fhorteft, appeared to him to be one of the longeft in the whole year. At length the clock having ftruck five, he returned to Mrs Fitzpatrick, who, though it was a full hour earlier than the decent time of vifiting, received him very civily; but ftill perfifted in her ignorance concerning Sophia.

you

Jones in afking for his angel, had dropped the word coufin; upon which Mrs Fitzpatrick faid, Then, Sir, know we are related; and as we are, you will permit me the right of inquiring into the particulars of " your bufinefs with my coufin.' Here Jones hefitated a good while, and at laft anfwered he had a confiderable fum of money of hers in his hands, which he defired to deliver to her. He then produced the pocket-book, and acquainted Mrs Fitzpatrick with the contents, and with the method in which they came into his hands. He had fcarce finished his ftory, when a most violent noife shook the whole house. To attempt to defcribe this noise to those who have heard it, would be in vain; and to aim at giving an idea of it to those who have never heard the like, would be ftill more vain; for it may be truly faid,

-Non acuta

Sic geminant Corybantes ara.

The priests of Cybele do not fo rattle their founding

brafs.

calm

In fhort a footman knocked, or rather thundered at the door. Jones was a little fuprised at the found, having never heard it before; but Mrs Fitzpatrick very ly faid, that as fome company were coming, the could not make any answer now; but if he pleased to stay till they were gone, fhe intimated fhe had fomething to fay to him.

The door of the room now flew open, and, after pufhing in her hoop fideways before her, entered Lady Bellafton, who having first made a very low courtesy to Mrs Fitzpatrick, and as low a one to Mr Jones, was ushered to the upper end of the room.

We mention thefe minute matters for the fake of fome country ladies of our acquaintance, who think it contrary to the rules of modefty to bend their knees to a man.

The company were hardly well fettled before the ar

rival of the peer lately mentioned, caufed a fresh disturb ance, and a repetition of ceremonials.

These being over, the converfation began to be (as the phrafe is) extremely brilliant. However, as nothing paffed in it which can be thought material to this history, or indeed very material in itself, I fhall omit the relation; the rather as I have known fome very fine polite converfation grow extremely dull, when transcribed into books, or repeated on the ftage. Indeed this mental repaft is a dainty, of which thofe who are excluded from polite afssemblies ́must be contented to remain as ignorant as they must of the several dainties of French cookery, which are served only at the tables of the great. To fay the truth, as neither of these are adapted to every tafte, they might be as well thrown away on the vulgar.

Poor Jones was rather a fpectator of this elegant fcene than an actor in it for though in the fhort interval before the peer's arrival, Lady Bellafton firft, and afterwtrds Mrs Fitzpatrck, had addreffed fome of their dif course to him; yet no fooner was the noble lord entered than he ingroffed the whole attention of the two ladies to himself: and as he took no more notice of Jones than if no fuch perfon had been prefent, unlefs by now and then ftaring at him, the ladies followed his example.

The company had now ftaid fo long, that Mrs Fitzpa trick plainly perceived they all defigned to stay out each other. She therefore defigned to rid herself of Jones, he being the vifitant to whom he thought the leaft ceremony was due. Taking therefore an opportunity of a ceffation of chat, fhe addreffed herfelf gravely to him, and faid, • Sir, I fhall not poffibly be able to give you an answer to-night, as to that business, but if you please to leave word where I may fend to you to-morrow."

Jones had uatural, but not artificial good-breeding. Instead therefore, of communicating the fecret of his lodging to a fervant, he acquainted the lady herself with it particularly, and foon after very ceremoniously withdrew.

He was no fooner gone than the, great perfonages, who had taken no notice of him prefent, began to take much notice of him in his abfence; but if the reader hath already excufed us from relating the more brilliant part of

this converfation, he will furely be very ready to excufe the repetition of what may be called vulgar abuse; tho', perhaps, it may be material to our hiftory to mention an obfervation of Lady Bellafton, who took her leave in a few minutes after him, and then faid to Mrs Fitzpatrick, at her departure, I am fatisfied on the account of my coufin; she can be in no danger from this fellow.'

Our history shall follow the example of Lady Bellaston, and take leave of the prefent company, which was now reduced to two perfons, between whom as nothing paffed, which in the leaft concerns us or our reader, we shall not fuffer ourselves to be diverted by it from matters which muft feem of more confequence to all those who are at all interested in the affairs of our hero.

CHA P. V.

An adventure which happened to Mr Jones at his lodgings, with fome account of a young gentleman who lodged there, and of the mistress of the house and her two daughters.

