amidst the little circle of their vicious acquaintance, in the chas racter of gay libertines, than to acquire, by ufeful qualities, the efteem of the good. From vanity are health and peace fatfi ficed, fortunes lavished without credit or enjoyment, every rela tive and perfonal duty neglected, and religion boldly fet at defi ance. To be admitted into the company of thofe who difgrace the family title which they inherit, thousands plunge into debauchery without paffion, into drunkennefs without convivial ent joyment, into gaming without the means or inclination for play. Old age rapidly advances. When vanity at length retreats from infalt and from mortification, avarice fucceeds; and meanness, and difeafe, and difgrace, and poverty, and difcontent, and defpair, diffufe clouds and darkness over the evening of life. Such is the lot of thofe who glory in their shame, and are ashamed of their glory.

"Have fenfe and refolution enough, therefore, to give up all pretenfions to those titles of a fine fellow, a rake, or whatever vulgar name the temporary cant of the vicious beftóws on the diftinguished libertine. Preferve your principles, and be steady in your conduct. And though your exemplary behaviour may bring upon you the infulting and ironical appellation of a faint, a puritan, or even a methodist, perfevere. It will be your turn, in a few years, not indeed to infult, but to pity. Have spirit, fhew your fpirit; but let it be that fpirit which urges you to proceed, against all oppofition, in the path in which you were placed by the faithfal guide of your infancy and early youth. Display a noble fuperiority in daring to difregard the fpitefol and artful reproaches of the vain, who labour to make you à convert to folly, in order to keep them in countenance. They will laugh at firft, but efteem you in their hearts, even while they laugh, and, in the end, revere your virtue,

"Let that generous courage, which conscious rectitude infpires, enable you to defpife and neglect the affaults of ridicale. When all other modes of attack have failed, ridicule has fucceeded. The bulwark of virtue, which has ftood firmly againft the weapons of argument, has tottered on its bafis, and fallen to the ground, at the flighteft touch of magic ridicule. In the college, in the army, in the world at large, it is the powerful engine which is ufed to level an exalted character. You will infal libly be attacked with it, if you are in any refpects fingular; and fingular in many refpects you must be, if you are eminently

virtuous.

"Love truth, and dare to fpeak it at all events. The man of the world will tell you, you must diffemble; and fo you must, if your objects and purfuits are as mean and as felfish as his. But

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your

your purposes are generous, and your means of obtaining them are therefore undifguifed. You mean well: avow your meaning, if honour requires the avowal, and fear nothing. You will indeed do right to wish to please; but will only wish to please the worthy, and none but worthy actions will effect that purpose. With refpect to that art of pleafing which requires the facrifice of your fincerity, despise it as the bafe quality of flatterers, fycophants, cheats, and fcoundrels. An habitual liar, befides that he will be known and marked with infamy, must poffefs a poor and pufillanimous heart; for lying originates in cowardice. It originates alfo in fraud and a liar, whatever may be his ftation, would certainly, if he were fure of fecrecy, be a thief. Sorry am I to fay, that this habit is very frequent in the world, even among those who make a figure in the realms of diffipation; among thofe, whofe honour would compel them to ftab you to the heart, if you were to tell them plainly fo mortifying a truth, that you convict them of a lie.

"With all your good qualities, unite the humility of a chriftian. Be not morofe. Be cautious of over-valuing yourself. Make allowances for the vices and errors which you will daily fee. Remember that all have not had the benefit of moral inftruction; that a great part of mankind are in effect orphans turned loose into the wide world, without one faithful friend to give them advice; left to find their own way in a dark and rugged wildernefs, with fnares, and quickfands, and chafms, around them. Be candid, therefore; and, among all the im provements of education and refinements of manners, let the beautiful ch iftian graces of meeknefs and benevolence shine moft confpicuous. Wherever you can, relieve distress; prevent mifchief, and do good; but be neither oftentatious, nor cenfo rious.

"Be chearful, and gratefully enjoy the good which Providence has bestowed upon you; but be moderate. Moderation is the law of enjoyment; all beyond is nominal pleasure, and real pain.

"I will not multiply my precepts. Chufe good books, and follow their direction. Adopt religious, virtuous, manly prin ciples. Fix them deeply in your bofom, and let them go with you unloofened and unaltered to the grave.

"If you follow fuch advice as, from the pure motive of ferving you moft effentially, I have given you, I will not indeed promife that you fhall not be unfortunate, according to the common idea of the word; but I will confidently affure you, that you fhall not be unhappy. I will not promife you worldly

fuccefs,

faccefs, but I will engage that you fhall deferve it, and know how to bear the want of it."

THE legislature of Copenhagen, in Denmark, in confideration of the high price of provifions, and other neceffaries of life, which is daily encreafing, have lately published the following fumptuary law.

TRANSLATION of the SUMPTUARY LAW, published by bis Danish Majefty the 20th of January, 1783.

HEREAS his majefty hath obferved, with much difplea

fure, and hath underflood, upon farther enquiry, that fo great luxury prevails throughout his dominions, that by the ufe of foreign commodities, far beyond what is neceffary, the wealth of the country is made to pass into the hands of ftrangers; and that, by the unneceffary confumption of the productions of this country, a great part of them is wafted, which ought to be fold to foreigners and whereas it has not efcaped his majesty's notice, that private perfons, whether they themselves may have adopted an expenfive manner of living, to which their revenues are unequal, or may have found themfelves obliged, from parti cular circumftances, to imitate the example of their wealthier neighbours, either ruin or greatly impair their fortunes :-to prevent this, and to affift thofe who wish to be relieved from this burthen, and to restore that economy fo neceffary to individuals, and fo falutary to the ftate, that every one may employ to the best advantage the means he poffeffes, and the fources of arts and of fubfiftence may remain unimpaired, his majesty has been graciously pleased to ordain and command as follows:

1. None of his majefty s fubjects hall, from this time forward, be permitted to use for themfelves, or in their houses, any thing of gold or filver, except fnuff-boxes, fwords, buckles, fhirt-buttons, watches, etuis, fpoons, table-knives and forks, candlesticks, fugar-boxes, tea-fpoons, fugar-tongs, and fuch other small articles as are ufed at table; as alfo the cups, and what are commonly called tummlers, ufed by the peasants.

