Mr. Dowling's Curiofity, by relating the History of his Birth and Education, which he did, like Othello,

--even from his boyish Years,

To th' very Moment he was bad to tell;

the which to hear, Dowling, like Defdemona, did feriously incline;

He swore 'twas ftrange, 'twas paffing ftrange; 'Twas pitiful, 'twas wonderous pitiful.

Mr. Dowling was indeed very greatly affected with this Relation; for he had not divefted himfelf of Humanity by being an Attorney. Indeed nothing is more unjuft than to carry our Prejudices against a Profeffion into private Life, and to borrow our Idea of a Man from our Opinion of his Calling. Habit, it is true, leffens the Horror of thofe Actions which the Profeffion makes neceffary, and confequently habitual; but in all other Inftances, Nature works in Men of all Profeffions alike; nay, perhaps, even more ftrongly with those who give her, as it were, a Holiday, when they are following their ordinary Business. A Butcher, I make no doubt, would feel Compunétion at the Slaughter of a fine Horfe; and though a Surgeon can conceive no Pain in cutting off a Limb, I have known him compaffionate a Man in a Fit of the Gout. The common Hangman, who hath stretched the Necks of Hundreds, is known to have trembled at his firft Operation on a Head: And the very Profeffors of Human

Blood

Blood-fhedding, who in their Trade of War butcher Thoufands, not only of their Fellow Profeffors, but often of Women and Children, without Remorse; even these, I fay, in Times of Peace, when Drums and Trumpets are laid afide, often lay afide all their Ferocity, and become very gentle Members of civil Society. In the fame Manner an Attorney may feel all the Miferies and Diftreffes of his Fellow Creatures, provided he happens not to be concerned against them.

Jones, as the Reader knows, was yet unacquainted with the very black Colours in which he had been represented to Mr. Allworthy; and as to other Matters he did not fhew them in the moft difadvantageous Light: For though he was unwilling to caft any Blame on his former Friend and Patron; yet he was not very defirous of heaping too much upon himself. Dowling therefore obferved, and not without Reason, that very ill Offices must have been done him by fome Body:

For certainly,' cries he, the Squire would ne· ver have difinherited you only for a few Faults, ' which any young Gentleman might have com'mitted. Indeed, I cannot properly fay difinherited; for to be fure by Law you cannot ⚫ claim as Heir. That's certain; that no Body need go to Counfel for. Yet when a Gentleman had in a Manner adopted you thus as his own Son, you might reasonably have expected ⚫ fome very confiderable Part, if not the Whole; nay, if you had expected the Whole, I should not have blamed you: For certainly all Men are for getting as much as they can, and they are not to be blamed on that Account.'

<

• Indeed

Indeed you wrong me,' faid Jones, I fhould • have been contented with very little: I never • had any View upon Mr. Allworthy's Fortune; I believe, I may truly fay, I never once • confidered what he could or might give me. 'This I folemnly declare, if he had done a Pre

nay,

judice to his Nephew in my Favour, I would have undone it again. I had rather enjoy my " own Mind than the Fortune of another Man. What is the poor Pride arifing from a magni'ficent House, a numerous Equipage, a splendid Table, and from all the other Advantages or Appearances of Fortune, compared to the warm, folid Content, the fwelling Satisfaction, the thrilling Tranfports, and the exulting Triumphs, 'which a good Mind enjoys, in the Contemplation of a generous, virtuous, noble, benevolent • Action? I envy not Blifil in the Profpect of his Wealth; nor fhall I envy him in the Poffeffion of it. I would not think myself a Rascal half an Hour, to exchange Situations. I believe, indeed, Mr. Blifil fufpected me of the Views ⚫ you mention; and I fuppose these Sufpicions, as they arofe from the Bafenefs of his own Heart, fo they occafioned his Baseness to me. But, I thank Heaven, I know, I feel,I feel my Innocence, my Friend; and I would not part with that Feeling for the World.For as 6 long as I know I have never done, nor even defigned an Injury to any Being whatever,

6

Pone me pigris ubi nulla campis

Arbor aftiva recreatur aura,

Quod latus mundi nebula, malusque
Jupiter urget.

Pone,

Pone, fub curru nimium propinqui
Solis in Terra dominibus negata ;
Dulce ridentem Lalagen amabo,
Dulce loquentem *.

He then filled a Bumper of Wine, and drank it off to the Health of his dear Lalage; and filling Dowling's Glafs likewife up to the Brim, infifted on his pledging him. Why then here's Mifs Lalage's Health, with all my Heart,' cries Dowling. I have heard her toasted often, I proteft, though I never faw her; but they say she's ex< tremely handfome.'

Though the Latin was not the only Part of this Speech which Dowling did not perfectly underftand; yet there was fomewhat in it, that made a very ftrong Impreffion upon him. And though he endeavoured by winking, nodding, fneering, and grinning, to hide the Impreffion from Jones, (for we are as often afhamed of thinking right as of thinking wrong) it is certain he fecretly approved as much of his Sentiments as he understood, and really felt a very ftrong Impulse of Compaffion for him. But we may poffibly take fome other Opportunity of commenting upon this, especially

*Place me where never Summer Breeze Unbinds the Glebe, or warms the Trees; Where ever lowering Clouds appear,

And

angry Jove deforms th' inclement Year.

Place me beneath the burning Ray,
Where rolls the rapid Carr of Day;

Love and the Nymph fhall charm my Toils,

The Nymph who fweetly speaks, and fweetly fmiles.

Mr. Francis.

if

if we should happen to meet Mr. Dowling any more in the Courfe of our Hiftory. At prefent we are obliged to take our Leave of that Gentleman a little abruptly, in Imitation of Mr. Jones; who was no fooner informed, by Partridge, that his Horfes were ready, than he depofited his Reckoning, wished his Companion a good Night, mounted, and fet forward towards Coventry, tho' the Night was dark, and it just then began to rain very hard.

CHAP. XI.

The Difafters which befel Jones on his Departure for Coventry; with the fage Remarks of Partridge.

O Road can be plainer than that from the Place where they now were to Coventry; and though neither Jones nor Partridge, nor the Guide had ever travelled it before, it would have been almoft impoffible to have missed their Way, had it not been for the two Reasons mentioned in the Conclufion of the last Chapter.

These two Circumftances, however, happening both unfortunately to intervene, our Travellers deviated into a much less frequented Track; and after riding full Six Miles, inftead of arriving at the ftately Spires of Coventry, they found themfelves ftill in a very dirty Lane, where they faw no Symptoms of approaching the Suburbs of a large City.

Jones now declared that they must certainly have loft their Way; but this the Guide infifted upon was impoffible; a Word which, in common Converfation, is often used to fignify not

only