fhould efpoufe his brother's widow; but this is not peculiar to them; for they retain that as well as feveral other cuftoms of that ancient people, in common with other inhabitants of Syria, and all the Arab tribes. In short, the proper and diftinctive character of the Druzes is, as I have faid, a fort of republican fpirit, which gives them more energy than any other fubjects of the Turkish government, and an indifference for religion, which forms a ftriking contraft with the zeal of the Mahometans and Chriftians. In other refpects, their private life, their customs and prejudices, are the fame with other Orientals. They may marry feveral wives, and repudiate them when they chufe; but, except by the Emir and a few men of eminence, that is rarely practifed. Occupied with their rural labours, they experience neither artificial wants, nor thofe inordinate paffions, which are produced by the idlenefs of the inhabitants of cities and towns. The veil, worn by their women, is of itself a preservative against those defires which are the occafion of fo many evils in fociety. No man knows the face of any other woman' than his wife, his mother, his fifter, and fifters-in-law. Every man lives in the bosom of his own family, and goes little abroad. The women, thofe even of the Shaiks, make the bread, roaft the coffee, wash the linen, cook the victuals, and perform all domeftic offices. The men cultivate their lands and vineyards, and dig canals for watering them. In the evening they fometimes affemble in the court, the area, or houfe of the chief of the village or family. There feated in a circle, with legs crofled, pipes in their mouths, and poinards at their belts, they difcourfe of their various labours, the scarcity, or plen ty of their harvests, peace or war, the conduct of the Emir, or the amount of the taxes; they relate paft tranfactions, difcufs prefent interefts, and form conjectures on the future. Their children, tired with play, come frequently to liften; and a ftranger is furprised to hear them, at ten or twelve years old, recounting, with a ferious air, why Djezzar declared war against the Emir Youfef, how many purfes it coft that prince, what augmentation there will be of the miri, how many muskets there were in the camp, and who had the beft mare. This is their only edu cation. They are neither taught to read the pfalms, as among the Ma ronites, nor the Koran, like the Mahometans; hardly do the Shaiks know how to write a letter. But if their mind be deftitute of useful or agreeable information, at least, it is not pre-occupied by falfe and hurtful ideas; and, without doubt, such natural ignorance is well worth all our artificial folly. This advantage refults from it, that their underftandings being nearly on a level, the inequality of conditions is lefs perceptible. For, in fact, we do not perceive among the Druzes that great diftance which, in most other focieties, degrades the inferior, without contributing to the advan tage of the great. All, whether Shaiks or peafants, treat each other with that rational familiarity, which is equally remote from rudeness and fervility. The grand Emir himfelf is not a different man from the reft: he is a good country gentleman, who does not difdain admitting to his table the meanest farmer. In a word, N the fpring of the year 1774, committed on an inhabitant of the frontiers of that ftate, by two Indians of the Shawanee tribe. The neighbouring whites, according to their custom, undertook to punish this outrage in a fummary way. Col. Crefap, a man infamous for the many murders he had committed on thofe much-injured people, collected a party, and proceeded down the Kanhaway in queft of vengeance. Unfortunately a canoe of women and children, with one man only, was feen coming from the oppofite fhore, unarmed, and unfufpecting a hoftile attack from the whites. Crefap and his party concealed themfeleves on the bank of the river, and the moment the canoe reached the fhore, fingled out their objects, and, at one fire, killed every person in it. This happened to be the family of Logan, who had long been diftinguifh ed as a friend of the whites. This unworthy return provoked his vergeance. He accordingly fignalized himself in the war which enfued. In the autumn of the fame year, a decifive battle was fought at the mouth of the Great Kanhaway, between the collected forces of the Shawanees, Mingoes, and Delawares, and a detachment of the Virginia militia. The Indians were defeated, and fued for peace. Logan, however, difdained to be feen among the fuppliants. But, lefs the fincerity of a treaty fhould be diftrufted, from which fo diftinguished a chief ab fented himself, he fent by a messenger the following fpeech, to be deli vered to Lord Dunmore." I appeal to any white man to fay, if ever he entered Logan's cabin hungry, and he gave him not meat; if ever he came cold and naked, and he cloathed him not. the courfe last 1 and bloody war, Logan remained idle in his cabin, an advocate for peace. Such was my love for the whites, that my countrymen pointed as they paffed, and faid, 'Logan is the friend of white men.' I had even thought to have lived with you, but for the injuries of one man, Col. Crefap, the laft fpring in cold blood, and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan, not fpar ing even my women and children, There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living creature. This called on me for revenge. have fought it: I have killed many : I have fully glutted my vengeance. For my country I rejoice at the beams of peace. But do not harbour a thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to fave his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan?