ness of manners is smoothed under her steps, her smiles calm the turbulence of passion, and man is not allowed to approach man but in the form and language of kindness. The ingenuously honest and good embrace her in sincerity; the designing and bad have no access but in her name, and their hypocrisy is so far from being to her dishonour, that it is the homage which even vice finds itself obliged to render to her excellence and worth.-But to quit the poetic style, which is not natural to me, the truth assuredly is, that politeness has not in her contemplation to furnish a language for the insincere and dishonest; her intention is in the less important and ordinary intercourses of human beings, which singly seem of small worth, but altogether make up the sum and mass of social enjoyment, to intermix those little sweet courtesies, which give a grace, a charm, an acceptableness to every thing. She is therefore of the family of good-will and benevolence, and he who cannot separate her genuine character and

man.

spirit from the abuses which have attached themselves to her, deserves not the name of a philosopher, and hardly the name of a These abuses, however, like most incidental evils, have provided their own correction. The ordinary forms and language of politeness have their appreciated value ; they pass for no more than they are worth; while the higher value of the heart, of which politeness was designed to be the agreeable expression, is estimated by more accurate and certain tests.

I may add to what I have already observed in opposition to the magnified evil of a polished language, that there is something in ingenuous truth and honesty, which cannot be counterfeited, and which no artful language can convey, In a greater degree than is imagined does the mouth speak from the heart, and therefore along with what is common to truth and to imposture, to simplicity and to art, there is something which discriminates the one from the other; there is a reserve, a modesty, a delicacy in the

one;

one; a prurience, a boldness and a grossness in the other, which constitute a marked distinction of character, and tell the truth to a discerning world. Sure there must be an angel of detection, which follows the dissembler in his path, and compels the dishonest and designing to reveal the precious secret which they would hide. It is certainly the interest of the impostor to appear to be the perfect character which he assumes ; but not all his practice in the art, not all the cool deliberation of his plan, not all his knowledge of the world, aided by genius and by learning, can enable him perfectly to act the part, which it is his interest to personate. Truth cannot betray itself, for, having nothing to conceal, it has nothing to betray; but art has, and therefore cannot guard every avenue of detection; in the very texture of its art it cannot present any thing like the simple and beautiful work of nature. Innocence and guilt are essentially different in their nature, and so in a great degree is their appearance, in

spite of a general conformity of exterior. The artful courtezan cannot personate the inimitable simplicity, ease and grace of the untainted female.

In fine, vice must be allowed to exist in the polished and the learned world, and perhaps in more multiplied forms than in ruder and ignorant periods, though with less deformity and horror. But conceding this, it is still a truth, that whatever be the moral reproach of any day, learning and politeness are not the cause, and they are still a real blessing to the nation which possesses them. I may sum up their praise in a few words;--they add to the acceptableness of real worth and goodness, they lessen the deformity of vice, and on the whole contribute largely to the melioration of society, to the general stock of human comfort and happiness.

ESSAY