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82 s Sympathetic Sentimeazt, &c.
‘they were,’ created such a glow of national enthusiasm in my breast,
“that I longed to follow to the field some warlike lord."--The stanza
concluded thus:
May the sons of the Thames, the Tweed, and the Shannon,
Thrash the foes that would plant on their confines a cannon;
United and happy at liberty’s shrine,
May the rose and the thistle long flourish and ‘twine
Round the Sprig of Shillela. and Shamrock so green!
I was so much pleased with the sentiment of- the song, and the
industry of the singer, thusendeavouring to support herself and child,
that I gave her-not the fivepenny-piece-’twas too little, on such an
occasion-I gave the poor woman a six shilling token, and walked on.
It was the first Monday of the month; I recollected that I was en-
gaged to dine witha Free Mason Lodge, and accordingly went home
to prepare myself--don't stare, reader! you may go dine in a great many
places, sans ceremonie: but "if ever you intend to dine with a society
of Free Masons, you must be prepared; I went to dinner; we were
extremely convivial and happy-temperance presided at the board--
harmony and brotherly love joined hand in hand, and were supported
by wisdom, strength, and beauty; after dinner, as usual, there was a
collection made in aid of the fund for the relief of indigent brethren-
] recollected that I had the iivepenny-piece, but it would not answer
here, for two reasons; first, it was intended by the owner for an indi-
vidual olgject of distress--this subscription was general-next, 'twas
too small a sum to offer thus publicly; so thatlgave my mite in
another form, and retired at an early hour, with the fivepenny-piece
still in my possession.
Each new day furnishes new scenes, new scenes beget new ideas--in
short, on reflection, I found that I 5 had received a command that would
be more diflicult-to execute than I at first imagined; to distinguish
an object of real distress is not very easy, and if found, to limit their
relief to such a trifle, would, I thought, look like mockery-and t0
give it to a common beggar, would be far from the original intention?
in this dilemma I knew not what to do--after I had ate my breakfast
and dressed, I sallied out to seek adventures, according to my daily
practice, (for, as Sterne says, a sentimental traveller will always meet
something out of the common way). I went to the post-otlice, where,
as I, stood, while the post-master was looking for letters for me; 3
young woman, genteellydressed, came up to the window-she enquired
for a letter for Miss M. C.; the name struck me-‘. Have you fire-
PCIICCI saidthe-post-master? She put her hahdinto henpocket, and
blushed-.-reader, ‘have you ever been well dressed, without having 85
;Tl110h'm0IleY at your command as would pay the,postage‘ of a letter?
If YOU have 110% I have, and that more than once.-‘ Iwill go look fol‘
Change.’ Said the young woman, ‘ and return immediately)- Now, a post.‘
master is seldom without, change; but the fact. was, that theyoung
woman was like Doctor Lamb, she had no change, nor any, thing to
change. ‘ How could you know this 2 says the casuist. Fool! by a power
totally unknown to you, the power of sympathetic sentinzent. A ‘I can
lend you a fivvepenny-piece,‘ said 1, taking Mrs. T.'s out of my pocket.