WIDOW'S SON. Virtue, for ever frail as fair, below, Nor touches on the world without a stain ; YOUNG. George LeweLLIN, the son of the lonely widow, at the decease of his father, was twelve years of age. He finished his education under the direction of his uncle; and, having attained his seventeenth year, he was placed in a merchant's counting-house in London. In his person he was tall and slender, prepos sessing in his appearance and in his manners, unreserved in his disposition, of an amiable temper, and disposed, from the ingenuous sincerity of his heart, to receive every one as his friend who courted his society. Soon after his entrance on his new scene of life, he received an affectionate letter from his pious mother, from which a few extracts shall be taken. "As, my dear George, you are now removed from under the immediate inspection of your friends, and will be exposed to a variety of temptations, permit me to urge upon you the importance of reading the Scriptures, of regularly attending some place of worship on the sabbath-day, and of avoiding the society of all who are gay and dissipated in their manners. If sinners entice thee to the play-house, to card-parties, or to any places of public amusement, consent thou not; for, if you once give way to their entreaties, you will soon be overcome. had many trials. I have lost my property; I have buried your lovely sister; I have wept over the tomb of your pious father; but, to see you turning your back on religion, would bring my grey hairs. with sorrow to the grave.' But I hope better things I have of you, though I thus write. Let me hear from you soon, and give me a faithful account of every event of your life; and, believe me to be your's, most affectionately," &c. The following letter, which he sent to his mother a few weeks after he had received her's, will give to the reader an accurate description of the state of his mind, and of his situation. 66 My dear Mother; Yes; you "I thank you for your kind letter. have had many trials, but I hope you have, at least, one comfort left. To promote your happiness will be, 1 trust, the constant effort of my life; and, as I know something of the value of prayer, I hope you will always have me in remembrance when at a throne of grace. I have a good set of rooms at a Mr. Jn's, in the City Road. Mr. J. is a plain pious man, and his wife appears very amiable. They have no children, but they talk of adopting me. I very much like the situation which my uncle has procured for me. There are, in the office, three clerks besides myself, but they are all my seniors. The oldest is married, and has a family. The next is the son of a Quaker, but he has thrown off the plain garb, and often ridicules the simple mode of speech for which that scrupulous people are distinguished. The other is the only child of a country esquire of a very large fortune. They treat me with the greatest kindness; and so does the gentleman in whose service I have the honour of being employed. My time is fully occupied; and, though business is new to me, yet I begin to find the difficulties attending it giving way. I will try to please, and I hope I shall be successful. As I know you feel more anxious about my spiritual, than my temporal prosperity, I will give you an account of the manner in which I have spent my sabbaths. I have heard some of the most celebrated preachers in London, but I have not yet determined where I shall regularly attend. Variety is charming, but I rather think that a stated ministry is the most -profitable. I often think of you and your lovely retreat, and wish I could pop in upon you to receive the maternal blessing. "Your's, affectionately, As a material change soon took place in the principles and habits of young Lewellin, it may be proper to give a brief delineation of the character of those to whose influence it must be ascribed. The senior clerk in the office was an amiable man, but his mind was deeply tinctured by the deistical sentiments of the age. He would occasionally throw out some insinuations against professors; but as he perceived it gave Lewellia pain, he was rather sparing in his remarks. Mr. Gordon, the semi-Quaker, was less guarded; and, as he was a young man of a ready wit and polished manners, he became a dangerous companion. He had been educated under a severe discipline, taught to regard the cut of the coat and the construction of a sentence as essential branches of religion, he had imbibed the deepest rooted prejudices against it; and, though he still attended meeting on first day morning, yet he usually spent the other parts of the sabbath at some place of public resort. His respectability introduced him into the best society, and his principles fitted him for the worst. He had narrowly watched Lewellin; and though he perceived that he was under the controul of religious impressions, yet he imagined that he could easily emancipate him. He proceeded very cautiously, because he was aware, that, if he stormed bis principles before he had undermined them, he should excite a powerful resistance. Having laid his plan of seduction, he began to execute it. As he was walking away from the office one evening, he very politely asked young Lewellin if he would spend an hour with him. His invitation was accepted. They enjoyed a tête-à-tête conversation together, during which, Gordon displayed so much goodnature, and such a rich vein of wit, that he gained an entire ascendancy over his friend, who expressed a desire that the intimacy now formed might be perpetuated. The clock struck eleven, when Lewellin suddenly started from his chair, and took his hat and cane; but he was detained two hours longer by the resistless charms of his companion. At length he retired; and, as he passed down Fleet-street, his conscience began to smite him. "What would my dear mother feel if she knew where I am at this hour!"' But, having resolved that he would never again. be guilty of such an act of imprudence, he silenced his faithful monitor: "He is a charming man!What an extensive knowledge of the world he has! -What a fund of anecdote; and how well he narrates and describes! A new scene is opening before me." Thus he talked to himself, till he reached his lodgings, where he found the family very much alarmed. "Dear Sir," said Mrs. J as the passage door was opened, we are very glad to see you. We were fearful that had lost yourself, or that some greater evil had befallen you.' "I am sorry," replied Lewellin, "that I have kept you up so late; but Mr. Gordon pressed me to spend the evening with him, and the time slipt by before were aware." Well, Sir," said Mr. J-"I am glad to see you home; and, as we have been expecting you every minute for the last three hours, we have not yet been to family prayer." The good man knelt down, and prayed most affectionately for his young friend, who stood exposed to so many temptations. we 66 66 you as soon The next day he went to the office as usual, but nothing of a particular nature occurred till the evening; when Gordon asked him, if he would accept the loan of a book, which he had no doubt would amuse him. He took it, and hastened home to peruse Immediately after he had taken tea he retired to his own room. He opened the volume, read the title-page, threw it on the table, and exclaimed, it. "No; I'll not read it. I gave my word of honour to my dear mother, that I would never read a novel; and I will not sacrifice my honour to please any friend." He paced backwards and forwards the room for some time, reflecting on the past evening, till the thoughts of his heart troubled him, when he seated himself in the arm-chair which was standing near the table. As the book was elegantly bound he took it up, and examined the workmanship; he then read the whole of the title-page, then the preface; and, as he found nothing very objectionable, he read on, till he heard a knock at the door. "Who is there?" "Will you come down to supper, Sir?" He took out his watch, and found that he had been reading two hours, and as it was the first novel he ever read, it had so deeply fixed his attention, that he had nearly finished it before he felt conscious of what he was doing. "Yes, yes, I'll come presently; but don't wait. Let me see, there are only thirty more pages; I'll finish it." He read on, but the charm was broken by a recollection of his vow; and he again threw the book from him, exclaiming, "Fascinating wretch, thou hast beguiled me of mine honour!" He hastened out of the room that he might avoid the reflections of his own mind; and, when he entered the parlour, he found an interesting young man, of whom he had often heard Mr. J. speak. He was intelligent and pious, highly accomplished in his manners, and just on the eve of being married. After supper he engaged in family prayer; and, as he offered up his devout thanksgivings to the God of all grace, for preserving him from the path of the destroyer, and guiding his feet in the way of peace, he made a natural transition to the situation of Lewellin, and most fervently prayed that he might be enabled to escape the pollution of the world, and conse crate himself to the service of the God of his fathers. Lewellin endeavoured to conceal his feelings, but the recollection of his having that night sacrificed his honour, threw such a melancholy air over his counte nance, that Mrs. J, who felt the most lively inter |