Among the many prefent fafhionable vices, Adulation claims the preeminence. Though this defire of plea fing by falfhood and artful diffimulati on may appear frivolous, and productive of no pernicious confequences to those who make flattery the criterion by which they judge of conver fation, yet experience will evince its fatality, and thew how miftaken in their opinions thofe are, who hope to gain efteem and love by fuch infiduous elocution---It is a vice, though fo much countenanced and encouraged by the prefent practitioners of potenefs, which reafon and common feníe can never allow; and thofe whofe morals are fo much corrupted as to be pleafed with its fafcination,fhould be reprimanded with as touch folemnity, as they will repent of it with contrition and remorse.

Sincerity fhould be written in characters of the pureft gold, and our lives and converfation be governed and regulated by its facred precepts - we are generally more attached to the practice of those follies and vices from which we imagine fome advantage may be derived, and fuch, it is true, appear lefs criminal, which promife us a temporary benefit, though this prefent acquifition can by no means excufe us while perfifting in fuch a courfe. The defign of the flatterer is to gain efteem and love, from those whom he is continually praifing...if it is for virtues which truly merit ap plaufe, yet his eulogiums are always exaggerated; if for thefe foibles, which is frequently the cafe, and even for the errors and deficiencies of others, this gives a fecret fatisfaction to them, to think there are others who applaud them for their actions, which they never confidered as fo meritorious---Thus they are gradually led aftray by hav ing a falfe mirror prefented to their view, for it is natural to the human mind to feel fome emotions of ten. derness for thofe who are, or really appear to be, promoters of our peace and felicity, and our guardians and conductors through the mazes of life. The adulator,by his treacherous arts, not only is inuring himfelf to devia tions from the paths of truth, which experience will finally difcover to terminate in a wilderness of forrow,

but by beflowing praises upon actions which deferve the feverelt cenfure; infenfibly inclines his victims to deem them the embellishments of life, and by degrees decrease their attention to their own condu&, till custom has carried them too far to be recovered by their utmost vigilance and caution.

The alluring Charms of the fair have excited many hyperboles of fattery; and with truth and regret it may be afferted, that the reception it finds, and the eafy paffage it procures to a female heart, have powerfully ftimulated our fex to fuppofe it in no degree difgufting, and cufom has rendered adulation fo univerfal, that, to gain a fmile of condescending approbation from the cheek of lovelinefs and beauty, is at prefent confidered as a fufficient fan&ion for the proftitution of fincerity. Did we confult our own emolument and ease, we should certainly avoid fuch a courfe, in the attainment of the love and regard of the other fex, as fagacity and difcernment evince to be erroneous. If we wish to gain a partner for life, one on whom we may rely with the fincereft affection, one who will delight to attend us in the bours of mirth and gaiety, and one who will footh our forrows with the balm of peace; where fhall we find the woman, who, if fhe is an admirer of the fulfom fawning, the abfurd complimebts, and angelic appellations, so` much in the modern file, has a heart exempt from uncommon weakness, or fufceptible of the foft impreffions of love and friendship, which are the foundations on which the whole fuperstructure of matrimonial felicity is built, or one calculated to feel the refined emotions of virtuous tendernefs and fenfibility, which are fo requifite to fweeten the paffing hours, and fmooth our paffage though a life replete with viciffitudes of variegated affliction. It is furprising to fee how perfons are deluded with the charms of this deftru&ive fyren-- it is frange that we can fuppofe that elaborate falfhood, couched in a thousand various forms of diffimulating fondnefs and admiration, can ever fail of being difgufting and offenfive to the ear of delicacy-yet it is firanger that thofe who appear to be delicacy in the fa

perlative

For the BOSTON MAGAZINE.

To a young Lady who appeared in a plain Drejs at a Ball.

Tweetly fhine,
HO' you, with native beauty,

Nor yield to any thing that's not di vine,

Tho' each bright charm, tho' ev'ry lovely grace,

Breath in your air, and kindle in your face,

Yet, thefe neglected, you with nobler aim,

Purfue the path of fenfe and folid fame.

While others boat variety in drefs, And ev'ry cumbrous ornament poffefs;

While ftones like diamonds fparkle round the neck,

Or bleeding rubies the fair bofom deck,

You fmile fuperior in unborrow'd pride,

Nor with falfe charms your native beauties hide.

