wafted half his tar flambeau in looking for me, but I efcaped his fearch, being lodged fnugly against a poft. This morning a parifh-girl picked me up, and carried me in raptures to the next baker's

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