The kings of Greece devoted their lives to the service of their country, and her senators knew no other superiority over their fellow-citizens than a glorious pre-eminence in danger and virtue.They exhibited to the world a noble spectacle,--a number of inde-pendent states united by a similarity of language, sentiment, manners, common interest, and common consent, in one grand mutual league of protection.
And, thus united, long might they have continued the cherishers of arts and sciences, the protectors of the oppressed, the scourge of tyrants, and the safe asylum of liberty.But when foreign gold, and still more per-nicious foreign luxury, had crept among them, they sapped the vitals of their virtue.The virtues of their ancestors were only found in their writings.Envy and suspicion, the vices of little minds, possessed them.
The various states engendered jealousies of each other;and, more unfortunately, growing jealous of their great federal council, the Amphictyons, they forgot that their common safety had existed, and would exist, in giving them an honourable extensive prerogative.
The common good was lost in the pursuit of private interest; and that people who, by uniting, might have stood against the world in arms, by dividing, crum-bled into ruin;--their name is now only known in the page of the historian, and what they once were is all we have left to admire.Oh! that America! Oh!
that my country, would, in this her day, learn the things which belong to her peace!
Enter DIMPLE.
DIMPLE
You are Colonel Manly, I presume?
MANLY
At your service, Sir.
DIMPLE
My name is Dimple, Sir.I have the honour to be a lodger in the same house with you, and, hearing you were in the Mall, came hither to take the liberty of joining you.
MANLY
You are very obliging, Sir.
DIMPLE
As I understand you are a stranger here, Sir, I have taken the liberty to introduce myself to your acquaint-ance, as possibly I may have it in my power to point out some things in this city worthy your notice.
MANLY
An attention to strangers is worthy a liberal mind, and must ever be gratefully received.But to a sol-dier, who has no fixed abode, such attentions are particularly pleasing.
DIMPLE
Sir, there is no character so respectable as that of a soldier.And, indeed, when we reflect how much we owe to those brave men who have suffered so much in the service of their country, and secured to us those inestimable blessings that we now enjoy, our liberty and independence, they demand every attention which gratitude can pay.For my own part, I never meet an officer, but I embrace him as my friend, nor a pri-vate in distress, but I insensibly extend my charity to him.--I have hit the Bumkin off very tolerably.
[Aside.
MANLY
Give me your hand, Sir! I do not proffer this hand to everybody; but you steal into my heart.I hope Iam as insensible to flattery as most men; but I declare (it may be my weak side) that I never hear the name of soldier mentioned with respect, but I experience a thrill of pleasure which I never feel on any other occasion.
DIMPLE
Will you give me leave, my dear Colonel, to confer an obligation on myself, by shewing you some civilities during your stay here, and giving a similar oppor-tunity to some of my friends?
MANLY
Sir, I thank you; but I believe my stay in this city will be very short.
DIMPLE
I can introduce you to some men of excellent sense, in whose company you will esteem yourself happy;and, by way of amusement, to some fine girls, who will listen to your soft things with pleasure.
MANLY
Sir, I should be proud of the honour of being acquainted with those gentlemen;--but, as for the ladies, I don't understand you.
DIMPLE
Why, Sir, I need not tell you, that when a young gentleman is alone with a young lady he must say some soft things to her fair cheek--indeed, the lady will expect it.To be sure, there is not much pleasure when a man of the world and a finished coquette meet, who perfectly know each other; but how deli-cious is it to excite the emotions of joy, hope, expecta-tion, and delight in the bosom of a lovely girl who believes every tittle of what you say to be serious!
MANLY
Serious, Sir! In my opinion, the man who, under pretensions of marriage, can plant thorns in the bosom of an innocent, unsuspecting girl is more detestable than a common robber, in the same proportion as private violence is more despicable than open force, and money of less value than happiness.
DIMPLE
How he awes me by the superiority of his senti-ments.[Aside.] As you say, Sir, a gentleman should be cautious how he mentions marriage.
MANLY
Cautious, Sir! No person more approves of an inter-course between the sexes than I do.Female conver-sation softens our manners, whilst our discourse, from the superiority of our literary advantages, improves their minds.But, in our young country, where there is no such thing as gallantry, when a gentleman speaks of love to a lady, whether he mentions marriage or not, she ought to conclude either that he meant to in-sult her or that his intentions are the most serious and honourable.How mean, how cruel, is it, by a thou-sand tender assiduities, to win the affections of an ami-able girl, and, though you leave her virtue unspotted, to betray her into the appearance of so many tender partialities, that every man of delicacy would suppress his inclination towards her, by supposing her heart engaged! Can any man, for the trivial gratification of his leisure hours, affect the happiness of a whole life!
His not having spoken of marriage may add to his perfidy, but can be no excuse for his conduct.
DIMPLE
Sir, I admire your sentiments;--they are mine.
The light observations that fell from me were only a principle of the tongue; they came not from the heart;my practice has ever disapproved these principles.
MANLY
I believe you, Sir.I should with reluctance sup-pose that those pernicious sentiments could find ad-mittance into the heart of a gentleman.
DIMPLE
