your generous Way of Thinking, I hope fhe would make a better Return to his Generofity, than to give her Mind up to extravagant Pleafures. Indeed where young Ladies bring great • Fortunes themselves, they have fome Right to infift on spending what is their own; and on ← that Account, I have heard the Gentlemen fay a Man has fometimes a better Bargain with a poor Wife, than with a rich one. -But let my: Daughters marry whom they will, I shall en⚫deavour to make them Bleffings to their Huf • bands :-I beg, therefore, I may hear of no more: Masquerades. Nancy is, I am certain, too good a Girl to defire to go; for the muft re• member when you carried her thither laft Year,, it almoft turned her Head; and fhe did not return to herself, or to her Needle, in a Month • afterwards.'

Though a gentle Sigh, which ftole from the Bofom of Nancy, feemed to argue fome fecret Difapprobation of thefe Sentiments, he did not: dare openly to oppose them. For as this good Woman had all the Tender nefs, fo fhe had preferved all the Authority of a Parent; and as her Indulgence to the Defires of her Children, was reftrained only by her Fears for their Safety and future Welfare, fo the never fuffered thofe Commands, which proceeded from fuch Fears, to te either difobeyed or difputed. And this the young. Gentleman who had lodged two Years in the House, knew fo well, that he presently acquiefced in the Refufal.

Mr. Nightingale, who grew every Minute fonder of Jones, was very defirous of his Company that Day to Dinner at the Tavern, wherehe offered to introduce him to fome of his Ac

as

quaintance; but Jones begged to be excused, his Cloaths,' he faid, were not yet come to • Town.'

To confefs the Truth, Mr. Jones was now in a Situation, which fometimes happens to be the Cafe of young Gentlemen of much better Figure than himself. In fhort, he had not one Penny in his Pocket; a Situation in much greater Credit among the ancient Philofophers, than among the modern wife Men who live in Lombard Street, or thofe who frequent White's Chocolate-Houfe. And, perhaps, the great Honours which thofe Philofophers have afcribed to an empty Pocket, may be one of the Reasons of that high Contempt in which they are held in the aforefaid Street and Chocolate- House.

Now if the antient Opinion, that Men might live very comfortably on Virtue only, be, as the modern wife Men just above-mentioned pretend to have difcovered, a notorious Error; no lefs falfe is, I apprehend, that Pofition of fome Wri ters of Romance, that a Man can live altogether on Love: For however delicious Repafts this may afford to fome of our Senfes or Appetites, it is moft certain it can afford none to others. Thofe, therefore, who have placed too great a Confidence in fuch Writers, have experienced their Error when it was too late; and have found that Love was no more capable of allaying Hunger, than a Rofe is capable of delighting the Ear, er a Violin of gratifying the Smell

Notwithstanding, therefore, all the Delicacies which Love bad fet before him, namely, the Hopes of feeing Sophia at the Mafquerade; on which, however ill-founded his Imagination might be, he had voluptuously feafted during the

whole

whole Day, the Evening no fooner came, than Mr. Jones began to languifh for fome Food of a groffer Kind. Partridge difcovered this by Intuition, and took the Occafion to give fome oblique Hints concerning the Bank-Bill, and when thefe were rejected with Difdain, he collected Courage enough once more to mention a Return to Mr. Allworthy.

Partridge,' cries Jones, you cannot fee my Fortune in a more defperate Light than I fee it myfelf; and I begin heartily to repent, that I fuffered you to leave a Place, where you was fettled, and to follow me.. However, I infift now on your returning home; and for the Expence and Trouble which you have so kindly 6 put yourself to on my Account, all the Cloaths. I left behind in your Care, I defire you would: take as your own. I am forry I can make you no other Acknowledgment.'

He spoke thefe Words with fo pathetic an Accent, that Partridge, among whofe Vices nature or Hardness of Heart were not numbered,, burft into Tears; and after fwearing he would not quit him in his Diftrefs, he began with the moft earnest Intreaties to urge his Return home. For Heaven's Sake, Sir,' fays he, do but confider: What can your Honour do? How is it poffible you can live in this Town without Money? Do what you will, Sir, or go whereever you pleafe, I am refolved not to defert you. But pray, Sir, confider,-Do pray, Sir, for your own Sake, take it into your Confideration; and I'm fure,' fays he, that your own Good-Senfe will bid you return home."

How often fhall I tell thee,' anfwered Jones, that I have no Home to return to? Had I any M6

Hopes

Hopes that Mr. Allworthy's Doors would be < open to receive me, I want no Distress to urge me:-Nay, there is no other Cause upon Earth, which could detain me a Moment from flying to his Prefence; but, alas! that I am for ever banished from. His last Words were,-O Partridge, they ftill ring in my Ears-His laft Words were, when he gave me a Sum of Money, what it was I know not, but confiderable • I'm fure it was. His laft Words were"I am "refolved from this Day forward, on no Account, to converfe with you any more."

Here Paffion ftopt the Mouth of Jones, as Surprize, for a Moment, did that of Partridge: But he foon recovered the Ufe of Speech, and after a fhort Preface, in which he declared he had no Inquifitiveness in his Temper, enquired, what Jones meant by a confiderable Sum; he knew not how much; and what was become of the Money.

In both thefe Points he now received full Satisfaction; on which he was proceeding to comment, when he was interrupted by a Meffage from Mr. Nightingale, who defired his Master's Company in his Apartment.

When the two Gentlemen were both attired for the Mafquerade, and Mr. Nightingale had given Orders for Chairs to be fent for, a Circumtance of Diftrefs occurred to Jones, which will appear very ridiculous to many of my Readers. This was how to procure a Shilling; but if fuch Readers will reflect a little on what they have themselves felt from the Want of a Thousand Pound, or, perhaps, of Ten or Twenty, to execute a favourite Scheme, they will have a perfect Idea of what Mr. Jones felt on this Occafion.

'For

For this Sum, therefore, he applied to Partridge, which was the firft he had permitted him to advance, and was the last he intended that poor Fellow fhould advance in his Service, To fay the Truth, Partridge had lately made no Offer.cf this Kind; whether it was that he defired to fee the Bank-Bill broke in upon, or that Diftrefs fhould prevail on Jones to return home, or from what other Motive it proceeded, I will not determine.

CHA P. VII.

Containing the whole Humours of a Masquerade.

UR Cavaliers now arrived at that Temple, where Heydegger, the great Arbiter Deliciarum, the great High Prieft of Pleafure prefides; and, like other Heathen Priefts, impofes on his Votaries by the pretended Prefence of the Deity, when in Reality no fuch Deity is there.

Mr. Nightingale having taken a Turn or two with his Companion, foon left him, and walked off with a Female, faying, Now you are here, Sir, you must beat about for your own Game.'

Jones began to entertain ftrong Hopes that his Sophia was prefent; and thefe Hopes gave him more Spirits than the Lights, the Mufic, and the Company; though thefe are pretty ftrong Antidotes against the Spleen. He now accofted every Woman he saw, whofe Stature, Shape, or Air, bore any Refemblance to his Angel. To all of whom he endeavoured to fay fomething fmart, in order to engage an Anfwer, by which he might discover that Voice which he thought it impoffible he fhould mistake. Some of thefe anfwered by

a