370 DfISCELLANEOU6 TIIOUGHTg. LET Astrape forbear to blaze, As lightning does, with dreadful rays, Nor spoil the beauties of her face, To arm her tongue with thunder: That reason hardly looks difine, Where so much fire and sound com- bine, And make the way for wit to shine By riving sense asunder. S Yet if I found her words grow warm, I learn some lesson by the storm, Or guard myself at least from harm By yielding like Tranquillos. Tempests will tear the stiffest oak, Cedars with all their pride are broke Beneath the fury of that stroke That never hurts the willo as. XXXIX. One Devil casting out another. LATRISSA is often indisposed. Her friends attend her with most obliging visits, and sometimes give her relief in a gloomy hour. Last Friday she was seized with her usual dis- cotnposures ; two ladies of her greatest intimacy spent the after-. noon in her chamber ; they talked of public business, and . the commotions of the world, she was all silence and unmoved. 'I'hey brought in virtue and religion, and tried to raise the con- versation to heaven ; her soul was very heavy still, and her ears were listless. They descended to common trifles, surveyed the green fields through the window, and blessed the fine weather and the warm - sunshine; Latrissa was all cloudy within, and re- ceived the talk very coldly. When they found all these attempts were in vain, they ran to the charming topic of dress and fashion, gay colours and new habits ; they traversed the park, and rehearsed the birth-day ; but even this would awaken no pleasing airs, nor introduce one smile, nor scarce provoke an answer. At last one of the visitants happened to mention a name or two, for which Latrissa had a known aversion, and began to ex- pose their conduct and their character. Latrissa soon felt the wicked pleasure ; the luscious poison wrought powerfully within, her voice echoed to every accusation, and confirmed all the in- famy. A discourse so agreeable scattered the inward gloom, and awakened her gall and her tongue at once. After a few sentences past, she assumed the chair, and ingrossed the whole conversa- tion herself. Site railed on triumphantly for an hour toge- ther without intermission and without weariness, though when her friends first carne in to see her site could hardly speak for fainting. Thus have I seen an old lap -dog lie sullen or lazy before the fire, though pretty Miss bath tried a hundred ways to awaken the creature to activity and play : But a stranger happening to enter the room, the little' cur hall) called up all his natural envy and rage, nor bath he ceased barking till the stranger disappeared. When the sullen animal would not play, he let us hear that he could bark. But I reprove myself. This vice is too big to be chastised by ridicule, for it is a most hateful breach of the rules of the
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