at intervals talk with great good sense; but in general he was fondest of the company of children, whom he used to call harmless little men. He was famous, I found, for singing them ballads, and telling them sto ries; and seldom went without something in his poc= kets for them, a piece of ginger-bread or a half-penny whistle. He generally came into our neighbourhood once a year, and lived upon the neighbour's hospita= lity. He sat down to supper among us, and my wife was not sparing of her gooseberry wine. The tale went round; he sung us old songs, and gave the children the story of the Buck of Beverland, with the history of Patient Grizel. The adventures of Catskin next entertained them, and then Fair Rosamond's bower. Our cock, which always crew at eleven, now told us it was time for repose; but an unforeseen difficulty started about lodging the stranger: all our beds were already taken up, and it was too late to send him to the next ale-house. In this dilemma, little Dick offered him his part of the bed, if his brother Moses would let him lie with him. «< And I », cried Bill, « will give Mr. Burchell my part, if my sisters will take me to theirs ». = «‹ Well done, my good children », cried I, « hospitality is one of the first christian duties. The beast retires to its shelter, and the bird flies to its nest; but helpless man can only find refuge from his fellow-creature. The greatest stranger in this world, was he that came to save it. He never had a house, as if willing to see what hospitality was left remaining amongst us. Deborah, my dear », cried I to my wife, « give those boys a lump of sugar each, and let Dick's be the largest, because he spoke first ».

In the morning early I called out my whole family to help at saving an aftergrowth of hay; and our guest offering his assistance, he was accepted among the number. Our labours went on lightly, we turned the

swath to the wind, I went foremost, and the rest followed in due succession., I could not avoid, however, observing the assiduity of Mr. Burchell in assisting my daughter Sophia in her part of the task. When he had finished his own, he would join in hers, and enter into a close conversation: but I had too good an opinion of Sophia's understanding, and was too well con= vinced of her ambition, to be under any uneasiness from a man of broken fortune. When we were finished for the day, Mr. Burchell was invited as on the night before; but he refused, as he was to lie that night at a neighbour's, to whose child he was carrying a whistle. When gone, our conversation at supper turned upon our late unfortunate guest. « What a strong instance », said I, « is that poor man, of the miseries attending a youth of levity and extravagance! He by no means wants sense, which only serves to aggravate his former folly. Poor forlorn creature! where are now the revellers, the flatterers, that he could once inspire and command! Gone, perhaps, to attend the baguio pander, grown rich by his extravagance. They once praised him, and now they applaud the pander: their former raptures at his wit are now converted into sarcasms at his folly he is poor, and perhaps deserves poverty; for he has neither the ambition to be independent, nor the skill to be useful ». Prompted, perhaps, by some secret reasons, I delivered this observation with too much acrimony, which my Sophia gently reproved. << Whatsoever his former conduct may be, Papa, his circumstances should exempt him from censure now. His present indigence is a sufficient punishment for former folly; and I have heard my Papa himself say, that we should never strike one unnecessary blow at a victim over whom Providence already holds the Scourge of its resentment ». You are right, Sophia », cried my son Moses, « and one of the ancients finely

represents so malicious a conduct by the attempts of a rustick to flay Marsyas, whose skin, the fable tells us, had been wholly stript off by another. Besides, I don't know if this poor man's situation be so bad as my fa ther would represent it. We are not to judge of the feelings of others by what we might feel if in their place. However dark the habitation of the mole to our eyes, yet the animal itself finds the apartment sufficiently lightsome. And, to confess a truth, this man's mind seems fitted to his station; for I never heard any one more sprightly than he was to-day, when he cone versed with you ». = This was said without the least design; however it excited a blush, which she strove to cover by an affected laugh, assuring him, that she scarce took any notice of what he said to her; but that she believed he might once have been a very fine gentleman. The readiness with which she undertook to vin

dicate herself, and her blushing, were symptoms I did not internally approve; but I represt my suspicions.

As we expected our landlord the next day, my wife went to make the venison pasty: Moses sat reading, while I taught the little ones: my daughters seemed equally busy with the rest; and I observed them for a good while cooking something over the fire. I at first supposed they were assisting their mother; but little Dick informed me in a whisper, that they were making a wash for the face. Washes of all kinds I had a natural antipathy to; for I knew that instead of mending the complexion, they spoiled it. I therefore approach ed my chair by slow degrees to the fire, and grasping the poker, as if it wanted mending, seemingly by acci dent, overturned the whole composition, and it was too late to begin another.

CHAP. VII. A town-wit described. The dullest fellows may learn to be comical for a night

or two.

WHEN the morning arrived on which we were to en=

tertain our young landlord, it may be easily supposed what provisions were exhausted to make an appear= ance. It may also be conjectured that my wife and daugthers expanded their gayest plumage upon this occasion. Mr. Thornhill came with a couple of friends, his chaplain and feeder. The servants, who were numerous, he politely ordered to the next ale-house : but my wife, in the triumph of her heart, insisted on entertaining them all, for which, by the bye, the family was pinched for three weeks after. As Mr. Burchell had hinted to us the day before, that he was making some proposals of marriage to Miss Wilmot, my son George's former mistress, this a good deal damped the heartiness of his reception: but accident, in some meas sure, relieved our embarrassment; for one of the com= pany happening to mention her name, Mr. Thornhill observed with an oath, that he never knew any thing more absurd than calling such a fright a beauty. « For strike me ugly », continued he, « if I should not find as much pleasure in choosing my mistress by the in= formation of a lamp under the clock at St. Dunstan's ». At this he laughed, and so did we: the jests of the rich are ever successful. Olivia too could not avoid whisper ing, loud enough to be heard, that he had an infinite fund of humour.

After dinner I began with my usual toast, the Church; for this I was thanked by the chaplain, as he said the church was the only mistress of his affections. «Come tell us honestly, Frank », said the 'Squire with his usual archness, « suppose the church, your present mistress,

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drest in lawn sleeves, on one hand, and Miss Sophia, with no lawn about her, on the other, which would you be for »?« For both to be sure », cried the chaplain. = « Right, Frank », cried the 'Squire; « for may this glass suffocate me but a fine girl is worth all the priestcraft in the creation. For what are tithes and tricks but an imposition; all a confounded imposture, and I can prove it». «I wish you would », cried my son Moses, and I think », continued he, that I should be able to answer you ». = « Very well, Sir», cried the 'Squire, who immediately smoked him, and winking on the rest of the company, to prepare us for the sport; « If you are for a cool argument upon that subject, I am ready to accept the challenge. And first, whether are you for managing it analogically, or dialo gically »?« I am for managing it rationally », cried Moses, quite happy at being permitted to dispute. « Good again », cried the 'Squire, « and firstly, of the first, I hope you'll not deny that whatever is, is. If you don't grant me that, I can go no farther » = « Why, returned Moses, « I think I may grant that, and make the best of it » »« I hope too », returned the other, you'll grant that a part is less than the whole ». ». «I grant that too», cried Moses, it is but just and reasonable. » — « I hope», cried the 'Squire, you will not deny that the two angles of a triangle are equal to two right ones >>.

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Nothing can be plainer », returned the other, and looked round with his usual importance. = Very well», cried the 'Squire speaking very quick, « the mises being thus settled, I proceed to observe that the concatenation of self-existences, proceeding in a reci= procal duplicate ratio, naturally produce a problemati= cal dialogism, which, in some measure, proves that the essence of spirituality may be referred to the second predicable. Hold, hold », cried the other, «< I deny that. Do you think I can thus tamely submit to such