be a man of consequence; and happy it is for you that you can attribute your fufferings to any foreign power. You do not know, you do not feel that your wretchedness is in your agitated heart, in your disordered brain, and that all the kings and potentates on earth cannot restore you.

Let their death be without confolation, who can laugh at the fick man that travels to diftant fprings, only to find an accumulation of difease, and a death more painful? or that can exult over the depreffed mind, who to attain peace of confcience, to alleviate his miferies, makes

a pilgrimage to the Holy Land! Every step which wrings his feet in unbeaten paths, is a drop of balm to his foul, and each night brings new relief to his heart.-Will you dare to call this extravagance, you that raise yourselves upon ftilts to make pompous declamations?-Extravagance !-O God, thou feest my tears!-thou haft given unto us a fufficient portion of mifery, muft we also have brethren that perfecute us, that would deprive us of all confolation, and take away our truft in thee, in thy love and mercy? The vine which strengthens us, the root which heals us, come from thy hand -Relief

-Relief and faving health are thine. -Father! whom I know not!-thou who wert wont to fill my foul, but now hideft thy face from me!-call me back, fpeak to my heart!-in vain thy filence would delay a foul which thirfts after thee !-What father would be wrathful against his fon, if he appeared fuddenly before him. and fell on his neck, and cried out,

66

Oh, my father! forgive me if I' have fhortened my journey, if I am returned before the appointed time! -The world is every where the fame :

-labour and pain, pleasure and reward, all were alike indifferent to me-I find happiness only in thy H prefence,

VOL. II.

prefence, and here let me remain whatever is my fate!"-And wouldst thou, heavenly and adored Father, banish this child from thy awful presence?

LETTER LXXII.

December 1.

My dear friend, the man I de

fcribed to you, the man fo

enviable in his misfortunes, was fecretary to Charlotte's father. He conceived an unhappy paffion for

her; he cherished, concealed, and at length discovered it was difmiffed, and became fuch as I yefterday

faw

faw him. Think what an impreffion thefe few words made upon me,

which Albert repeated with as much tranquillity, as perhaps you read them.

LETTER LXXIII.

December 4.

T is all over, my dear friend; I

IT

can fupport this state no longer. To-day I was fitting by Charlotte; fhe was playing on her harpficord with an expreffion it is impoffible for me to describe to you. Her little fifter was dreffing her doll upon

my lap; the tears came into my eyes; H 2 I leaned