THE BEAUTIES OF THE LATE MARY WOOLLSTONCRAFT GODWIN, Author of "A Vindication of the Rights of Women." CAREFULLY SELECTED FROM HER VARIOUS PUBLICATIONS, For the Entertainment and Inftruction of the rifing Generation. (Continued from page 43.) (From MARY, a Fiction.) · HAPPINESS. HERE are some subjects that are fo enveloped in it. Of this kind are our reafonings concerning happinefs, till we are obliged to cry out with the apoftle, That it hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive in what it could confift, or how fatiety could be prevented. Man feems formed for action, though the paffions are feldom properly managed; they are either fo languid as not to ferve as a spur, or else fo violent, as to overleap all bounds. Every individual has its own peculiar trials; and anguifh, in one fhape or other, vifits every heart. Senfibility produces flights of virtue; and not curbed by reafon, is on the brink of vice talking, and even thinking of virtue. Christianity can only afford juft principles to govern the wayward feelings and impulfes of the heart: every good difpofition runs wild, if not transplanted into this foil; but how hard is it to keep the heart diligently, though convinced that the iffues of life depend on it. It is very difficult to difcipline the mind of a thinker, or reconcile him to the weakness, the inconfiftency of his understanding; and a ftill more laborious task for him to conquer his paffions, and learn to feek content, inftead of happiness. Good difpofitions, and virtuous propenfities, without the light of the Gospel, produce eccentric characters: comet-like, they are always in extremes; while revelation refembles the laws of attraction, and produces uniformity; but too often is the attraction feeble; and the light fo obfcured by paffion, as to force the bewildered foul to fly into void fpace, and wander into confufion. THE DEATH OF HENRY. Mary found Henry very ill. The physician had fome weeks before declared he never knew a perfon with a fimilar pulfe recover. Henry was certain he could not live long; all the reft he could obtain, was procured by opiates. Mary now enjoyed the melancholy pleasure of nurfing him, and softened by her tenderness the pains fhe could not remove. Every figh did she stifle, every tear restrain, when he could fee or hear them. She would boast of her refignation-yet catch eagerly at the leaft ray of hope. While he slept fhe would fupport his pillow, and reft her head where the could feel his breath. She loved him better than herfelf-fhe could not pray for his recovery; she could only fay, The will of hea ven be done. While fhe was in this ftate, fhe laboured to acquire fortitude; but one tender look deftroyed it all-fhe rather laboured, indeed, to make him believe fhe was refigned, than really to be fo. She withed to receive the facrament with him, as a bond of union which was to extend beyond the grave. She did fo, and received comfort from it; fhe rofe above her mifery. His end was now approaching, Mary fat on th fide of the bed. His eyes appeared fixed-no lon ge ger agitated by paffion, he only felt that it was a fearful thing to die. The foul retired to the citadel; but it was not now folely filled by the image of her who in filent defpair watched for his laft breath. Collected, a frightful calmnefs ftilled every turbulent emotion. The mother's grief was more audible. Henry had for fome time only attended to Mary-Mary pitied the parent, whofe ftings of confcience increased her forrow; the whifpered him, "Thy mother weeps, difregarded by thee; oh! comfort her ". "My mother, thy fon bleffes thee."-The oppreffed parent left the room. And Mary waited to fee him die. She preffed with trembling eagerness his parched lips -he opened his eyes again; the fpreading film retired, and love relumed them-he gave a look-it was never forgotten. My Mary, will you be comforted? Yes, yes, the exclaimed in a firm voice; you go to be happy-I am not a complete wretch! The words almoft choaked her. He was a long time filent; the opiate produced a kind of ftupor. At laft, in an agony, he cried, "It is dark; I cannot fee thee; raife me up. Where is Mary? did the not fay fhe delighted to support me? let me die in her arms. Her arms were opened to receive him; they trembled not. Again he was obliged to lie down, refting on her: as the agonies increased he leaned towards her: the foul feemed flying to her, as it efcaped out of its prifon. The breathing was interrupted; fhe heard diftinctly the last figh-and lifting up to heaven her eyes, "Father, receive his fpirit," the calmly cried. The attendants gathered round; fhe moved not, nor bt vd the clamour; the hand feemed yet to press hers; Chrwas warm. A ray of light from an opened winthe waywered the pale face. good difpothe room, and retired to one very near it ; foil; but ho'own on the floor, fixed her eyes on the door though conviment which contained the body. Every event of her life rushed acrofs her mind with wonderful rapidity-yet all was ftill-fate had given the finishing ftroke. She fat till midnight.-Then rofe in a phrenfy. went into the apartment, and defired thofe who watched the body to retire. She knelt by the bed fide ;- -an enthufiaftic devotion overcame the dictates of defpair.-She prayed most ardently to be fupported, and dedicated herfelf to the fervice of that Being into whofe hands fhe had committed the spirit fhe almoft adored-again—and again, -the prayed wildly-and fervently-but attempting to touch the lifelefs hand-her head fwum-fhe funk CONCLUSION. Mary vifited the continent, and fought health in different climates; but her nerves were not to be restored to their former ftate. She then retired to her house in the country, established manufactories, threw the estate into small farms; and continually employed herself this way to diffipate care, and banish unavailing regret. She vifited the fick, fupported the old, and educated the young. Thefe occupations engroffed her mind; but there were hours when all her former woes would return and haunt her. Whenever she did, or faid any thing she thought Henry would have approved of-fhe could not avoid thinking with anguish of the rapture his approbation ever conveyed to her heart-a heart in which there was a void, that even benevolence and religion could not fill. The latter taught her to ftruggle for re-, fignation; and the former rendered life supportable. Her delicate ftate of health did not promife long life. In moments of folitary sadness, a gleam of joy would dart across her mind-She thought the was haftening to that world where there is neither marrying, nor giving in marriage. VOL. IV. P (From (From the WRONGS of WOMEN). ON MADNESS. Maria contemplated the most terrific of ruins-that of a human foul. What is the view of the fallen column, the mouldering arch of the most exquifite workmanship when compared with this living memento of the fragility, the inftability of reafon, and the wild luxuriancy of noxious paffions? Enthusiasm turned adrift like fome rich ftream, overflowing its banks, rushes forward with deftructive velocity, infpiring a fublime concentration of thought. Thus thought Maria—these are the ravages over which humanity muft ever mournfully ponder with a degree of anguifh not excited by crumbling marble or cankering brafs, unfaithful to the truft of monumental fame. It is not over the decaying productions of the mind embodied with the happieft art we grieve moft bitterly. The view of what has been done by man produces a melancholy yet aggrandizing fcene of what remains to be atchieved by human intellect; but a men tal convulfion, which like the devaftation of an earthquake, throws all the elements of thought and imagination into confufion, makes contemplation giddy, and we fearfully afk on what ground we ourfelves ftand. Thinking it felfish to dwell on her own fufferings when in the midst of wretches who had not only loft all that endears life, but their very felves, Maria's imagination was occupied with melancholy earnestness to trace the mazes of mifery through which fo many wretches must have paffed to this receptacle of disjointed fouls, the grand fource of human corruption. Often at midnight was fhe waked by the difmal fhrieks of demoniac rage, or of excruciating defpair, uttered in fuch wild tones of indefcribable anguish, as proved the total abfence of reafon, and roufed phantoms of horror in her mind far more terrific than all that dreaming fuperftition ever drew. Befides, there was frequently fomething fo inconceivably |