as it completed his triumph, and afforded him a new subject of raillery and merriment. By the spiritual and corporeal assistance of my surgeon, I was at length restored to my health, with the same dissolute morals, and a resolution to pursue my pleasures with more caution. Instead, therefore, of hiring a prostitute, I now endeavoured to seduce the virgin, and corrupt the wife. No. XIV. SATURDAY, DEC. 23. Admonet, et magna testatur voce per umbras : VIRG. Ev'n yet his voice from hell's dread shades we hear- IN these attempts my new principles afforded me great assistance: for I found that those whom I could convert, I could easily debauch; and that to convert many, nothing more was necessary than to advance my principles, and allege something in defence of them, by which I appeared to be convinced myself; for not being able to dispute, they thought that the argument which had convinced me, would, if they could understand it, convince them: so that by yielding an implicit assent, they at once paid a compliment to their own judgments, and smoothed the way to the indulgence of appetite. While I was thus gratifying every inordinate desire, and passing from one degree of guilt to another, my cousin determined to take his daughter, who was now in her nineteenth year, from school; and as he intended to make her mistress of his family, he quitted his chambers and took a house. This young lady I had frequently seen, and always admired; she was therefore no sooner come home, than I endeavoured to recommend myself by a thousand assiduities, and rejoiced in the many oppo: tunities that were afforded me to entertain her alone; and perceived that she was not displeased with my company, nor insensible to my complaisance. My cousin, thongh he had seen the effects of his documents of infidelity in the corruption of my morals, yet could not forbear to sneer at religion in the presence of his daughter: a practice in which I now always concurred, as it facilitated the execution of a design that I had formed of rendering her subservient to my pleasures. I might indeed have married her, and perhaps my cousin secretly intended that I should; but I knew women too well to think that marriage would confine my wishes to a single object; and I was utterly averse to a state in which the pleasure of variety must be sacrificed to domestic quiet, or domestic quiet to the pleasure of variety; for I neither imagined that I could long indulge myself in an unlawful familiarity with many women, before it would by some accident be discovered to my wife: nor that she would be so very courteous or philosophical, as to suffer this indulgence without expostulation and clamour; and besides, I had no liking to a brood of children, whose wants would soon become importunate, and whose claim to my industry and frugality would be universally acknowledged; though the offspring of a mistress might be abandoned to beggary, without breach of the law, or offence to society. The young lady, on the contrary, as she perceived that my addresses exceeded common civilities, did not question but that my view was to obtain her for a wife; and I could discern that she often expected such a declaration, and seemed disappointed that I had not yet proposed an application to her father: but imagining, I suppose, that these circumstances were only delayed till the fittest opportunity, she did not scruple to admit all the freedoms that were consistent with modesty; and I drew every day nearer to the accomplishment of my designs, by insensible reproaches, with-, out alarming her fear, or confirming her hopes. I knew that only two things were necessary; her passions were to be inflamed, and the motives from which they were to be suppressed, removed. I was therefore perpetually insinuating, that nothing which was natural could be ill; I complained of the impo-sitions and restraints of priestcraft and superstition;. and, as if these hints were casual and accidental, I, would immediately after sing a tender song, repeat. some seducing verses, or read a novel. But henceforward, never let insulted beauty admit a second time into her presence, the wretch who has once attempted to ridicule religion, and substitute other aids to human frailty, for that love of God which is better than life,' and that fear which is the beginning of wisdom:' for whoever makes such an attempt, intends to betray: the contrary conduct being without question the interest of every one whose intentions are good, because even those who profanely deny religion to be of divine origin, do yet acknowledge that it is a political institution well calculated to strengthen the band of society, and to keep out the ravager by intrenching innocence and arming virtue. To oppose these corrupters by argument rather than contempt, is to parley with a murderer, who may be excluded by shutting a door. My cousin's daughter used frequently to dispute with me, and these disputes always favoured the execution of my project; though, lest I should alarm her too much, I often affected to appear half in jest; and when I ventured to take any liberty, by which the bounds of modesty was somewhat invaded, I suddenly desisted with an air of easy negligence; and as the attempt was not pursued, and nothing farther seemed to be intended than was done, it was regarded but as waggery, and punished only with a slap or a frown. Thus she became familiar with infidelity and indecency by degrees. I once subtilely engaged her in a debate, Whether the gratification of natural appetites was in itself innocent? and whether, if so, the want of external ceremony could in any case render it criminal? I insisted that virtue and vice were not influenced by any external ceremonies, nor founded upon human laws, which were arbitrary, temporary, and local: and that as a young lady's shutting herself up in a nunnery was still evil, though enjoyed by such laws, so the transmitting her beauty to posterity was still good, though under certain circumstances it had by such laws been forbidden. This she affected utterly to deny, and I proposed that the question should be referred to her papa, without informing him of our debate, and that it should be determined by his opinion: a proposal to which she readily agreed. I immediately adverted to the other subjects, as if I had no interest in the issue of our debate; but I could perceive that it sunk deep into her mind, and that she continued more thoughtful than usual. I did not, however, fail to introduce a suitable topic of discourse the next time my cousin was present; and having stated the question in general terms, he gave it in my favour, without suspecting that he was judge in his own cause; and the next time I was alone with his daughter, without mentioning his decision, I renewed my familiarity; I found her resistance less resolute, pursued my advantage, and completed her ruin. Within a few months she perceived that she was with child; a circumstance that she communicated to me with expressions of the most piercing distress: but instead of consenting to marry her, to which she had often urged me with all the little arts of persuasion that she could practise, I made light of the affair, chid her for being so much alarmed at so trivial an accident, and proposed a medicine which I told her would effectually prevent the discovery of our intercourse, by destroying the effect of it before it could appear. At this proposition she fainted; and when she recovered, opposed it with terror and regret, with tears, trembling, and intreaty: but I continued inflexible; and at length either removed or overruled her scruples, by the same arguments that had at first seduced her to guilt. The long vacation was now commenced, and my clerkship was just expired: I therefore proposed to my cousin that we should all make a visit to my father, hoping that the fatigue of the journey would favour my purpose by increasing the effect of the medicine, and accounting for an indisposition which it might be supposed to cause. The plan being thus concerted, and my cousin's concurrence being obtained, it was immediately put in execution. I applied to my old friend the club-surgeon, to whom I made no secret of such affairs; and he immediately furnished me with medicaments, which he assured me would answer my purpose; but either by a mistake in the preparation, or in the quantity, they produced a disorder, which, soon after the dear injured unhappy girl arrived at her journey's end, terminated in her death. My confusion and remorse at this event are not to be expressed, but confusion and remorse were suddenly turned into astonishment and terror; for she was scarce dead before I was taken into custody, upon suspicion of murder. Her father had deposed, that just before she died, she desired to speak to him in private; and that then, taking his hand, and intreating his forgive |