hundred thousand crowns, to defray the charges of his family, and to afford him a small fum for acts of beneficence and charity.

The place he had chofen for his retreat, was the monaftery of St Juftus, in the province of Eftremadura It was feated in a vale of no great extent, watered by a small brook, and surrounded by rising grounds, covered with lofty trees. From the nature of the foil, as well as the temperature of the climate, it was efteemed the most healthful and delicious fituation in Spain.Some months before his refignation, he had fent an architect thither, to add a new apartment to the monaftery, for his accommodation; but he gave ftrict orders, that the style of building should be fuch as fuited his prefent fituation rather than his former dignity. It confifted only of fix rooms; four of them in the form of friars' cells, with naked walls; the other two, each twenty feet fquare, were hung with brown cloth, and furnished in the most simple manner. They were all on a level with the ground; with a door on one fide, into a garden, of which Charles himself had given the plan, and which he had filled with various plants, intending to cultivate them with his own hands. On the other fide, they communicated with the chapel of the monaftery in which he was to perform his devotions. Into this humble retreat, hardly fufficient for the comfortable accommodation of a private gentleman, did Charles enter, with twelve domestics only. He buried there, in folitude and filence, his grandeur, his ambition, together with all thofe vaft projects which, during half a century, had alarmed and agitated Europe, filling every kingdom in it, by turns, with the terror of his arms, and the dread of being fubjected to his power.

The

The Whistle: A true Story. Written by Dr Benjamin Franklin.

WHE

one.

HEN I was a child of seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled my pocket with coppers. I went directly to a fhop where they fold toys for children; and being charmed with the found of a whiffle, that I met by the way in the hands of another boy, I voluntarily offered him all my money for I then came home, and went whistling all over the house, much pleafed with my whistle, but difturbing all the family. My brothers, and fifters, and coufins, understanding the bargain I had made, told me I had given four times as much for it as it was worth. This put me in mind what good things I might have bought with the rest of the money; and they laughed at me fo much for my folly, that I cried with vexation; and the reflection gave me more chagrin than the whistle gave me pleasure.

This, however, was afterwards of use to me, the impreffion continuing on my mind; fo that often, when I was tempted to buy fome unneceffary thing, I faid to myfelf, Don't give too much for the whiftle; and fo I faved my money.

As I grew up, came into the world, and obferved the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who gave too much for the whistle.

When I faw any one too ambitious of court favours, facrificing his time in attendance on levees, his repose, his liberty, his virtue, and perhaps his friends, to attain it, I have faid to myself, This man gives too much for his whistle.

When I faw another fond of popularity, conftantly employing himself in political buffles, neglecting his own affairs, and ruining them by that neglect: He pays, indeed, fays I, too much for his whiftle.

If I knew a mifer, who gave up every kind of comfortable living, all the pleasure of doing good to others, all the esteem of his fellow-citizens, and the joys of benevolent friendship, for the fake of accumulating wealth; Poor man, fays I, you do indeed pay too much for your whistle.

When I meet a man of pleasure, facrificing every laudable improvement of the mind, or of his fortune, to mere corporeal fenfations: Miftaken man, fays I, you are providing pain for yourself instead of pleasure: you give too much for your whistle.

If I fee one fond of fine clothes, fine furniture, fine equipages, all above his fortune, for which he contracts debts, and ends his career in prison: Alas, fays I, he has paid dear, very dear, for his whistle.

When I fee a beautiful, fweet-tempered girl, married to an ill-natured brute of a husband: What a pity is it, fays I, that he has paid fo much for a whiftle!

In fhort, I conceived that great part of the miferies of mankind were brought upon them by the false eftimates they had made of the value of things, and by their giving too much for their whistles.

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES ARE EXTRACTED FROM THE

G

◄ OOD-BREEDING has been very juftly defined to be, "The result of much good fenfe, fome "good-nature, and a little felf-denial for the fake of "others, and with a view to obtain the fame indulgence " from them."

Good-breeding alone can prepoffefs people in our favour at first fight; more time being neceffary to difcover greater talents. Good-breeding, however, does not confist in low bows and formal ceremony, but in an eafy, civil, and refpectable behaviour.

7

Indeed, good fenfe, in many cafes, muft determine good-breeding; for what would be civil at one time, and to one perfon, would be rude at another time, and to another perfon; there are, however, fome general rules of good-breeding. As for example: to anfwer only yes, or no, to any perfon, without adding, Sir, My Lord, or Madam (as it may happen) is always extremely rude; and it is equally fo not to give proper attention and a civil anfwer, when spoken to: fuch behaviour convinces the perfon who is fpeaking to us, that we defpife him, and do not think him, worthy of our attention, or an answer.

A well-bred perfon will take care to anfwer with complaifance when he is fpoken to; will place himself at the lower end of the table, unless bid to go higher; will firft drink to the lady of the house, and then to the mafter; he will not eat awkwardly or dirtily, nor fit when others ftand; and he will do all this with an air of complaifance, and not with a grave ill-natured look, as if he did it all unwillingly.

There is nothing more difficult to attain, or fo neceffary to poffefs, as perfect good-breeding; which is equally inconfiftent with a ftiff formality, an impertinent forwardnefs,

Z3

forwardness, and an awkward bafhfulness. A little ceremony is fometimes neceffary, a certain degree of firmnefs is abfolutely fo; and an awkward modefty is extremely unbecoming.

Virtue and learning, like gold, have their intrinfic value; but, if they are not polished, they certainly lofe a great deal of their luftre: and even polished brafs will pass upon more people than rough gold. What a number of fins does the cheerful, easy, good-breeding of the French frequently cover?

My Lord Bacon fays, "That a pleasing figure is a perpetual letter of recommendation." It is certainly an agreeable forerunner of merit, and smooths the way, for it.

A man of good-breeding fhould be acquainted with the forms and particular customs of Courts. At Vienna, men always make courtefies, instead of bows, to the. emperor; in France, nobody bows to the king, or kiffes his hand; but in Spain and England, bows are made, and hands are kiffed. Thus every Court has fome peculiarity, which those who visit them ought previously to inform themselves of, to avoid blunders and awkwardneffes.

Very few, fcarcely any, are wanting in the refpect which they fhould fhew to thofe whom they acknowledge to be infinitely their fuperiors. The man of fafhion, and of the world, expreffes it in its fullest extent; but naturally, eafily, and without concern; whereas a man, who is not used to keep good company, expreffes it awkwardly one fees that he is not ufed to, and that it cofts him a great deal: but I never faw the worst bred man living guilty of lolling, whistling, fcratching his head, and fuch like indecencies, in company that he refpected. In fuch companies, therefore, the only point to be attended to is, to fhew that refpect, which every body means to fhew, in an eafy, unembarraffed, and graceful manner.

In mixed companies, whoever is admitted to make part of them, is, for the time at least, fuppofed to be

upon