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On Dress.

fortunes by dress; and it must be allowed the finest of all lincs for catching coquettes, if properly baited with flattery, and adulation; even fops have made their way at courts by the brilliance of their appearance. In this case their clothes may be considered as their letters of recommendation, subscribed by their tailors. But it should at the same time be observed, that a far greater number have, by these means, made their way into jail: and that many a beau may thank his taste and vanity for being an inhabitant there.

It must be acknowledged that there is something very effeminate in a man's paying too much attention to dress, and that an incessant mutation of fashions, is the effect of an ridiculous weakness.

I do not mean by this to explode that attention to external appearance which decency and custom establish: on the contrary, as Mr. Addison judiciously observes in the Spectator, where he gives an idea of the real fine gentleman; even dress is to be considered. The man who does not consult his appearance in some degree, is not only loathsome to his friends, but contemptible to the world: and the respect due to ourselves should induce us to remember, that the good things of this life were intended for us; and that we are intitled to them as far as our situation authorises us. The extremes only are ridicu lous: a fop, and a sloven, are equally despicable; it is the mediuin, a man of sense should aim at.

HOSPITALITY REWARDED.

A TALE.

Without a vain, without a grudging heart,
To Him who gives us all, I yield a part;
From Him you come; for Him accept it here;
A frank and sober, more than costly cheer.
He spake; and bade the welcome table spread :
Then talk'd of virtue, till the time of bed-

-Heaven can bless, if mortals will be kind.

Parnel

The Czar Ivan, who reigned over Russia about the middle of the sixteenth century, frequently went out disguised, in order to discover the opinion which the people entertained of his admin

Hospitality Rewarded.

istration. One day, in a solitary walk near Moscow, he entered a small village, and pretending to be overcome by fatigue implored relief from several of the inhabitants. His dress was ragged: his appearance mean, and what ought to have excited the compassion of the villagers, and insured his reception, was productive of refusal. Full of indignation at such inhuman treatment, he was just going to leave the place, when he perceived another habitation to which he had not yet applied for assistance. It was the poorest cottage in the village. The Emperor hastened to this, and knocking at the door; a peasant opened it, and asked him what he wanted." I am almost dying with fatigue and hunger," answered the Czar, "can you give me a lodging for one night?"for one night?""Alas, said the peasant," taking him by the hand, "You will have but poor fare here; you are come at an unlucky hour: my wife is in labour; her cries will not let you sleep; but come in; come in: you will at least be sheltered from the cold; and such as we have, you shall be welcome to."- -The peasant then made the Czar enter a little room, full of children ; in a cradle were two infants sleeping soundly; a girl three years old, was sleeping on a rug near the cradle; while her two sisters the one five years old, the other seven, were on their knees, crying and praying to God for their mother, who was in a room adjoining, and whose pitious plaints and groans were distinctly heard. Stay here," said the peasant to the Emperor; "I will go and get something for supper."-He went out, and soon returned with some black bread, eggs, and honey.—“ "You see all I can give you," said the peasant; partake of it with my children. I must go and assist my wife." "Your charity, your hospitality," said the Czar, must bring down blessings upon your house; I am sure God will reward your goodness." "Pray to God, my good friend," replied the peasant, pray to God Almighty, that she may have a safe delivery; that is all I wish for."- And that is all you wish to make you happy?" "Happy, judge for yourself, I have five children, a dear wife that loves me; a father and mother, both in good health; and my labour is sufficient to maintain them all.-Do your father and mother live with you?"-" Certainly, they are in the next room with my wife." "But your cottage here is so very small !—It is large enough; it can hold us all."-The good peasant then went to his wife, who an hour after was happily delivered. Her husband, in a transport of joy, brought the child

Hospitality Rewarded.

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to the Czar: "Look," said he, “Look; this is the sixth she has brought me! What a fine hearty child he is! May God preserve him as he has done my others!"-The Czar, sensibly affected at this scene, took the infant in his arms; I know, said he, "from the physiognomy of this child, that he will be quite fortunate: he will arrive, I am certain, at great preferment." The peasant smiled at this prediction; and at that instant the two eldest girls came to kiss their new-born brother, and their grandmother also came to take him back. The little ones followed her; and the peasant laying himself down upon his bed of straw, invited the stranger to do the same. In a moment the peasant was in a sound and peaceful sleep, but the Czar, sitting up, looked round and contemplated every thing with an eye of tenderness and emotion-the sleeping children, and their sleeping father. An undisturbed silence reigned in the cottage. What a happy calm! What delightful tranquillity!" said the Emperor: "Avarice and Ambition, Suspicion and Remorse, never enter here. How sweet is the sleep of innocence !-In such reflections, and on such a bed, did the Emperor of all the Russians spend the night!

