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Literary
July 9, 1793
The New Hampshire Gazette
Portsmouth, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
What is this article about?
In 'The Fair Penitent,' Euphrosyne laments her past dissipations and lost fortune, quoting a verse on false friendship. She resolves to embrace virtue, leaves town at dawn, and settles in a humble cottage, finding serenity in simplicity and moral rectitude.
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OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
THE FAIR PENITENT
A FRAGMENT.
How unhappy are the alluring paths of pleasure! Deluded indeed! here a sigh burst from her bosom, at the recollection of past folly-and a tear fell from its orb, and rested on the cheek of the fair Euphrosyne. Cease, said he, the dew drops of contrition, what avail they now? Are not the years of dissipation fleeting away like the unsubstantial beams of the morning, without one reflecting moment? they parted till my fortune was exhausted and friends with fortune fled.
"For what is friendship but a name,
A charm that lulls to sleep:
A shade that follows wealth and fame.
And leaves the wretch to weep."
I must now find some solitude, and perhaps close the evening of my life in the lap of penury: But stop, methinks some kind power bids me not despair: though I have deviated from prudence, I never have from virtue. Notwithstanding this reverse of fortune I may yet be happy; the rectitude of my heart shall be my consolation: Here she paused-
Yes! it must be so. To-morrow, at Aurora's dawn, when the feathered songsters are chaunting forth hymns of gratitude to the supreme author of the universe. I will commit myself to his care, and quit this town forever, and endeavor to blot out the remembrance of the part I have acted in it. The ruddy fingers of the morn had just unbarred the gates of light, when Euphrosyne bade adieu to the place of her birth.
The melody of the birds, the softness of the air, the universal smiles that reigned around, spread a serenity over her mind, and calmed all her sorrows. She stopped to take a survey of the surrounding landscape. How happy, exclaimed the fair, are the inhabitants of yon lowly cottage, now enjoying the sweets of balmy slumbers. This is a felicity the virtuous only know! Sleep on, ye children of innocence, and may your repose be uninterrupted! She finished her ejaculation with a sigh, and walked slowly forward, till she arrived at a little village, where she inquired her way to the next; and with the small remains of her fortune purchased a cottage. The lofty elm overshadowed her dwelling, and the lowly evergreen crept around her door. Here, the once gay Euphrosyne. that lately shone in all the circles of the beau monde, was obscured as in the shadowy vale; but in the vale, she was convinced that happiness does not dwell on the summit of grandeur.
A FRAGMENT.
How unhappy are the alluring paths of pleasure! Deluded indeed! here a sigh burst from her bosom, at the recollection of past folly-and a tear fell from its orb, and rested on the cheek of the fair Euphrosyne. Cease, said he, the dew drops of contrition, what avail they now? Are not the years of dissipation fleeting away like the unsubstantial beams of the morning, without one reflecting moment? they parted till my fortune was exhausted and friends with fortune fled.
"For what is friendship but a name,
A charm that lulls to sleep:
A shade that follows wealth and fame.
And leaves the wretch to weep."
I must now find some solitude, and perhaps close the evening of my life in the lap of penury: But stop, methinks some kind power bids me not despair: though I have deviated from prudence, I never have from virtue. Notwithstanding this reverse of fortune I may yet be happy; the rectitude of my heart shall be my consolation: Here she paused-
Yes! it must be so. To-morrow, at Aurora's dawn, when the feathered songsters are chaunting forth hymns of gratitude to the supreme author of the universe. I will commit myself to his care, and quit this town forever, and endeavor to blot out the remembrance of the part I have acted in it. The ruddy fingers of the morn had just unbarred the gates of light, when Euphrosyne bade adieu to the place of her birth.
The melody of the birds, the softness of the air, the universal smiles that reigned around, spread a serenity over her mind, and calmed all her sorrows. She stopped to take a survey of the surrounding landscape. How happy, exclaimed the fair, are the inhabitants of yon lowly cottage, now enjoying the sweets of balmy slumbers. This is a felicity the virtuous only know! Sleep on, ye children of innocence, and may your repose be uninterrupted! She finished her ejaculation with a sigh, and walked slowly forward, till she arrived at a little village, where she inquired her way to the next; and with the small remains of her fortune purchased a cottage. The lofty elm overshadowed her dwelling, and the lowly evergreen crept around her door. Here, the once gay Euphrosyne. that lately shone in all the circles of the beau monde, was obscured as in the shadowy vale; but in the vale, she was convinced that happiness does not dwell on the summit of grandeur.
What sub-type of article is it?
Prose Fiction
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Penitence
Virtue
Fortune Loss
Rural Retreat
Moral Consolation
Literary Details
Title
The Fair Penitent A Fragment.
Key Lines
"For What Is Friendship But A Name,
A Charm That Lulls To Sleep:
A Shade That Follows Wealth And Fame.
And Leaves The Wretch To Weep."
Though I Have Deviated From Prudence, I Never Have From Virtue.
This Is A Felicity The Virtuous Only Know!
Happiness Does Not Dwell On The Summit Of Grandeur.