The National Register.
London, England, 1815-06-18 00:00:00

TAE NATIONAL REGISTER.

T• r

No. !too.

S ND A

THE TEMPLE OF PEACE.

A VISION.

After writing on the rights and duties of Nations, and
whilst pandering on those of Kings and I,nvernors, with
a heart full of love towards my native country, various
reflections arose in my mind respecting the uncertainty
of Peace and War. The festivals with which, a few
months since we celebrated the return of the termer, re.
',rived in all their brilliancy, till, lost in the contemplation
of future events, I insensibly fell into a deep reverie.
thought that in the midst of a plain, enriched with the
choicest gifts of nature, I raw an edilice adorned with all
that fancy could invent and art execute. The various
orders of architecture were employed in its construetioN
with the most exquisite taste and striking effect. The
beauty of its decorations, its -vases and statues, created
the most lively admiration, which was raised into a feeling
of sublimity and awe, by the profound silence which
reigned around' the Palace and Temple of Peace, for
such was the name of the magnificent edifice presented to
the eye of my imagination.

Whilst I stood rapt in astonishment, the principal gate
which Itsd into the hiterlor of the Palace was opened, and
I saw a female igure advance. Her air was modest,
though dignified the appeared in the prime of life, with
more cheerfulness than severity in her looks. Her
step was slow, bilt urns and stately, and the whole of her
form so noble, as to compensate for the want of that deli.
cacy which many consider as a •chief ingredient in the
formation of female beauty. She was attended by two
other females, one on each We, and followed by two
youths, whom, by their re.semblsuce, L immediately knew
to be her offspring. They were all clad in plain, but
tasteful and becoming vestments. They carried in their
arms stuffs of the richest texture and most brilliant
colours, part of which they spread on the ground and with
the rest formed a magnificent tent, the appearance of
which reminded me of the tent of the valiant and vieto-
Pious Wellington, One of the youths then approached
me, and with a look of kindness which stole to my very
heart, asked me in what manner he could serve me. Per-
ceiving my momentary confusion, "'My name," said be,
64 is Contentment, that of my father was Labour : my
Mother who now stands before you is Industry, my sisters
are twins, Chastity and Modesty, and the other youth is
Wealth, my half-brother by another father called Art.
We are all descended from an ori;inal parent, Necessity,
.
whose progeny is so numerous, that like other c4.•"-
hes, not exempting Pritices, Gent f 1! CO
Vol VIT, Nos cc,c,ro,.

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far *ins, Contspellttftt, "

PUULIEMED AT NO. 11, NEWCASTLE-lITItEET) STUASD.

, JUNE lB, 1815.

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PR

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often quarrel among themselves and forget the moral obli—
getions and natural duties which they owe to their commoa
ancestor. Even my brother and I are seldom on speaking'
terms : though all his fortune depends on my mother, yet be
sometimes abuses her; whilst I, whom my father made in.
dependent, scarcely ever disagree with her. She has two
sisters, whom you will observe presently. The first,. by
the same parents, Is called Health. The other, who is
far younger, though she looks the oldest, is by a di&
ferent mother, named Understanding, who claims her de.
scent from the Gods above, As the rest of onr family
have no such pretensions, we let our mother and her sisters
have their own way ; though we must acknowledge that
they seem occasionally rather whimsical and fickle, and
at other times put on strange airs. But you shall judos
for yourself, for my aunts are coming." Scarcely had he
finished, when I saw two females issue from the interior of
the building. The first excelled in her air all that Guido's'
pencil ever drew. To the finest symmetry of faun she
united the most vivid complexion. It did not consist in
that delicate mixture of white and red, which mortals
prize so highly; but it was one united colour, without a
break, without even a fainter undulation, the glow of
which increased in brilliancy u the eye beheld it. She
was Health, The other seemed wrapped ip deep medita.
tion. Her looks were sedate: something like severity,
not to say chagrin, sometimes gave her toUntenance the
appearance of age. Her garment was 'a robe, which,
though antique, fell with much more gratefulness than the
gowns of our ladies (to the trains of which, by the bye, I
have lately observed an appendage of slight-loose stuf,
which either ridiculously flaunts in the air, oi sweeps the
ground sind picks up the dust that covers its surface). I
perceived crowds of aerial genii, some of a very fan.
tastic shape, Buttering round the head of tbis person.
age, and sometimes appearing to dart into it. I easily
guessed that it was Learning who stood before me. I
bowed with profound veneration, and she seemed both
pleased and surprised at my action. " The regard," said
she, (4 which mortals pay to Learning is CO uncommon,
that thy behaviour claims my attention and makes me
willing to explain every object which now excites thy cu.
viovltY• The stately edifice before thee, is the palace of
Civil Policy, which is no other then the art fully practised,
of living happy in society. The lofty dome which rises in
the centre belongs to Peace, a Goddess whom the in.
trigues of bad men and the want of integrity in Princes,
have long driven from the states of Europe. The being
who is now reoeivjng homage, is Freedom. Severity and
Judi= form her characteristbm: she is the guardian of