Authors who are their Oppofites.

This thou wilt be abundantly able to perform without our Aid. Beftir thy felf therefore on this Occafion; for tho' we will always lend thee proper Affiftance in difficult Places, as we do not, like fome others, expect thee to use the Arts of Divination to difcover our Meaning; yet we fhall not indulge thy Laziness where nothing but thy own Attention is required; for thou art highly mistaken if thou doft imagine that we intended, when we began this great Work, to leave thy Sagacity nothing to do; or that, without fometimes exercifing this Talent, thou wilt be able to travel through our Pages with any Pleasure or Profit to thyfelf..

CHA P. X.

Containing a Hint or two concerning Virtue, and a few more concerning Sufpicion.

UR Company being arrived at London,

OUR

were fet down at his Lordship's House, where, while they refreshed themfelves after the Fatigue of their Journey, Servants were dif patched to provide a Lodging for the two Ladies ; for as her Ladyfhip was not then in Town, Mrs. Fitzpatrick would by no means confent to accept a Bed in the Manfion of the Peer.

Some Readers will perhaps condemn this extraordinary Delicacy, as I may call it, of Virtue, as too nice and fcrupulous; but we must make Allowances for her Situation, which must be owned to have been very ticklish; and when we confider the Malice of cenforious Tongues, we muft allow, if it was a Fault, the Fault was an Excefs on the right Side, and which every Wo

man

man who is in the felf-fame Situation will do well to imitate. The moft formal Appearance of Virtue, when it is only an Appearance, may perhaps, in very abftracted Confiderations, feem to be rather lefs commendable than Virtue itfelf without this Formality; but it will however be always more commended; and this, I believe, will be granted by all, that it is neceflary, unless in fome very particular Cafes, for every Woman to fupport either the one or the other.

A Lodging being prepared, Sophia accompanied her Coufin for that Evening; but refolved early in the Morning to enquire after the Lady, into whofe Protection, as we have formerly mentioned, he had determined to throw herself,. when the quitted her Father's Houfe. And this fhe was the more eager in doing, from fome Obfervations he had made during her Journey in, the Coach.

Now as we would by no means fix the odious Character of Sufpicion on Sophia, we are almoft afraid to open to our Reader the Conceits which filled her Mind concerning Mrs. Fitzpatrick; of whom he certainly entertained at present fome Doubts; which, as they are very apt to enter into the Bofoms of the worft of People, we think proper not to mention more plainly, till we have firft fuggefted a Word or two to our Reader touching Sufpicion in general..

Of this there have always appeared to me to be two Degrees. The first of these I chufe to derive from the Heart, as the extreme Velocity of its Difcernment feems to denote fome previous inward Impulfe, and the rather, as this fuperlative Degree often forms its own Objects; fees what is not, and always more than really exifts. This

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This is that quick-fighted Penetration, whofe Hawk's Eyes no Symptom of Evil can escape; which observes not only upon the Actions, but upon the Words and Looks of Men; and as it proceeds from the Heart of the Obferver, fo it dives into the Heart of the Obferved, and there. efpies Evil, as it were, in the first Embryo; nay fometimes before it can be faid to be conceived. An admirable Faculty, if it were infallible; but as this Degree of Perfection is not even claimed by more than one mortal Being; fo from the Fallibility of fuch acute Difcernment have arifen' many fad Mischiefs and most grievous Heart-akes to Innocence and Virtue. I cannot help therefore regarding this vaft Quickfightedness into Evil, as a vicious Excefs, and as a very pernicious Evil in itself. And I am the more inclined to this Opinion, as I am afraid it always proceeds from a bad Heart, for the Reafons I have above men• tioned, and for one more, namely, because I never knew it the Property of a good one. Now from this Degree of Sufpicion I entirely and absolutely acquit Sophia.

A fecond Degree of this Quality feems to arife from the Head. This is indeed no other than the Faculty of feeing what is before your Eyes," and of drawing Conclufions from what you fee. The former of these is unavoidable by those who have any Eyes, and the latter is perhaps no lefs certain and neceffary a Confequence of our having any Brains. This is altogether as bitter an Enemy to Guilt, as the former is to Innocence; nor can I fee it in an unamiable Light, even though, through human Fallibility, it fhould be fometimes miftaken. For Inftance, if a Husband fhould accidentally furprize his Wife in the Lap

or

or in the Embraces of fome of thofe pretty young Gentlemen who profefs the Art of Cuckoldmaking, I fhould not highly, I think, blame him for concluding fomething more than what he faw, from the Familiarities which he really had feen, and which we are at leaft favourable enough te, when we call them innocent Freedoms. The Reader will easily suggest great Plenty of Inftances to himself: I fhall add but one more, which however unchriftian it may be thought by fome, I cannot help efteeming to be ftrictly justifiable; and this is a Sufpicion that a Man is capable of doing what he hath done already, and that it is poffible for one who hath been a Villain once, to act the fame Part again. And to confefs the Truth, of this Degree of Sufpicion I believe Sophia was guilty. From this Degree of Sufpicion fhe had, in Fact, conceived an Opinion, that her Coufin was really not better than she should

be.

The Cafe, it feems, was this: Mrs. Fitzpatrick wifely confidered, that the Virtue of a young Lady is, in the World, in the fame Situation with a poor Hare, which is certain, whenever it ventures abroad, to meet its Enemies: For it can hardly meet any other. No fooner therefore was fhe determined to take the firft Opportunity of quitting the Protection of her Husband, than fhe refolved to caft herself under the Protection of fome other Man; and whom could the fo properly chufe to be her Guardian as a Perfon of Quality, of Fortune, of Honour; and who, befides a gallant Difpofition which inclines Men to Knight-Errantry, that is, to be the Champions of Ladies in Diftrefs, had often declared a vio

lent Attachment to her felf, and had already given her all the Inftances of it in his Power?

But as the Law hath foolishly omitted this Office of Vice-Husband, or Guardian to an eloped Lady; and as Malice is apt to denominate him by a more difagreeable Appellation; it was concluded that his Lordship thould perform all fuch kind Offices to the Lady in fecret, and without publickly affuming the Character of her Protector. Nay, to prevent any other Perfon from seeing him in this Light, it was agreed that the Lady fhould proceed directly to Bath, and that his, Lordship fhould first go to London, and thence fhould go down to that Place by the Advice of his Phyficians.

Now all this Sophia very plainly understood, not from the Lips or Behaviour of Mrs. Fitzpatrick, but from the Peer, who was infinitely lefs expert at retaining a Secret, than was the good Lady; and perhaps the exact Secrecy which Mrs. Fitzpatrick had obferved on this Head in her Narrative, ferved not a little to heighten thofe Suf picions which were now rifen in the Mind of her Coufin.

Sophia very eafily found out the Lady fhe fought; for indeed there was not a Chairman in Town to whom her Houfe was not perfectly well known; and as fhe received, in Return of her first Meffage, a moft preffing Invitation, fhe immediately accepted it. Mrs. Fitzpatrick indeed did not defire her Coufin to stay with her with more Earneftnefs than Civility required. Whether fhe had difcerned and refented the Sufpicion above-mentioned, or from what other Motive it arofe, I cannot fay; but certain it is, fhe was

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