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A Caution to Married Women,

consolation only from the soothings of fraternal affection.

Beautiful, and in the prime of life, she too easily lent an ear to the blandishments of flattery, directed to her from a man of high rank and accomplishments in the absence of her husband. That part of her conduct admits of no defence. Gradual is the progress of vice, and the married woman must guard against receiving protestations of love from any other man; for when she listens with outward complacency, and inward pleasure, she is lost, especially if the honour of her lover is not to be depended upon; and little can be relied on where a man allows himself, in such a situation, openly to profess his inclinations.

We do not say that Colonel Arlington was purposely absent, but after a husband has harboured suspicions, why does he prefer aquatic excursions to the so

Damage-hunting Husbands.

ciety of an amiable woman, and leave her unguarded and assailable? Why not expostulate with her? why not tell her his suspicions? or rather why not be more at home, increase his own attentions and kindnesses towards her, and thereby act on a generous mind in that safest manner of ensuring her virtue and his own honour, by so preventing the lapse of her's? No, the sweet hopes of obtaining high damages are the temptation; and men seem delighted with the gilded antlers, which they proclaim before all the world they wear. Even two hundred pounds from a livery-servant have had their charms for one of these damage-hunting gentlemen ;-Since he has ripped up the old frailties of his guilty partner in the sweet expectation of obtaining a little more, and he was not disappointed, for he gained one shilling!

But Mrs. Arlington does not appear to be depraved; she might have been kind

Observations.

ly led back to virtue, before she stepped into the path of vice: she now shrinks, abashed, from the world, and conceals her shame under her brother's roof.

Colonel Arlington seemed determined to find her guilty he went not himself to prevent the fatal assignation before it was too late; but every plan was laid to proclaim her crime, and his own disgrace, to the public.

What officious, high-feeding landlady would lose her own dinner, and sit, for an hour, watching the guests who frequented her house, had it not been previously planned, and she well rewarded for it?

The chamber-maid, likewise, and servants, seemed all to combine the force of preconcerted evidence, against the unhappy transgressor.-And how often has the evidence of domestics been procured

A Word en-passant.

to overthrow the quiet of families! Many instances could be adduced of false accusations being made by a worthless servant, who had been turned away for neglect of duty, and thus has sought revenge.

The world cannot have forgot, and surely it will be handed down for centu-ries to come, the cruel conduct of a Naval Officer of high rank in his profession, towards a chaste and amiable wife;. whom he had repeatedly treated with those indignities, which shock every mind possessed of any degree of delicacy, and her's peculiarly so: yet this woman, so pure, so refined, he scrupled not to accuse of incontinence with a black. servant! And the poor wretch owned on the trial, that he had been highly bribed to accuse his mistress :-By whom bribed? The horrid conviction too plainly speaks. to the astonished mind!

Lord Berwick, the too highly-favour

Bribery.

ed lover of Mrs. Arlington, could not be on such a degree of intimacy with the family, as it appears he was, without the knowledge of Colonel Arlington; and that the Colonel had his suspicions, is but too evident, from every corroborating witness adduced by servants. We can-. not think much of the disinterestedness of the Inn-keeper's wife, because she refused the munificent bribe held out to her, to make her hold her tongue: "From the abundance of the heart, the mouth will speak" And she said to his lordship, "No; if I am silent, all the servants know it, and will not be so." She there, fore felt convinced that, tempting as was Lord Berwick's offer to her, as he had not made the same to the servants, they would be sure to tell all they knew, if from motives of envy alone. It may naturally then be surmised, that she was rewarded from another quarter.

Think not, reader, that adultery is

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