In this exception are alfo included rings, ear-rings, and necklaces, together with what belongs to the drefs of the peasants, being of maffy filver, and what may be neceffary for perfonal ufe when at home. Further, from the above prohibition are excepted to the number of eight filver plates for the table, terrins, and coffee-pot, for thofe who already have them; but, on

the

the contrary, all other gold and filver plate, ufed either for the table or tea-table, is ftrictly prohibited. The filver, however, worn by the jegers and running-footmen, may be still used. It fhall also be permitted, to those who chuse it, to wear plain filver buttons on their liveries. Moreover, all gold and filver work, which may henceforth be imported, fhall be confifcated, whereever the fame fhall be found, excepting what travellers may have for their personal use, or may bring into the country for exportation.

2. All filver and gold lace on new cloaths, together with taffels and fuch-like, fhall be prohibited from the date of the publication hereof. But that none may fuffer lofs by fuch prohibition, his majefty has been graciously pleafed to permit, that all thofe, who are already provided with fuch cloaths, may wear them until the 1ft of January, 1786. From this prohibition are excepted the uniforms his majesty may order and appoint to be worn, or fuch as are already worn, by the fervants in his ma jefty's civil employments, or by the army, and which no other perfon fhall prefume to wear.

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3. No man fhall order any new cloaths to be made, embroi dered with gold' or filver, or with filk, from the 1ft of February, 1783; but may wear out thofe he already has, 'till the ft of January, 1786. The fame is enacted with refpect to all furni ture for horfes. But that fuch perfons, as have hitherto earned their livelihood by practifing embroidery, may not be altoge ther deprived of employment, his majefty, 'till farther orders, will graciously permit the women to wear filk embroidery, pro vided that fuch embroidered ftuffs be ftamped in the ftamp-hall of Copenhagen, upon producing proper certificates that they have been made within his majesty's dominions. In other towns, and in the country, the ftamping of fuch ftuffs will be entrusted to fuch officers as his majefty fhall be graciously pleafed to ap point for that purpose. The ftamp fhall confift in the cypher of the royal name, with the device zum gebrauch (for ufe.) Moreover, it will be permitted to the women to wear such cloaths as they already have, 'till the 1ft of January, 1786.

4. All cloaths, and every thing belonging to drefs, made of brocade, or in wrought gold or filver ftuff, as well as those beset with true or counterfeit foreign ftones, or true or counterfeit pearls, must not be worn after the 1ft of January, 1784. From this are excepted fuch prefents as his majesty, or any of the royal family, may at any time have been gracioufly pleafed to bellow. All feathers, foreign lace, and what is commonly called point, are also prohibited from the rft of January, 1784. But if any perfon will order any thing to be wrought of ftones found

in the country, he must prove that such stones are really found in his Majefty's dominions.

5. All gilding, whether on carriages, furniture, or in houses, is prohibited to be done from the date hereof.

6. All buttons on men's cloaths, thofe of his majefty's uniforms only excepted, shall be made either of the cloth itself, or be made in the country of filk or camels hair. The com mon buttons of the peasants are allowed to be worn.

7. His majesty permits the men to wear what filk or velvet cloaths they may now have, and as they now are, 'till the 1st of January, 1786; agreeably, however, to the terms of the 4th article foregoing. But no furtouts of filk or velvet shall be worn from the above date, and none shall be made after the publication of this ordinance. Yet, in regard of the royal manufac tures, the men fhall be permitted to wear filk waistcoats, breeches, and ftockings, provided they be made in this country, and alfo filk-linings in their coats; but velvet fhall be entirely probibited for the future. No filk handkerchiefs, that cannot be washed, fhall be worn from this date. But as this law does not comprehend Manchester, and other cotton ftuffs, neither does it extend to stuffs made of filk and linen, of filk and cotton, nor of filk and woollen, or floret; all which may be worn as formerly, provided it can be proved that they have been fabricated in the country.

8. All furs for trimmings and dress cloaths are prohibited. from the ift of January, 1786; but on account of warmness, the furs of the country may be worn; and of foreign furs, only that kind called grau-werk (fquirrel-skin.)

9. The fervants of his majefty's household, as well as all others, fhall not wear any thing of filk, except hair-bags, hairribbands, and stocks, alfo, ftockings, from the 1ft of January, 1786. And the maid-fervants fhall not wear, after the fame: period, any thing of filk, excepting à mantle, and a black filk gown,

10. After the fame, the women fhall wear no other trimmings on their gowns, but thofe that are made of the fame fluff with the gown; or if they be made of any other, they fhall not exceed fixteen rix dollars in value. All women's cloaths, made after the 1st of February, 1783, fhall be conformable to the above. All Italian, and other artificial flowers, unless they can be proved to have been made in this country, are ftrictly prohi bited from the date hereof.

11. Servant-maids fhall not wear any head-drefs that shall ex ceed one rix dollar and half in value, except on their marriage day. Neither shall they wear any car-rings.

12. Every