226 SUPERSTITION. The twentieth of August arrived. It was the baron's regiment which had to furnish a piquet for the night. Of the two officers who preceded in command, the senior was on a sudden taken extremely ill; the other, in mounting his horse, was thrown by the animal, and had his leg fractured in the fall. The duty therefore necessarily devolved upon the baron, who, with two hundred men, proceeded to his post, which was a mile distant, in front of the army, and protected by a marsh covered with rushes, where, with swords drawn and carbines ready, they waited the approach of day. All was silent till three quarters past one o'clock, when shouts of "Allah! Allah!" were heard, and in an instant the whole of the first rank were overthrown. The baron received eight wounds from a sabre, and his horse was shot dead, and in falling, fixed under him the leg of his rider. In a short time, the whole of the Austrians had fallen, and as the victors were to receive a ducat for each head, they frequently advised each other not to leave any one behind, but a convulsive start of the horse liberating the leg of the baron, he succeeded in reaching the marsh, where, sunk to his knees in mire, he fainted from loss of blood, and lay senseless for several hours. At length, however, he reached the advanced posts, and was thence conveyed to the camp, where, in about six weeks, he recovered and joined his regiment, and on his arrival, the gipsey brought him the tokay. The matter seemed "passing strange," but the mystery was explained by the desertion to the Austrians, of SUPERSTITION. 227 two Christians of Servia, who, upon sight of the prophetess, declared that she often visited the Turkish camp by night to report the movements of the Germans; that they had heard her describe their various positions, and that a Turkish cypher was her passport, which cypher being found upon her, she was condemned to death as a spy, and on being interrogated previous to execution, she gave the following detail of her predictions. She confessed, that by her double office of spy, she had learned many things from both parties; that from those who came privately to consult her on their future fortune, she had obtained a variety of secret particulars; and that she was not without some obligations to chance. That as to what immediately concerned the baron, she had fixed on him, in order to make him a striking example, and to confirm her authority by having predicted his fate so long before hand. At the approach of the time appointed, she had excited his enemy to attempt on the night of the twentieth of August, an attack against the post of his regiment. Her knowledge of the officers enabled her to ascertain their rank in the service; she had sold wine to his commander which had produced his illness; and the moment before the second was setting off, she had approached, as if to sell him something, and had, unperceived, found means to slip up the nostrils of his horse a piece of lighted amadou or vegetable tinder, which had occasioned his unusual violence. ADDRESS TO YOUTH. IF the situation of man be considered in all its relations and dependencies, a striking inconsistency will be apparent to a very cursory observer. We have sure warrant for believing that our abode here is to perform a comparatively insignificant part of our existence, and that on our conduct in this life will depend the happiness of the life to come; yet, our actions daily give the lie to this proposition, inasmuch as we commonly act like men who have no thought but for the present scene, and to whom the grave is the boundary of anticipation. This too is not the only paradox which humanity furnishes to the eye of a thinking man. It is very generally the case, that we spend our whole lives in the pursuit of objects, which common experience informs us are not capable of conferring that pleasure and satisfaction which we expect. Our prospects are uniformly directed to one point;-happiness, in whatever garb it be clad, and under whatever figure shadowed, is the great aim of the busy multitudes, whom we behold toiling through the vale of life, in such an infinite diversity of occupation, and with such dissimilar views. The misfortune is, that we seek happiness where it is not to be found; and the cause of wonder is, that the experience of ages should not have guarded us against so fatal, and so universal an error. It is from the mistakes and miscalculations of mankind, that ADDRESS TO YOUTH. 229 that flood of misery arises which overwhelms the whole race, and resounds wherever the footsteps of man have penetrated. It is the lamentable error of placing bliss in vicious indulgences. It is the blind folly of sacrificing the welfare of the future, to the opportunity of immediate guilty gratification, which destroys the harmony of society, and poisons the peace of all who yield to it. I would therefore exhort you earnestly to beware on what objects you fix your hopes. Your fate will probably depend on your early pursuits-it will be these which will give the turn to your character and to your pleasures. I beseech you therefore to read the pages of that book which the wisest and the best of men have acknowledged to be the word of God. You will there find a rule of moral conduct, of which, at one time, the world had not the least idea. If you covet earthly happiness, it is only to be found in the path there laid down; and I confidently promise to you, in a life of simplicity and purity, a life passed in accordance with the divine word, substantial bliss and unruffled peace. All other schemes are fleeting and unsatisfactory. entail repentance and bitterness of thought. alone endureth for ever-this alone embraces equally the present and the future-this alone can arm a man against every calamity, and shed the balm of peace over that period when pleasures have lost their zest, and the mind can no longer look forward to futurity.-Henry Kirke White. They all This IMPORTANCE OF RELIGION. IT is necessary that in espousing the cause of religion, persons should have a correct idea of the principles it inculcates, as on this head many have been, and are grossly misinformed. To true religion there belongs no sullen gloom, no melancholy austerity which tends to withdraw men from society, or to diminish the exertions of active virtue. Far remote from that illiberal superstition which clouds the brow, sharpens the temper, dejects the spirits, and teaches men to fit themselves for another world by neglecting the concerns of this,-true religion connects our preparation for heaven with an honourable discharge of the duties of active life. In the imagination, it is associated with whatever is lovely and useful; and in practice, it supports, fortifies, and confirms the virtues of purity, truth, and benevolence. In its nature, religion is rather a matter of the heart than of the intellect. If there is any impression which man is formed by nature to receive more easily than others, it is the impression of religion. As soon as his mind opens to observation, he discerns innumerable marks of his dependent state; he finds himself placed by some superior power, in a world, where on all sides the wisdom and goodness of the Creator are eminently conspicuous. The magnificence, the beauty, and the order of |