And seem'd, at least, in the right road to heaven;

For half his days were pass'd at church, the other

Between his tutors, confessor, and mother.

At six, I said, he was a charming child,
At twelve he was a fine, but quiet boy;
Although in infancy a little wild,

They tamed him down amongst them; to
destroy
His natural spirit not in vain they toil'd
At least it seem'd so; and his mother's joy
Was to declare how sage,and still,and steady,
Her young philosopher was grown already.

I had my doubts, perhaps I have them still,
But what I say is neither here nor there:
I knew his father well, and have some skill
In character-but it would not be fair
From sire to son to augur good or ill:
He and his wife were an ill-sorted pair-
But scandal's my aversion-I protest
Against all evil speaking, even in jest.

For my part I say nothing-nothing- but
The will say my reasons are my own—
That if I had an only son to put
Toschool (asGod be praised that I have none)
That with Donna Inez I would shut

Him

sp to learn his catechism alone;

For, from a root, the ugliest in Old Spain, --I'd send him out betimes to college, | Sprung up a branch as beautiful as fresh ; For there it was I pick'd up my own The sons no more were short, the daughters knowledge.

plain:

But there's a rumour which I fain would hush

Tis said that Donna Julia's grandmamma

Produced her Don more heirs at love than law.

Even innocence itself has many a wile,
And will not dare to trust itself with truth,
And love is taught hypocrisy from youth.

But passion most dissembles, yet betrays,
Even by its darkness; as the blackest sky
Foretels the heaviest tempest, it displays
Its workings through the vainly-guarded eye,
And in whatever aspect it arrays
Itself. 'tis still the same hypocrisy:
Coldness or anger, even disdain or hate,
Are masks it often wears, and still too late.

| Might please perhaps, a virtuous wife can
quell
Such thoughts, and be the better when
they're over;
And, if the man should ask, 'tis but denial:
I recommend young ladies to make trial.

And then there are such things as love divine,
Bright and immaculate, unmix'd and pure,
Such as the angels think so very fine,
And matrons, who would be no less secure,
Platonic, perfect, "just such love as
mine: "

Thus Julia said—and thought so, to be sure,

Then there were sighs, the deeper for And so I'd have her think, were 1 the man On whom her reveries celestial ran.

suppression,

And stalen glances, sweeter for the theft,
And burning blushes, though for no
transgression,

Tremblings when met, and restlessness when
left;

All these are little preludes to possession,
Of which young Passion cannot be bereft,
And merely tend to show how greatly Love is
Embarrass'd at first starting with a novice.

Per Julia's heart was in an awkward state;
She felt it going, and resolved to make
The noblest efforts for herself and mate,
For benour's pride's, religion's, virtue's sake:
Her resolutions were most truly great,
And almost might have made a Tarquin
quake;

pray'd the Virgin Mary for her grace,
being the best judge of a lady's case.

vow'd she never would see Juan more,
And next day paid a visit to his mother,
And book'd extremely at the opening door,
Which, by the Virgin's grace, let in another;
Grateful she was, and yet a little sore-
Again it opens, it can be no other,
Ts surely Juan now-No! I'm afraid
That night the Virgin was no further pray'd.

She now determined that a virtuous woman ould rather face and overcome temptation; That flight was base and dastardly,and no

man

Such love is innocent, and may exist
Between young persons without any danger,
A hand may first, and then a lip be kiss'd;
For my part, to such doings I'm a stranger,
But hear these freedoms form the utmost
list

Of all o'er which such love may be a ranger:
If people go beyond, 'tis quite a crime,
But not my fault -I tell them all in time.

Love, then, but love within its proper limits,
Was Julia's innocent determination
In young Don Juan's favour, and to him its
Exertion might be useful on occasion ;
And, lighted at too pure a shrine to dim its
Etherial lustre, with what sweet persuasion
He might be taught,by love and her together,
I really don't know what, nor Julia either.

Fraught with this fine intention, and well
fenced

In mail of proof-her purity of soul,
She, for the future of her strength convinced,
And that her honour was a rock, or mole,
Exceeding sagely from that hour dispensed
With any kind of troublesome control;
But whether Julia to the task was equal
Is that which must be mention'd in the
sequel.

Should ever
give her heart the least sen-
sation;
And, surely, with a stripling of sixteen
That is to say a thought beyond the common Not scandal's fangs could fix on much that's
Perence that we must feel upon occasion
For people who are pleasanter than others, Or if they did so, satisfied to mean
Baithen they only seem so many brothers. Nothing but what was good, her breast was

Her plan she deem'd both innocent and
feasible,

seizable;

peaceable

A quiet conscience makes one so serene! The Devil's so very sly-she should discover And even if by chance--and who can tell? Christians have burn'd each other, quite That all within was not so very well, And if, still free, that such or such a lover

persuaded That all the Apostles would have done as they did.

How beautiful she look'd! her conscious heart

Yanng Hopeful's mistress, or Miss Fanny's Glow'd in her cheek, and yet she felt no