THE Lady's Magazine; For JANUARY, 1795 THE GLANCER. No. I. VERY writer who gives his jects to the world, ought to expect that every reader will be more or lefs a critic, and that whether he reads to get rid of time, or from hope of amusement, he will probably enquire what right the author has to erect himself into an inftructor, or imagine himself wifer than the reft of mankind. In the arts, and in particular sciences, when a man has made them the study of his life, it may eafily be granted that he may teach much to those who are willing to learn; but when any perfon pretends to give to the world his obfervations and reflections on the general fubjects of life and manners, which every one fuppofes he is fuf ficiently capable of doing for himfelf; a peculiar kind of vanity feems to attach to his undertaking. Every reader enters into a fpecies of tacit hoftility with the writer, who, from the very nature of his work, feems to fay to him, "Stand by, I am wifer than thou;" and examines with double care and a half determination not to be too easily pleafed with the compofition which feems fo arrogantly to claim his attention. Under this fpecies of disadvantage, the lucubrations of the effayist labour perhaps more than any other been customary with almost all the authors of periodical papers, in the outfet of their work, to anfwer the grand question which it is fuppofed, in the firft place, muft naturally arife in the minds of their readers. This question is, "And who are you, Sir " I, therefore, having engaged in fuch an undertaking, from vanity or from fimplicity; from ambition, or from a laudable defire to benefit all mankind, and to effect unexpected and ftupendous revolutions and reformation in the moral world; it will become me in the firft place to give a candid and explicit answer to this most important question. My name is Tobias Hint; I am of the ancient family of the Hints or Hinters; who have received nearly as many thanks and rewards for their useful fuggeftions and difinterefled intimations, as their diftant relations the Advisers, gratis, alias the Officious Intermeddlers. My great grandfather was at one time in poffeffion of a lucrative place in an office under govern ment. ment. He noticed fome little acts of corruption in his department, and gave a hint of them to a perfon in a much higher fituation; who, unluckily, derived no mall profit from them, a circumftance unknown to my worthy ancestors. His hint was very coolly received, and, to prevent his giving any more fuch hints, he was displaced, and continued a needy man to the day of his death. My grandfather was patronized by a nobleman of eminence, who procured for him a very profitable employment, and put him in the high road to preferment; but he giving fome hints that he thought it pofiible his patron might gain a more complete knowledge of fome fubject on which he had made a long fpeech in parliament, loft his favour, and never became a great man. My father was a clergyman who had the good fortune to obtain the notice of a bishop, and was by him prefented to a fmall vicarage, and promifed much more valuable preferment; but he happening one day to converfe before his patron on the character of a Chriflian bishop, as drawn by St. Paul, in his Epiftle to Titus, the first bishop of Crete; the modern prelate found it fo unlike his own, that he could not help confidering it as a rough hint that he was no very apoftolic bishop. Thofe who are acquainted with the world will not therefore wonder when they are told that my father lived and died in the fmall living to which he had been first presented. A number of fuch crofs accidents have repeatedly befallen every branch of our family, from this their unlucky faculty of hinting their real fentiments. I have, myfelf, by no means efcaped them; and as I have fo frequently found the ill confe quence of communicating my peculiar opinions in converfation, I have now adopted this mode of propagating them; in which if they do the world any good, the world is welcome; and at any rate, I am fafe, because I am not perfonally known to my readers. But let not the world be too apprehenfive of my feverity. If I fhould occafionally glance at a few failings which may catch my eye, I hope I fhall not be found too cenforious. I had far rather extenuate' real faults, than" fet down aught in malice." In the courfe of my glancing, the ladies will no doubt attract many a glance from me; and in them were I to difcover fome innocent female foibles, should afterwards my dazzled eye glance on their faces, there is little doubt but I fhall forget them all, and remember only their perfonal charms, their good humour, and the general amiable qualities of their hearts, fo fuited to the end for which Heaven defigned them, "To temper men, who had been brutes without them." The manners of the age in which we live, though ey may in fome few refpects merit a flight animadverfion, fomething to commend; and I know are furely not fo bad as not to afford ed by holding up what is laudable not but as much good may be effectfor imitation, as by expofing what is blame-worthy to contempt and avoidance. A good humoured-laugh at glaring abfurdity or frivolity may be very properly indulged, and have its beneficial effect; but conftant afperity and cenforioufnefs muft defeat its own purpofe, if indeed it can have any purpose worth attaining. A A COLIN AND SYLVIA SENTIMENTAL FRAGMENT By T. LACEY, BEAUTIFUL romantic cottage, fituated near the fea fhore, was the dwelling of the love ly ly offspring of fimplicity-Sylvia's charms were not to be refilted-fhe was the envy of the ruftic villagers -in deep meditation the reclined her delicate form by the fide of a mountainous cliff-penfive reflection brought to her remembrance her beloved and tender fwain-" Colin was not to be forgotten;" the tear of fenfibility