to whom he addressed himself had never interfered, in nis favor, for fear of giving offence to the obdurate Council, or had interfered in vain. 7. After languishing five years in exile, having loft all hope of return, through the interpofition of his own family or countrymen, in a fit of defpair he addressed the Duke of Milan, putting him in mind of fervices which the Doge, his father, had rendered him, and begging that he would ufe his powerful influence with the ftate of Venice, that his fentence might be recalled. 8. He entrusted his letter to a merchant, going from Canea to Venice, who promifed to take the first opportu nity of fending it from thence to the Duke; inftead of which, this wretch, as foon as he arrived at Venice, deliv. ered it to the chiefs of the Council of Ten. 9. This conduct of young Fofcari appeared cri:ninal in the eyes of thofe judges; for by the laws of the republic, all its fubjects are exprefsly forbidden claiming the protection of foreign princes, in any thing which relates to the government of Venice. 10. Fofcari was therefore ordered to be brought from Candia, and fhut up in the ftate prifon. There the chiefs of the Council of Ten ordered him once more to be put to the torture, to draw from him the motives which determined him to apply to the Duke of Milan. Such an exertion of law is, indeed, the most flagrant injuftice. NII. The miferable youth declared to the Council, that he wrote the letter in the full perfuafion that the merchant, whose character he knew, would betray him, and deliver it to them; the confequence of which, he forefaw, would be his being ordered back a prifoner to Venice, the only means he had in his power of feeing his parents and friends; a pleasure for which he had languifhed, with unfurmountable defire, for fome time, and which he was willing to purchase at the expense of any danger or pain. 12. The judges, little affected with this generous inftance of filial piety, ordained, that the unhappy young man should be carried back to Candia, and there be imprifoned for a year, and remain banifhed to that island for life; with this condition, that if he should make any more applications T applications to foreign powers, his imprisonment should be perpetual. At the fame time they gave permiffion, that the Doge and his lady might vifit their unfortunate fon. Thofe 13. The Doge was, at this time, very old; he had been in poffeffion of the office above thirty years. wretched parents had an interview with their fon in one of the apartments of the palace; they embraced him with all the tenderness which his misfortunes and his filial affection deferved. 14. The father exhorted him to bear his hard fate with firmnefs. The fon protefted, in the most moving terms, that this was not in his power; that however others could fupport the difmal_loneliness of a prifon, he could not; that his heart was formed for friendship, and the reciprocal endearments of focial life; without which, his soul funk into dejection worse than death, from which alone he fhould look for relief, if he fhould again be confined to the horrors of a prison; and, melting into tears, he funk at his father's feet, imploring him to take compaffion on a fon who had ever loved him with the most dutiful affection, and who was perfectly innocent of the crime of which he was accused. 15. He conjured him by every bond of nature and religion, by the bowels of a father and the mercy of a Redeemer, to use his influence with the Council to mitigate their fentence, that he might be faved from the most cruel of all deaths, that of expiring under the flow tortures of a broken heart, in a horrible banifhment from every creature he loved. 66 "My fon," replied the Doge, "fubmit to the laws of your country, and do not afk of me what is not in my power to obtain." 16. Having made this effort, he retired to another apartment; and, unable to fupport any longer the acuteness of his feelings, funk into a state of infenfibility, in which condition he remained till fome time after his fon had failed on his return to Candia. 17. Nobody has prefumed to defcribe the anguifh of the wretched mother. Those who are endowed with the moft exquifite fenfibility, and who have experienced diftreffes in fome degree fimilar, will have the justest idea of what it was. 18. The The accumulated mifery of thofe unhappy parents touched the hearts of fome of the most powerful Senators, who applied with fo much energy for a complete pardon for young Fofcari, that they were on the point of obtaining it; when a veffel arrived from Candia, with tidings, that the miferable youth had expired in prifon, a fhort time after his return. 19. Some years after this, Nicholas Erizzo, a noble Venetian, being on his death bed, confeffed that, bearing a violent refentment against the Senator Donato, he had committed the affaffination for which the unhappy family of Fofcari had fuffered fo much. 20. At this time the forrows of the Doge were at an end; he had exifted only a few months after the death of his fon. His life had been prolonged, till he beheld his fon perfecuted to death for an infamous crime; but not till he fhould fee this foul ftain wafhed from his family, and the innocence of his beloved fon made manifest to the world. 