the forenoon of the following day,-and bear, the poor languishing sufferer company in her absence, and it was only, indeed, upon these conditions, that my constant and ever willing companion to church, when we were able and circumstances permitted us to attend it, was allowed to accompany me to the house of prayer on that day.* Our kind friend took his departure-beginning of the following week and I followed him, I observe, some miles to the westward,-on a cheerless and heartless errand,-on the last day of it. The occasion of my journey with some other disagreeables, which occurred towards the end of the month, I must, however, here pass over in silence. On the 4th and 5th July, I see, I paid that visit to my friends in Edinburgh and Dalkeith, which has been rendered affectingly memorable-by no fewer than three affecting circumstances.—It was on this occasion, that I saw, accidentally my friend Mr, as I passed through Edinburgh, for the last time ;—It was, on this occasion, that I paid (alas! little did I think so at the time,) my last visit to—my early acquaintance—my long respected—much esteemed—and highly endeared, friend,-Mr PETER LYLE, late bookseller in Dalkeith; who died suddenly, at the time I was busied with my Retrospections in September 1831—and, it was on this journey, in • The conversation that took place betwixt the dear suffering youth, and his kind and sympathizing friend, during our short absence, as afterwards reported to us, WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN, as evincing, at once, the resignation of the Christian to his now apparently rapidly approaching fate-and the grateful sense he entertained on that trying occasion, which Dr Young calls "a detecter of the heart," of the kind offices and unwearied attentions paid him, by her, who on those returning seasons of the day of rest, and when relieved from the toils of the shop, would seldom quit her mournful post of observation by the bed side, and would most undoubtedly, not have been absent, even for the short time of a few hours, on this day, notwithstanding the solemnity of the occasion, had her place, not been so providentially supplied with such a substitute. I have no room left for the interesting conversation that took place during our absence, but one sentence must not be forgotten ;-for while it rivets my partner, if possible, more firmly in my affections-it embalms the remembrance, of that early prey to the last enemy, more strongly in my memory :-"I KNOW THAT I AM DYING," said the dear youth to his friend, "but the only thing that I regret is, that I am not to live to do something for (or make some amends to) my mother, for what she has done for me." Poor Robert! this was quite enough—you had become sensible of, and grateful for, what that kind mother had done for youyou expressed yourself to that effect-this abundantly shews there was no want of the WILL and I trust, in the country to which you were fast hastening, THAT WILL, would be accepted FOR THE DEED! returning by Edinburgh, that my good friend Mr George Boyd, of the house of Messrs O. and B. presented me with his last gift, as I shall call it, in allusion to the titleTHE FAREWELL TO TIME. A work which, I think, had then just issued from the press of these respectable publishers, and came most opportunely to hand, for the comfort of our afflicted sufferer; who seemed to the last, to be much attached to it, and to this day, I believe, it bears some of his marks at particular passages. CHAPTER XXXIX.-1828 (CONTINUED.) A refreshing Oases in the midst of the desert.-A Rose of Sharon, in a valley of brambles. A Pleasing retreat from the storms and buffetings of time.-The Shadow of a great rock in a weary land. One notched tree in the wilderness, attended by the most delightful associations.-One most grateful remembrancer in the journey of life.—TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF A MOST HAPPY MARRIAGE.-How I employed my pen, and otherwise conducted myself on the occasion.-Appropriate mottos prefixed to appropriate lines.-A pleasant subject at LAST, to dwell on.—And why should I not?—Pages sacred to the memory of female worth.-The Countess Alberti.-Lady of A. H. Rowan, Esq-Madame Lavelette.-The wives of Barry, the Painter,-and Solomon Gesner, the German Bookseller.-Mr own WIFE.-HER unremitting at. tention, and valuable services. -HER praises recorded by other pens, and celebrated by other tongues than mine.-A slight allusion to a death-bed testimony, formerly briefly noticed.-Testimony of a neighbouring cler. gyman, who well knew HER Worth-Another flower belonging to the same chaplet, to be afterwards noticed.-How the conduct of my partner has ope rated on, and been appreciated by myself.-Note in my Popular Philosophy, recommended to the attention of a certain description of readers.-A recent evidence, that conjugal affection, is not altogether confined to the female side. -The old man who obtained his wish.