full as defirous of parting with Sophia, as Sophia herself could be of going.

The young Lady, when he came to take Leave of her Coufin, could not avoid giving her a fhort Hint of Advice. She begged her, for Heaven's Sake, to take care of herself, and to confider in how dangerous a Situation she stood; adding, the hoped fome Method would be found of reconciling her to her Husband. • You must

remember, my Dear,' fays fhe, the Maxim which my Aunt Western hath fo often repeated to us both; That whenever the matrimonial ́Alliance is broke, and War declared between Huf • band and Wife, he can hardly make a difadvantageous Peace for herself on any Conditions. Thefe are my Aunt's very Words, and fhe hath had a great deal of Experience in the World.' Mrs. Fitzpatrick anfwered, with a contemptuous Smile, Never fear me, Child, take care of yourfelf; for you are younger than I.. I will come and vifit you in a few Days; but, dear Sophy, let me give you one Piece of Advice: • Leave the Character of Graveairs in the Country; for, believe me, it will fit very aukwardly ་ upon you in this Town.'

Thus the two Coufins parted, and Sophia repaired directly to Lady Bellafton, where the found a moft hearty, as well as a moft polite Welcome. The Lady had taken a great Fancy to her when fhe had feen her formerly with her Aunt Western. She was indeed extremely glad to fee her, and was no fooner acquainted with the Reasons which induced her to leave the Squire and fly to London, than fhe highly applauded her Senfe and Refo.. lution; and after expreffing the higheft Satisfaction in the Opinion which Sophia had declared

G 5

The entertained of her Ladyfhip, by chufing her House for an Afylum, fhe promised her all the Protection which it was in her Power to give.

As we have now brought Sophia into safe Hands, the Reader will, I apprehend, be contented to depofite her there a while, and to look a little after other Perfonages, and particularly poor Jones, whom we have left long enough to do Penance for his paft Offences, which, as is the Nature of Vice, brought fufficient Punishment upon him themselves.

THE

THE

HISTORY

OF A

FOUNDLING.

BOOK XII.

Containing the fame individual Time with the former.

CHAP. I.

Shewing what is to be deemed Plagiarism in a modern Author, and what is to be confidered as lawful Prize.

T

HE learned Reader must have observed, that in the Course of this mighty Work, I have often tranflated Paffages out of the best antient Authors, without quoting the Original, or without taking the leaft Notice of the Book from whence they were borrowed.

This Conduct in Writing is placed in a very. proper Light by the ingenious Abbé Bannier, in. G6

his

his Preface to his Mythology, a Work of great Erudition, and of equal Judgment. " It will "be eafy," fays he, " for the Reader to obferve,

66

that I have frequently had greater Regard to

him, than to my own Reputation: For an "Author certainly pays him a confiderable Com"pliment, when, for his Sake, he fuppreffes "learned Quotations that come in his Way, and "which would have coft him but the bare Trouble of tranfcribing."

To fill up a Work with thefe Scraps may indeed be confidered as a downright Cheat on the learned World, who are by fuch Means impofed upon to buy a fecond time in Fragments and by Retail what they have already in Grofs, if not in their Memories, upon their Shelves; and it is ftill more cruel upon the Illiterate, who are drawn in to pay for what is of no manner of Use to them. A Writer who intermixes great Quantity of Greek and Latin with his Works, deals by the Ladies and fine Gentlemen in the fame paultry Manner with which they are treated by the Auctioneers, who often endeavour fo to confound and mix up their Lots, that, in order to purchase the Commodity you want, you are obliged at the fame Time to purchase that which will do you no Service.

And yet as there is no Conduct fo fair and difinterefted, but that it may be misunderstood by Ignorance, and mifreprefented by Malice, I have been fometimes tempted to preferve my own Reputation, at the Expence of my Reader, and to tranfcribe the Original, or at least to quote Chapter and Verfe, whenever I have made Ufe either of the Thought or Expreffion of another. I am indeed in fome Doubt that I have often fuffered

by

by the contrary Method; and that by fuppreffing the original Author's Name, I have been rather fufpected of Plagiarifm, than reputed to act from the amiable Motive above affigned by that juftly celebrated Frenchman,

Now to obviate all fuch Imputations for the future, I do here confefs and juftify the Fact. The Antients may be confidered as a rich Common, where every Perfon who hath the smallest Tenement in Parnaffus, hath a free Right to fatten his Mufe. Or, to place it in a clearer Light, we Moderns are to the Antients what the Poor are to the Rich. By the Poor here I mean, that large and venerable Body which, in English, we call The Mob. Now, whoever hath had the Honour to be admitted to any Degree of Intimacy with this Mob, muft well know that it is one of their established Maxims, to plunder and pillage their rich Neighbours without any Reluctance; and that this is held to be neither Sin nor Shame among them. And fo conftantly do they abide and act by this Maxim, that in every Parish almost in the Kingdom, there is a Kind of Confederacy ever carrying on against a certain Perfon of Opulence called the Squire, whofe Property is confidered as Free-Booty by all his poor Neighbours; who, as they conclude that there is no manner of Guilt in fuch Depredations, look upon it as a Point of Honour and moral Obligation to conceal, and to preferve each other from Punishment on all fuch Occafions.

In like Manner are the Antients, fuch as Homer, Virgil, Horace, Cicero, and the reft, to be efteemed among us Writers, as fo many wealthy Squires, from whom we, the Poor of Parnaffus, claim an immemorial Custom of taking whatever

we