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bear to eat the Bread his Children wanted. And yet, can you believe it, Gentlemen? In all this Mifery, his Wife has as good Cawdle as if the lay in, in the midst of the greatest Affluence; I tafted it, and I fcarce ever tasted better-The Means of procuring her this,' he faid, he believed was fent him by an Angel from Heaven; I know not what he meant ; for I had not Spirits enough to ask a single • Question.'

This was a Love-Match, as they call it, on both Sides; that is, a Match between two Beggars. I muft indeed fay I never faw a fonder Couple; but what is their Fondnefs good for, but to torment • each other?' 'Indeed, Mamma,' cries Nancy, I have always looked on my Coufin Anderson (for that was her Name) as one of the happiest of Women. I am fure," fays Mrs. Miller, the Cafe at present is much otherwife; for any one ' might have difcerned that the tender Confideration of each others Sufferings, makes the moit 'intolerable Part of their Calamity, both to the Husband and the Wife. Compared to which, Hunger and Cold, as they affect their own Perfons only, are fcarce Evils. Nay, the very Children, the youngesft, which is not two Years old, excepted, feel in the fame Manner; for they are a moft loving Family; and if they had but a bare Competency, would be the happieft People in the World. I never faw the least Sign of Mifery at her Houfe, replied Nancy; "I am fure my Heart bleeds for what you now tell me. -O Child,' anfwered the Mother,

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hath always endeavoured to make the best of every Thing. They have always been in great Diftrefs; but, indeed, this abfolute Ruin hath

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been brought upon them by others. The poor Man was Bail for the Villain his Brother; and about a Week ago, very Day before her Lying-in, their Goods were all carried away, and fold by an Execution. He fent a Letter to me of it by one of the Bailiffs, which the Villain never delivered. What must he think

of my fuffering a Week to pass before he heard • of me?'

It was not with dry Eyes that Jones heard this Narrative; when it was ended, he took Mrs. Miller apart with him into another Room, and delivering her his Purfe, in which was the Sum of 50l. defired her to fend as much of it as she thought proper to these poor People. The Look which Mrs. Miller gave Jones, on this Occafion, is not eafy to be described. She burft into a Kind of Agony of Tranfport, and cry'd out,

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• Heavens! Is there fuch a Man in the World?-But recollecting herfelf, fhe faid, Indeed I know one fuch; but can there be another?' I hope, Madam,' cries Jones, there are many who have common Humanity: For to relieve fuch Diftreffes in our Fellow-Creatures, can hardly be • called more.' Mrs. Miller then took ten Guineas, which were the utmoft he could prevail with her to accept, and faid, 'She would find fome "Means of conveying them early the next MornC ing; adding, that fhe had herself done fome little Matter for the poor People, and had not left them in quite fo much Mifery as she found • them.

They then returned to the Parlour, where Nightingale exprefs'd much Concern at the dreadful Situation of thefe Wretches, whom indeed he knew; for he had feen them more than once VOL. III

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at Mrs. Miller's. He inveighed against the Folly of making onesfelf liable for the Debts of others; vented many bitter Execrations against the Brother; and concluded with wifhing fomething could be done for the unfortunate Family. Suppofe, Madam,' faid he, you should recommend them to Mr. Allworthy? Or what think you of a Collection? I will give them a Guinea with all my Heart.'

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Mrs. Miller made no Anfwer; and Nancy, to whom her Mother had whispered the Generofity of Jones, turned pale upon the Cecafion; though if either of them was angry with Nightingale, it was furely without Reafon. For the Liberality of Jones, if he had known it, was not an Example which he had any Obligation to follow; and there are Thoufands who would not have contributed a fingle Halfpenny, as indeed he did not in Effect, for he made no Tender of any thing; and therefore as the others thought proper to make no Demand, he kept his Money in his Pocket.

I have in Truth obferved, and fhall never have a better Opportunity than at present to communicate my Obfervation, that the World are in general divided into two Opinions concerning Charity, which are the very reverfe of each other. One Party seems to hold, that all Acts of this Kind are to be efteemed as voluntary Gifts, and however little you give (if indeed no more than your good Wishes) you acquire a great Degree of Merit in fo doing.-Others, on the contrary, appear to be as firmly perfuaded, that Beneficence is a pofitive Duty, and that whenever the Rich fall greatly fhort of their Ability in relieving the Diftreffes of the Poor, their pitiful Largefies are fo far from being meritorious, that they have only

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Performed their Duty by Halves, and are in fome Senfe more contemptible than thofe who have en tirely neglected it.

To reconcile thefe different Opinions is not in my Power. I fhall only add, that the Givers are generally of the former Sentiment, and the Receivers are almoft univerfally inclined to the latter.

CHAP. IX.

Which treats of Matters of a very different Kina from thofe in the preceding Chapter.

IN

N the Evening Jones met his Lady again, and a long Converfation again enfued between them; but as it confifted only of the fame ordinary Occurrences as before, we fhall avoid mentioning Particulars, which we defpair of rendring agreeable to the Reader; unless he is one whofe Devotion to the fair Sex, like that of the Papifts to their Saints, wants to be raised by the Help of Pictures. But I am fo far from defiring to exhibit fuch Pictures to the Public, that I would with to draw a Curtain over thofe that have been lately fet forth in certain French Novels; very bungling Copies of which have been presented us here, under the Name of Tranflations.

Jones grew ftill more and more impatient to fee Sephia; and finding, after repeated Interviews with Lady Bellafton, no Likelihood of obtaining this by her Means; (for, on the contrary, the Lady began to treat even the Mention of the Name of Sophia with Refentment ;) he refolved to try fome other Method. He made no Doubt

but that Ladu Bellaften knew where his Angel

was, fo he thought it most likely, that fome of her Servants fhould be acquainted with the fame Secret. Partridge therefore was employed to get acquainted with those Servants, in order to fifh this Secret out of them.

Few Situations can be imagined more uneafy than that to which his poor Mafter was at prefent reduced; for befides the Difficulties he met with in discovering Sophia, befides the Fears he had of having difobliged her, and the Affurances he had received from Lady Bellafton of the Refolution which Sophia had taken against him, and of her having purposely concealed herself from him, which he had fufficient Reason to believe might be true; he had ftill a Difficulty to combat, which it was not in the Power of his Mistress to remove, however kind her Inclination might have been. This was the expofing of her to be difinherited of all her Father's Eftate, the almoft inevitable Confequence of their coming together without a Confent, which he had no Hopes of ever obtaining.

Add to all these the many Obligations which Lady Bellafton, whofe violent Fondness we can no longer conceal, had heaped upon him; so that by her Means he was now become one of the best drefs'd Men about Town; and was not only relieved from thofe ridiculous Diftreffes we have before-mentioned, but was actually raised to a State of Afluence, beyond what he had ever known.

Now though there are many Gentlemen who very well reconcile it to their Confciences to poffefs themfelves of the whole Fortune of a Woman, without making her any Kind of Return ; yet to a Mind the Proprictor of which doth not deferve to be hang'd, nothing is, I believe, more

irksome

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