J 792. the temple of U ymen, 257 



THE TEMPLE OF HYMEN. 



In a letter ivritten by a young gentleman of Philadelphia to a 

 jou/ig lady. 



My dear friend, 

 IjAst night I slept, and I dreamed that I was walking on 

 a beautiful spacious plain, in the middle of which stood a 

 lofty nagnificent temple, which appeared to be ancient 

 and venerable : and though some people advanced in years 

 who were present, remarked, that it was much decayed 

 since they had first paid a visit there ; yet to me, and all 

 young persons who were in the single line of life, it ap- 

 peared to be the most elegant and beautiful dome we had 

 ever beheld. As I was admiring it, I saw innumerable 

 crowds of people rufliing forward towards it, in pairs ; 

 though, I confefs, I thought them very strangely coupled '5 

 0.9 I observed men of fifty, leading nymphs of fifteen ; and 

 Avidows of forty, attended by beaux of twenty-two. I 

 stepped to a person standing near me who belonged to the 

 place, and alked him what the dome was called. He said 

 it was called the temple of Hymen ; " and those you see 

 prefsing towards it," continued he, " are desirous of being 

 ujiited in the bands of matrimony 5 the cause of the dispa- 

 rity in age, is, that all these are money-matches." I then 

 seated myself near the gate of the dome, to take a view 

 of them as they entered. There appeared in their coun- 

 tenances a certain languor and cold indifference ; and 

 many of them, I thought, appeared unhappy; and the 

 nearer they approached the temple, the more their anxie- 

 ty seemed to increase. My attention was particularly ta- 

 ken with a handsome youtlvof about twenty-two years of age, 

 who was attending an antiquated maid, who appeared ad- 

 vanced in life. He seemed to be gloomy and dejected j 



VOL. X. K K -j- 



