who could contribute largely. They should remember that charity is one of the first duties enjoined by Him who gave them all which they possess; it is comprised in that divine precept," Love thy neighbour as thyself" it is recommended in the strongest terms by our Lord Jesus Christ in the parable of the good Samaritan; and it is declared by the apostle Paul, to be the noblest virtue which can adorn the human mind. But we need not these instances, sacred as they are, to convince us of the duty of being charitable. There is a monitor in every breast-there is a voice which whispers to every heart," Give of what thou hast to the poor." This monitor may be disregarded, this voice may be suppressed, for a time, by the dictates of avarice; but it almost universally makes itself heard at last. At the approach of death, the most relentless miser is induced to dole out a portion of his hoards for charitable purposes; and he who wonld not, during his life, expend a farthing to save a fellow creature from starvation, will, on his death-bed, endow an hospital or an almshouse, and bequeath thousands with a profusion proportioned to the rapacity with which he formerly amassed them. I am aware that it may be urged, that this is not charity, but ostentation;-I grant it; but whence arises this ostentation? Does it not spring from a desire of being thought charitable? And is not this desire a confession that, in the eyes of the world, the possession of the virtue of charity is estimable? Certainly it is and, in fact, the motive of the donor can be of no consequence to the receivers of a gift. The benefit to them is equal, whether he were prompted to the deed by the pure spirit of charity, or by the less laudable impulse of ostentation; the principle from which it arose, and the merit due to the giver, is to be adjusted at a higher tribunal than earth can boast. Man must not too harshly pass sentence apon his fellow creature. "Judge not, lest ye be judged," is a command of that Divine Being whose whole earthly career was regulated on the purest principles of charity, beneficence, and love. Where it is possible to discover a good motive for an action, let us not attribute a bad one. Let us dispose ourselves to think as favourably of mankind as we can. Let us pity their errors, and forgive their frailties; for are not we, also, frail? Have not we, also, errors to be excused? And can we reasonably expect to receive the mercy which we deny to others? I have been insensibly led from the species of charity with the recommendation of which I commenced this hasty sketch, to another, but not less estimable description of the same heavenly virtue, which may be called the charity of sympathy. It is this noble passion which leads us to feel for the woes, and wants, and sufferings of our fellow creatures, as intensely as if they were our own. Without this feeling previously implanted in the breast, the other species, which goes to relieve those distresses, could not have existence.This is surely one of those feelings which, as the poet beautifully and truly says, "Have less of Earth in them than Heaven." Let us then strive to encourage the growth of this feeling in our hearts; let us endeavour to raise ourselves above the dust of which we are formed; let us cherish the ethereal spark which the wisdom of our Creator has bestowed upon us, but of which the cultivation and expansion are left to our own exertions. Let us, in this dreary season, at least alleviate the sufferings which we cannot entirely remove; and contribute to the comfort of those who have a common right with ourselves to that maintenance which the bounty of a munificent Creator has provided for all to whom he has given existence. Let us recollect that, although there may be some mere earthly distinctions among us, yet have we all an equal share in that stupendous benefit as at this time bestowed on us, in the birth of a Saviour, who was given, not alone for the redemption of the rich and the powerful, the noble, the learned, and the wise; but for that also of the meanest and the poorest, the most abject and despised among men. He consorted not with kings and princes; he was not found in palaces and temples. No; his companions were the humble and lowly; his residence was the hovel of the fisherman, or the cottage of the labourer. He came to comfort those for whom no other comforter could be found; to raise their hopes, to regulate their desires, to withdraw them from earthly pursuits, and to fix their thoughts and wishes on the attainment of a refuge in heaven from all those sorrows which oppressed them here. Let us, as far as the human nature can imitate the divine, follow his example; and, oh! how glorious will be the result? How far beyond all the pleasures which the highest gratifications of sense can bestow, are those which will result from the consciousness of having wiped the tear from the cheek of the widow and the orphan, and having fed the hungry, clothed the naked, sheltered the houseless, defended the oppressed, instructed the ignorant, and reformed the vicious! Dec. 10, 1820. FOR THE POCKET MAGAZINE. J. R. ESSAY ON ORATORY. Quod omnibus disciplinus et artibus debet esse instructus Orator. Quinetilian. ORATORY has been defined, "the power of speaking with fluency and elegance." This definition, however correct, is too limited to produce an adequate conception of the term. The deficiency, I think, may be supplied, and the ambiguity removed, by stating, that Eloquence, or the art of Public Speaking, consists in a skilful use of the faculty of speech, with the several auxiliaries which nature supplies; in order to enlighten the minds, move the passions, and persuade the judgment of the auditors and by those means to occasion their adoption of such measures as, in the opinion of the speaker, it is desirable that they should pursue. Indeed, what is said of composition in general is equally applicable to public speaking: "Scribendi recté, sapere est et principium et fons." From the above definition, we may perceive how essentially requisite it must be to the happiness of the community, that a person possessing this powerful talent, in any considerable degree, should unite with it, a well regulated mind, and undeviating integrity. Otherwise, the influence re sulting from it will, most probably, be exerted in a way prejudicial to those over whom it is exercised. Some writers, actuated by a laudable, but, I fear, misguided zeal for the honour of virtue, have asserted, that unless a man be pure and unsullied, with respect to his moral and religious character-in short, unless he be a good man, his attempt to become an oratur must be in vain. Happy for the world would it have been, could this doctrine be substantiated by facts! But, alas! it requires no extraordinary penetration to perceive the fallacy of the assertion. Who can peruse the pages of ancient or modern history, and not be convinced of the lamentable truth, that the all-powerful arms of Eloquence have been too often wielded by those who, like the magicians or giants of romance, have been indued with strength only to destroy? Let us be cautious in relying, with implicit faith, upon this belief, however grateful to the best feelings of the heart; not only as it is incorrect in theory, but as it is dangerous in practice. That its principles are unfounded in truth, history will shew; the danger of its adoption may be inferred from the following remarks. Under this persuasion, namely, that our judgments, and, consequently, our actions, cannot be influenced, except by those to whose guidance we may safely confide them, we shall be the more willing to take the dictates of passion, for the calm conclusions of reason; and, of course, be less cantious in examining the motives from which our conduct receives its bias. Again, if we consider virtue as a constituent and essential part of the oratorical character, we shall probably be too ready to give our assent to schemes, dictated, it may be, by benevolence; but defective in point of expediency. So easy is it to be deluded by our admiration of the speaker, into a blind and unthinking acquiescence in his plans. Undoubtedly, the character of a public speaker ever was, and ever will be, an important consideration; and it is gratifying to reflect, that the greatest masters of rhetoric have sustained the most unsullied reputation; and that the virtues of their hearts have been commensurate with their intellectual acquirements, But let us guard against drawing too general an inference from these pleasing instances; nor imagine that a great, not to say, a superlative share of merit as an orator, is incompatible with extreme demerit as a S. SKINNER. man. Islington, Nov. 4, 1820. SUPPLEMENT TO EPITAPHIANA. Resumed from Vol. VI. p. 40. Averham church yard, Notts. To the lamented memory of John, the son of Thomas and Jane Upton, who lost his life in the river Trent near this place, in that tempestuous night, Nov. 19, 1791, in the 14th year of his age. Dark was the night, and o'er his fated head Yet who Almighty Power shall dare to blame; John Plouright died May 27, 1742, aged 27 years. Stepney. On a stone, to the memories of Joice Rich, (who died August, 1679), aged 74,) and Mary Winter, her daughter, (who died in the Lord, Nov. 9th. 1687, aged 47,) are the ensuing lines. We two within this grave do lie, |