give them fome relish for those gentle virtues which are peculiar to nations among whom fcience hath been cultivated with fuccefs. Robertfon. § 66. On the Refped paid by the LACEDEMONIANS and ATHENIANS to old Age. It happened that her husband and her fon were both at the fame time attacked with a dangerous illness. The fon died. He was a youth endowed with every quality of mind and perfon which could endear him to his parents. His mother's heart was torn with all the anguish of grief; yet the resolved to conceal the diftreffing event from her husband. She prepared and conducted his funeral fo privately, that Pætus did not know of his death. Whenever the came into her husband's bed-chamber, the pretended her fon was better; and, as often as he enquired after his health, would anfwer, that he had refted well, or had eaten with an appetite. When the found that he could no longer restrain her grief, but her tears were gushing out, the would leave the room, and, having given vent to her paffion, return again with dry eyes and a ferene countenance, as if the had left her forrow behind her at the door of the chamber. It happened at Athens, during a public reprefentation of fome play exhibited in honour of the commonwealth, that an old gentleman came too late for a place fuitable to his age and quality. Many of the young gentlemen, who obferved the difficulty and confufion he was in, made figns to him that they would accommodate him if he came where they fat: the good man bustled through the croud accordingly; but when he came to the feats to which he was invited, the jeft was, to fit close and expofe him, as he flood out of countenance, to the whole audience. The frolic went round all the Athénian benches. But on thofe occafions, there were alfo particular places affigned to foreigners. When the good man fkulked towards the boxes appointed for the Lacedæmonians, that honest people, more virtuous than polite, rofe up all to a man, and, with the greateft refpect, received him among them. The Athenians, being fuddenly touched with a fenfe of the Spartan virtue, and their own degeneracy, gave a thunder of applaufe; and the old man cried out, "The Athenians understand what "is good, but the Lacedæmonians practife" if you will take me, I alone will perform " it." Spectator. $67. On PETUS and ARRIA. In the reign of Claudius, the Roman emperor, Arria, the wife of Cacinna Patus, was an illuftrious pattern of magnanimity and conjugal affection. Camillus Scribonianus, the governor of Dalmatia, having taken up arms against Claudius, Pætus joined himself to his party, and was soon after tak en prisoner, and brought to Rome. When the guards were going to put him on board the fhip, Arria befought them that the might be permitted to go with him." Certainly," faid the, " "refufe a man of confular dignity, as he is, "a few attendants to wait upon him; you cannot but was "their office." This favour, however, refused; upon which the hired a small fishing veffel, and boldly ventured to follow the fhip. Returning to Rome, Arria met the wife of Scribonianus in the emperor's palace, who preffing her to difcover all that the knew of the infurrection," What !" said he, “ fhall I regard thy advice, who faw thy husband "murdered in thy very arms, and yet fur" vivet him ?" Pætus being condemned to die, Arria formed a deliberate refolution to fhare his fate, and made no fecret of her intention. Thrafea, who married her daughter, attempting to diffuade her from her purpofe, among other arguments which he used, faid to her, “Would you then, if my life were to be "taken from me, advise your daughter to "die with me?"" Moft certainly I would," The replied, "if the had lived as long, and "in as much harmony with you, as I have "lived with Pætus." Perfifting in her determination, the found means to provide herself with a dagger: and one day, when the obferved a more than ufual gloom on the countenance of Pætus, and perceived that death by the hand of the executioner appeared to him more terrible than in the field of glory-perhaps, too, fenfible that it was chiefly for her fake that he wifhed to live-the drew the dagger from her fide, and ftabbed herself before his eyes. Then inftantly plucking the weapon from her breaft, the prefented it to her husband, faying, "My "Patus, it is not painful *." Pliny. § 68. ABDOLONYMUS raised to the Government of SIDON. The city of Sidon having furrendered to Alexander, he ordered Hephæftion to bestow In the Tatler, N°72, a fancy piece is drawn, founded on the principal fact in this story, but wholly detitious in the circumftances of the tale. The author, mistaking CecinnaPatus for Thrafea Patus, has accufed even Nero unjustly; charging him with an action which certainly belonged to Claudius. See Pliny's Epiftles, Book iii. Ep.16. Dipa. Caffius, lib. I. and Tacitus, lib. xvi. § 35. the crown on him whom the Sidonians should think moft worthy of that honour. Hephaftion being at that time refident with two young men of diftinction, offered them the kingdom; but they refused it, telling him that it was contrary to the laws of their country, to admit any one to that honour, who was not of the royal family. He then, having expreffed his admiration of their difinterested fpirit, defired them to name one of the royal race, who might remember that he received the crown through their hands. Overlooking many who would have been ambitious of this high honour, they made choice of Abdolonymus, whofe fingular merit had rendered him confpicuous, even in the vale of obscurity. Though remotely related to the royal family, a feries of misfortunes had reduced him to the neceffity of cultivating a garden, for a fmall ftipend, in the fuburbs of the