260
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
