MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 
man was only created for the pre- 
sent scene, —I think we should have. 
reason to complain that love, infan- 
tine fondness, ever grew insipid and 
palled upon the sense. Let us eat, 
drink, and love, for to-morrow we 
die, would be, in fact, the language 
of reason, the morality of life: and 
who but a fool would part with a 
reality for a fleeting shadow? But, if 
awed by observing the improvable 
powers of the mind, we disdain to 
confine our wishes or thoughts to 
such a comparatively mean field of 
action, that only appears grand and 
important as it is connected with 
a boundless prospect and sublime 
hopes, wu hat necessity is there for false- 
hood in conduct? and why must the 
sacred majesty of truth be violated to 
detain a deceitful good that saps the 
very foundation of virtue? Why 
Taust the female mind be tainted 
by coquetish arts to gratify the sen- 
sualist, and prevent Jove from sub- 
siding into friendship, or compas- 
sionate tenderness, when there are 
not qualities on which friendship 
can be built? Let the honest heart 
shew itself, and Reason teach Pas- 
sion to submit to necessity; or let 
the dignified pursuit of virtue and 
knowledge raise the mind above 
those emotions which rather im- 
bitter than sweeten the cup of life, 
when they are not restrained with- 
in due bounds. 
I do not mean to allude to the ro- 
mantic passion, which is the conco- 
mitant of genius.— Who can clip its 
wing? But that grand passion not 
proportioned to the puny enjoyments 
of life, is only true to the sentiment, 
and feeds on itself. The passions 
which have been celebrated for their 
durability, have always been unfor- 
tunate: they have acquired strength 
by absence and constitutional me- 
A461 
lancholy.—The fancy has hovered 
round a form of beauty dimly seen 
—but familiarity might have turned 
admiration into disgust, or, at least, 
into indifference, and. allowed the 
imagination leisure to start fresh 
game. With perfect propriety, ac- 
cording to this view of things, does 
Rousseau make the mistress of his: 
soul, Eloisa, love St. Preux, when 
life was fading before her; but this 
is no proof of the immortality of the 
passion. : 
Of the same complexion is Dr. 
Gregory’s advice respecting delicacy 
of sentiment, which he advises a 
woman not to acquire, if she has de 
termined to marry. This determi- 
nation, however perfectly consis- 
tent with his former advice, he calls 
indelicate, and earnestly persuades 
his daughters to conceal it, though 
it may govern their conduct: as if it 
“were indelicate to have the common 
appetites of human nature, 
Noble morality! and consistent 
with the cautious prudence of a 
little soul that cannot extend its 
views beyond the present minute 
division of €xistence: If all the fa- 
culties of woman’s mind are only to 
be cultivated as they respect her'de- 
pendence on man; if, when she ob- 
tains a husband, she has arrived at 
her goal, and, meanly proud, is sa- 
tisfied with such a paltry crown, let 
her grovel contentedly, scarcely 
raised by her employments above 
the animal kingdom; but if she is 
struggling for the prize of her high 
calling, let her cultivate her under- 
standing without stopping to consider 
what character the husband may 
have whom she is destined to marry. 
Let her only determine, without 
being too anxious about present’ 
happiness, to acquire the qualities 
that enoble a rational being; anda 
rough 