21. The ways of Heaven never appeared more dark and intricate, than in the incidents and catastrophe of this mournful ftory. To reconcile the permiffion of fuch events to our ideas of infinite power and goodness, however difficult, is a natural attempt in the human mind, and has exercifed the ingenuity of philofophers in all ages; while, in the eye of Chriftians, thofe feeming perplexities afford an addi tional proof, that there will be a future ftate in which the ways of God to man will be fully justified. PART OF CICERO'S ORATION VERRES. AGAINST I ASK now, Verres, what you have to ad vance against this charge? Will you pretend to deny it? Will you pretend that any thing falfe, that even any thing aggravated is alleged against you? 2. Had any prince, or any ftate, committed the fame outrage against the privilege of Roman citizens, fhould we not not think we had fufficient reafon for declaring immediate war against them? 3. What punishment, then, ought to be inflicted upon a tyrannical and wicked prætor, who dared, at no greater distance than Sicily, within fight of the Italian coaft, to put to the infamous death of crucifixion that unfortunate and innocent citizen, Publius Gavius Cofanus, only for his having afferted his privilege of citizenship, and declared his intention of appealing to the juftice of his country against a cruel oppreffor, who had unjustly confined him in prison at Syracufe, whence he had just made his escape?. 4. The unhappy man, arrefted as he was going to embark for his native country, is brought before the wicked prætor. With eyes darting fury, and a countenance dif torted with cruelty, he orders the helpless victim of his rage to be stripped, and rods to be brought; accufing him, but without the leaft fhadow of evidence, or even of fuf picion, of having come to Sicily as a spy. 5. It was in vain that the unhappy man cried out, "I am a Roman citizen; I have ferved under Lucius Pretius, who is now at Panormus, and will atteft my innocence." The blood-thirty prætor, deaf to all he could urge in his own defence, ordered the infamous punishment to be inflicted. 6. Thus, fathers, was an innocent Roman citizen publicly mangled with fcourging; whilft the only words he uttered amidst his cruel fufferings were, "I am a Roman citizen!" With these he hoped to defend himself from vi. olence and infamy. But of fo little fervice was this priví lege to him, that while he was afferting his citizenship, the order was given for his execution; for his execution upon the cross! O Liberty! O found, once delightful to every Roman ear! O facred privilege of Roman citizenship! once facred! now trampled upon! But what then? Is it come to this? Shall an inferior magiftrate, a governor, who holds his power of the Roman people, in a Roman province within fight of Italy, bind, fcourge, torture with fire and red hot plates of iron, and at laft put to the infamous deatla of the crofs, a Roman citizen? 8. Shall Shall neither the cries of innocence expiring in agony, nor the tears of pitying fpectators, nor the majefty of the Roman commonwealth, nor the fear of the juftice of his country, reftrain the licentious and wanton cruelty of a monster, who, in confidence of his own riches, strikes at the root of liberty, and fets mankind at defiance? 9. I conclude with expreffing my hopes, that your wifdom and juftice, fathers, will not, by fuffering the atrocious. and unexampled infolence of Caius Verres to escape the due punishment, leave room to apprehend the danger of a total fubverfion of authority, and introduction of general anarchy and confufion.. A DIALOGUE BETWEEN A TUTOR AND Tutor. WHY that four look and thofe fhort. fpeeches, which you gave your companion, my young friend? Nothing gives me more uneafinefs than to fee perfons in ill humor, and disposed to torment each other. In the flower of their age, and in the very feason of pleasure efpecially, why will they wafte the few days of funshine in difputing and repining; and only feel their error, when it is too late to repair it? Ill humor embitters every enjoy-> ment, and turns a paradife into a place of mifery. Pupil. How can we poffibly appear always happy, when: we have fo few happy days? There is ever fome thorn annexed to the fweeteft rofe. A bitter difappointment ; and unfatisfied defire; an unexpected evil is ever present to irritate and ruffle the mind, and destroy its peace. Tutor. Let us preserve our minds in a difpofition to erjoy the good things Heaven fends us, and we shall be able to fupport the evil when it comes, with refignation and compofure.. Pupil. But we cannot always command our tempers !! much depends on the conftitutión; and when the body is in pain, the mind cannot be at ease. Tutor. Allow it to be a natural difeafe of the mind, to be difcompofed by untoward events; but is there no T. 2 |