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THE GUARDIAN.

N° 45.

ſhe is fure, “ he is ſo much a gentleman, and he has that natural foftneſs, that ifhereads any thing moving on this ſubject in my paper, it will cer tainly make him think. Poor girl ! Cæfar aſhamed ! Has not he feen Pharſalia ?' Does the

poor creature imagine that a fcrip of paper, a

col

lection of ſentences, and an old man's talk of

pleaſure which he is paſt, will have an effect upon him who could go on in a ſeries of falf

hood ; let drop ambiguous fentences in her ab fence, to give her falſe hope from the repetition of them by ſome friend that heard them ; that

could paſs as much time in the purſuit of her as would have attained ſome uſeful art or fcience ;

and that only to attain a ſhort revel of his fenfes, under a ſtupor of faith, honour, and conſcience ! No ; the deſtruction of a well-educated young

woman is not accompliſhed by the criminal who is guilty of it, in a ſudden ſtart of deſire ; he is

not ſurpriſed into it by frailty ; but arrives at it by care, fkill, and meditation. It is no ſmall

aggravation of the guilt, that it is a thouſand times conquered and reſiſted, even while it is

proſecuted. He that waits for fairer occaſions, for riper wiſhes, for the removal of a particular

objection, or the conqueſt ofany certain fcruple, has it in his power to obey his conſcience, which often calls him, during the intrigue, a villain ,

and a deſtroyer. There can be nothing ſaid for fuch an evil : but that the reſtraints of ſhame and

ignominy are broken down by the prevalence of cuſtom. I do not, indeed, expect that my pre

cautions will have any great weight with men of mode ; they may be fome way efficacious on