the exercise of much piety towards God, and much charity to his fellow-creatures, some years ago, received into his family the orphan niece of his wife. She was educated with his own children, and shared with them the benefit of his instructions and the tenderness of his paternal love. Her beauty made an early impression upon the heart of her cousin, and such was her merit in the eyes of the old man, that, preferring the happiness of his son, to the aggrandizement of his family, he consented that their union should take place, as soon as the young man should have attained his one and twentieth year. It was agreed, that he should employ the interval in what is called an Attendance upon the Temple; and, according to a previous invitation from his uncle, Doctor Sceptick, should during that period take up his residence at his house, in the capital.There the young man had not long resided, till a new light burst upon his eyes; he saw things as he had never seen them before : saw that religion was a bug-bear, made to 20 *

VOL. 11.

keep the vulgar in awe :-saw that his father was a fool; and, as I have before mentioned, learnt to laugh at his prejudices and his piety, in a very edifying manner.

In the summer, he returned into the country; found his cousin lovely and affectionate as ever, and had no great difficulty in initiating her into all the mysteries of Scepticism. They both found it a charming thing to be so much wiser than their instructors; and wondered they could so long have been blinded by prejudices, whose absurdities were so obvious. The young man went again to town, became every day more enlightened, and soon discovered that marriage was a piece of priest-craft-an ignoble bondagea chain which no man of honour should submit to wear.

He hastened to return to the country, to communicate to his cousin this important discovery. Finding some difficulty in convincing her understanding of the truth of this new doctrine, he applied to the softness of her heart; he pretended to doubt of her

affection, appealed to her generosity, andcompleted her ruin.

Still the poor girl was not sufficiently convinced of the propriety of her conduct, not to entertain some doubts and apprehensions, which the young philosopher soon grew tired of hearing. Finding that their connexion could not be much longer concealed, she grew more importunate, and he listened to her importunity with increased indifference. At length, to avoid her remonstrances, he came to Ardent-Hall, where he had been introduced by his Uncle, who made the offer of his services to assist Sir Caprice in writing his Book upon the Supremacy of Reason, with which the Baronet is soon to enlighten the world. The young man willingly engaged in the task. But fatal are the effects of early prejudices to the peace of a philosopher! His thoughts hecame gloomy; his speech has often of late been incoherent; and every action betrayed the restlessness of a mind at war with itself. Even his zeal against the advocates of

Christianity, had in it a degree of bitterness which shewed that they still retained an authority over his mind, at which, though his pride revolted, his understanding could not conquer.

ence.

For the last few days, he had appeared to exert more than usual spirits. He laughed, when he had no occasion; talked, when he had nothing to say; and sedulously sought the company of the Ladies, whom he had before neglected with the frigidity of indifferYesterday evening, his spirits were raised to a pitch which gave reason to suspect intoxication. When he retired to his chamber, it appears that he did not go to bed, but employed himself in writing letters to his father, all of which he had again torn, and scattered about the room. At four o'clock in the morning, the report of a pistol was heard: the family were instantly alarmed; the door of his chamber was broken open; and, on entering it, the first object that presented itself to view, was the lifeless

corse of the young philosopher, extended on the floor.

On the table at which he had been writ

ing, lay two letters. The first was from his father, and feelingly descriptive of the agony of a parent's heart, on the first discovery of a son's unworthiness. The other was from his cousin. It pourtrayed the picture of a virtuous mind, struggling with the dread of infamy, bitterly regretting the loss of peace and self-respect, and gently reproaching the author of its calamities, for depriving her of that hope which is the resource of the wretched, the comfort of the penitent, and the sovereign balm for the evils of life! "To her," she said, "hope was a shadow, which had passed away. Once, there was a time, when she could have smiled at calamity, endured the severity of pain with unshrinking resignation, and, supported by faith, have cheerfully resigned her soul into the bosom of her Creator. Now, doubt and darkness sat upon the realm of death; she feared to die, but she had not courage to