my unknown poetical correspondent is my long-cherished friend and cousin, Darcy Pennington. Think how satisfactory this discovery has been to me !"-" Certainly, Madam," he replied, turning pale with einotion; for he not only saw his Passive Lies of Vanity detected, though Darcy had too much Christian forbearance even to insinuate that he intended to appropriate to himself the fame of another, but he also saw, in spite of the kindness with which she addressed him, that he had lost Julia, and that Darcy had probably gained her. "What is all this ?" cried Sir Hugh at last, who with the uncle and aunt had listened in silent wonder. "Why, Eustace, I thought you owned that ?"--" That I deny; I owned nothing; "he eagerly replied. "You insisted on it, nay, every body insisted, that I was the author of the beautiful work which I read, and of other things; and if Mr. Pennington asserts that he is the author, I give him joy of his genius and his fame."-" What do I hear!" cried the aunt; "Mr. Darcy Pennington a genius, and famous, and I not suspect it!"-" Impossible!" cried his uncle, pettishly; "that dull fellow turn out a wit! It cannot be. What!

are you Alfred, boy? I cannot credit it; for if so, I have been dull indeed;" while his sons seemed to feel as much mortification as surprise. "My dear uncle," said Darcy, "I am now a professed author. I wrote the work which you heard last night. Here it is in the manuscript, as returned by the printer; and here is the last proof of the second edition, which I received at the post-office just now, directed to A. B.; which is, I think, proof positive that I may be Alfred also, who, by your certainly impartial praises, is for this evening, at least, in his own eyes elevated into ALFRED THE GREAT."

CHAPTER III.

ON THE LIES OF FLATTERY.

THE Lies of Flattery are next on my list.

These lies are, generally speaking, not only unprincipled, but offensive; and though they are usually told to conciliate good will, the flatterer often fails in his attempt; for his intended dupe frequently sees through his art, and he excites indignation where he meant to obtain regard. Those who know aught of human nature as it really is, and do not throw the radiance of their own christian benevolence over it, must be well aware that few persons hear with complacency. the praises of others, even where there is no competition between the parties praised and themselves. Therefore, the objects of excessive flattery are painfully conscious that the praises bestowed on them, in the hearing of their acquaintances, will not only provoke those auditors to undervalue their pretensions, but to accuse them of believing in and enjoying the gross flattery offered to them. There are no persons, in my opinion, with whom it is so difficult to keep up the relations of peace and amity," as flatterers by system and habit. Those persons, I mean, who deal out their flatteries on the same principle as boys throw a handful of burs. However unskilfully the burs are thrown, the chances are that some will stick; and flatterers expect that some of their compliments will dwell with, and impose on, their intended dupe. Perhaps their calculation is not, generally considered, an erroneous one; but if there be any of their fellow-creatures with whom the sensitive and the discerning may be permitted to loathe association, it is with those who presume to address them in the language of compliment, too violent and unappropriate to deceive even for a moment; while they discover on their lips the flickering sneer of contempt contending with its treacherous smile, and mark their wily eye looking round in search of some responsive one, to which it can

communicate their sense of the uttered falsehood, and their mean exultation over their imagined dupe. The lies of benevolence, even when they can be resolved into lies of flattery, may be denominated amiable lies; but the lie of flattery is usually uttered by the bad-hearted and censo-rious; therefore to the term LIE OF FLATTERY might be added an alias ;--alias, the LIE OF MALEVO

LENCE.

