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arts and the abstruser sciences, and the too minute difcuffions of political enquiry; at the fame time that we shall always carefully and faithfully give the most prominent outlines of the great events of the times; times which daily produce the most extraordinary scenes, the most momentous revolutions.

To our Correfpondents, many and moft grateful acknowledgments are due for their useful affiftance and valuable contributions. Some among them, perhaps, whose communications have not been inferted, may have experienced a difappointment they may flatter themselves was not merited; but they should remember, that even where we see much to approve, and confiderable promife of future excellence, the imperfections of a first effay may be fo numerous and glaring as to render it unfit for the public eye. Such, however, are not immediately to despair: let them review and correct; let them acquire the habit of being jealous of the deficiency of their own productions, and it is by no means improbable that their next attempt may have very different fuccefs.

We now begin the Twenty-fixth Volume of the Lady's MAGAZINE; a Work which an indulgent and candid Public has received with the moft liberal and unremitting favour for five-and-twenty years. To that Public and our FAIR PATRONESSES (to whofe elegant contributions we owe fo much) every expreffion of gratitude is undoubtedly due; nor fhall any exertions be wanting on our part to continue to merit the fame favours.

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THE

Lady's Magazine;

For JANUARY,

1795.

THE GLAN C, E R.

E

No. I.

VERY writer who gives his thoughts on a variety of fubjects to the world, ought to expect that every reader will be more or less a critic, and that whether he reads to get rid of time, or from hope of amusement, he will probably enquire what right the author has to erect himself into an inftructor, or imagine himself wifer than the reft of mankind. In the arts, and in particular sciences, when a man has made them the study of his life, it may easily be granted that he may teach much to those who are willing to learn; but when any perfon pretends to give to the world his obfervations and reflections on the general fubjects of life and manners, which every one fuppofes he is fuf ficiently capable of doing for himfelf; a peculiar kind of vanity feems to attach to his undertaking. Every reader enters into a fpecies of tacit hoftility with the writer, who, from the very nature of his work, feems to fay to him, "Stand by, I am wifer than thou;" and examines with double care and a half determination not to be too easily pleased with the compofition which

feems fo arrogantly to claim his attention.

Under this fpecies of difadvantage, the lucubrations of the essayist labour perhaps more than any other clafs of writings. It has therefore been customary with almost all the authors of periodical papers, in the outfet of their work, to anfwer the grand question which it is fuppofed, in the first place, muft naturally arife in the minds of their readers. This question is, "And who are you, Sir " I, therefore, having engaged in fuch an undertaking, from vanity or from fimplicity; from ambition, or from a laudable defire to benefit all mankind, and to effect unexpected and ftupendous revolutions and reformation in the moral world; it will become me in the first place to give à candid and explicit answer to this most important question.

My name is Tobias Hint; I am of the ancient family of the Hints or Hinters; who have received nearly as many thanks and rewards for their useful fuggeftions and difinterefted intimations, as their diftant relations the Advisers, gratis, alias the Officious Intermeddlers.

My great grandfather was at one time in poffeffion of a lucrative place in an office under govern

ment.

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My grandfather was patronized by a nobleman of eminence, who procured for him a very profitable employment, and put him in the high road to preferment; but he giving fome hints that he thought it poffible his patron might gain a more complete knowledge of fome fubject on which he had made a long fpeech in parliament, loft his favour, and never became a great man.

My father was a clergyman who had the good fortune to obtain the notice of a bishop, and was by him prefented to a small vicarage, and promifed much more valuable preferment; but he happening one day to converfe before his patron on the character of a Chriftian bishop, as drawn by St. Paul, in his Epile to Titus, the first bishop of Crete; the modern prelate found it fo unlike his own, that he could not help confidering it as a rough hint that he was no very apoftolic bishop. Those who are acquainted with the world will not therefore wonder when they are told that my father lived and died in the fmall living to which he had been first prefented.

A number of fuch crofs accidents have repeatedly befallen every branch of our family, from this their unlucky faculty of hinting their real fentiments. I have, myself, by no means escaped them; and as I have fo frequently found the ill confequence of communicating my peculiar opinions in converfation, I have now adopted this mode of propagating them; in which if they do

the world any good, the world is welcome; and at any rate, I am fafe, because I am not perfonally known to my readers,

But let not the world be too apprehenfive of my feverity. If I fhould occafionally glance at a few failings which may catch my eye, I hope I fhall not be found too cenforious. I had far rather extenuate' real faults, than" fet down aught in malice." In the course of my glancing, the ladies will no doubt attract many a glance from me ; and in them were I to discover fome innocent female foibles, fhould afterwards my dazzled eye glance on their faces, there is little doubt but I fhall forget them all, and remember only their perfonal charms, their good humour, and the general amiable qualities of their hearts, fo faited to the end for which Heaven defigned them,

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"To temper men, who had been brutes without them."

The manners of the age in which we live, though they may in fome few refpects merit a flight animadverfion, fomething to commend; and I know are furely not fo bad as not to afford ed by holding up what is laudable not but as much good may be effectfor imitation, as by expofing what voidance. A good humoured-laugh is blame-worthy to contempt and abe very properly indulged, and have at glaring abfurdity or frivolity may its beneficial effect; but conftant afperity and cenforioufnefs muft defeat its own purpose, if indeed it can have any purpose worth attaining.