city. While Abdolonymus was bufily employed in weeding his garden, the two friends of Hephaæftion, bearing in their hands the enfigns of royalty, approached him, and faluted him king, informing him that Alexander had appointed him to that office; and requiring him immediately to exchange his ruftic garb, and utenfils of hufbandry, for the ragat robe and fceptre. At the fame time, they urged him, when he should be feated on the throne, and have a nation in his power, not to forget the humble condition from which he he been raised. All this, at the first, appeared to Abdolonymus as an illufion of the fancy, or an infult offered to his poverty. He requested them not to trouble him farther with their impertinent jefts, and to find fome other way of amufing themfelves, which might leave him in the peaceable employment of his obfcure habitation.At length, however, they convinced him that. they they were ferious in their propofal, and pre-[ on the other his fifter, the Queen of Hungary, vailed upon him to accept the regal office, and accompany them to the palace. No fooner was he in poffeffion of the government, than pride and envy created him enemies, who whispered their murmurs in every place, till at last they reached the ear of Alexander; who, commanding the newelected prince to be fent for, required of him, with what temper of mind he had borne his poverty? “Would to Heaven,” replied Abdolonymus," that I may be able to bear my crown with equal moderation.: for "when I poffeffed little, I wanted nothing: thefe hands fupplied me with whatever I "defired." From this anfwer, Alexander formed fo high an idea of his wifdom, that he confirmed the choice which had been made, and annexed a neighbouring province to the government of Sidon. Quintus Curtius. " § 69. The Refignation of the Emperor CHARLES V. regent of the Netherlands; with a fplendid retinue of the grandees of Spain, and princes of the empire, ftanding behind him. The prefident of the council of Flanders, by his command, explained, in a few words, his intention in calling this extraordinary meeting of the States. He then read the inftrument of refignation, by which Charles furrendered to his fon Philip all his territories, jurisdiction, and authority in the Low Countries; abfolving his fubjects there from their oath of allegiance to him, which he required them to transfer to Philip, his lawful heir, and to ferve him with the fame loyalty and zeal which they had manifefted, during fo long a courfe of years, in fupport of his government. Charles then rofe from his feat, and leaning on the fhoulder of the prince of Orange, becaufe he was unable to ftand without fupport, he addrefled himself to the audience, and from a paper which he held in his hand, in order to affilt his memory, he recounted with dignity, but without oftentation, all the great things which he had undertaken and performed fince the commencement of his administration. He obferved, that, from the feventeenth year of his age, he had dedicated all his thoughts and attention to public objects; referving no portion of his time for the indulgence of his Charles refolved to refign his kingdoms to his fon, with a folemnity fuitable to the importance of the tranfaction; and to perform this last act of fovereignty with fuch formal pomp, as might leave an indelible impreffion on the minds, not only of his fubjects, but of his fucceffor. With this view, he called Philip out of England, where the pecvifheate, and very little for the emjoyment of temper of his queen, which encreafed with her defpair of having iffue, rendered him extremely unhappy: and the jealoufy of the Inglith left him no hopes of obtaining the direction of their affairs. Having affembled the ftates of the Low Countries, at Bruffels, on the twenty-fifth of October, one thoufand five hundred and fifty-five, Charles feated himfelf, for the laft time, in the chair of state; on one fide of which was placed his fon, and private pleature: that, either in a pacific or hoftile manner, he had vifited Germany nine times, Spain fix times, France four times, Italy feven times, the Low Countries ten times, England twice, Africa as often, and had made cleven voyages by fea: that, while his health permitted him to discharge his duty, and the vigour of his conftitution was equal, in any degree, to the arduous office of governing fuch extenfive dominions, he had never fhunned hunned labour, nor repined under fatigue:;" acceptable teftimony of your gratitude to that now, when his health was broken, and "me. It is in your power, by a wife and his vigour exhaufted by the rage of an incu- virtuous adminiftration, to juftify the extrarable diftemper, his growing infirmities ad- "ordinary proof which 1 this day give of my menithed him to retire: nor was he fo fond" paternal affection; and to demonftrate, thar of reigning, as to retain the fceptre in an you are worthy of the confidence which I impotent hand, which was no longer able to "repofe in you. Preferve an invable regard proeft his fubjects, or to render them happy: "for religion; maintain the Catholic faith in thar, infead of a fovereign worn out with "its purity; let the laws of your country be dates, and scarcely half alive, he gave them" facred in your eyes; encroach not on the one in the prime of life, accuftomed already "\rights and privileges of your people: and, to govern, and who added to the vigour of "if the time thall ever come, when fhall you youth, all the attention and fagacity of maturer "with to enjoy the tranquillity of private life, years: that if, during the courfe of a long may you have a fon endowed with fuch edminiftration, he had committed any material "qualities, that you can refign your fceptre error