The museum of Delaware. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1804-1806, 1804-11-10

years. They pratte of visits they never
made; repeat conversations they never
heard, and describe objects they never saw
all this too without the smallest consci-
BUSINESS cf iilschood. The same predofni-
nance q. fancy over memory is occasionally
seen in grown persons VINO deal much in
narrative. The fcible of thes- people never
fails to incur the contempt Of the world, and
is generally imputed to vanity; but where
1t is united to a character Otherwise ire
proachable. as have sometimes seen it, it
is fair TO presume that it proceeds from an
imbecilty of the mind rather than ob,.guity
Of the heart. Every man who watches the
operations of his intellect, must have disco
vered that he occasionally had formed ne7e
association of ldeasat the very time he thinks
he IS merely rettacing an association preui-
oas!R formed
Women have always been observed to
havel vc,ier imaginations than men. A ma
tural consequence of this superior flcihty
of associdting ideas, is, they are less accu-
rate in recit!ng matters of fact. Not only
the merits ola f,svorite, the splenlor of an
exhibition, or the horrors OLA calamity, arc
exaggerated by the force OF their inagina-
tons, but what consists in mere number or
quantity is apt to be increased or diminished
by the same cause. One lady Boosting Of
the beaux who had led her daughter oat to
dance, will convert twelve into tweuty
while an envious ncighbor by an opposite
deception, will dimnisI, the number to five
or six : and yet both OF these ladies may be
ignorant of voluntary lalsehood. The fact
is that each listened 10 that suggestion of!an-
cy which was most agreeable to her feel
ings.
| once knew two ladies to dispute, and at
length bet on the height Of their respective
giants, who were very well known to both.
The gentlemen turned out to be of equal
height, but each lady hal been coniidcnt
that her own .avorite was at least two in
ches taller than the other.
Very ardent lovers have observed that
when they first meet after long separation,
they fell disappointed in each other sappc,i-
ance. 1t is because the picture of the belo-
we'd object was not in the mind merely as
memory had drawn it-i,nagination had
superadd, ID the colors other ownhr!Shl pen
Ell.
Sometimes we see the imagination go live
ly, 50 completely master OF the mi.id, that
it prevails over the plain and direct conmu-
nication ct the senses.
On occasion of a riot, Gov. C o.
New \ ork, put himself at the head of a
chosen purity to qucll the tumult. The
sword he carried was by some accident bro
ken off near the hilt. " it'll this fragment
in his hand he pushed on, and endeavored
to force his way through the crowd. One
man, feeling the pressure of the mutiia.ted
weapon, looked back, and fixed his eyes on
the spot, exclaimed 4" i. dead nai,'' and fell
senseess on the ground, under 4 tempory
convit;tion that he was run through the bo-
dy.
Major II. whose life was spent in mis-
chieYous waggery, having given stroiiing
fi,iier some liquor, pressed him to repeat his
draught with great earnestness. BY winks
and mods to the bvstandcrs, suspicious Were
artfully excited in the poor tidlcl----iit length
he was told with face OF gravity and con
dolence, that nc had taken an eme,ic which
would be good for his health. v arm wa
ter was accordingly prepared, and the ere
dulous son OF Crpheus was made to voinit
as freely by the energy of his own in,agina-
ton as he could have been BY the most pow
erful drugs OF pharmacy.
A Clergyman and his daughter were once
viewing the face of the full moon. The
young woman was clear she saw in it the
figure OF a y0n@g man ; but the father re-
buking the daus hter ior not seeing q mot
says, g why child, don't you see the stce-
pie 7"
To ordinary palates good wine at the IT,
bic Of poor man will seem bad, and ordi-
nary wine at the house of rcputed cpicure,
has a most exquisite favour.
Ksop, by way of characterising the blind
partiality of "A mother, makes the owl, in
describing her young to the eagle, dwell
with great emphasis on their pretty faces.
Persons who feel a dread of ASPIRATIONS
need but meet with white COW or linen
garment, and their fancy supplies whatever
is wanting to complete picture of horror