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wits to publish, that he had an illegitimate daughter named Franchine -to prove demonftratively that beasts have no fouls, and that they are but machines nicely compofed, and move whenever another body ftrike them, and communicates to them a portion of its motion. Hav. ing put this fingular machine into a cafe, on board a veffel, the Dutch captain, who fometimes heard it move, had the curiofity to open the box. Aftonished to fee a little human form extremely animated, yet, when touched, appearing to be nothing- but wood; little verfed in fcience, but greatly addicted tɔ fuperftition, he took the ingenious labour of the philofopher for a little devil, and terminated the experiment of Defcartes, by throwing his wooded daughter into the fea.

ly offspring of fimplicity-Sylvia's maton, which occafioned fome wicked charms were not to be refifted-fhe was the envy of the ruftic villagers -in deep meditation fhe reclined her delicate form by the fide of a mountainous cliff-penfive reflection brought to her remembrance her beloved and tender fwain-" Colin was not to be forgotten;" the tear of fenfibility started at the recollectionColin, of ruftic memory, entered the army in defence of the best of fovereigns, and an injured country-his gallant courage was eminently diftinguished in the field of battle—a fuccefsful campaign rewarded the toils of his labours-he was bleffed with a competency-he fighed for his abfent love his mind was fadly afflicted-his fair and distant companion occupied his distracted thoughts-his agitated frame was on the rack-he embarked with a profperous gale to feek the lonely wanderer-but alas, a tempeftuous ocean arofe and dafhed the veffel against a fatal rock-the restless waves were not to be trifled withdeftruction befel the crew-they funk the victims of the briny deep

REMARKABLE STORY af a Lion, related by MARIANA, the celebrated Spanish Hiftorian.

ALDONADA was a fubal

except the heroic Colin, who climbed M tern officer's wife, and one

the craggy precipice-he was wearry with fatigue, when the village bell gave difmal notice,

"The lovely and virtuous Sylvia was no more.'

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of those who ventured their fortunes with Nunez, when he went upon the difcovery of new countries along the great river Plate in America. This woman's husband was ever foremost in danger, and always teftified an averfion to the cruelties exercifed by the Spaniards on the unrefifting Indians: his courage however was not fufficient to atone for the mildness of his disposition, with a body of men with whom murder had grown familiar. Nunez fent him out upon a party where he was fure the Indians would be victori

ous.

What this general expected actually happened; the Spanish party, confifting of twelve men, were attacked by a number of Indians, taken prisoners, and all flain, except the husband of the unfortunate Mal

donada,

donada, whom they brought away to be facrificed upon fome more folemn occafion.

In the mean time Maldonada foon began to perceive both the general's evil intentions to her husband, and gueffed at his fate. Women, when injured, more frequently give an

called the Araucans, where he was foon conftituted general among them. He taught them the art of war, and this nation is the most formidable enemy both of the Spaniards and Portuguese to this day..

BRUNSWICK.

(With her Portrait, elegantly en

HE

graved.)

betrothed confort of the

imprudent loose to their paffions than DESCRIPTION of the PRINCESS of men. She openly accufed the general of cruelty and injuftice; and he, to vindicate his reputation, had the woman fummoned before a court of foldiers, compofed of thofe who were chiefly devoted to his interests. It is eafy to imagine that here the found no pity: they brought her in guilty of mutiny, and Nunez him, felf condemned her to be expofed to wild beats in a foreft, at fome diftance from the Spanish garrifon. His fentence was immediately put in execution. She had not been here long when an old lion from the thickest foreft came running at her with all the fiercenefs of famine. She now concluded herself loft; when the generous favage, obferving her bound to a tree, repreffed his impetuofity, and instead of being her deftroyer, became her defender. He crouched down by her, and kept off the tyger, the leopard, the hyena, and the other beafts of prey that were attracted to the fame place. In this fituation, the hiftorian affirms the continued for three days, encircled by a whole herd of wild animals, and protected by the old lion; when her husband, who had fortunately efcaped from the Indian enemy, happened to take this way, in his return to the garrison. He perceived a wretch unprepared for defence, and approaching, found it to be his wife. Upon his approach the animals all but the lion fled, and, after mutual tears, the unfortunate woman informed him of all that had happened in his abfence. Upon this they both fled to a tribe of Indians,

THE
prince of Wales is of a mid-
dling ftature and elegant in her per-
fon her appearance at court is ma-
jeftic; but there is a sweetness and
affability in her manners, which
rivets the admiration of all who be
hold her her eyes are intelligent-
her countenance animated, and her
teeth white and regular-her hair a
light auburn, of which she has an a-
mazing quantity behind, which she
wears always in a fimple but elegant
ftyle--in undrefs, the generally wears
it in a plain broad chignon, but when
dreffed, the has it rather low on the
back and fpreading a good deal over
her fhoulders; the upper part of the
hind hair is generally plaited into
two broad plaits, brought round the
front, and fastened at the croffings
with diamond pins, making a natu
ral bandeau-the points drawn out
in curls between the plaits, the ends
of which are curled and tied with a
ribbon to the points of the hind hair,
which is alfo curled, and disposed fo
as to form a bow of curls, by tying
them acrofs, which with a large
plume of feathers, has a very fine
effect-her royal highnefs wears alfo
generally a very large bouquet in
her bofom-her tafte in every other
part of drefs is equally elegant ;
there can therefore be no doubt the
will become the standard of fashion-
able dress and elegance.

Mr.

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