THE young fhepherd, abashed, turned away his face. At laft, reftraining his tears, I will tell you, faid he, what, perhaps, I fhould have concealed for ever in the bottom of my heart; for I have learnt from you, that he who boafts of the good he does, is but good by halves. It was for that reafon, I would have concealed from you, what made my heart throb; what convinced me fo pleasingly, that the fatisfaction of doing good, is the most delicious pleasure of our lives.

ONE of our sheep had ftrayed. I went to feek it on the hills; when I heard a voice. I crept towards the place whence the voice feemed to come; and I perceived a man. He took from his fhoulders, a heavy burden; and, fighing, laid it on the ground. I cannot, no, he faid, I cannot go any further. How full of bitterness are my days! A fcanty and wretched fubfiftence is all I obtain by my labour. Many hours have I wandered, loaded with this burden, amidft the most intenfe heat; and I can find no fpring to quinch my thirft, no tree, not even a bufh, whofe fruit can refresh me. I fee nothing all around me, but frightful deferts; no path appears to lead me to my hut, and my tottering knees. cannot fupport me longer. Yet, let me not murmur.- Gods! you have always fuccoured me. Thus lamenting, he laid himself, exhausted on his burden..

THEN, without being obferved, I ran with all my ftrength to our cottage. I inftantly put into a basket, fresh and dry fruits, and filled my largest flagon with milk. I flew back to the mountain, and again found the unhappy man. He was then in a peaceful flumber. Softly, quite foftly, I ap-. proached him, fet the basket and flagon of milk by his fide, and hid myfelf at a little diftance. He

foon

foon awoke. What a sweet refreshment is fleep! he said: then looking on his burden, I will now try to carry thee further; for haft thou not ferved as a pillow to my head? Perhaps, the gods will direct my fteps, that I may foon hear the murmur of fome fountain, or that I may find some cottage, whose hofpitable mafter will receive me under his roof.

At the moment he was taking up his load, he perceived the flagon and the basket. The burden fell from his hand.-Ye gods! he cried, what do I fee? Alas! my want difturbs my fenfes! I furely dream; and when I fhall awake, all will vanish. But, no—I am awake. He laid his hand upon the basket-Yes, -I am awake! What divinity; O! what propitious power, hath wrought this miracle? To thee I pour the firft drops of this milk; to thee I confecrate these two apples, the fairest of the basket. Receive, O vouchfafe favourably to receive my grateful offerings! Thou knoweft the fincerity of my heart. He then fat down, and ate, while tears of joy ran down his face. When he was refreshed, he rofe, and offered his thanks, once more, to the power that had watched over him with fo much goodness. Or, have the gods, he faid, have they sent thither fome beneficent mortal! Why cannot I fee and embrace him! Where art thou? Let me thank and bless thee. May the gods blefs him! blefs the generous man, all that are his, and all that are dear to him! I am fatisfied. I will take with me, these fruits; my wife and children fhall eat of them, and blefs, with me, our, unknown benefactor. He went his way, and I wept for joy.

I then ran till I had got before him, and fat down by the way through which he muft pafs. He came; he faluted me, and faid, My fon, haft thou seen any one in these mountains, bearing a flagon and a basket of fruit? I have met no one bearing flagon and a baf

ket

-ket of fruit but how came you into this defart ? faid I: you must surely have loft your way: there is no path, that leads hither. Alas! my child, he faid, I did unluckily lofe my way; and, if fome beneficent deityor, if it were a mortal, the gods blefs him! -if fome beneficent being had not faved me, I should have perished with hunger and thirst, on these mountains.-Let me fhew thee the way, faid I; give me thy burden, that I may carry it, and thou wilt the more eafily follow me.-After refufing a long time, he gave me the burden; and I conducted him to the road, that leads to his cottage.

THIS, my father, is what makes me ftill weep with joy. What I did, coft me little trouble; yet, every time I think on it, the remembrance delights How happy must he be, who has done a great

me.

deal of good!

THE old man embraced the youth, with the sweetest transports of pleasure.-Ah! now I fhall defcend, without regret, to the grave; fince I leave behind me, in my cottage, piety and beneficence.

XI.

DESCRIPTION OF THE AMPHITHEATRE OF TITUS.

OSTERITY admires, and will long admire, the awful remains of the amphitheatre of Titus, which fo well deferved the epithet of Coloffal. It was a building of an elliptic figure, five hundred and fixty-four feet in length, and four hundred and fixtyseven in breadth; founded on fourfcore arches: and rifing,

rifing, with four fucceffive orders of architecture, to the height of one hundred and forty feet. The outfide of the edifice, was encrufted with marble, and decorated with ftatues. The flopes of the vaft concave, which formed the in-fide, were filled and furrounded with fixty or eighty rows of feats of marble, covered with cushions, and capable of receiving, with ease, above fourfcore thoufand fpectators. Sixty-four vomitories (for by that name the doors were very aptly diftinguifhed) poured forth the immenfe multitude; and the entrances, paffages, and ftair-cafes, were contrived with fuch exquifite skill, that each perfon, whether of the fenatorial, the equeftrian, or the plebian order, arrived at his deftined place, without trouble or confufion.

NOTHING was omitted, which, in any refpect, could be fubfervient to the convenience and pleasure of the spectators. They were protected from the fun and rain by an ample canopy, occafionally drawn over their heads. The air was continually refreshed by the playing of fountains, and profufely impregnated by the grateful fcent of aromatics. In the centre of the edifice, the arena, or stage, was ftrewed with the fineft fand, and fucceffively affumed the moft different forms. At one moment, it seemed to rife out of the earth, like the garden of the Hefperides; at another, it exhibited the rugged rocks and caverns of Thrace. The fubterraneous pipes conveyed an inexhaustible supply of water; and what had, just before, appeared a level plain, might be fuddenly converted into a wide lake, covered with armed veffels, and replenished with the monfters of the deep.

In the decorations of thefe fcenes, the Roman emperors difplayed their wealth and liberality; and we read, that, on various occafions, the whole furniture

of

of the amphitheatre confifted, either of filver, or of gold, or of amber. The poet who defcribes the games of Carinus, in the character of a fhepherd, attracted to the capital by the fame of their magnificence, affirms, that the nets, defigned as a defence against the wild beafts, were of gold-wire; that the porticos were gilded; and, that the belt, or circle, which divided the feveral ranks of fpectators from each other, was ftudded with a precious mofaic of beautiful ftones.

>....

XII.

MR. PULTNEY'S SPEECH ON THE MOTION FOR REDUCING THE ARMY.

MR. SPEAKER,

WE

E have heard a great deal about parliamentary armies, and about an army continued from year to year. I have always been, Sir, and always fhall be, against a ftanding army of any kind. To me it is a terrible thing, whether under that of parliamentary, or any other defignation. A standing army is ftill a ftanding army, whatever name it be called by: they are a body of men, diftinct from the body of the people; they are governed by different laws; and blind obedience to the orders of their commanding officer, is their only principle. The nations around us, Sir, are already enflaved, and have been enslaved, by thofe very means; by means of their standing armies, they have, every one, loft their liberties. It is, indeed, impoffible, the liberties of the people can be preserved, in any country where a

numerous