rich, so in our intellectual determinations we too often place implicit trust in those acknowledged or reputed wise, and by so risking our property in the one case, or our opinions in the other, we are equally exposed to bankruptcy in fortune or understanding.

MR. OGILVIE.

Tuesday, Nov. 21st, 1809.

THE task imposed upon us this evening is changed from that from which we had every reason to expect pleasure, to what we have every reason to lament.

Have the fashionable people of Boston no literary taste? have they no feeling for the character of the town, no desire to promote the permanency and improvement of an institution which reflects so much honour on the individuals who have established it, and which promises so much benefit to their children? O Fashion! where is thy blush-thou wert weighed in the scale this evening with solid sense, and wert found wanting.

A gentleman, whose talents you dare not disown, had prepared an oration for this evening in favour of the first and best literary establishment in Boston, The Athenæum-to which, as was once said of Athens, The souls of all your town resort, and you did not attend! The weather, to be sure, was bad, but Fashion keeps her coach.

Theatre, Wednesday, Nov. 22.

THE FOUNDLING OF THE FOREST, AND

WE FLY BY NIGHT.

We feel happy in the reflection that we committed nothing to the press of what we felt on Monday night; for had we done so, our observations on this evening's performance would have exhibited apparent contradiction. On this evening we witnessed a play, excellent in plot, delicate and often beautiful in language, and strongly impressive in its characteristic features of stage-effect; performed with correctness, attention, and superiour ability. The ligature of history or interest was never broken, the whole was intelligible, and interesting in the warmest degree-and the reiterated applauses in the last scene gave ample testimony of the feelings of a gratified although not numerous audience.

It seemed as if the souls of all the Grecians were enclosed within the confines of Attica, although their bodies were spread over all the other parts of Greece.-PAFERCULUS.

N. B. We are neither to be bribed nor frightened.-We apologize to the publick for the frequent mention of our feelings; but we are forced to it by continued insinuations; yet, by every tie that binds us to them, we swear, that if it is within the scope of our ability to do them justice, they shall have it, in spite of threats, caresses, flattery, or bribes.

We mean to write for the publick, not for individuals, be they managers, actors, lawyers, orators, or ecclesiasticks.

We shall praise when we can, whenever or by whomsoever we think praise is deserved.—We shall praise Mrs. Powell, Mr. Bernard, and Mr. Dickenson unequivocally for their performances this evening, not because we were refused our right of free admittance to the theatre on Wednesday, but because we think they deserved as actors every thing we can say in their favour. We do, therefore, from the purest principles, of judgment, declare our admiration of the performance this evening in all its parts.We have not an opportunity of being very particular, we know too that selections of characters frequently appear invidious or prejudiced, but we think that Mr. Darley's exertions in the play, and Mr. Mills' natural acting in that, and his elegant and chaste exhibition of the French character in the farce, should be noticed with extraordinary approbation.

TEKELI.

We have four times witnessed with pleasure the performance of this melo-drama as often have we regretted that the receipts of the house were not equivalent to the exertions of the managers and the principal actors. This piece is the most interesting in its characteristic features, and the best supported in its subordinate agency, of any we have seen exhibited in this town.

We regret that the managers are so positive in their annunciation of performances; we think, if they were less so, that the public would be more affirmative in their sanction, and the theatre less negative in its receipts.

LAWYERS.

Every institution is liable to abuse, but the abuse of an institution does not invalidate its essential integrity; there were (as we are told) wicked angels in heaven, and there are (as we are told) some wicked lawyers on earth. Now we mean to amuse our friends as much as possible, and we

intend to be as witty as we can be-but the "unconceptionative nature of our intellects has never yet discovered any wit in the indiscriminate ob. servations of indelicacy on lawyers, women, and priests, and consequently we shall never soil our paper with transcripts of such a nature, and we trust that our own feelings will secure us from original sin.

But, however, as some reformation is as necessary among the lawyers as in other communities, we take the liberty of recommending, to those only who need, it the following

LAWYER'S PRAYER.

A FRAGMENT.

Ordain'd to tread the thorny ground
Where few, I fear, are faithful found,
Mine be the conscience void of blame,
The upright heart, the spotless name,
The tribute of the widow's prayer,
The righted orphan's grateful tear.
To virtue and her friends, a friend,
Still may my voice the weak defend!
Ne'er may my prostituted tongue
Protect th' oppressor in his wrong,
Nor wrest the spirit of the laws,
To sanctify a villain's cause!