in government; or if, under the preffure to him with as much fatisfaction as I give effo many and great affairs, and amidst the" up mine to you." attention which he had been obliged to give As foon as Charles had finished this long to them, he had either neglected or injured addrefs to his fubjects, and to their new foveany of his fubjects, he now implored their reign, he funk into the chair, exhausted, and Frgivenefs. that, for his part, he should ever ready to faint with the fatigue of fuch an exZetain a grateful sense of their fidelity and at-traordinary effort. During his difcourse, the achment, and would carry the remembrance whole audience melted into tears; fome, from of it along with him to the place of his retreat, admiration of his magnanimity; others, fofthis fweeteft confolation, as well as the beftened by the expreffions of tenderness towards Award of all his fervices; and, in his laft his fon, and of love to his people; and all pravers to Almighty God, would pour forth were affected with the deepeft forrow at lofing ardent withes for their welfare. a fovereign, who had diftinguished the NeThen, turning towards Philip, who fell therlands, his native country, with particular his knees, and kiffed his father's hand, marks of his regard and attachment. If," fays he, " I had left you by my death, this rich inheritance, to which I have made fuch large additions, fome regard would have been juftly due to my memory on that account: but now, when I voluntarily refign to you what I might ftill have retained, may well expect the warmest expreffions of thanks on your part. With thefe, however, I difpenfe; and fhall confider your concern for the welfare of your fubjects, and your love of them, as the best and most A few weeks afterwards, Charles, in an affernbly no lefs fplendid, and with a ceremonial equally pompous, refigned to his fon the crowns of Spain, with all the territories depending on them, both in the Old and in the New World. Of all thefe yaft poffcttions, he referved nothing to himself, but an annual penfion of an hundred thoufand crowns, to defray the charges of his family, and to afford him a finall fum for acts of beneficence and charity. 1. 1 a The The place he had chofen for his retreat, was the monastery of St. Juftus, in the province of Eftramadura. It was feated in a vale of no great extent, watered by a small brook, and furrounded by rifing grounds, covered with lofty trees. From the nature of the foil, as well as the temperature of the climate, it was cfteemed the moft healthful and delicious fituation in Spain. Some months before his refignation, he had fent an architect thither, to add a new apartment to the monaftery, for his accommodation; but he gave ftrict orders, that the ftyle of the building thould be fuch as fuited his prefent fituation, rather than his former dignity. It confifted only of fix rooms; four of them in the form of friars' cells, with naked walls; the other two, each twenty feet fquare, were hung with brown cloth, and furnished in the moft fimple manner. They were all on a level with the ground; with a door on one fide, into a garden, of which Charles himself had given the plan, and which he had filled with various plants, intending to cultivate them with his own hands. On the other fide, they communicated with the chapel of the monaftery, in which he was to perform his devotions. Into this humble retreat, hardly fufficient for the comfortable accommodation of a private gentleman, did Charles enter, with twelve domeftics only. He buried there, in folitude and filence, his grandeur, his ambition, together with all those valt projects which, during half a century, had alarmed and agitated Europe, filling every kingdom in it, by turns, with the terror of his arms, and the dread of being fubjected to his power. Robertfon. § 70. A remarkable Inftance of Filial Duty The prætor had given up to the triumvir a woman of fome rank, condemned, for a capital crime, to be executed in the prifon. He who had charge of the execution, in confideration of her birth, did not immediately put her to death. He even ventured to let her daughter have access to her in prifon; carefully fearching her, however, as the went in, left the thould carry with her any sustenance; concluding, that in a few days, the mother mult of courfe perith for want, and that the feverity of putting a woman of family to a violent death, by the hand of the executioner, might thus be avoided. Some days paffing in this manner, the triumvir began to wonder that the daughter ftill came to visit her mother, and could by no means comprehend, how the latter fhould live fo long. Watching, therefore, carefully, what paffed in the interview between them, he found, to his great aftonishment, that the life of the mother had been, all this while, fupported by the milk of the daughter, who came to the prifon every day, to give her mother her breafts to fuck. The ftrange contrivance between them was reprefented to the judges, and procured a pardon for the mother. Nor was it thought fufficient to give to fo dutiful a daughter the forfeited life of her condemned mother, but they were both maintained afterwards by penfion fettled on them for life. And the ground upon which the prifon ftood, was confecrated, and a temple to filial piety built upon it. What will not filial duty contrive, or what hazards will it not run, if it will put a daughter upon venturing, at the peril of her own life, to maintain her imprisoned and condemned mother in fo unufual a manner! For what was ever heard of more strange, than a mo-ther fucking the breafts of her own daughter? It night even feem fo unnatural, as to ren der in doubtful, whether it might not be, in |