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many countries subject to the punishrrfent of a cruel death, 

 and which is, in all, attended with infamy. 



Since then, a novel is the only place, where the violator of 

 the most sacred laws of God, and of his country, can boast 

 of his deeds in levity of language and jocularity of spirit, and 

 where his father, whilst he mildly blames him for what he 

 would term indiscretions, can remind him df his " innate 

 rectitude" and of his " splendid virtues;" I would earnestly 

 Avish, that they, whose manners are yet uncontammated, 

 would look with a jealous, and guarded eye, upon what are 

 apparently so inviting — " Latet Anguis in herba." 



But it is not the levity, merely, with which these breaches 

 of the moral law are treated, that should make novels be re- 

 garded as tending to encrease the corruption of manners: — 

 false ideas respecting all those things in which consist the 

 true happiness and honour of a woman, are to be drawn 

 from them. The man who is so fortunate as to enjoy the 

 luxury of finding his home always peaceful and happy, will 

 be best able to judge whether the qualities that make the 

 greatest figure in the world, or excite the most admiration and. 

 notice, are really the most valuable, or are what have chiefly 

 contributed to make his situation enviable. He will un- 

 doubtedly judge the contrary to be true; but it can hardly 

 be expected, that any girl, who has been much addicted to 

 novel reading, will cordially agree with him in this opinion : 

 for her heroines are never suffered to appear without making 



