for raw filk, hemp, and tobacco; her hardy veterans and honeft tradefinen, must be trucked for a hox of fnuff or a filk petticoat. Strange abfurdity! fure the politics of the Daures are not more ftrange, who fell their religion, their wives and their liberty, for a glafs bead, Farewell. or a paltry penknife. LETTER XVIII. FROM THE SAME. HE English love their wives with much prudence. The English, when they give their hands, frequently give their hearts; the Dutch give the hand, but keep the heart wifely in their own poffeffion. The English love with violence, and expect violent love in return; the Dutch are fatisfied with the flightest acknowledgments, for they give little away. The English expend many of the matrimonial comforts in the first the Dutch frugally hufband out year; their ple fures, and are always conftant, because they are always indifferent. There feems very little difference between a Dutch bridegroom and a Dutch husband. Both are equally poffeffed of the fame cool unexpecting ferenity; they can fee neither Elylium nor Paradife behind the curtain; and Yiffrow is not more a goddess on the wedding night, than after twenty years matrimonial acquaintance. On the other hand, many of the English marry, in order to have one happy month in their lives; they feem incapable of looking beyond that period; they unite in hopes of finding rapture, and disappointed in that, difdain ever to accept of happiness. From hence we fee open hatred enfue; or, what is worfe, concealed difguft under the appearance of fulfome endearment. Much formality, great civility, and tudied compliments, are exhibited in public; crofs looks, fulky filence, or open recrimination, fill up their hours of private entertainment. Hence I am taught, whenever I fee a new married couple more than ordinari. ly fond before faces, to confider them as attempting to impose upon the company or themfelves, either hating each other heartily, or confuming that flock of love in the beginning of their course, which fhould ferve them through their whole journey. Neither fide fhould expect thofe inftances of kindness which are inconfiftent with true freedom or happiness to beftow. Love, when foundheart, fand unpremeditated fallies of fondness; but every cool deliberate exhibition of the paffion, only argues little underftanding, or great infincerity. Choang was the fondeft husband, and Hanf the most endearing wite, in all the kingdom of Korea: they were a pattern of conjugal blifs ; the inhabitants of the country around faw, and envied their felicity; wherever Choang came, Hanfi was fure to follow; and in all the pleafures of Hanfi, Choang was admitted a partner. They waiked hand in hand wherever they appeared, fhewing every mark of mutual fatisfaction, embrac ing, kiffing, their mouths were for ever joined; and, to fpeak in the language of anatomy, it was with them one perpetual anastomosis. Their love was fo great, that it was thought nothing could interrupt their mutual peace; when an accident happened, which in fome meature dimi. nifhed the husband's affurance of his wire's fidelity; for love fo refined as his was fubject to a thousand little difquietudes. Happening to go one day alone among the tombs that lay at fome diftance from his houfe, he there perceived a lady. dreffed in the deepest mourning, (being cloathed all over in white) fanning the wet clay that was raised over one of the graves with a large fan, which the held in her hand. Choang, who had early been taught wifdom in the fchool of Lao, was unable to affign a caufe for her prefent employment; and coming up, civilly demanded the reafon. Alas,' replied the lady, her eyes bathed in tears, how is it poffible to furvive the lofs of my hufband, who lies buried in this grave! He was the best of men, the tendereft of husbands: with his dying breath he bid me never marry again till the earth over his grave fhould be dry; and here you fee me fteadily re⚫ folving folving to obey his will, and endeavouring to dry it with my fan. I have employed two whole days in fulfilling his coinmands, and am determined not to marry till they are punctually obeyed, even though his grave should take · up four days in drying.' Choang, who was ftruck with the widow's beauty, could not, however, avoid fmiling at her hafte to be married; but, concealing the caule of his mirth, civilly invited her home; adding, that he had a wife who might be capable of giving her fome confulation. As foon as he and his guest were returned, he imparted to Hanfi in private what he had feen, and could not avoid expreffing his uneafinefs, that fuch might be his own cafe if his dearest wife should one day happen to furvive him. It is impoffible to defcribe Hanfi's refentment at fo unkind a fufpicion. As her pathon for him was not only great, but extremely delicate, the employed tears, anger, frowns, and exclamations, to chide his fufpicions; the widow herfelf was inveighed againit; and Hanfi declared fhe was refolved never to fleep under the fame roof with a wretch, who, Jike her, could be guilty of fuch barefaced inconstancy. The night was cold and stormy; however, the stranger was obliged to feek another lodging, for Choang was not difpofed to refiit, and Hanfi would have her way. The widow had fcarce been gone an hour, when an old difciple of Choang's, whom he had not seen for many years, came to pay him a vifit. He was received with the utmost ceremony, placed in the most honourable feat at fupper, and the wine began to circulate with great freedom. Choang and Hanfi exhibited open marks of mutual tendernefs, and unfeigned reconciliation: nothing could equal their apparent happinefs; fo fond an husband, fo obedient a wife, few could behold without regretting their own infelicity. When, lo! their