glimple of the fublimities of the univerfe, and not acknowledge the extence of an All-powerful Supreme! If we defcend to the confideration of vegetables and animals, proofs innumerable will pour in upon and force us to confefs, that infinite wifdom and intelligence only could plan, execute and adjust the wonderful works of nature. Although the being of God is not to be controverted, yet men, anxious for the welfare of their fpecies, have greatly differed with respect to the foundation, nature, limits and extent of moral duties. We hall touch thefe points lightly; not with the stiffness of an academic, but the freedom infeparable from a man of the world. ful or involuntary, is generally the fource of all our infelicities. Properly speaking, we cannot lay down a fyftem comprehending every branch of moral duty which it may be neceffary to perform, because our fituations in fociety depend on lo many unforeseen contingencies, and are liable to fuch frequent alterations, that even the most penetrating are incapable of affigning a rule of conduct for every exigency to which humanity may be reduced. Here then the perfon must act from circumftanftances, ufe his reafon with caution, and, if an hafty determination be neceffary, he must give way to those affections only which he is certain cannot injure his fellow-creatures. With regard to moral virtue, it is certainly interwoven with, and founded upon the nature of things. It It will be obvious to the reader, Writers, fuch as Clarke, Woolaf- that we here suppose a cafe, upon ton, and others, have taken wonder- which it is impoffible to determine ful pains to evince, that for fuch and with precision, until it actually hapfuch reasons we ought to be benefi- pens: but in a well regulated fociety, cent, generous, humane and honour- and particularly in countries where able. They have laid down feveral Chriftianity is embraced, the focial fcholaftic axioms, which may proba-laws are deducible with the greatest bly be of infinite fervice to pedants, exactness. but seem in reality badly calculated for the world at large. The focial duties fhould be generally practifed; no rank is exempted from the obli-hath for its object “ the happiness of gations of morality; both the prince and the cottager are equally fubject to its laws and penalties; confequently, what is thus incumbent on every perfon to perform, fhould be univerfally understood; and teachers ought to argue, in a manner, within the reach of every capacity to comprehend. the whole collective body of rational creatures." On which account, when about to commit an action, we have only to afk ourselves this plain single queftion, Shall I hereby ferve or injure my fellow-creature? If the former, we may fafely venture on the performance; if the latter, we should inftantly defift. But, fay you, "By rifking a very flight injury to another man, I may do myself an effential fervice." This reasoning is fallacious; and, if uni verfally adopted, would tend to ge Instinct in brutes ferves the place of reafon in our fpecies. By the guidance of this principle, animals are uniformly directed to perform fuch actions as contribute to the welfare and happiness of their respective na-neral confufion. For example, as an The reafoning faculty, there- individual, I am only a part of hufore, in man, if properly exercised, man nature; upon the happiness of would be productive of fimilar effects. each part depends the happiness of the An error in judgment, whether wil-whole of human nature. If I thereBRIT. MAG. Jan. 1772. fore injure a part, I in fome degree injure tures. C 1 tion's business. The daughters of a few great men, following the dictates of nature, "marry." From an inconfideratenefs infeparably annexed to youth, they make choice of a perfon every way improper; the fenators take the alarm; their pride is piqued; and, to prevent fuch confequences for the future, they frame a bill, for-path was not fo beaten. But I must, footh, prohibiting what they call at the fame time, lament the cause "clandeftine marriages;" that is, of thefe difafters. Selfish vanity, for fear their families fhould be dif- which gave birth to the marriage-act, graced, or their vanity mortified, they is chargeable with all the deftructive profcribe an inconceivable number confequences that have followed; and fron entering into that fituation to I will venture to prophefy, that unwhich, by every law divine or hu- lefs the bill for preventing clandeftine man, and by every motive political marriages is fpeedily repealed; unless or commercial, they ought to be fome effectual fteps are taken by the animated. legiflature to promote, and not difcourage matrimony; unless these, or fimilar alterations, take place, divorces will multiply, the kingdom will be depopulated, and a general diffolutenefs of manners will univerfally prevail amongst both sexes, hath an utter abhorrence. What can be expected from fuch a match? Even that which generally happens from the church to the arms of a former lover, and thence to DoctorsCommons, to fue for alimony, is no uncommon road. I wifh, for the fake of my fair countrywomen,that the Granting that the road to matrimony were fo easy, as frequently to tempt fome young lady of fafhion to ftep into it with an unfeemly partner; granting that a set of supernumerary parfons kept the gates of Hymen conftantly open; is it because a few unthinking, giddy girls, precipitantly ventured in, that you