Coarse and indiscriminating flatterers lay it down as a rule, that they are to flatter all persons on the qualities which they have not. Hence, they flatter the plain on their beauty; the weak on their intellect; the dull, on their wit; believing, in the sarcastic narrowness of their conceptions, that no one possesses any self-knowledge; but that every one implicitly believes the truth of the eulogy bestowed. This erroneous view, taken by the flatterer of the penetration of the flattered, is common only in those who have more cunning than intellect; more shrewdness than penetration; and whose knowledge of the weakness of our nature has been gathered, not from deep study of the human heart, but from the depravity of their own, or from the pages of ancient and modern satirists ;-those who have a mean, malignant pleasure, in believing in the absence of all moral truth amongst their usual associates; and are glad to be able to comfort themselves for their own conscious dereliction from a high moral standard, by the conviction that they are, at least, as good as their neighbours. Yes; my experience tells me that the above mentioned rule of flattery is acted upon only by the half. enlightened, who take for superiority of intellect that base low cunning,

which, in fools supplies,

And amply too, the place of being wise.

But the deep observer of human nature knows that where there is real intellect, there are discernment and self-knowledge also; and that the really intelligent are aware to how much praise and admiration they are entitled, be it encomium on their personal, or mental, qualifi

cations.

beg to give one illustration of the Lie of Flattery, in the following tale, of which the offending heroine is a female; though, as men are the licensed flatterers of women, I needed not to have feared the imputation of want of candour, had I taken my example from one of the wiser

sex.

THE TURBAN;

OR

THE LIE OF FLATTERY.

SOME persons are such determined flatterers both by nature and habit, that they flatter unconsciously, and almost involuntarily. Such a flatterer was Jemima Aldred; but, as the narrowness of her fortune made her unable to purchase the luxuries of life in which she most delighted, she was also a conscious and voluntary flatterer whenever she was with those who had it in their power to indulge her favourite inclinations.

There was one distinguished woman in the circle of her acquaintance, whose favour she was particularly desirous of gaining, and who was therefore the constant object of her flatteries. This lady, who was rendered, by her situation, her talents, and her virtues, an object of earthly worship to many of her associates, had a good-natured indolence about her, which made her receive the incense of fered, as if she believed in its sincerity. But the flattery of young Jemima was so gross, and so indiscriminate, that it sometimes converted the usual gentleness of Lady Delaval's nature into gall; and she felt indignant at being sup posed capable of relishing adulation so excessive, and devotion so servile. But, as she was full of christian benev.

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olence, and, consequently, her first desire was to do good, she allowed pity for the poor girl's ignorance to conquer resentment, and laid a plan, in order to correct and amend her, if possible, by salutary mortification.

Accordingly, she invited Jemima, and some other young ladies, to spend a whole day with her at her house in the country. But, as the truly benevolent are always reluctant to afflict any one, even though it be to improve, Lady Delaval would have shrunk from the task which she had imposed on herself, had not Jemima excited her into perseverance, by falling repeatedly and grossly into her besetting sin during the course of the day. For instance: Lady Delaval, who usually left the choice of her ribbands to her milliner, as she was not studious of her personal appearance, wore colours at breakfast that morning which she thought ill-suited both to her years and complexion; and having asked her guests how they liked her scarf and ribbands, they pronounced them to be beautiful. "But, surely, they do not become my olive, ill-looking skin!"— 66 They are certainly not becoming," was the ingenuous reply of all but Jemima Aldred, who persisted in asserting that the colour was as becoming as it was brilliant; adding, "I do not know what dear Lady Delaval means by undervaluing her own clear complexion.' ""The less that is said about that the better, I believe," she dryly replied, not trying to conceal the sarcastic smile which played upon her lip, and feeling strengthened, by this new instance of Jemima's duplicity, to go on with her design, but Jemima thought she had endeared herself to her by flattering her personal vanity; and, while her companions frowned reproach for her insincerity, she wished for an opportunity of reproving their rudeness. After tea, Lady Delaval desired her maid to bring her down the foundation for a turban, which she was going to pin up, and some other finery prepared for the same purpose; and in a short time the most splendid materials for millinery shone upon the table. When she began her task, her other guests Jemima excepted, worked also, but she was sufficiently employed, she said, in watching the creative and tasteful fingers of her friend. At first Lady Delaval made the turban of silver tissue; and Jemima was in ecstasies; but the next