The peasant awoke at break of day; and his guest taking leave of him, said, I must return to Moscow, my friend; I am acquainted there with a very benevolent man, to whom I shall take care to mention your kind treatment of me. I can prevail upon him to stand godfather to your child. Promise me, therefore, that you will wait for me, that I may be present at the christening: I will be back in three hours at farthest." The peasant did not think much of this mighty promise; but in the good nature of his heart, he consented, however, to the stran ger's request. The Czar immediately took his leave: the three hours were soon gone; and nobody appeared. The peasant, therefore, followed by his family, was preparing to carry his child to church; but as he was leaving his cottage, he heard on a sudden the trampling of horses, and the rattling of many coaches. He looked out, and presently saw a multitude of horses, and a train of splendid carriages. He knew the Imperial guards, and instantly called his family to come and see the Emperor go by. They all run out. in a hurry, and stood before the door. The horsemen, and carriages soon formed a circular line; and at last the state coach of the Czar stopped opposite the good peasant's door. The guards kept back the crowd which the hopes

Hospitality Rewarded.

upon

of seeing their Sovereign, had collected together. The coach door was opened; the Czar alighted; and advanced to his host, thus addressed him: "I promised you a god-father; I am come to fulfil my promise; give me your child, and follow me to church." the peasant stood like a statue; now looking at the Emperor with the mingled emotions of astonishment, and joy; now observing his magnificent robes, and the costly jewels, with which they were adorned; and now turning to a crowd of nobles that surrounded him. In this profusion of pomp, he could not discover the poor stranger who had lain all night with him straw. The Emperor, for some moments, silently enjoyed his perplexity, and then addressed him thus: "Yesterday you performed the duties of humanity: to day I am come to discharge the most delightful duty of a Sovereign, that of recompencing virtue. I shall not remove you from a situation to which you do so much honour, and the innocence and tranquillity of which I envy: but I will bestow upon you such things as may be useful to you. You shall have numerous flocks, rich pastures, and a house that will enable you to exercise the duties of hospitality with pleasure. Your new-born child shall become my ward; for you may remember," continued the Emperor, "that I prophesied he would be fortunate."

The good peasant could not speak, but, with tears of grateful sensibility in his eyes, he ran instantly to fetch the childbrought him to the Emperor, and laid him respectfully at his feet. This excellent Sovereign was quite affected: he took the child in his arms, and carried him himself to church; and, after the ceremony was over, unwilling to deprive him of his mother's milk, he took him back to the cottage, and ordered that he should be sent to him, as soon as he could be weaned.-The Czar punctually observed his engagement, caused the boy to be educated in his palace, provided amply for his future settlement. in life, and continued ever after to heap favours upon the virtuous peasant and his family.

An Irish Cabin.

AN IRISH CABIN.

Man, wife, and children, cat and hog,
Pigs, cow, and calve, cock, hens, and dog,-
All huddl'd in a smoky hovel-

But this in Ireland's nothing novel.

The following description of a Cabin in the county of Wick-. low is given by a Tourist.-I approached a tolerable looking. dwelling, and with the instinctive curiosity of a pedestrian tourist, poked my nose into an apartment which from its being boarded, was, I conjectured, originally intended for a parlour. I heard an odd rustling at the farther end of the room; and after a few minutes perceiving the snout of a snow maternally employed in arranging the litter for her interesting and numerous family:-Though an Irishman, I confess I felt a little hurt at this subversion of all order of lodgement; and exclaimed to the man of the house, who just then came out of the kitchen, "My good friend, why, in the name of decency, do you put your pig in the parlour?" "Why then, in troth, I'll tell you that honey," rejoined Mr. O'Shea; "I put the pig in the parlour, because there's every conveniency in it for a pig." As this was the literal truth, I had nothing farther to say on the subject, but followed my host into the kitchen, where his wife and family were just about to sit down to their supper. As I was endeavouring to take a seat in the chimney corner, my stomach came in contact very unpleasantly, with a hard substance; which upon investigation, I found to be the horn of a cow! Why what brings the cow here? I demanded. "Why our little Sally, plase your honour, she brings her in every avening, now that the nights are growing short, and cowld; for my woman says, nothing makes a cow fall off sooner in her milking, than being out under the cowld; and I never gainsay Peggy in these things, for there's no better milker in the country." As I had no reason to question Peggy's talents in the milky way, I sat down quietly on a three-legged stool, and while she was busied in paring some bacon and eggs for my supper, I began ro ruminate on the strange fatality that converts every cabin into a kind of Noah's ark. I had just turned my face to the roof, in the act of ejaculating my wonder, to my surprise, I felt a warm substance

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