These meaner arts by you are july fcorn'd,

the

Confcious you pleafe the more, lefs you are adorn'd. Virtue and innocence, with wildom join'd,

Shine in your face, and brighten in your mind.

Fair truth and piety their beams difplay,

And all around diffufe the genial ray; Meeknefs and modely in triumph reign,

And fweet compaffion Enishes the

train.

Thofe are the charms, this the fair faint I love,

Poffefs'd of her, no other fuit I'd

move,

But what relates to heav'n and joys above.

Clue's Anfwer.

EAR Jenny, tell me if you can,

D Why thus you vent your

fpleen at man,

In fo fevere a firain?

I join with you, 'tis very right,
Coxcombs addreffes for to flight,

And treat them with difdain.

II.
But can I think it greater blifs,
All men's addreffes to difmifs,
And live a dull old maid,
Slow crumbling thro' life's dreary
road,
Opprefs'd with cares, a heavy load,
Go lonefome to the dead?
III.

And after death, as fables tell,
Old maids must all lead apes in hell,
A difmal flory this;

Can you advise me then to flay,
And waste my youthful hours away
In unfubftantial blifs?

IV. Shall I with your advice comply, And let my gayeft minutes fly, Unmindful of a mate, While nymphs and (wains around me join, And

To foothe the horrors of an empty plate,

The grave poffeffors of the critie throne,

Gave me in truth, a pretty treat--Of fittery, mind me, not of meat ; For they, poor fouls, like me, are skin and bone.

No, no! with all my lyric pow'rs I'm not like Mrs. Cosway's † hours Red as cock-turkies, plump as barn door chicken; Merit and I are miferably off We both have got a molt confump. tive cough;

Hunger hath long our harmleís bones been picking.

Merit and I, fo innocent, (o good, Are like the little children in the wood--

And foon, like them, fhall lay us down and die !

May fome good chriftian bard, in pity ftrong,

Turn red-breaft kind, and with the fweeteft fong

Bewail our hapless fate with watry eye.

Like Jacob's fons, they'll look one t'other round,

And cry, "who would have tho't

this a young Pindar!"

Hanging's a difmal road to fame,
Piftels and poifón juft the fame,

And what is worfe, one can't come
back again;

Soon as the beauteous gem we find,. We can't difplay it to mankind,

Tho' won with fuch wry mouths
and wrigling pain.

Ye lords and dukes fo clever, say,
(For you have much to give away,
And much your gentle patronage
I lack)

Speak, is it not a crying fin,
That folly's guts are to his chin,
Whilft mine are fhrunk a mile into
my back?

Habakkuk, Chapter 3d. Paraphras'd.

L

ORD I have heard thy voice, with trembling heard,

And greater judgments ev'ry mɔ. ment fear'd.

No longer let thy wrath our life confume..

In mercy hear, and flop our threatn'd doom.

When Teman's tow'ring heights
Jehovah trod,

And Paran's facred mount, confeft the God,

The heav'ns o'erfpread, with bright effulgence fiam'd,

With full confent the earth his praise proclaim'd.

*Bright beams of light ftream'd forth on every fide,

Which, like a garment, greater (plendors hide,

Before him, plagues and peftilence defcend,

And burning terrors on his steps attend.

Sublime he flood, and with one piereing view,

Meafur'd the globe, and nations overthrew.

Thefe, ripe for vengeance, fo his will decreed

Should fall; and on their ruin those fucceed.

Tho' fixt like mountains, yet his awful look

Their ftrength o'erturn'd, and, from their bafes fhook.

His ways are permanent and rooted faft,

Without beginning they forever !aft. Cufhan's curft tents, I faw in wild dilmay, Whilft

"The text fays, he had horns coming out of his hand, and there was the hiding of his power." But the Hebrew word which is rendered horns fignifies alfo rays of light; and so I have rendered the verfe; that rays of light iffued from him on every fide, which brightness was ftill but as a veil or covering to the fplendor of the divine majefly itself. Agreeable to that beautiful figure of the Pfalmift; "He clothed himfelf with light as with a garment."