225 

 Olt SLANDER. 



<c Who steals my purse, steals trash ; 'tis something, nothing ; 

 'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands ; 

 But he that filches from me my good name, 

 Robs me of that which not enriches him, 

 And makes me poor indeed." 



SHAKSPEARE. 



AMONG human vices there is not perhaps to be found one so pre- 

 valent, and at the same time so pernicious in its consequences, as 

 slander. Myriads of individuals have, from time to time, fallen 

 innocent victims to its baneful operation : no rank, age, nor situation 

 is exempt from it, nor does the greatest caution which it is possible 

 to observe, prove a safe-guard against it. Indeed, in nine cases out 

 of ten, it is against the purest and most innocent beings that its venom 

 is levelled; it acts not by boldly opposing itself in the path of our 

 happiness, where it might be overcome by fair resistance, but by 

 undermining that noble and invaluable support of this life a good 

 character. Yet how many are there, insensible to the mischief and 

 unhappiness they cause, who are constantly in the habit of giving 

 utterance to opinions, either erroneously formed, orinstigated by spleen 

 and envy, which upon being disseminated blast in a moment the happi- 

 ness and welfare of an innocent and unsuspecting individual. It is 

 deeply to be lamented that this vice is found most current amongst 

 that class of beings whose breasts might be expected to con- 

 tain feelings of the most sympathetic and affectionate kind ; but, in 

 saying this, far be it from me to impute to the female sex a love of 

 such a disgraceful occupation. Because I fully coincide with the 

 opinion given by " Caroline " in the last number of the " Museum," 

 that if the female mind were better stored with valuable information 

 than it is at present allowed to be, scandal would not find a place 

 in it. 



I cannot for a moment suppose that it is a propensity natural to 

 the female breast, but would rather consider it as an extremely con- 

 tagious disorder, spreading itself rapidly but imperceptably through 

 society ; for it may in general be traced to a few inveterate, old vipers, 

 in human form, who are surrounded by a pestiferous halo wherever 

 they go, and whose breath infects the very atmosphere to such a 

 degree, as in a few minutes to spread the contagion through a whole 

 assembly; beings of this description appear to find their sole delight 

 in seeking opportunities of rendering their fellow creatures miserable, 

 by disputing their virtues and undermining their reputation; by 

 holding them up to view as plunged in the greatest vices, which have 

 in general no other origin than their own malevolent fancy. It is 



