not the cafe; for, till he had been flattering approbation bestowed upon corrupted by evil communication, he was admired for the amiableness of his manners. His countenance was animated, denoted great fufceptibility; and, at the fame time, gave figns of unusual benignity. He enlifted under Robespierre, as Lucius Cornelius did under Marius; and, by the inftruction of that able mafter, was qualifying apace to put as many of his fellow-creatures to death, by the defpotifm of the law, as thofe fanguinary generals had done by the edge of the word. He preferved, however, during the first part of his political career, his reputation for the gentleness of his difpofition, and for the equity of his fentiments, infomuch that he was perfuaded to affume the prenomen of Ariftides, which a rifing vanity only could have prevailed upon him to do. He lacked, however, the generofity of the Athenian whofe name he had affumed, for he could not forgive even a fuppofed enemy; like him, indeed, he appeared to difregard riches, as, after his execution, it was found, that he had not left money enough behind him to convey his wife and child to the place of her original refidence. him by the minority, for his reproaches of the Girondins, marked him out to Robespierre as a fit perfon to intereft in his defigns, which were to deftroy all thofe men whofe existence he conceived menaced his own. From the dupe, Couthon, in a fhort time, became the abfolute creature of Robespierre: fo that when the latter had any daring or odious meafure to propofe to the legislature, the former was thought the fittelt perfon to communicate it. The French revolution has never ceased to produce ftriking events; but it appears unaccountable, that the fame convention which flood the most formidable fhocks and dangers, as it were, unmoved, fhould become for a moment fo tame and fubmiffive, as to allow the member of a committee, created entirely by themselves, to propose and obtain their fanction to a decree for accufing any of its members, at the will of the faid committee, and hurry him on to the tribunal, without any of the ufual forms of impeachment; not to mention another decree, ftill more abominable, denying to imputed confpirators the benefit of counsel on their trials. When the committee proceeded to these measures, every thinking man concluded the crifis of the revolutionary fever was approaching ra tyrants proceeded, it was impoffible that any obnoxious perfon marked down for deftruction, could escape, fince the tribunal was forbidden to fet any one at liberty, though acquitted by the jury, until a report was made to the committee, and its approbation had for the prifoner's enlargement. George Couthon (fuch were his real names) was a native of Orfay in the department of Puy de Dôme, for which department he was elected a representative to the Convention.-pidly. By the manner in which the The first time he diftinguished himfelf in the fenate, was in the proceedings against the twenty-one deputies, on whom his invectives fell with confiderable weight. He was the more attended to by the whole affembly from the circumftance of his being allowed to speak in his feat; being a cripple from his infancy. When, therefore, he wished to deliver an opinion, a member near him always addreffed the prefident, faying, "Couthon defired to fpeak," and he was perhaps the only member who never experienced any interruption. The The eighth of the Thermidor decided the fate of the ufurpers; and it may be added, of the liberties of France; fince, had any one of them poffeffed the courage and prefence of mind of a Cromwell, he might have triumphed ed over the Convention, and have attained fupreme power. Couthon was refcued from the Luxembourg prifon, to which he had been committed; but it was impoffible that every movement concerning him fhould not be made public, fince the diftort. ed condition of his frame made it neceffary that he should be carried from place to place in men's arms. In the laft defenfive struggle, the imbecility of Couthon's mind appeared as confpicuous as that of his body. He was feized in a clofet, in the Maifon de ZA Ville, drowned in tears, with a knife in his hand, an inftrument which he had not courage to make use of. The horror of his execution was increased by the difficulty of attaching him to the moving plank of the guillotine. The executioner was compelled, at laft, to lay him on his fide, to receive the ftroke of the axe; fuch was the frightful contraction of his lower limbs. This fhocking ceremony took up twice the time occupied in difpatching the other feven fufferers, BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS PUBLISHED IN LONDON, MARCH 1797. Theology. ACHARIAH. A new Tranflation, by W. Blaney. 4to. 10s. 6d. bds. Cadell and Davies. Form of Prayer for the Faft, March 8. 