are to exclude others, and not fuffer thofe to enter, in favour of whom the confideration of nobility does not ope rate. But the matter of fact is, that even the evil, defigned to be remedied by the "marriage-act," ftill exifts in a multiform variety of fhapes. The daughters of the nobility, if they cannot follow the dictates of the heart, and give their hand to the man of their affections, will, I fear, make him a present of fomething more valuable at leaft, I fhould tremble for the virtue of a young lady under fuch a critical temptation. Should this not be the cafe, what is the alternative? Why, that a fine young creature, who, like a new-blown flower, finells of the fweets of innocence, muft, in obedience to her father's will, fubmit to the mortification of being joined with a man for whom, in all human probability, fhe A fingular Anecdote of the famous W TORTLEY Montague, brother in-law to Lord Bute, hath travelled through the Eaft for a series of years. Some time fince, he fell into company with an European merchant and his lady, who, on a tour of pleasure, had vifited Perfia. The lady being remarkably beautiful, foon captivated Wortley, who tried, but in vain, every ftratagem to gain her affections, and feduce her from her husband. Obferving his arts to have no manner of effect, he refolved to cultivate a warm friendship with the husband, and wait until time, chance, or opportunity, should favour his defign. The gentleman was entertained with Wortley's converfation, and, in fhort, conceived an high opinion of his horrour. Although he originally propofed propofed to vifit Egypt, whither Montague was going, yet receiving fome letters of confequence, he found himself obliged to return, for a little time, to his native country. Not, however, laying afide his defign, he propofed to leave his lady at Conftantinople until he had dispatched his affairs, when he determined to profecute his tour, in company with Mr. Montague, who was to wait his arrival at Conftantinople. Matters being thus adjufted, the merchant embarked. Wortley now began to think this a moft favourable opportunity. He renewed his addreffes to the wife, expreffed himself in moft paffionate terms, and faid every thing that our readers can conceive upon the occafion ; but all in vain-the lady was deaf to his intreaties; fhe repulfed his ardor with coldness: in fhort, her virtue was impregnable. Wortley, thus defeated, promifed for the future to be filent upon the fubject, and propofed a journey into fome parts of the adjacent country. The lady agreed, and they fet out. Wortley, who from his youth had been hackneyed in every fpecies of artifice, determined to accomplish by ftratagem what he could not gain by fair entreaty accordingly, he procured letters to be written to himself as from a friend; the purport of which was, to inform him that the lady's husband had died fhortly after his arrival in his own country. The accident was deplored, and Wortley was requested, in these spurious epiftles, to inform the lady of her miffortune in the most delicate manner, left an excess of grief fhould impair her health, and injure her conftitution. Wortley, with an apparent fadnefs in his countenance, difclosed the dif mal news. The lady was inconfolable; and, that he might have time to vent her griefs, Wortley abstained from fecing her for fome weeks. This artifice accomplished, ftill a great difficulty remained. The hufband might in a little time arrive, and thus the whole defign be rendered abortive. To prevent this, whilst the lady was deploring her lofs, Wortley fet himself down, and, in his own name, writ fome letters to the husband, diffuading him from his intended voyage, and telling him that his wife had expired foon after his departure from Conftantinople; and that, upon receiving proper directions, he would order the lady's corpfe to be shipped on board fome veffel bound to the place where the husband then refided. We leave our readers to judge of the mifery the fond husband underwent, for he was paffionately enamoured with his wife. This task finished, Wortley returned to the lady, whofe grief he found fomewhat abated. The husband, fuppofing his wife no more, ftopped, of course, all further remittances, The lady found herself embarraffed, in a ftrange country, and feparated from every perfon in whom she might place the finallest degree of confidence. Wortley knew the fex too well not to improve thefe advantages. He rehearfed his former ftory, urged the vehemence of his paffion, pleaded the husband's death as a removal of the only thing that could be confidered as an obftacle to his felicity; folicited the fair one's confent in wedlock; and concluded with intimating his intention of departing fpeedily for Egypt. The lady helitated-the low fate of her finances feconded Wortley's defign-in fhort, a thousand confiderations arofe in her mind and she aț length confented to entomb her griefs in the bofom of her difhonourable paramour. They were married according to the ceremonies of the country. Let us now return to the hufband. He had complied with Montague's request. I F To the Printer of the British Magazine. you keep up to the profeffions made in your advertisement, yours will become one of the most usefuk productions that ever was ushered into the world, under the title of a magazine. The precife limits of moral actions cannot, however, be well afcertained, inasmuch as they depend on the various abilities we poffefs. What justly entitles one man to the epithet of generous, fixes upon another the indelible ftigma of meannefs. But if we fedulously attend to the cultivation of an exalted fpecies of philanthropy, if our minds are expanded; Many of your brethren have most if they are warmed with univerfal fhamefully departed from their origibenevolence; we fhall be only inqui-nal promises, and palm common place fitive after the means of doing good; we fhall poffefs the quinteffence of every focial virtue; and, by our conftant endeavours to alleviate the miferies of the wretched, and difpel the gloomy horrors of the defpairing, we fhall in a faint degree resemble that divine exemplar, whofe tender mercies are over all his works." 