THE
BLOSSOMS OF MORALITY;
INTENDED FOR THE
AMUSEMENT AND INSTRUCTION
OF
Young Ladies and Gentlemen.
BY THE EDITOR OF
THE LOOKING-GLASS FOR THE MIND.
WITH FORTY-SEVEN CUTS, DESIGNED AND ENGRAVED
BY
THE FOURTH EDITION.
LONDON:
Printed by J. Swan, 76, Fleet Street,
FOR J. HARRIS; SCATCHERD AND LETTERMAN; B. CROSBY AND CO.
DARTON AND HARVEY; LACKINGTON, ALLEN, AND CO.
J. WALKER; AND VERNOR AND HOOD.
1806.
PREFACE.
THE very flattering encouragement thePublic have been pleased to give "TheLooking-glass for the Mind, or IntellectualMirror," has invited the Editor ofthat work to intrude once more on theirindulgence. As a general preceptor, hewishes to be useful to the rising generation,and with that view recommends to theirserious perusal "The Blossoms of Morality."
The Looking-glass is a very free translationof some of the most interestingtales of Mons. Berquin, and other foreignwriters, whose works in the juvenile lineundoubtedly merit the highest encomiums,and claim the most extensive patronage oftheir fellow-citizens. It certainly must beallowed, that great merit is due to thoseforeign celebrated writers, who, afterstudying the higher branches of literature,ivinstead of attempting to acquire honourand fame by delivering lectures on theabstruse sciences, have condescended tohumble themselves to the plain languageof youth, in order to teach them wisdom,virtue, and morality.
With respect to the present work,though we have not so largely borrowedfrom foreign writers, yet we have endeavouredto supply that deficiency by theintroduction of original matter. The juvenilemind very early begins to enlargeand expand, and is capable of reflectionmuch sooner than we are generally apt toimagine.
From these considerations, we havecarried our ideas in this volume one stephigher than in the last: and, though wehave given many tales that may contributeto amuse the youthful mind, yetwe have occasionally introduced subjectswhich, we hope, will not fail to exercisetheir judgment, improve their morals, andgive them some knowledge of the world.
For instance: in the History of Ernestusand Fragilis, which is the first, andvone of the original pieces inserted in thisvolume, the youthful reader is led to reflecton the instability of all human affairs;he is taught to be neither insolentin prosperity nor mean in adversity; butis shown how necessary it is to preservean equality of temper through all thevarying stages of fortune. He is alsoshown, how dangerous are the indulgencesof parents, who suffer children to givethemselves up to indolence and luxury,which generally, as in this history, terminatein a manner fatal to all the partiesconcerned.
May these Blossoms of Morality, indue time, ripen to maturity, and producefruit that may be pleasing to the youthfultaste, tend to correct the passions, invigoratethe mental faculties, and confirm intheir h