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"Ah! Sir," replied the Lady," thefe were people who had fquandered their fortunes in luxury and diffipation; fuch, indeed, seldom fail to meet with pations and benefactors; but, it is far otherwife with the poor man, who has been struggling with adverfity, and employing his efforts, for the maintenance of a virtuous wife and family: when he fails, he is confidered as an object unworthy of notice; his fituation, creates no intereft. wretchednefs, excites no commiferation:" -"But your own family, my dear Madam -they have it in their power to extricate you from every difficulty; will you permit me to apply to them in your behalf?"

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"Alas! Sir," I fear it would be in vain, they are too fond of money, to give it to those who have none. You know how I offended them by my marriage; yet, had my husband fucceeded in the world, and made a fortune, mine would not have been witheld from him. It would have been given, if we had not wanted it; but, now that we are reduced to poverty, I have no hopes of affistance, from any of my friends. Yet would I thank you, for making trial of an application to them, if they, were in townbut they are not. They are all at York, except one Aunt, who is, indeed, very rich fhe is alfo very religious and very

charitable, but makes it a rule, never to give affistance to any, who are not of her own fect."

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Then," cried Severan, with unusual warmth, "whatever are her profeffions, fhe is a ftranger to the religion of Jefus Chrift! But, you have not told me the amount of the debt, for which your hufband is confined; is it not confiderable ?" "Alas! yes," returned the lady. " It -is more than forty pounds, and, what with the bailiff's and the jailor's fees, will, I dare fay, arife to little less than fifty !"

"Fifty pounds!" repeated the philofopher. "And fifty pounds would release your husband from a jail. Fifty pounds

would reftore a father to his infant family, and make the heart of a virtuous woman rejoice. It is the nobleft of all experiments! And detefted be the purfuit, that would ftand in the way of the happiness of a fellow-creature. My good Madam," continued he, addreffing himself to the Lady, who looked aftonished at the incoherence of his expreffions, "you must know, that I this morning made a mistake; I thought that Providence had fent me fifty pounds, to enable me to purfue a philofophical dif covery, on which I had vainly fet my

heart; but I now find, it was for a nobler purpose; it was to contribute to the happiness of an unfortunate family; here it is; and all I defire, is that you would confider me only as the agent, and keep your thanks for him who fent it."

The various emotions of aftonifhment, doubt, gratitude, and joy, which took poffeffion of the poor Lady's bofom, ftruggled for utterance, and at length found vent in tears.

The effect upon my feelings, was too powerful to be fupported. I left the room, and when I returned, found my friend advifing with the Lady, on the fteps neceffary to be taken for her hufband's releafe. I had from the commencement of our acquaintance, regarded the philofopher as the firft of human beings. I now looked up to him as fomething more. To help a fellowcreature in diftrefs, is the inftinctive impulse of benevolence; but to facrifice for the good of others, the darling pursuit of one's life! to give up on that account the favourite, the cherished object of one's mind! this belongs only to the philofophy of Jefus. It was now, that I underftood what cutting off the right hand, and plucking out the right eye, truly meant. But ah! my friend, if this is really the re

ligion of Chrift, how falfely are people often called Chriftians!

On the arrival of the man of the law, whom the Doctor had fent for to conduct the business, we all fet out with the Lady, for the place of her husband's confinement.

When we arrived at the great, gloomy manfion, Doctor Severan thinking it indelicate to go immediately into the prefence of his friend, fent his lawyer with the lady, to inform her husband of his liberation, and in the mean time, indulged my curiofity with a fight of the prifon.

You have feen the dungeons in which the Muffulmans confine their malefactors, and in which their prifoners of war are often doomed to fuffer the lingering torture of despair; to inhale the noxious vapours of peftilence, and to pine in all the miferies of disease and famine. But after what I have faid of Christian charirity, you will, no doubt, think it impoffible that in a Chriftian country, fimilar places fhould be found. This, indeed, at firft fight appears very inexplicable; but it only ferves to confirm me in the truth of my conjecture, refpecting a new revelation, a fupplementary code of Chrif tian laws and Chriftian precepts, which, in many respects, muft very effentially differ from the old one.

In this new gofpel, I have every reafon to believe, from all that I have obferved fince my abode in England, that poverty is confidered as one of the moft heinous of crimes. It is accordingly by the Chriftians of the new fyftem, not only ftigmatised with a degree of infamy, but by their very laws, and under the immediate inspection of their fage magiftrates, it is punished in the most exemplary manner. The abhorrence in which this crime is held by those Christian legislators, is, indeed, evident throughout the tenor of their laws.

Can a perfon contrive by villainy, to poffefs himself of the eftate of another, provided it can be clearly proved, that poverty had no fhare in inftigating him to the offence, the law is fatisfied with fimple restitution. But, fhould a poor ftarving wretch, put forth his audacious hand to fatisfy the calls of hunger, or ftill the clamorous demands of an infant family, he is condemned to death, or doomed to everlafting wretchedness. You who are prejudiced in favour of the mild ordinances of our revered Pundits, will, perhaps, think it unjuft, that to the miferable mortal who fteals the value of twenty rupees, and to him who boldly ventures on plundering the wealth of a family, adding murder to the crime of robbery, the fame punishment should be

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