-Not one.' -- L 4 I The The Story of Angelica. From a philofophical, biftorical, and moral Ef Jay on Old Maids, by a Friend to the Sifterhood. "A NGELICA was the only child of a worthy gentle. man, who having loft his wife, and dying himfelf during the infancy of his daughter, left her, with an eftate of about a thousand a year, to the care of his moft intimate friend, a man of great integrity and benevolence, with a moderate fortune and a numerous family. Angelica grew up in the most affectionate intimacy with all the children of her excellent guardian; but her favourite friend was his eldest daughter, whom we will call Fauftina. She was born in the fame year with Angelica, and poffeffed the fame intelligent fweetness of temper, with the additional advantages of a beautiful countenance and a majeflic perfon. Angelica had never any claim to either of thefe perfections: her ftature was rather below the common fize, and her features, though fof. tened by modefty, and animated by a lively understanding, were neither regular nor handfome; but, from the tenor of her life, it may be queftioned, if any female ever poffeffed a more beautiful foul. At the age of twenty-three fhe continued to refide in the houfe of her guardian, when a young man of a pleafing perfon and moft engaging manners, to whom we will give the name of Eumenes, became a very affiduous vifitor at the houfe. He was a man of the fairest character, but of a narrow fortune; and many good people, who fuppofed him enamoured of Angelica's eftate, began to cenfure the guardian of that lady for encou. raging the preliminary fleps to fo unequal a match; they even foretold, as Eumenes was particularly attentive to Angelica, and often alone with her, that the young gentle. man would foon fettle himfelf in life, by eloping with the heiress. Her guardian, who governed all his household by gentleness and affec tion, had too much confidence in his ward to apprehend fuch an event: but he began to think, that a serious and mutual paffion was taking root in the bofom of each party; an opi nion in which he was confirmed, by obferving, that while his daughter was engaged in a diftant vifit of fome weeks, Eumenes continued to frequent the house with his ufual affiduity, and feemed to court the fociety of Angelica. The old gentleman was, however, mistaken in one part of his conjecture; for Eu menes only fought the company of Angelica as the fenfible and pleafing friend of his abfent favourite: but as he had not yet confessed his love, the gentle Angelica, like her guar dian, mifinterpreted his affiduity, and conceived for him the tendereft affection; which with her ufual frankness, the determined to impart to her dear Fauftina, as foon as the returned. From this refolution fhe was accidentally diverted by a joy ous confufion, which, discovered it. felf both in the features and beha viour of Fauftina, who, on the very day of her return, eagerly put a let ter into the hand of Angelica, and requested her to read it in her chamber, while fhe flew to converte in private with her father on its im portant contents. The letter was from Eumenes. It contained a paffionate declaration of his attachment to Fauftina, and a very romantic plan to facilitate their speedy marriage. What the feelings of Ange lica lica must have been in the perufal of this letter, I fhall leave the lively female imagination to fuppofe, and only fay, that, having fubdued all traces of her own painful emotion before Fauftina had finished her conference with her father, the entered their apartment. She found her friend in tears, and the benevolent old gentleman endeavouring to make his agitated daughter fmile again, by treating the propofal as a jeft, and declaring that he would confent to the union of two tender romantic lovers, as foon as they could marry without a profpect of ftarving; which, he said, from the expectations of Eumenes, they might poffibly accomplish in the courfe of twenty years. The generous An gelica inftantly became the patronefs of Eumenes and Fauftina; the interceded for their being im mediately allowed to form the hap. piness of each other, and, to obvi ate every parental objection to the match, the infifted on fettling half her fortune upon them, with a propofal of becoming a part of their family. The guardian of Angelica treated her romantic idea with a mixture of admiration and ridicule: Eumenes and Fauftina regarded it with the moft ferious gratitude, but at the fame time rejected the too generous offer, with a refolution fo noble and fincere, that it increased the ardent defire