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clothes, and preceded by a pipe and tabor: a feaft alfo was provided for our reception, at which we fat cheerfully down; and what the converfation wanted in wit, was made up in laughter.

Our little habitation was fituated at the foot of a floping hill, fheltered with a beautiful underwood behind, and a prattling river before; on one fide a meadow, on the other a green. My farm confifted of about twenty acres of excellent land, having given an hundred pounds for my predeceffor's good-will. Nothing could exceed the neatnefs of my little enclofures; the elms and hedge-rows appearing with inexpreffible beauty. My houfe confifted of but one ftory, and was covered with thatch, which gave it an air of great fnugnefs: the walls on the infide were nicely white-washed, and my daughters undertook to adorn them with pictures of their own defigning. Though the fame room ferved us for parlour and kitchen, that only made it the warmer. Befides, it was kept with the utmoft neatnefs; the dishes, plates, and coppers, being well fcoured, and all disposed in bright rows on the shelves, the eye was agreeably relieved, and did not want richer furniture. There were three other apartments, one for my wife and me, another for our two daughters, within our own, and the third, with two beds, for the reft of the children.

The little republic to which I gave laws, was regulated in the following manner: By fun-rife we all affembled in our common apartment; the fire being previously kindled by the fervant. After we had faluted each other with proper ceremony, for I always thought fit to keep up fome mechanical forms of good-breeding, without which freedom ever destroys friendship, we all bent in gratitude to that Being who gave us another day. This duty being performed, my fon and I went to purfue our ufual induftry abroad, while my wife and daughters employed themfelves in providing breakfaft, which was always ready at a certain time. I allowed half an hour for this meal, and an hour for dinner; which time was taken

up

up in innocent mirth between my wife and daughters, and in philofophical arguments between my fon and

me.

As we rofe with the fun, fo we never pursued our labour after it was gone down, but returned home to the expecting family; where fmiling looks, a neat hearth, and pleasant fire, were prepared for our reception. Nor were we without guests: fometimes farmer Flamborough, our talkative neighbour, and often the blind piper, would pay us a vifit, and tafte our goofeberry wine; for the making of which we had loft neither the receipt nor the reputation. These harmless people had feveral ways of being good company; while one played, the other would fing fome foothing ballad, Johnny Armstrong's Laft Good-night, or the Cruelty of Barbara Allen. The night was concluded in the manner we began the morning, my youngest boys being appointed to read the leffons of the day, and he that read loudeft, distincteft, and beft, was to have an halfpenny on Sunday to put into the poor's box.

When Sunday came, it was indeed a day of finery, which all my fumptuary edicts could not reftrain. How well foever I fancied my lectures against pride had conquered the vanity of my daughters; yet, Î' ftill found them fecretly attached to all their former finery: they ftill loved laces, ribands, bugles, and catgut; my wife herself retained a paffion for her crimson paduafoy, because I formerly happened to say it became her.

The first Sunday in particular their behaviour served to mortify me: I had defired my girls the preceding night to be dreft early the next day; for I always loved to be at church a good while before, the reft of the congregation. They punctually obeyed my directions; but when we were to affemble in the morning at breakfaft, down came my wife and daughters, dreft out in all their former fplendour; their hair plaftered up with pomatum, their faces patched to tafte, their trains bundled up into an heap behind,

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and ruftling at every motion. I could not help fmit ing at their vanity, particularly that of my wife, from whom I expected more difcretion. In this exigence, therefore, my only resource was to order my fon, with an important air, to call our coach. The girls were amazed at the command; but I repeated it with more folemnity than before. Surely, my dear, you jeft,' cried my wife, we can walk it perfectly well: we want no coach to carry us now. You miftake, child,' returned I, 'we do want a coach; for if we walk to church in this trim, the very children in the parish will hoot after us.'- - Indeed!' replied my wife; I always imagined that my Charles was fond of feeing his children neat and handsome about him.'- You may be as neat as you pleafe,' interrupted I, ⚫ and I fhall love you the better for it; but all this is not neatnefs, but frippery. Thefe rufflings, and pinkings, and patchings, will only make us hated by all the wives of our neighbours. No, my children,' continued I, more gravely, thofe gowns may be altered into fomething of a plainer cut; for finery is very unbecoming in us, who want the means of decency. I do not know ⚫ whether fuch flouncing and fhredding is becoming even in the rich, if we confider, upon a moderate calculation, that the nakedness of the indigent world may be clothed from the trimmings of the • vain.'

