tributed towards the conversion of Jews and Mahomedans; and clothed the naked, and fed the hungry. "We were ushered into a spacious hall, fitted up as a chapel it is furnished with handsome seats, and a pair of elegant reading-desks, at one of which the noble Earl sat, with a pile of books before him; at the other his lovely Countess, whose bright sparkling eye is more like a living commentary on Pope's celebrated satire on her sex, than the devotional, uplifted orb of St. Cecilia, in her admirable picture. I do not make this remark in detraction from the merit of the Countess of, whose amiability and loveliness of character are universally acknowledged. No; it is because I love to see an eye of pleasure in the most pleasing part of creation; and I do not think that innocent spirit has any occasion to put on a mask. Who should be more cheerful than a Christian? When we had all taken our seats, our noble instructor read a short passage from the New Testament, and explained it by a long commentary, with, as I thought, great attention to emphasis and gesture. Such a practice, I think, must be highly useful to his lordship, in preparing him for his annual display of eloquence in the great assembly of the nation. It was a lecture, however, I must say, that inclined me to be rather hypercritical, and, towards its lengthy conclusion, to be too niddy-noddy for refined society. After this, we had some fine singing by the girls of a charity school, patronized by the Countess; and then such a long prayer, that I really feared it would reach to the day of judg ment. "The topics of this prayer were so numerous, that I shall not attempt any description. I shall merely inform the reader, in case of his being fond of imitation, that eleven of its paragraphs, or invocations, were about Jews and Gentiles; five respecting the spread of the Scriptures in Asia and Africa; seven of such a spiritual nature, that I could not comprehend their meaning or bearing; a great many others, which I thought out of time and place; and not one respecting ourselves. His lordship seemed fully sensible of the state of sin and misery in which others were sinking; but he clearly felt no apprehension about himself, whilst he prayed loudly and heartily for the return of prodigal sons who had never known their father. "I had not, at this time, witnessed the rational family worship of my good neighbour, Mr.; but I have, since I knew him, often thought his brief simplicity more in accordance with sincerity than the flourishing language of the noble and religious Earl. He who can read the secrets of the human heart, knows what is from what seems; and to His omniscience I leave a decision to which I am incompetent. I merely state, that in both cases the result was beneficial to society; and I hope that, if judgment erred, the record will be blotted out of the book above by the tears of charity; for, in the course of the evening which I spent at Earl's mansion, I saw a table spread on the lawn for the refreshment of one hundred and twenty poor orphan girls, who appeared in decent and comfortable garbs, and whose manner and deportment reflected honour on the beautiful Countess of, higher, in my estimation, than her title and for tune. "The Earl and Countess waited on their protegées with all the attention of humble servants. This was, no doubt, in imitation of their Master, who washed his disciples' feet; but I confess that I love not ostentatious humility. The religion of the heart I dearly admire, and deeply regret, in my own case (which I hope may not be your's, gentle reader), a great want of its benign influ ence. No XIX. ROGUERY AND HONESTY. "O, wretched fool, Thou liv'st to make thine honesty a vice! O monstrous world! Take note, take note, () world, "Ay, Sir, to be honest, as this world goes, SHAKSPEARE. "Ar no great distance from my place of residence there is a handsome country-seat, now in a state of perfect repair. Some time ago it exhibited a melancholy picture of poverty: the roof of the dwelling-house was, in several places, pervious to the weather, the slates having been blown off; the walls had been injured by the hand of time and accident; the windows were unglazed, the doors broken, and the whole dis |