Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1823-04-03

!
contempt; to be set on to provoke
mirth which procures the procurer
hatred to give pleasure and to be
paid with squirting malice ; TO swal
low draughts of life destroying wine
which are to be distilled into any
| breath to fickle vain auditors f; TO mort
gage niserable narrows for nights OF
| madness to waste whole seas of time
| upon those who pay it back in little
inconsiderablc drops of grudglDg sp
plause are the wages OF buiioonery
and death.
Time which has sure stroke at dis
solving all connexions which have no
solder fastening than this liquid ce.
ment. more kind TO me than my own
tas ste, has at length opened my eyes TO
the supposed qualities of my friends.
| No trace ofthem is left but in the vi
| ces which they introduced, and the
habits they mined 10 them my friends
survive still, and exercise ample re-
| tribution for any supposed inhdelity
| that may have been guilty OF towards
them.
The waters have gone over me
But out of the black depths, could /
be heard, would cry out to all those
who have but set foot 10 the perllous
flaod. Could the youth to whom the
favour, of his first wine delicious as
| the opening scenes Of life, or the enter
ing upon some newly discovered para
disc, took into my DISSOLUTION and be
made TO understand what dreary
thing it is when a man shall feel him
| self going down precipice with open
eyes passive will to see his destruc-
| ten, and have no power to stop 1t,
and vet to feel it all the way emana
ting from himself to perceive all
goodness empticd out OF him, and yet
| not to be able TO forget a time when 1t
J was otherwise to bear about the plte
| Gus spectacle of his own sell ruins
could he see my fevered eye, ieveriah
| fl om last nights drinking, and fever.
ishably looking for this nights repe-
| titior of the folly could he feel the
body of the death ont of which l cry
hourly with feebler and tecbler out
cry to be delivercd--it were enough
to make him dash the sparkling beyer
age to the earth in all the pride Of It's
mantling temptation: to make him
clash his teeth,
and not undo'em,
| To suffer wet damnation to run throem
Behold me then, in the robust period
of life. reduced to imbeciliiy and dc,
cay. Hear me count my gains, ana
the profits which ! have derived from
the midnight cup. :,
Twelve years ago | was possessed
| of healthy frame of mind. l was ne
| yer strong, but think my constitu
ton flor a weak one) was as happily
exempt from the tendency of any ma
lady as it was possible to be. l
| scarcely knew what ii was to all any
thing. Now, except when l am los
ing myselfn sea OF drink, am ne
yer from those uneasy sensations In
head and stomach, which are SO much
| worse to bear than any dehnltS pains
or aches. :,
At that time I was seldom in bed
after six in the morning, summer and
winter. / awoke refreshed, and sci
dom without some merry thoughts IN
my head, or some piece of a song to
welcome the new born day. Now,
the first feeling which besets me, at
ter stretching out the hours OF recum-
brance to their last possible extent, Is
forecast Of the wearsome day, that
lies before me with a secret wish that /
could have lain on still, or never a
! walked.
| Life itself, my waking life, has
much of the confusion. the trouble, and
obscure perplexity ofan ill dream
In the day time l stumble upon dark
mountains.
Business, which, though never par
ticularly adopted to my nature, yet as
something Of necessity to be gone
through, and therefore best undertaken
with cheerfullness, l used to enter up
on with some degree of alacrlty, now
wearies, affrights, perplexes me. l
fancy all sorts of discouragements, and
am ready to give up an occupation
| which gives me bread, from harrass-
ing conceit of incapacity. The slight
est commission given me by friend,
or any small duty which l have to
perform for myself, as giving orders
4 O