related in a paper published in Manchester, England.

"The elder brother of this house of merchant-princes, amply revenged himself upon a libeller who had made himself merry with the peculiarities of the amiable fraternity. This man published a pamphlet, in which one of the brothers (D.) was designated as 'Billy Button,' and represented as talking largely of their foreign trade, having travellers who regularly visited Chowbent, Bullock, Smithy, and other foreign parts. Some kind friend' had told W. of this pamphlet, and W. had said that the man would live to repent of its publication. This saying was kindly conveyed to the libeller, who said that he should take care never to be in their debt. But the man in business does not always know who shall be his creditor. The author of the pamphlet became bankrupt, and the Brothers held an acceptance of his, which had been endorsed by the drawer, who had also become bankrupt. The wantonly libelled men had thus become creditors of the libeller. They now had it in their power to make him repent of his audacity. He could not obtain his certificate without their signature, and without it he could not enter into business again. He had obtained the number of signatures required by the bankrupt laws, except one.

"It seemed folly to hope that the firm of 'Brothers' would supply the deficiency. What! they, who had cruelly been made the laughingstock of the public, forget the wrong, and favor the wrong doer! He despaired; but the claims of a wife and children forced him at last to make the application. Humbled by misery, he presented himself at the counting-room of the wronged. W. was there alone, and his first words to the delinquent, were, Shut the door, sir!' sternly uttered. The door was shut, and the libeller stood, trembling before the libelled. He told his tale, and produced his certificate, which was instantly clutched by the injured merchant.

"You wrote a pamphlet against us once! exclaimed W. The supplicant expected to see his parchment thrown into the fire; but this was not its destination. W. took a pen, and writing something on the document, handed it back to the bankrupt. He, poor wretch, expected to see there, rogue, scoundrel, libeller,' inscribed; but there was, in fair, round characters, the signature of the firm ! 'We make it a rule,' said W., 'never to refuse signing the certificate of an honest tradesman, and we have never heard you was anything else.' The tear started into the poor man's eyes.

"Ah!" said W., 'my saying was true: I

said you would live to repent writing that pamphlet. I did not mean it as a threat; I only meant that some day you would know us better, and would repent you had tried to injure us. I see you repent of it now.' 'I do, I do,' said the grateful man. 'Well, well, my dear fellow,' said W., you know us now. How do you

get on? What are you going to do?' The poor man stated that he had friends who could assist him when his certificate was obtained. But how are you off in the meantime?' And the answer was, that having given up everything to his creditors, he had been compelled to stint his family of even the common necessaries, that he might be enabled to pay the cost of his certificate. My dear fellow,' said W., 'this will never do-your family must not suffer. Be kind enough to take this ten pound note to your wife from me. There, there, my dear fellownay, don't cry-it will be all well with you yet. Keep up your spirits, set to work like a man, and you will raise your head yet.' The overpowered man endeavored in vain to express his thanks the swelling in his throat forbade words; he put his handkerchief to his face, and went out of the door crying like a child."

Here we discover the proper result of kindness. If these truly good men had pursued a different course-if they had treated that unfor

tunate man with harshness-if they had refused to sign his certificate-how different would have been the consequences! His energies would have been crushed, hope would have deserted him, and, perchance, like multitudes before him, he would have fallen into intemperance and vice, and ended his days in prison. His family would have become the prey of gaunt poverty, his children would have been neglected, to grow up in ignorance and crime; while his wife, if not driven to licentiousness by absolute want, would have gone down to the grave, like many others of her sex before her, broken-hearted. But kindness changed such fearful gleamings of horror into a bright morning of joy. The fallen man was cheered-his hopes were revived-a path was opened by which to retrieve himself— his generous creditors, whom he had treated so unkindly, took the last obstacle out of his path to prosperity-and not only this, they gave him means to keep his family in comfort, while he was collecting his energies for another effort in life. Poor fellow! well might his tongue refuse to do its office, and his eyes gush with tears of repentance and subdued feeling.

The melting influence of kindness beams out of the following incident, which beautifully illustrates the object of this chapter. About a century since, a comic author employed an actor,

"celebrated for mimicry," to visit the celebrated Dr. Woodward, of England, for the purpose of gaining a knowledge of his manner, person, and awkward delivery. The object was, to create laughter by having the actor mimic the doctor on the stage. To accomplish this, the actor, in the dress of a countryman, waited upon the doctor, declaring that his wife was sorely afflicted with diseases, and amazed him by stating that she was borne down with an oppressive burthen of accumulated pains of the most opposite nature. After having gained the knowledge he wished, the actor awkwardly offered a guinea to the doctor as a fee. "Put up thy money, poor fellow," cried the doctor, "put up thy money. Thou hast need of all thy cash, and all thy patience too, with such a bundle of diseases tied to thy back." The actor returned to the author, and gave such a correct and ludicrous imitation of the doctor, that his employer absolutely screamed with delight. But it appears that the kindness of the doctor had a very different effect from what the author anticipated; for the mimic petrified him, by declaring, in the voice of warm and subdued feeling, "that he would sooner die than prostitute his talents to the rendering such genuine humanity a public laughingstock."* Had the doctor treated him harshly

* Penny Magazine, Vol. I., p. 208