6d. or 3d. Strahan. The Manner in which Mr Garrick read the Common Prayer in private. Publifhed by J. W. Anderson. 28. Riving tons. Sermon to the General Baptifts on the Caufes of their Declenfion. By J. Kingsford. 8vo. 6d. Marfom. The Beauties of Henry, felected from his Expofition. By J. 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Letter to John Palmer on his intended Petition for augmenting his Pension. Is. 6d. Parfons. Dialogues in a Library. 8vo. 58. boarde The Quiz, by a Society of Gentlemen. NAR 297 NARRATIVE OF MRS DHOLSON, A WIDOW LADY, AS RELATED BY HERSELF TO THE WRITER. To the Editors of the Edinburgh Magazine. 66 GENTLEMEN, 14 April 1797. "Obferving in every number of Work, your very laudable exeryour "tions in felecting materials for the in"ftruction and entertainment of the Rea"ders of the Edinburgh Magazine; I "make you an offer of the inclofed, "which you may infert or not as you "judge it worthy of that attention. It ❝is a true and artless Narration, as told "by the good lady herself in my pre"fence, when lodging under her hof"pitable roof, one evening, about four years ago, on my way to Perth, in company with her nephew and another "friend. She has fince paid her laft debt "to nature, and I have, of late, been re"quefted by feveral of her intimate ac"quaintances to have her hiftory intro❝duced into some refpectable periodical publication. It may perhaps tend to "infpire refignation and fortitude under "the fevereft ftrokes of affliction and ad"verfity. The remaining part of the "ftory, and, in my opinion, the moft "interefting, will be fent you in good "time for next number, providing this 66 appears in this month. j.F." 66 Y parents, though not wealthy, were induhrious. They kept a fmall inn in the immediate neighbourhood, where many a wearied traveller found repofe and comfort, and the intimate friend ever experienced unbounded hofpitality. At a very early age I had the irreparable misfortune to lose a moft valuable mother, from whofe death I may well date the commencement of my numerous trials in this uncertain and tranfitory life. My father was naturally of a volatile difpofition, and, like most of people in his way, too frequently drowned wordly care in that which, in my opinion, is falfely termed The CUP OF SoCIALITY. Scarcely had he depofited the remains of his ineftimable companion in the filent grave, ere he found the confequences of his imprudence and irregularities crowd upon him fo preffingly, as to threaten nothing fhort of inevitable ruin to himself and family. At this period it was found indifpenfably neceffary to make fome frugal domeftic arrangements, with a view of paving the way towards a liquidation of my father's debts: our family confifted of my father, a fon, and Ed. Mag. April 1797. three daughters, of whom I am the youngeft: my eldeft fifter, a very rational fort of girl, and then about 15 years of age, fuggefted, that two of us fhould remain at home to fupply the place of domeftics, and the other fhould be fent to the neighbouring town to attend the fchools; fo as one of us, at least, might have a fair opportunity of getting forward in the world. This plan was by my father highly approved of, and it was agreed to give me that preference. I accordingly was fent to Perth (properly St Johnftown) to attend various branches of education, and boarded in the house of a perfon in the fame line with my father, where, for upwards of three years, I conftantly refided, much to my fatisfaction. Mrs Sempille, the miftrefs of the family, was a ftriking inftance of the caprice of Fortune, in often placing mankind in fituations inconfiftent with their abilities and nature,-fprung from a refpectable fet of relatives, the had received an extenfive and regular education in one of the moft polite feminaries in the country at that time, and bleffed with many great natural endowments, the had made the moft of fuch an opportunity of improvement:-her perfon, tho' fmall, was ftrikingly handfome,-her manners uncom monly engaging, and her converfation was uniformly calculated to please and edify: in fhort, the was, in every respect, a lady, and as fuch, you will readily fuppofe made but an indifferent innkeeper's wife; a capacity to which the whim of an old aunt had foolishly configned her. The amiable Mrs Sempille devoted moft of her time to the improvement of her children, a task to which the was completely adequate, and of her laudable exertions I had the happiness at all times to participate,-a blessing I shall ever moft thankfully acknowledge, as having greatly affifted me in furmounting thofe difficulties which it has been my lot to encounter. The unrelenting hand of Death tore from me this moft precious friend about. three years after my return to my father's houfe, and, till that event, I may fafely fay that the want of a mother was in me imaginary. After recovering, in fome degree, the fhock which her death had