Spiritual Love. city of women, very few of whom, supposing them able, are willing to take the trouble of thinking. Belief is all that is necessary to salvation. This renders religion the more acceptable to women, who, naturally weak, seek for support from some stronger power. Thus, women have ever been foremost in the grand work of conversion, ready to encounter every danger, and prepared by their natural enthusiasm to surmount every obstacle. But they have never conquered those passions nature has bestowed upon them, and the dear sister in Christ has often felt the quickening operations of the spirit of love, prior to the new birth of a babe of grace. This is well expressed in the "New Bath Guide," a poem, by Anstey, in the following witty lines: Miss Prudence, informs Lady Betty that she has been elected to Methodism by a vision. Hearken, Lady Betty, hearken To the dismal news I tell How your friends are all embarking Blessed I, tho' once rejected, Like a little wandering sheep, For I dream'd an apparition Saying by divine commission Just with Roger's head of hair on, I began to fall a kicking Panted, struggled, strove in vain ; When the spirit whipt so quick in, First I thought it was the night-mare But I found new joy and light there; Come again, then, apparition. Faith her chariot has appointed The conclusion to be drawn from what has been advanced is, that women are more devout and superstitious than men, and that under the cover of religion, they enjoy themselves in a manner which the strict decorum of society forbids in any other shape. Women will never be philosophers. Their very ignorance and weakness endears them to man, by rendering them less independent, and reminding them of the aid they derive from him. Spiritual love is nothing more than carnal love, under another name; and he who dwells upon the operations of this holy spirit, and who describes their extatic effect, is sure to raise sentiments of a different description in the minds of his female hearers. Women, on the other hand, repay the services they receive from the priesthood, by becoming fiery zealots in the holy cause of their pastors. Women, who were our first apostles, Without whose aid we had been lost else; In which the cause might be concern'd, Accommodating Husband. 7 The influence of women is an interesting subject, and as employed by our modern fanatics, and sectarians, of great importance to the community. Through their agency, a hypocritical band of black-coats are supported, and the public insulted with schemes that disgrace rational creatures. A week or two ago, a meeting was announced to take place of the Thames Rivermen, to convert them,-the meeting consisted entirely of women, from the different Evangelical chapels of the speakers. Contributions will, however, be levied on the credulous, and we may soon expect to hear of, but never to see the watermen of the river Thames metamorphosed into Methodists, and this ungodly race converted into squads of psalm singing hypocrites, for the benefit of their godly teachers. THE ACCOMMODATING HUSBAND. To the Editor of the Rambler's Magazine. SIR,-Knowing that your pages are open to all affairs of gallantry and love, and that you are one of the most devout adorers of the goddess Venus, and her sublime mysteries, I shall give you the history of an amour which has caused much diversion to the inhabitants of High-Holborn, and which I have no doubt will equally entertain your readers. He who has travelled along this district, must have observed the shops of two rival quill-drivers, notorious for their puffing, their quackery, and their ignorance. Long have the worthy lieges of his most sacred majesty been annoyed with the war of these two reptiles, who, I think, might be indicted as nuisances under the late Metropolitan Act. Each calls the other an impostor, and both claim the merit of inventing an art, puerile in itself, and of little consequence in its result to society, But it is of one only of these important personages that I shall now trouble you-" a little round fat oily man of words,"-one who thinks himself supremely 8 Accommodating Husband. wise in every thing that can agitate us poor mortals; one who is initiated into the awful mysteries of science; one who, in soul, is capable of" bestriding this narrow world like a Colossus, while we are content to creep about, and glad to find dishonourable graves." But our hero has not been favoured by malicious Fortune : he who could drive hostile armies from the field of battle, must now, inglorious, drive the grey-goose quill: rivers of ink, instead of blood, must flow at his bidding: he must now guide some foolish paw in making pot-hooks and hangers, when he might have guided the senate through the mazes of jurisprudence, as crooked as his own crotchets, and as black as his own jetty ink! "Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, But the philosopher will always find consolation in the resources of his own mind: "Who does the best his circumstance allows, "Does well, acts nobly, angels can do no more." Thus would our little quill-driving hero soliloquize in his calmer hours, by which he acquired the reputation. of a great man, and became renowned among the worthies of High-Holborn. But to proceed to the more immediate matter of my letter. This little hero has a wife; and such a wife, with such charms, that it is well St. Francis never beheldher, or his virtue would not have been proof against such a strong temptation! By what arts he acquired her, is best known to himself; but I have heard that it was to the seducive eloquence of his tongue that he may ascribe his victory, and that he has as good a claim as Cæsar to the motto of "veni, vidi, vici," in his encounter with this softest and fairest of her sex. He loved, and was beloved-as one of our poets says: he married, and was happy. To describe her, would be in vain; wherever she went, the force of her charms were felt, and our hero was spouse was by the women. envied by the men, as his Years of bliss and happi ness indescribable rolled away; revolving moons shone but to witness his felicity; and he thought himself, blessed in her affections, the happiest of mortals. But who shall bound the empire of human happiness? who shall say, that he possesses without alloy, the true philosophy; who shall say "I have triumphed, and at last am content and happy?" This was experienced by our hero of the quill, who thought his wife's love was completely cemented to his by the production of several little images of themselves, as lovely and as innocent. Woman, thou art a strange and fickle creature! easily seduced by the blandishments of winning eloquence-by the gratification, as much of thy vanity as thy passions-by the desire of power, which is denied thee by man-by the desire of revenge, for the injury thou hast sustained, and the oppressions thou art forced to endure. Our poet might well exclaim, "Woman, thy name is frailty!" for never sure was it more verified than in the present instance, He Our hero is fond of pleasure, and one day last sum mer, when the oppressive heat drove all that had money to carry them out of the metropolis, in an evil hour he resolved to go to Brighton, and leave his sponse at home. No sooner said than done, and he found himself at that retreat of royalty before he could say Jack Robinson!-to use a cockney phrase. partook of the pleasures of the place; he joined in the amusements of the multitude; and, like a true tradesman, he united business with pleasure. But dangerous symptoms soon rendered him anxious about his health; a whirling of the brain often seized him! nor could the doctors determine as to the nature of his disease, till two young shoots broke out above his brow, plainly showing, that his wife, in his absence, had given him the horn fever! He hastened home upon ascertaining the nature of his affliction, and to his inexpressible grief and mortification, found that a young and lusty Frenchman, who lodged with him, had supplied his vacant seat, and that his wedded partner had sought that relief from another man which her husband denied her. Our hero foamed and fumed-swore, stampt, |