622 
life to conceal the defects and littleness of 
their husbands, or to emancipate themselves 
from it by supporting the weight of existence 
alone. The greatest of pleasures is that cor- 
dial admiration which fills up every moment, 
gives an end to every action, is a continual 
spur to sell-improvement, and imparts that 
true glory, the = opiee ware of a friend who 
honours you by his love. Amiable Delphine, 
judge not of the happiness or unhappiness 
of families by the goods of fortune or of na- 
ture; leam the degree of affection, which 
conjugal love gives them to enjoy, and then 
you will know their share of earthly felicity.’ 
«© She has not told you all, my sweet 
friend,’ said M. de Belmont: «she has not 
spoken to kp of the pleasure which she hds 
found in the exercise of an unexampled ge- 
nerosity: she has sacrificed every thing for 
me, who had nothing to offer her but a life 
of continual sacrifices. Rich, young, and 
shining, she voluntarily devoted her life to'a 
blind man without fortune, and who was 
the occasion of her Josing that whieh she 
possessed. Atong the treasures of heaven 
existed one of inestimable worth; and this 
has been bestowed on me to compensate a 
misfortune, which so many unhappy per- 
gons have experienced in a solitary state. 
And such js the power of a profound and 
pure affection, that it converts the most real 
affictions of Jife into enjoyments ; I please 
myself with thinking, that I cannot walk a 
step without the hand of my wife, and that 
I could not even feed myself, if she did not 
give me my food. No new idea would re- 
animate my imagination, did she not read to 
me the books with which I wish to be ac- 
quainted ; no thought would reach my mind 
without the charms her voice gives it; all 
my moral existence, the image of herself, 
comes to me through her, and Providence, 
when it gave me existence, left to my wife 
the task of completing the present, which 
would be useless and painful without her 
assistance. 
‘« T believe,’ added M. de Belmont, ‘ I 
love better than any person, for all my be- 
ing is concentred in this sentiment; but 
how is it that all men do not endeavour 
to find happiness amid their family? It 
is true that my wife, and my wife alene 
could render marriage such a delightful 
state. Yet I have been deprived of the 
leasure of ever seeing my children, but 
ersuade myself that they are all like 
their mother! Of all the images that my 
eyes have formerly admitted, only one has 
remained ectly distinct in my memory, 
which is the person of my wife. I do not 
imagine myself blind when with her, so 
lively is the idea I form of her features. 
Have you remarked the sweet tone of her 
ROMANCES AND NOVELS: 
voice? when she speak? she modulates it 
with softness and grace, as if she delighted 
in paying attention to the pleasures that are: 
left me; I feel every thing, I forget nothing, 
a squeeze of the hand, an accent of emotion, 
is néver eflaeed from my memory, Oh; 
how happy a state of existence, thus to taste 
affection and its charms! to enjoy it without 
ever experiencing those inconsistencies of the 
heart, which ave sometimes produced bythe 
splendours of wealth, or natural éxeellen- 
cies ! ' 
«© Nevertheless, though my lot cannot be 
compared to that of any on€ tipon earth, I 
must sdy to the young, the handsome; and 
the great, there is no happiness during life 
except in the marriage bonds; except in that 
affection of our children which is only per 
feet when we love their mother. en; 
much more at liberty than women, think, 
they may easily supply the enjoyments of 
domestic life; ‘but | know not by what 
sweet power iinplanted by Providenee in mo- 
rality, the circumstances of life appear in- 
dependent of it, yet ultiinately they are de- 
termined: by it alone. AH bonds éxeept 
those of marriage, want durability ; some 
shocking event, or natural disgust, breaks 
ties presumed to be the most solid ; opipior 
pursues you, opinion some way or other in- 
sinuates its poisons into your happiness ; dhd 
should it be possible to escape its power, cart 
the pleasure of seeing one another a few 
hours, be compared with the perfect intimacy 
of marriage? What would have become of 
me without her? of me who could only 
carry my misfortunes to one who was ¢apz= 
ble of being proud to share them. How 
should I have been able to struggle against 
the Jaws of society, disarmed as | am by na- 
ture? How necessary was the shelter of con- 
stant and sure virtues to me, unable “to ac= 
quire any thing, and having to hope only the 
happiness that would not come to seek me! 
But I possess felicity, not consolations ; afd 
I boldly repeat, he who is not made happy 
by marriage is alone, yes, every where alone ; 
for he is threatened sooner or later with liy- 
ing unbeloved.” - 
We have not seen this work in the 
original, in which we have heard that it 
possesses the merit of a remarkably pure 
and elegant style. Of this advantage it 
is unluckily deprived in the present trans- 
lation. The translator deprecates criti- 
cism for the first volume, the manuscript 
of which was destroyed by fire and re- 
placed hastily. Unfortunately he has 
not the same excuse for the second and 
third. y 