happine's was at once difturbed by a molt fatal accident. Choang fell lifelefs in an apoplectic fit upon the floor. Every method was used, but in vain, for his recovery. Hanfi was at first inconfolable for his death after fome hours, however, the found fpirits to read his last will. The enfuing day fhe began to moralize and talk wisdom; the next day fhe was able to comfort the young disciple; and, on the third, to : fhorten a long ftory, they both agreed to be married. There was now no longer mourning in the apartments; the body of Choang was now thrust into an old coffin, and placed in one of the meanest rooms, there to lie unattended until the time preícribed by law for his interment. In the mean time Hanfi, and the young difciple, were arrayed in the most magnificent habits; the bride wore in her nose a jewel of immenfe price, and her lover was dressed in all the finery of his former mafter, together with a pair of artificial whiskers that reached down to his toes. The hour of their nuptials was arrived; the whole family fymp3thized with their approaching happiness; the apartments were brightened up with lights that diffufed the most exquifite perfume, and a luftre more bright than noon day. The lady expected her youthful lover in an inner apartment with impatience; when his fervant approaching with terror in his countenance, informed her, that his matter was fallen into a fit, which would certainly be mortal, unless the heart of a man lately dead could be obtained, and applied to his breath. She scarce waited to hear the end of his story, when, tucking up her cloaths, she ran with a mattock in her hand to the coffin, where Choang lay, refolving to apply the heart of her dead husband as a cure for the living, She therefore ftruck the lid with the utmost violence. In a few blows the coffin flew open, when the body, which to all appearance had been dead, began to move. Terrified at the fight, Hanf dropped the mattock, and Choang walked out, aftonished at his own fituation, his wife's unufual magnificence, and her more amazing furprize. He went among the apartments, unable to conceive the caufe of fo much fplendor. He was not long in fufpence before his domeftics informed him of every transaction fince he first became infenfible. He could fcarce believe what they told him, and went in pursuit of Hanfi herself, in order to receive more certain information, or to reproach her infidelity. But the prevented his reproaches: he found her weltering in blood; for the had stabbed herself to the heart, being unable to furvive her shame and difappointment. Choang, being a philofopher, was too wife to make any loud famentations ; he he thought it beft to bear his lofs with ferenity; fo, mending up the old coffin where he had lain himself, he placed his faithlefs fpoufe in his room; and, unwilling that fo many nuptial preparations fhould be expended in vain, he the fame night married the widow with the large fan. As they both were apprised of the foibles of each other before hand, they knew how to excufe them after mar riage. They lived together for many years in great tranquillity, and not expecting rapture, made a shift to find contentment. Farewell. 1 LETTER XIX. TO THE SAME. HE gentleman dressed in black, THE who was my companion through Weftminster Abbey, came yesterday to pay me a vifit; and after drinking tea, we both refolved to take a walk together, in order to enjoy the freshness of the country, which now begins to refume it's verdure. Before we got out of the fuburbs, however, we were ftopped in one of the streets by a crowd of people, gathered in a circle round a man and his wife, who feemed too loud and too angry to be understood. The people were highly pleafed with the difpute, which upon enquiry we found to be between Dr. Cacafogo, an apothecary, and his wife. The doctor, it seems, coming unexpectedly into his wife's apartment, found a gentleman there in circumftances not in the least equivocal. The doctor, who was a perfon of nice Alas, faid I to my companion, or keep her in perpetual imprisonment, as with us in China? Pr'ythee, what is the wife's punishment in England for fuch offences?". - When a lady is thus caught tripping,' replied my companion, they never punish her, but the hufband. You furely jelt,' interrupted I; I am a foreigner, and you " would abuse my ignorance! I am really ferious,' returned he. Dr. 'Cacafogo has caught his wife in the act; but as he had no witneffes, his finall teftimony goes for nothing; the ⚫ confequence, therefore, of his difcovery will be, that fhe may be packed ' off to live among her relations, and the doctor must be obliged to allow ⚫her a feparate maintenance.'-'Amazing!' cried I; is it not enough that fhe is permitted to live feparate from the object the detests, but must he give her money to keep her in fpirits too?" - That he muft,' fays my guide; ' and • be called a cuckold by all his neighThe men bours into the bargain. will laugh at him, the ladies will pity him; and all that his warmest friends can fay in his favour, will be, that the poor good foul has never had any "harm in him." "I want patience," interrupted I; what! are there no private chaftifements for the wife; noíchools, of penitence to fhew her her folly; norods for fuch delinquents?—Píha, 'man,' replied he, fimiling; ' if every delinquent among us were to be treat ed in your manner, one half of the kingdom would flog the other." I must confefs, my dear Fum, that if I were an English husband, of all things I would take care not to be jealous, nor bufily pry into thofe fecrets my wife was pleafed to keep from me. Should I detect her infidelity, what is the confequence? If I calmly pocket the abufe, I am laughed at by her and her gallant; |