refpects to her worthy father. We were while I ftayed a moft happy family, and enjoyed fuch fatisfactions as few I believe have experienced in this tempeftuous hemifphere. Mr. Noel was paffionately fond of his daughter, and he could not regard me more if I had been his own fon. I loved my Harriot with a fondness beyond defcription, and that glorious girl had all the ef teem I could wifh fhe had for me. Our mutual felicity could rife no higher till we gave our hands, as we had already plighted our hearts.

This world is a series of vifionary scenes, and contains fo little folid, lafting felicity, as I have found it, that I cannot call life more than a deception; and, as Swift says it, He is the happiest man, who is best deceived. When I thought myself within a fortnight of being married to Miss Noel, and thereby made as completely happy in every respect as it was poffible for a mortal man to be, the fmall-pox stept in, and in feven days time. reduced the finest human frame in the univerfe to the most hideous and offenfive block. The most amiable of human creatures mortified all over, and became a spectacle the moft hideous and unbearable. This broke her father's heart in a month's time, and the

paradise

paradife I had in view, funk into everlasting night.

Mifs Noel's character.

and with

My heart, upon this fad accident, bled and mourned to an extreme degree. All the tender paffions were up in my foul, great difficulty could I keep my ruffled fpirits in tolerable decorum. I loft what I valued more than my life-more than repeated millions of worlds, if it had been poffible to get them in exchange. This engaged, beloved partner, was an honour to her fex, and an ornament to human kind. She was one of the wifest and most agreeable of women; and her life quite glorious for piety to God, compaffion to the neceffitous and miferable, benevolence and good-will to all, with every other grace and virtue. These fhined with a bright luftre in her whole deportment, and rendered her beloved, and the delight of all that knew her. Senfe and genius were in her united, and by study, reflexion, and application, the improved the talents, in the happiest manner. She had acquired a fuperiority in thinking, fpeaking, writing, and acting, and in manners, her behaviour, her language, her defign, her understanding, was inexpreffibly charming. Mifs Noel died in the 24th year of her age, the 29th of December, in the year 1724.

A reflection on the death

of Mifs Noel.

This difmal occurrence fat powerfully on my fpirits for fome time, and for near two months, I fcarcely spoke a word to any one. I was filent, but not fullen. As my tears and lamentations could not fave her, so I knew they could not fetch her back again. Death and the grave have neither eyes nor ears. The thing to be done upon fo melancholy an occafion, is to adore the Lord of infinite wisdom, as he has a right to strike our comforts dead, and fo improve the awful event, by labouring to render our whole temper and deportment christian and divine, that we may be able to live, while we do live, fuperior to the ftrokes of fortune, and the calamities of human life; and when God bids us die, (in whatever manner, and at whatever time it may be) have nothing to do but to die, and fo go enter into your mafter's joy. This is wif dom. This good we may extract from fuch doleful things. This was the effect my dear Mifs Noel's death had on me, and when I faw myself deprived of fo invaluable a thing in this world, I determined to double my diligence in fo acting my part in it, that whenever I was to pass through the last extremity of nature, I might be difmiffed with a bleffing to another world, and by virtue of the fublime excellencies of our holy reli

gion, proceed to the abodes of immortality and immutable felicity.

I wish I could perfuade you, reader, to refolve in the fame manner. If you are young, and have not yet experienced life, believe me all is vanity, disappointment, wearinefs, and diffatisfaction, and in the midst of troubles and uncertainties, we are haftening on to an unknown world, from whence we shall never return again. Whether our diffolution be near, we know not; but this is certain, that death, that univerfal conqueror, is making after us apace, to feize us as his captives; and therefore, tho' a man live many years, and rejoice in them all, (which is the cafe of very few), yet let him remember the days of darkness.

And when death does come, our lot may be the most racking pains and distempers, to fasten us down to our fick beds, till we refign our spirits to fome ftrange region, our breath to the common air, and our bodies to the duft from whence they are taken. Difmal fituation! If in the days of our health, we did not make our happiness and moral worth correspond-did not labour, in the time of our ftrength, to escape from wrong opinion and bad habit, and to render our minds fincere and incorrupt; if we did

not

defires. Whatever this little brute (the son of `a drunken beggar, who had been a journeyman glover) was pleased, in wantonnefs, to call for, and that his years, then fixteen, could require, my father's fortune in an inftant produced: while fcarcely one of my rational demands could be answered. Money, clothes, fervants, horfes, dogs, and all things he could fancy, were given him in abun dance; and to please the baseft of women, and the most cruel step-mother that ever the Devil infpired to make the fon of another woman miserable, I was denied almoft every thing. The fine allowance I had at the University was taken from me. Even a horfe to ride out to the neighbouring gentlemen, was refused me, tho' my father had three ftables of extraordinary cattle; and till I purchased one, was forced to walk it, wherever I had a mind to vifit. What is ftill more incredible (if any thing of feverity can be fo, when a mother-in-law is fovereign) I was not allowed to keep my horse even at grafs on the land, tho' five hundred acres of freehold eftate furrounded the manfion, but obliged to graze it at a neighbouring farmer's. Nor was this all the hard measure I received. I was ordered by my father to become the young man's preceptor; to spend my precious time in teaching this youngfter, and in labouring to

make