which Angelica felt, to make her own easy fortune the fole inftrument of their general happiness: but all her liberal efforts for this purpofe were as liberally oppofed, and all fhe could obtain was a promise from her guardian, to allow the lovers to cherish their affection for each other, and to marry as foon as Eumenes, who had juft taken orders, fhould obtain preferment fufficient to fupport a wife. This, however, was an event which the worthy father of Fauftina had not the happinefs of feeing: he died in the following year; and Angelica, who had no longer any controller to apprehend in the management of her fortune, renew ed her former generous propofal to her friends. They perfevered in their magnanimous refufal of her bounty, though fome family circumstances made them peculiarly anxious to settle together as foon as poffible, on any flender provifion. An event, however, foon happened, which enabled them to marry without any trefpafs on the rules of economical difcretion. Eumenes was unexpectedly prefented to one of the moft valuable livings in the kingdom, by a nobleman, who profeffed to give it him in confequence of a juvenile and almost forgotten friendship with his deceased father. This furprifing ftroke of good fortune made the lovers and their fympathetic friend completely happy. The wedding was foon adjutted. Angelica fettled herself in a pleafant villa, within a few miles of the wealthy rector; who was furrounded in a few years with a very promising family. The flared, and contributed not a little to the happinefs of her friends, being fre quently at their houfe; and when the returned to her own, being conftantly accompanied by one or two of the little ones. She had a peculiar delight, and was fingularly fkilful in the cultivation of young minds. She rejected feveral offers of marriage, and her general answer was, that he would never change her ftate, because the already enjoyed the highest pleasure that human life can can bestow, in the fhare which her friends allowed her to take in the education of their lovely children. Eumenes and Fauftina vied with each other in doing juftice to the virtues and talents of this admirable woman, and, through many years of the moft familiar and friendly intercourfe with her, they continued to regard her with increafing esteem; yet fhe had fome fecret merits, to which they were utter ftrangers, till death had robbed them for ever of her engaging fociety. About four years ago the excellent Angelica contracted an epidemical fever, and departed to a better world, at the age of forty-feven. She left the bulk of her fortune to be divided equally among the children of Fauf. tina; and there was found, in a little cabinet which contained her will, the following extraordinary letter to that lady; "My very dear friend, "Having enjoyed your entire con fidence from our infancy, I think myself bound to apologize to you, for having returned it, during feveral years, with difguife and delufion. Be not ftartled at this furprifing intelligence--but why do I fay artled? the moments for fuch terror will be past, and you will be able to feel only a melancholy tenderness towards your beloved Angelica, when you read this paper, as it is not to reach you till fhe is no more: perhaps it may never reach you; yet I hope it will. I pray to Heaven that you may furvive me, and in that comfortable expectation I fhall here pour forth to you my whole heart. You may remember, that when we were firft enlivened by the acquaint tance of Eumenes, I was frequently rallied on his attention to me: as that attention was fufficient to mif. lead the vanity of any girl, I need not blush in confeffing to you its effect upon me-I forgot, in your absence, the fuperiority of your attractions, and, credulously fuppofing that the affection of Eumenes was fettled on myfelf, I haftily gave him my heart. As I never defigned, however, that this foolish heart fhould hide any of its foibles from my Fauftina, I was preparing to tell you the true ftate of it, when you imparted to me the furprifing important letter, which declared the wifer choice of Eumenes. Yes, my dear, I fay fincerely, the wifer choice, and fhall prove it fo. Remember that I am now speaking as from the grave, and you will not suspect me of flattery. But to return to that heart-fearching letter, I will confefs to you, that I wept bitterly for fome minutes, as foon as I had firft perused it. I felt as foolish as a child, who, having built for the first time a cafle of cards, fees it fuddenly overthrown. But my heart foon corrected the errors of my vain imagination: I began to commune with my own foul; I said to myself, why am I thus mortified? what is my with? is it not to fee and to make Eumenes happy? and is not this ftill in my power? not, indeed, as a wife, fince he has judiciously chosen a lovely girl, much more likely to fucceed in that character; but ftill as the friend of two excellent creatures, formed for each other, and equally dear to me. It was thus I reasoned with myfelf. My benevolence and my pride were highly flattered in this felf-debate; and it gave me fpirit to act towards you both |