66 0. We Shall think ourselves highly honoured by a continuance of this Correfpondent's favours. He may rely on the fricteft attention being paid in our Mifcellany to the improvement of the heart; and we shall be very thankful for a perufal of the pieces alluded to in his letter. Anecdote of Lord Chesterfield. OOKUP, who lately died at the Hague, was originally an apothecary. Early in life he quitted the trade of drug-felling, and exchanged the profeffion of an empyric for the more lucrative employment of a tranfcriptions of other men's works on their readers as original productions. I hope you will act a worthier part. If you do adhere to the useful plan which you have laid before the public, my pen fhall ever be at your fervice but fhould you, like others before you, deviate into the baseness of looking towards your own interest more than inftructing and entertaining your readers, I fhall openly cenfure your conduct, and bid adieu to the British Magazine. My walk in life has been in the law; and as every man is more able to elucidate the intricacies in his own profeifion than that of any other, I hereby offer my services to any of your readers, in refolving any question that may be neceffary for them to have antwered in that dark and intricate fudy. I hope that I may be ufeful in this department, even to the richer part of your correspondents; but more particularly fo to fuch as cannot afford to pay the high price which, as the practice runs, it is neceffary to expend, before any tolerable opinion can be obtained, either when when to purfue juft rights, or defend oppreffive attacks. To relieve, therefore, the oppreffed in any fituation, whether rich or poor, any law queftion that may be fent to your Magazine, fhall be immediately and impartially anfwered by me. Such an anonymous refolution of law questions must be much more to be depended upon than the ufual manner of applying to an attorney to state a cafe for the opinion of council for they both are interested in giving fuch dubious or flattering anfwers as may encourage litigation; for their profits arife from the tedioufnefs of the fuit. I fhall have no fuch temptation, being unknown to the parties, to millead them by any encouragement to go to law, but when I am convinced of the equity, juftice, and lawfulness of the caufe. Sometimes, too, it fo happeneth, that the attorney applied to may be engaged by the adverfe party in a private manner, or may be attached to him by fuch connexions as the client cannot poffibly conceive, and by that means his intereft may be betrayed. No fuch risk can be run by a fair ftating of the cafe to me through the channel of your Magazine. Another greater advantage may be enjoyed by your correfpondents, in this public, open way, of their stating their cafes, and receiving my opinion in their different affairs; that in this land of liberty, where every fubject is freely difcuffed in the public papers, if my opinion fhould be erroneous, many of my profeffion will readily expofe the fallity, and thereby your correfpondents, by fuch inveftigation, will be able to know what dependance they may afterwards put on the opinion of the LAWYER for the British Magazine and General Review. Mr. Printer, As the Society called the Cuckoo Club is now actually formed, I have procured a copy of their rules and orders, which I here tranfmit for the entertainment of your readers. As I propofe being prefent at their future meetings, I fhall from time to time send you a regular account of their debates. I am, Sir, your's, А Сѵскоо. Rules and Orders to be obferved by the Members of the Cuckoo Club. OF RDERED, That no perfon be admitted a member of this very refpectable fociety who hath not been proved a cuckold according to the rights and ceremonies of DoctorsCommons. Ordered, That if any member fhall appear to repire at his condition, or fhall prefume to caft any reflection upon the honourable state of cuckoldom, fuch member fhall, on conviction, be forthwith expelled from this worthy fociety. Ordered, That if the wife of a member of this fociety fhall commit what is vulgarly called adultery with a perfon being alfo a member, both. parties fhall treat each other with fraternal affection, and live in perfect amity as brothers. Ordered, That if any member fhall have been twice married, and can give fatisfactory proofs to this fociety that the Jecond, as well as first wife, tipped him the favour, fuch member, on producing the proofs at a full meeting of the fociety, fhall have the merits of his claim fairly argued, and if they appear well founded, he fhall be voted perpetual prefident of this refpectable focicty. But if, on enquiry, more than one member fhall be |