behalf arose from a feeling of humanity which was not controlled by sound discretion; and that the man for whom they laboured and prayed had little claim on the sympathy of the people, or the mercy of the Crown.

An attentive consideration of the case, however, will show that those who took up his cause, and tried to save him, had some reason for what they felt, and what they did; and that Dr. Dodd, blameable as he was, had a plea which might be urged for compassion. No apology could, indeed, be drawn from his past conduct; but something might be said for his behaviour to his accusers. When he was first charged. with the crime, he, at once, confessed it, and alleged urgent necessity as the cause; and when hopes were held out to him that restitution would save him, he promptly gave up all the money he had, which almost amounted to the requisite sum; and gave a bond in judgment on his goods for the deficiency. To this he added that he would do any thing else they demanded. He made immediate and almost full restitution, but it availed him nothing; those who suffered no loss, persevered in the prosecution; and he who cast himself on their mercy, found judgment without mercy. These particulars came out in the trial, and no wonder that they operated in his favour, that the jury recommended him to mercy, and that so many endeavoured to save him from capital punishment.

His wife survived him about seven years. a Miss Perkins, and came from Durham.

She was

They were

married in April 1751, before he was in orders, or had any certain means of supporting himself; but it does not appear that they had any children. She was largely endowed with personal attractions, but not distinguished by those of birth or fortune. When she was left in sorrow, poverty, and disgrace, reason forsook her; and she died a wretched maniac, at Ilford, in Essex, July 14th, 1784.

Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall; and let him mark and avoid the steps by which others have fallen. Dr. Dodd's vanity, his love of display, and his desire to cut a dash, involved him in debt and difficulties; and the means to which he resorted to extricate himself, involved him in infamy and ruin. Perhaps if the secrets of all hearts, the private concerns of all families, and the real history of all individuals, could be known, it would be found that more crimes have been committed, more guilt has been contracted, and more misery has been suffered, from a passion for gentility, than from any other cause. It has done more than any thing else to reduce families to a low condition, to drive young women into prostitution, and to bring young men to an ignominious and untimely end. He that would keep out of danger, must keep out of debt.

"The first virtue which appears to me of importance for the possession of a fair and respected character, is frugality. If there be a situation in the world in

which profusion is without excuse, it is in that of a young clergyman who has little beside his profession to depend upon for his support. It is folly,—it is ruin-folly; for whether it aim at luxury or show, it must fall miserably short of its design. In these competitions we are outdone by every rival. The provision which clergymen meet with upon their entrance into the church, is adequate, in most cases, to the wants and decencies of their situation, but to nothing more. To pretend to more is to set up our poverty not only as the subject of constant observation, but as a laughing stock to every observer. Profusion is ruin; for it ends, and soon too, in debt, in injustice, and insolvency. Let him not speak of honesty, who is daily practising deceit; for every man who is not paid is deceived. Let him not talk of liberality, who puts it out of his power to perform one act of it. Let him not boast of spirit, of honour, of independence, who fears the face of his creditors, and who meets a creditor in every street."

Paley's Sermons, p. 342.

BURNS.

WRITTEN AFTER READING THE LIFE OF HIM BY ALLAN

CUNNINGHAM.

"Those who disregard the common maxims of life, should be reminded that nothing will supply the want of prudence; and that negligence and irregularity, long continued, will make knowledge useless, wit ridiculous, and genius contemptible."

Dr. Johnson.

Burns is a writer in whom his countrymen glory, as a man of exalted genius, who was little indebted to the advantages of education, and whose works are written in their dialect, and animated with their nationality. His origin was obscure, and the circumstances of his early life were poor; but in Scotland the poorest are taught to read and write, and most of them have access to books. The musings of his mind, and the workings of his genius, produced several pieces, which were handed about, admired, and copied. Impelled by the consciousness of talent, and stimulated by the encouragement of praise, he ventured on the collection and publication of them in a volume. The success of the experiment equalled his highest hopes, and justified the opinions and anticipations of his early friends. The book was received with gladness, and read with avidity; those who admired it recommended it to others; the circulation of the volume exalted it

to popularity, and raised its author to favour and distinction.

His fame in the country opened the way for a visit to Edinburgh; and there, we are told, he was received with the most flattering kindness, and soon became the object of universal curiosity and regard. Those who were induced by his poetry to seek his company, were surprised and delighted to find his manners and conversation much superior to what they could have expected. His deportment was easy, manly, and unaffected; and his command of language, the shrewdness of his sense, the effusions of his wit, and the flashes of his genius, were extraordinary. By all ranks he was feasted and caressed, with attentions the most respectful and assiduous, as a man whose talents and writings did honour to his age and nation. The effect of this celebrity was a rapid sale of his poems, which produced a sum of money that was considerable, and would have been larger if he had managed his affairs with economy.

Besides the money that he received, he expected patronage and preferment; and the expectation seemed not unreasonable, as several of his new friends were great, noble, and wealthy; but it terminated in disappointment, and that disappointment may be accounted for. Among those who admired his talents, and sought his company, were men whose habits were intemperate, and with whom it was dishonourable to associate. Their solicitations and flatteries assailed