ftarted at the recollectionColin, of ruftic memory, entered the army in defence of the best of fovereigns, and an injured country-his gallant courage was eminently diftinguifhed in the field of battle-a fuccefsful campaign rewardedthe toils of his labours-he was bleffed with a competency-he fighed for his abfent love his mind was fadly afflicted his fair and diftant companion occupied his distracted thoughts his agitated frame was on the rack-he embarked with a profperous gale to feek the lonely wanderer-but alas, a tempeftuous ocean arofe and dafhed the vessel against a fatal rock-the restless waves were not to be trifled withdeftruction befel the crew--they funk the victims of the briny deep maton, which occafioned fome wicked wits to publish, that he had an illegitimate daughter named Franchine -to prove demonftratively that beaits have no fouls, and that they are but machines nicely compofed, and move whenever another body ftrike them, and communicates to them a portion of its motion.. Having put this fingular machine into a cafe, on board a veffel, the Dutch captain, who fometimes heard it move, had the curiofity to open the box. Attonished to fee a little human form extremely animated, yet, when touched, appearing to be nothing but wood; little verfed in fcience, but greatly addicted to fuperftition, he took the ingenious labour of the philofopher for a little devil, and terminated the experiment of Descartes, by throwing his wooded daughter into the sea. REMARKABLE STORY af a LION, related by MARIANA, the celebrated Spanish Hiftorian. except the heroic Colin, who climbed M the craggy precipice-he was wear- "The lovely and virtuous Sylvia was no more." ALDONADA was a fubaltern officer's wife, and one or those who ventured their fortunes with Nunez, when he went upon the difcovery of new countries along the great river Plate in America. This woman's husband was ever foremost in danger, and always tef These melancholy tidings reached tified an averfion to the cruelties exher distracted lover convulfions ercifed by the Spaniards on the unpreyed upon his frame-a deep-refifting Indians: his courage howfetch'd figh released him from a world of tortures-the remains of Colin's breathlefs corpfe was interred by the tide of his affectionate Syl via. The WOODEN DAUGHTER of DESCARTES. WE ever was not fufficient to atone for the mildness of his difpofition, with a body of men with whom murder had grown familiar. Nunez fent him out upon a party where he was fure the Indians would be victori donada, whom they brought away to be facrificed upon fome more folemn occafion. In the mean time Maldonada foon began to perceive both the general's evil intentions to her husband, and gueffed at his fate, Women, when injured, more frequently give an imprudent loofe to their paffions than men. She openly accufed the general of cruelty and injuftice; and he, to vindicate his reputation, had the woman fummoned before a court of foldiers, compofed of thofe who were chiefly devoted to his interests. It is eafy to imagine that here she found no pity: they brought her in guilty of mutiny, and Nunez himfelf condemned her to be expofed to wild beans in a foreft, at fome diftance from the Spanish garrifon. His fentence was immediately put in execution. She had not been here long when an old lion from the thickest forest came running at her with all the fierceness of famine, She now concluded herself loft; when the generous favage, cbferving her bound to a tree, repreffed his impetuofity, and instead of being her deftroyer, became her defender. He crouched down by her, and kept off the tyger, the leopard, the hyena, and the other beafts of prey that were attracted to the fame place. In this fituation, the hiftorian affirms fhe continued for three days, encircled by a whole herd of wild animals, and protected by the old lion; when her husband, who had fortunately efcaped from the Indian enemy, happened to take this way, in his return to the garrison. He perceived a wretch unprepared for defence, and approaching, found it to be his wife. Upon his approach the animals all but the lion fled, and, after mutual tears, the unfortunate woman informed him of all that had happened in his absence. Upon this they both fled to a tribe of Indians, called the Araucans, where he was foon conftituted general among them." He taught them the art of war, and this nation is the moft formidable enemy both of the Spaniards and Portuguese to this day. DESCRIPTION of the PRINCESS of. BRUNSWICK. (With her Portrait, elegantly engraved.) HE betrothed confort of the TH prince of Wales is of a middling ftature and elegant in her perfon: her appearance at court is majeftic; but there is a fweetnefs and affability in her manners, which rivets the admiration of all who behold her her eyes are intelligenther countenance animated, and her teeth white and regular-her hair a light auburn, of which she has an amazing quantity behind, which the wears always in a fimple but elegant ftyle--in undrefs, fhe generally wears it in a plain broad chignon, but when dreffed, the has it rather low on the back and spreading a good deal over her fhoulders; the upper part of the hind hair is generally plaited into two broad plaits, brought round the front, and faftened at the croffings with diamond pins, making a natural bandeau -the points drawn out in curls between the plaits, the ends of which are curled and tied with a ribbon to the points of the hind hair, which is alfo curled, and difpofed fo as to form a bow of curls, by tying them across, which with a large plume of feathers, has a very fine effect-her royal highness wears also generally a very large bouquet in her bofom-her tafte in every other part of dress is equally elegant ; there can therefore be no doubt she will become the ftandard of fashionable drefs and elegance. Mr. |