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This remonftrance had the proper effect; they went with great compofure, that very inftant, to change their drefs; and the next day I had the fatisfaction of finding my daughters, at their own request, employed in cutting up their trains into Sunday waistcoats for Dick and Bill, the two little ones; and what was still more fatisfactory, the gowns feemed improved by this curtailing.

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Ta small distance from the house my predeceffor had made a feat, overfhaded by an hedge of hawthorn and honeysuckle. Here, when the weather was fine and our labour foon finished, we ufually fat together, to enjoy an extenfive landfcape, in the calm of the evening. Here too we drank tea, which now was become an occafional banquet; and as we had it but feldom, it diffused a new joy, the preparations for it being made with no small share of buftle and ceremony. On thefe occafions our two little ones always read for us, and they were regularly ferved after we had done. Sometimes, to give a variety to our amusements, the girls fung to the guitar and while they thus formed a little concert, my wife and I would ftroll down the floping field, that was embellished with blue-bells and centaury,. talk of our children with rapture, and enjoy the breeze that wafted both health and harmony.

In this manner we began to find that every fituation in life may bring its own peculiar pleafures: every morning waked us to a repetition of toil; but the evening repaid it with vacant hilarity.

It was about the beginning of autumn, on a holiday, for I kept fuch as intervals of relaxation from labour, that I had drawn out my family to our ufual place of amusement, and our young musicians began their ufual concert. As we were thus engaged, we faw a ftag bound nimbly by, within about twenty paces of where we were fitting, and by its panting it feemed preft by the hunters. We had not much time to reflect upon the poor animal's distress, when we perceived the dogs and horfemen come fweeping along at fome distance behind, and making the very path it had taken. I was inftantly for returning in with my

family;

family; but either curiofity or furprife, or fome more hidden motive, held my wife and daughters to their feats. The huntfman, who rode foremost, palt us with great fwiftnefs, followed by four or five perfons more, who feemed in equal hafte. At laft, a young gentleman of a more genteel appearance than the reft, came forward, and for a while regarding us, inftead of pursuing the chafe, ftopt fhort, and giving his horfe to a fervant who attended, approached us with a careless fuperior air. He feemed to want no introduction, but was going to falute my daugh-ters as one certain of a kind reception; but they had early learnt the lefion of looking prefumption out of countenance. Upon which he let us know that his name was Thornhill, and that he was owner of the eftate that lay for fome extent round us. He again, therefore, offered to falute the female part of the family; and fuch was the power of fortune and fine clothes, that he found no fecond repulfe. As his addrefs, though confident, was eafy, we foon became more familiar; and perceiving mufical inftruments lying near, he begged to be favoured with a fong. As I did not approve of fuch difproportioned acquaintance, I winked upon my daughters, in order to prevent their compliance; but my hint was counteracted by one from their mother; fo that with a cheerful air they gave us a favourite fong of Dryden's Mr. Thornhill feemed highly delighted with their performance and choice, and then took up the guitar himself. He played but very indifferently; however, my eldest daughter repaid his former applause with intereft, and affured him that his tones were louder than even thofe of her master. At this compliment he bowed, which the returned with a curtefy. He praised her taste, and the commended his understanding an age could not have made them better acquainted. While the fond mother too, equally happy, infifted upon her landlord's ftepping in, and tafting a glafs of her goofeberry. The whole family feemed earnest to pleafe him: my girls attempted to

entertain

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