pany into which he enters; yet he takes their mockery for respect, and their compliments for admiration. The vain man aspires to an ambition, but it is of the lowest kind: he imagines himself far superior, in sense and knowledge, to his neighbours, although he is miserably deficient in both, and, in fact, grossly ignorant. Indeed nothing but ignorance, or, what is nearly synonimous, weakness of intellect, could gender so mean a vice. It may be alleged, that vanity is not unfrequently found among the learned; but, granting the truth of this assertion, still it must be allowed, that where vanity resides there must be a certain degree of weakness of intellect. And, although it may appear a paradox, it is nevertheless certain, that a weakness of intellect may subsist in the person of a learned professor; for a man may be learned in science, yet in other respects weak in judgment, that is, infected with vanity. This weakness of intellect may be produced by incessant study, or it may proceed from conceit of one's great knowledge; but the vice of vanity is the same, whether it proceed from

learning or ignorance, and will meet with equal contempt.

Generally speaking, ambition and vanity are accounted synonimous terms; but it is presumed, that ambition, in its worst garb, is not so despicable as vanity. The ambitious man, no doubt, does all his actions to acquire the praise and esteem of men; he will even stoop to mean actions to accomplish his ends; nay, he will stick at nothing to forward his purposes: yet his schemes are always more elevated than those of the vain man, and his actions more noble.Both vices proceed from the same rootpride is the parent of both, and, when carried to excess, both are equally despicable. But vanity being the vice here intended to be illustrated, the reader is referred to the Memoirs of REUBEN LIGHTFOOT, for a proof of its direful effects.

REUBEN LIGHTFOOT was born of respectable parents,, and received a liberal education. He served an apprenticeship to an eminent man of business, and, soon after the expiry of his indenture, was admitted into the honourable fraternity of Writers to

the Signet. Reuben was a sprightly youth, handsome in figure, and of elegant manners; he was also of a free and social disposition. He possessed a considerable share of what is fashionably called genteel spirit; he sported his saddle horses, and vehicle called a tandem, and, in a word, acted the complete gentleman. But Reuben was withall very vain, and wished to be thought a great man; yet he did not, for a considerable time, throw his business at his heels, but continued to dedicate a reasonable portion of his time to the tedious and irksome forms of his profession, a study by no means congenial to the lively and refined ideas of a modern gentleman. But Reuben, at last, as if resolved to reform his life, took to himself a partner, for better and for worse. The lady was, no doubt, come of tolerably respectable connections, in the middling class of society, and seemingly of agreeable manners; yet, like many well meaning men, Reuben was deceived in his choice: not that she was what the world calls a bad wife, but only that they differed widely in their ideas as to the management of their worldly affairs. Mrs. Lightfoot had been bred in the school of strict eco

nomy, entirely unacquainted with and unaccustomed to parade and finery, so fami liar to her husband. His daily associates were of a very different cast from those with whom she had been in use to keep company; nor was his table of the frugal description of which she had previously partaken.

Reuben and his worthy rib being thus composed of very different materials, it was not difficult to foresee that their honey moon would be of short duration; which unfortunately proved too true for soon after the marriage, the lady commenced a reformation in family economy, by discarding Reuben's former bottle companions from his once hospitable mansion; to abolish the previous system of general feasting, in so far as only to admit a sober friend to potluck; and completely to change the former plan of living. These improvements, however necessary in point of circumstances, by no means suited Reuben's generous soul; and, therefore, seeing himself baulked in all his former indulgences, he resorted with his jolly companions to the house of freedom, the tavern, and there gave full scope to his social propensities.

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There he and his friends, unmolested, caroused from night to morning, quite unconcerned as to the fate of his wife, leaving her to provide for herself in the best manner possible, and for the children after they came into the world-for Reuben persevered in this line of conduct for a good number of years. But as ample funds were requisite to support Reuben's extravagant system, which could not be procured without some attention to business, it was not very extraordinary, now that he had entirely neglected his private affairs, that there should be a considerable deficiency on that score; and as the companions with whom he spent his jovial hours were only attached to him so long as he was able to pay his bill, it will not surprise the reader to be informed that they soon began to take themselves off from one who was now reduced to misery. Willingly would poor Reuben have now joined the society of his wife and children, but even their company was forbidden him; for Mrs. Lightfoot, having been bred to the different branches of needle-work, found that, by industry, she could provide for herself and children, and therefore considered