There fine speckled creatures claimed kindred with me, Was fretful at first, and then shed a few tears."- MORAL. To find a moral where there 's none Is hard indeed, yet must be done: How strange a waste of life appears To wink an eye, or move a limb, To doze and dream;-and then to think Had his existence been eternal What better could have filled his journal? 250 ON VISITING COWPER'S GARDEN. In this extraordinary creature: And learn at least, whoe'er you be, It seems that life is all a void, Perhaps you'd spend a thousand so. The work is ours, and they shall rue it What is it but a vale of tears, Though we should live a thousand years? XXXVI. ON VISITING COWPER'S GARDEN AND SUMMER HOUSE AT OLNEY. ARE these the trees ?-Is this the place? These roses, did they bloom for him? Trod he these walks with thoughtful pace? Is this the bower?-a humble shed Art waits on wealth, there let her roam- This quiet garden's humble bound, That tranquil tender sky of blue, We stept within:-at once on each "T is silent homage paid to Mind. They tell us here he thought and wrote, Perhaps the balmy air was fraught Did zephyrs bear on golden wings And here he suffered!-this recess Here are no richly sculptured urns Sir, XXXVII. THE TROUBLESOME FRIEND. To the Editor of the Youth's Magazine. In the hope that some of your correspondents may offer a few remarks on the subject on which I am about to address you, I have been induced to lay before you certain grievances under which I have long privately groaned: and as it is possible that others besides myself may have similar things to complain of, you may, by the insertion of my letter, be rendering a public service while conferring a private obligation. You must know that the house adjoining my father's is occupied by a family with whom we are on terms of intimacy. The eldest daughter especially, being a girl of my own age, I have always considered as a particular friend; and notwithstanding the complaints I am about to lay before you, I really feel a sincere regard for her; although I will not deny that the warm affection which I at first entertained is greatly damped by the continual vexations to which her conduct exposes me. In short, sir, she is one of those good sort of people whose misfortune it is to be very soon affronted. Now it is needless to state how many occasions will perpetually occur, between such near neighbors, of taking offence where there is a disposition to do so; - and that, notwithstanding the most sincere and diligent efforts on one part to avoid them. Being myself one of a large family, my time is very much occupied by domestic affairs; besides by attention to those pursuits which are necessary to the completion of my education. Now it unfortunately happens that our neighbor, although in circumstances apparantly similar to my own, has, or makes a much larger portion of leisure than I can command; and hence arises one of the principal sources of uneasiness between us. She is so much hurt, as her phrase is, that I am not ready and willing at all times of the day to step in, or to have a gossip over the garden wall. Now, although no one can enjoy the pleasures of society more than I do at |