Virginia Argus

TO RENT,

A Commodious House,

"Hard to be gained, and easy to be lost."

Ambition causes a secret riot in the soul, which occasions a perplexity of thought, and catches at an imaginary good which always eludes its grasp.—The desire of fame is so much ingratiated in our nature, that we have no one faculty of the mind or organ of the body which does not relish it, although it is an object of desire which is placed out of the possibility of fruition.—For there is no ambitious man who is in the height of his reputation, that is not aspiring to accumulate to his honor. His desire of fame causes him to view with a jealous eye, the man who was once his inferior overtaking him in the paths of honor and preferment, and induces him to set to work every art which malignity can devise, to reduce him to his pristine state, as he thinks his accumulation of merit is a detraction from his. The man whose virtue and talents have elevated him in society is not suffered to remain unmolested in that easy state which conscious rectitude never fails to inspire. The ambitious mind views with suspicious desire the honor which the worthy man receives, and the high estimation in which he is held by the community, and anticipates with feelings rendered callous by a long course of adherence to this passion, the success of his exertions, aided by every thing which the darkest malevolence can contrive, to wrest from the worthy citizen that portion of respect which he justly merits—He propagates his ill-natured discoveries with a secret pride, and applauds himself for the singularity and acuteness of his judgment, and hopes by the demolition of the honor of the respectable man, to add to his. Vain hope! Why wilt thou suffer this deluded mortal to pass with impunity? Why not expose him to the eyes of the world, that he may receive that contempt and abhorrence which he merits?—.

SHAKESPEAR has nobly touched this vice, when he says,

Who steals my purse steals trash ; tis something, nothing;

'Twas mine, 'tis his, and hath been slave to thousands :

But he that filches from me my good name,

Robs me of that WHICH NOT ENRICHES HIM

BUT MAKES ME POOR INDEED.

Thus far I think I have exposed the vicious effects of Ambition in the male, and think it necessary to notice its progress with the female sex. It is rarely the case that you will hear one woman agree that another is handsome, or praise her accomplishments. There is nothing that will sooner incur her displeasure, than to expatiate on the charms of her female rival. -But, on the contrary, condemn her beauty, and you will see with what avidity she
will seize the opportunity, and what exertions she will make use of, to bring into ridicule every charm and every accomplishment which her rival may possess.---
She cannot bear the thought of appearing less amiable than another ;--she will therefore use her endeavours to derogate from the character of her rival, whether right or wrong, if she finds she does not excel her in beauty.---Reflect, my female readers, that the character of a woman is all she has to recommend her, and upon which rests the foundation of her future happiness.---Reflect, I say, and place yourself in the situation of a woman whom you have brought into disrepute by your unjust slander and I am convinced that you will relinquish all your desire of preference, sooner than make one of your own sex miserable.
That these observations may be of service, is the sincere wish of