Let others with unsparing hand,
Scatter their poison through the land,
Inflame dissention, kindle strife,
And strew with ills the paths of life;
On such her gifts let fortune show'r,
Add wealth to wealth, and pow'r to pow'r.
On me may fay❜ring heaven bestow
That peace which good men only know,
The joy of joys by few possest,
The eternal sunshine of the breast.
Power, fame, and riches, I resign,

The praise of honesty be mine,

That friends may weep, the worthy sigh,
And poor men bless me, when I die.

* The reader will undoubtedly give us credit for all the amplificative embellishments with which we may occasionally adorn the American tongue.

We place "women" in the middle, because medio tutissima-between the law and the gospel.

THE PANOPLIST.

The Panoplist for October, 1809, with its usual interest in the first great duty of man, furnished us in an extract from Dr. Butler with an excellent collection of prayers. In this number of the Panoplist, will be found, and we trust they will be searched for,

A Prayer of Parents for their Children.

A Prayer to be used, by merchants, tradesmen and handicraftsmen.
A Prayer to be used, by debtors, and all persons obliged by crime or

contract.

A Prayer for Patrons and Benefactors-but no prayer for lawyers. For this omission, which originates by the bye, rather with Dr. Butler than the Editors of the Panoplist, we have endeavoured in our paper to compensate from an assurance that the Woe formerly announced to the scribes and pharisees cannot be applicable to all our modern young lawyers; for many of them are never to be found either standing or sitting in the Synagogue.

"

FRAGMENT.

They are the thoughtless and the profane alone, to whom a rational piety is an object of ridicule; and we betray weakness of mind, not by respecting religion, but by being afraid to profess it.”—Panoplist.

ADVERTISEMENTS.

LEST we should hereafter be so crowded with advertisements as to preclude much excellent matter" it may be necessary in the first instance to state what kind of advertisements will be received, and how they are to be paid for.

"Who steals my purse steals trash."

Now, as we mean to deal with trash as little as possible, any gentleman losing his pocket book containing trash, and wishing to advertise it, must send elsewhere, but, any person having lost his wits, his decency, or good manners, may perhaps hear of them at our office-Price, Attention.

Answers to supposed) Correspondents.

ALPHA is very ingenious, but we wish not any communication wherein the Omega is beyond the twenty fourth line. If men or women of sense wish to figure in "something," we shall thank them for the juice

of the grape already expressed, without the rind. "In vino veritas," but "frontinulla fides." It is not the largest grape that yields the most juice. Besides, long pieces make long faces, and we wish to shorten the phizzes of our readers as much as possible; another reason, good morals like pretty shapes, are more attractive in spencers than in long cloaks.

Answer to (real) Hand-respondents.

THEY who shake hands with us because we edit "Something," And, they who avoid us, because we are "Nobody;" are equally welcome to their own opinions, but they will not change ours.

We have nothing to do with politics, we will take the hand of any honest man with pleasure, we prefer the Publican to the Pharisee :—

Be just, and fear not:

Let all the ends, thou aim'st at, be thy country's,

Thy God's, and truth's, then if thou fall'st-

PRETERNATURAL AFFECTION.

THE following instance of extraordinary attachment is thought worthy of relation; though the objects of it are of inferiour importance, the subject to some may be interesting.

The attachment is still continued in the house of the Editor.

Six chickens lately hatched, and suffering from the severity of the weather, were taken from the hen, placed in a cage, which was introduced to a warm room; the cage was open at the top. In the evening a female cat was discovered in the cage hovering and cherishing the chickens with her own warmth-the cat was removed-but during the night exhibited symptoms of great anxiety-she caught the first opportunity in the morning of returning to her adopted charge, by whom she was welcomed as a natural mother. She was afterwards permitted to have free access, and since the latter end of the last month she has to the present moment attended the chickens as a parent, fed with them, slept with them, cherished and protected them.

MR. OGILVIE.

Thursday, Nov. 23d, 1809.

We return home this evening, and with delight bid sleep give place to the rapturous reflections on the intellectual feast we have enjoyed; for