—Beautiful extract, from THOMSON, &C. THE last was a sore chapter, but would have been much more painful to the reader's feelings, had there not been some things which I slightly hinted at, and others, that I passed altogether over in silence-and the next, will be found full enough, of matter of mournful and melancholy import. The present may therefore, considering the way in which my thoughts have been occupied for some time, and the gloomy prospects still before me, be regarded as A REFRESHING Oases in the midst of an inhospitable desert,-as a beautiful and fragrant ROSE OF SHARON, lifting its head in a valley almost choked up, and occupied exclusively with thorns and brambles ;-as a place of PLEASING RETREAT from the storms and tempests, and bustles and other buffetings of time,—or, in the sublime and expressive language of Scripture, as the "SHADOW OF A GREAT ROCK in a weary land." The fact is, we had now arrived at one of those notched trees in the wilderness, that put us in mind of a more comfortable period of our existence, and along with it, brought many pleasing things to our remembrance,—I allude to the TWENTYFIFTH ANNIVERSARY of our deeply chequered, but, on the whole, most happy MARRIAGE, which happened this year, on the 11th of July, and which my beloved partner affectionately reminded me of two days before, mistaking as both of us did, the 9th for the day; a circumstance which, however trifling, it may otherwise appear, abundantly shews, that the time had run too smoothly, or too roughly, for us taking notice of the returning anniversaries, as they had of late come round, of so happy an event,-until the striking facts stared us in the face, that we had been now married for a quarter of a century— while, the time had passed, some how or other, in such a manner, that we had almost perceived it not ! I accordingly, set myself to work, to weave for my partner, the BEST and most acceptable CHAPLET I thought I could present to her on the occasion, and which I did, in what I called LINES ADDRESSED TO MY DEAR HELEN. These lines I put into her hands, with a preamble setting forth, that that day, i.e. the 9th of July, 1828, had been considered as the twenty-fifth anniversary of our marriage ;—justly observing, "for, in midst of toils, and trials of no ordinary description,-in midst of troubles and difficulties of the most appalling and perplexing nature,- and, in midst of afflictions and calamities the most excruciating and overwhelming,—such' has been the result of OUR HAPPY UNION, that TIME, has rolled on for the protracted period of a quarter of a century, almost imperceptibly, or at least, without our being sensible of its exact advances;-being at a loss on the above morning, to make up our minds, as to whether it was on the 9th or the 10th day of the month, that this our TWENTY-FIFTH anniversary came round,-while it will be seen, by what I have above mentioned, that it was neither on the one or the other! This preamble, or a preamble to that effect, I followed up with the three mottos adhibited to the lines,—and these, in their turn, were followed by the lines themselves. But in the first place, I shall quote the mottos. "And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed with him but a few days, for the love he had to her." Gen. xxix. 20. "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." Prov. xxxi. 30. "Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." Matth. xxvi. 13, and Mark xiv. 9. Now came THE LINES, consisting in all of XIV. verses, the number of which, it will be observed, I have here abridged, beginning at the ivth,-for the same reason, that I have made it a point generally in these pages, to suppress others of my poetical effusions, viz. the conviction that I am no great adept in the business; and how could it be expected that I should be so, who has, enough to do, to find leisure, to put my language into plain prose, without any attempts at poesy. I hope these, however, will be excused, on account of the sacredness of the occasion, and as conveying, however they may fall short on the score of poetical merit, in plain and intelligible, although in strong and energetic language, the genuine sentiments and feelings of my heart on that memorable occasion; and which evidence so fully, how sensible I was of the preciousness of the boon, and the valuableness of the gift, which an indulgent Providence had bestowed upon me, in this dear partner of my fortunes, whether prosperous or adverse ;-and that SHE, had indeed fallen nothing in my estimation, but the contrary,-from being the tried associate in so many trials-the approved and proved solace, in so long a train of protracted griefs. FROM LINES ADDRESSED TO MY DEAR HELEN, On the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of our Marriage. Ah! could I say,-for thy dear sake, my love! But why indulge, in this vain-foolish dream? False friends forsake-assum'd affection, flies. 'Tis when the rugged path, is strewed with thorns, And make our short afflictions here, below, Pregnant with future scenes of lasting joy; Such joy, as nothing earthly can bestow, Where cares perplex not-nor life's griefs annoy ! And bless that kind-that fond indulgent power, Who even, while here, where clouds surround his throne, And dark'ning providences-often lower! While despair whispers we are left alone,- |