Cf the Abbi lie S A D E. 125 



was at laft to attain the end of his wiflies. Such are the ideas 

 tliat we muft entercain, from the writings of the poet himfelf, 

 of the nature and objed of his paflion ; and fuch has been the 

 uniform and continued belief of the world with regard to it, 

 from his own days to the prefent. At length comes into the 

 field a hardy but moft iincourteous Knight, who, with a fpirit 

 very oppofite to that of the heroes of chivalry, blafts at once the 

 fair fame of the virtuous Laura, and the hitherto unfulhed 

 honour of her lover ; and, proudly throwing down his gauntlet 

 of defiance, maintains, that Laura was a married woman, the 

 mother of a numerous family; that Petrarch, with all hia 

 profeffions of a pure and honourable flame, had no other end 

 in his unexampled afliduity of purfuit, than what every liber- 

 tine propofes to himfelf in the poffeffion of a midrefs ; and that 

 the lovely Laura, though never aftually unfaithful to her hui- 

 band's bed, was fenfible to the paflion of her Cicijbeo, highly 

 gratified by his purfuit, and, while flie fufFered on his account 

 much reftraint and feverity from a jealous hufband, continued 

 to give him every mark of regard which, without a dire<fl 

 breach of her matrimonial vovy, flie could beftow upon him. 

 Such is the hypothefis of the author of the Mhioires pour la Vie 

 de Petrarc^ue, on the fubjedl of the loves of Petrarch and of 

 Laura ; and the efliabliflinient of this hypothefi», & injurious 

 to the honour of both, is, in faft, the main fcope of that mofli 

 elaborate work. 



The principle of fympathy is a noble part of the ccynftitution 

 of the human mind ; and is, perhaps, the bafis of all tlie focial 

 affedtions. In forming our opinions of the charafters and con- 

 dtidl of other men, we involuntarily place ourfelves in their 

 fituation, and we judge of them as we fliould wifli to be judged 

 ourfelves in fimilar circumftances. Hence, in every doubtful cafe, 

 where the conducfl of another is found to admit of oppofite coh- 

 ftruftions, a candid mind will ever give its decifion on the fide of 



VoL.V.— P. IL R virtue 