given me, I got into a poft-chaife and haftened to her houfe, where I found my PP felf self just in time to get the laft fight of my dear departed friend: alas, there in a room where we had often spent many an agreeable hour, did I gaze on the clay-cold corpfe of this moft amiable woman, ftretched in the dismal casement, and furrounded by her infant family, (moft of them too young to estimate their lofs,) whilft the indifferent undertaker, a few minutes after my arrival, deliberate ly thut her up from human eyes for ever. But my friend is in heaven, and by her tenets, be it my conftant endeavour to join her in eternal felicity. They who have felt the fevere preffure of grief arifing from the lofs of a valuable and confidential friend, will not be surprised that fuch an occurrence should operate very forcibly upon the fpirits of a young, helpless girl, whofe heart was, and, I truft, is ftill, not invulnerable to the emotions of tenderness and fympathy. My father's circumftances had nearly become defperate, and his wife, for he had again married, alledging, that he had rather concealed his embarrassments from her before their union, became fretful and paffionate, rendering all around her very unhappy; we were alfo frequently diftreffed by the harsh and cruel measures of rigorous creditors, who would take nothing but their money. Overwhelmed with a complication of domeftic grievances, I knew not what to do-my fpirits failed me, and defpondency was the confequence-fhunning all fociety, my only confolation was to wander in folitude upon the banks of the Leven, where often-yes-Iconfefs it, often did I think of plunging headlong into the water, and terminating a truly miferable existence :-but Fate referved me for further troubles, as will appear in the fequel. It is juftly remarked by the immortal Kaimes, that "Grief is most favourable "to the foft impreffions of Love." My two fifters, from the beft of motives, contrived one evening to force me into company, by inviting a few chearful acquaintances to tea and fupper; amongst the number came a young man named Dholfon, then on a vifit to a relation of his own reliding in our village, and who, as I afterwards learnt, had often expreffed a wish of being introduced to our family, with a view of becoming acquainted with me, fo as he might, if poffible, difcover the cause of my extreme melancholy. It seemed to have been a concerted plan by the reft of the company, that Dholfon and I fhould fit next to each o ther throughout the evening, and we ac cordingly did fo. His manner was truly infinuating, and, forgive me, Gentlemen, I never yet faw a man more generally engaging: we entered into converfation together, in which he displayed so much genuine fenfe and virtue, and at fame time feemed to take fuch an intereft in my uneafinefs, that I felt myself confi derably relieved by his fympathy, and readily complied with what he ardently intreated-a permiffion to repeat his vi fits during his ftay at K- -fs. This privilege he did not fail to avail himself of next forenoon, and, without troubling the company with all the trifling forma lities of courtship, in four months we were married, and my dear Dholson made happy. But the various occurrences in life daily prove the inftability of human happi nefs in this world of uncertainty. Charles Dholfon was the fon of a refpectable merchant in one of the principal towns in Scotland. His father died about two years before our acquaintance and had left him 6000l. of patrimony; this fum, by the advice of his friends, he had lodged with a banking eftablishment in the weft country, (the firm of which may well be remembered by many ftill in life) and in eight months after our marriage, that establishment went to wreck, by which we, like many others, were deprived of every fhilling on earth. He bore this fevere ftroke of adversity with manly fortitude, and, being unable to obtain any comfortable appointment at home, gladly accepted of a pursership on board an Indiaman. Of all the confequences attending poverty, furely that of being dragged away from all friends and relatives, is the moft diftreffing. I was, at that time, much in want of my hufband's protection, but the ship was immediately to fail, and he was obliged to go, for, alas! there was no alternative. That trying day of our feparation, (well may I remember it) my good father had invited a few friends to pass the afternoon, in order, to foften as much as poffible, the ceremony of our farewell.Mr Dholfon bore himself upon the occafion with uncommon gaiety. The time of parting, foon, too foon, arrived; the chaife drove up unto the door, and not a moment was to be loft; my heart was too full to permit of articulation, whilft he, as I fat, fupported by my fiflers, approached me with a breaft full of anguish, and clafping me in his arms, could only utter, Farewell, my dearest Ce |