TH

HE next morning, as early as it was decent, Jones attended at Mrs Fitzpatrick's door, where he was anfwered that the lady was not at home; an answer which furprised him the more, as he had walked backwards and forwards in the ftreet from break of day, and if she had gone out he must have feen her. This anfwer, however, he was obliged to receive, and not only now, but to five feveral vifits which he made her that day.

To be plain with the reader, the noble peer had, from fome reafon or other, perhaps from a regard for the lady's honour, infifted that the fhould not fee Mr Jones, whom he looked on as a fcrub, any more; and the lady had complied in making that promise, to which we now fee her fo ftrictly adhere.

But as our gentle reader may poffibly have a better opinion of the young gentleman than her ladyfhip, and may even have fome concern, fhould it be apprehended, that during this unhappy feparation from Sophia, he took his refidence either at an inn, or in the street, we fhall now give an account of his lodging, which was indeed in a very reputable houfe, and in a very good part of the town.

up

Mr Jones then had often heard Mr Allworthy mentica

the gentlewoman at whofe house he used to lodge when he was in town. This perfon, who, as Jones likewife knew, lived in Bond-ftreet, was the widow of a clergyman, and was left by him, at his decease in poffeffion of two daughters, and of a complete fet-of manufcript fermons.

Of these two daughters, Nancy, the elder, was now arrived at the age of feventeen, and Betty, the younger, at that of ten.

Hither Jones had difpatched Partridge, and in this house he was provided with a room for himself in the second floor, and with one for Partridge in the fourth.

The first floor was inhabited by one of those young gentlemen who, in the last age, were called men of wit and pleasure about town, and properly enough: for as men are ufually denominated from their business or profession, so pleasure may be faid to have been the only business or profeffion of those gentlemen to whom Fortune had made all ufeful occupations unneceffary. Playhouses, coffeehoufes, and taverns were the scenes of their rendezvous. Wit and humour were the entertainment of their loofer hours, and love was the business of their more ferious mo ments. Wine and the mufes confpired to kindle the brightest flames in their breafts; nor did they only admire, but fome were able to celebrate the beauty they admired, and all to judge of the merit of fuch compofitions.

Such, therefore, were properly called the men of wit and pleasure; but I queftion whether the fame appellation may, with the fame propriety, be given to thofe young gentlemen of our times, who have the fame ambition to be diftinguished for parts. Wit certainly they have nothing to do with. To give them their due, they foar a ftep higher than their predeceffors, and may be called men of wisdom and vertù (take heed you do not read virtue). Thus at an age when the gentlemen above-mentioned employed their time in toafting the charms of a woman, or in making fonnets in her praife; in giving their opinion of a play at the theatre, or of a poem at Will's, or Button's; thefe gentlemen are confidering of methods to bribe a corporation, or meditating fpeeches for the House of Commons, or rather for the magazines; but the fcience of gaming is that which, above all others, employs their thoughts. Thefe are the ftudies of their

graver hours, while for their amufements they have the vaft circle of connoiffeurship, painting, mufic, ftatuary, and natural philofophy, or rather unnatural, which deals in the wonderful, and knows nothing of nature, except her monsters and imperfections.

When Jones had spent the whole day in vain inquiries after Mrs Fitzpatrick, he returned at last difconfolate to his apartment. Here while he was venting his grief in private, he heard a violent uproar below stairs; and foon after a female voice begged him for Heaven's fake to come and prevent murder. Jones, who was never backward on any occafion to help the diftreffed, immediately ran down stairs; when stepping into the dinning-room whence all the noise iffued, he beheld the young gentleman of wisdom and vertù just before mentioned, pinned close to the wall by his footman, and a young woman ftanding by, wringing her hands, and crying out,

He

will be murdered, he will be murdered;' and indeed the poor gentleman feemed in fome danger of being choaked, when Joncs flew haftily to his affiftance, and rescued him just as he was breathing his laft, from the unmerciful clutches of the enemy.

Though the fellow had received feveral kicks and cuffs from the little gentleman, who had more fpirit than ftrength, he had made it a kind of fcruple of confcience to ftrike his mafter, and would have contented himself with only choaking him; but towards Jones he bore not fuch refpect: he no fooner therefore found himself a little roughly handled by his new antagonist, than he gave him one of thofe punches in the guts, which, though the fpectators at Broughton's amphitheatre have fuch exquifite delight in fecing them, convey but very little pleasure in the feeling.

The lufty youth had no fooner received this blow, than he meditated a most grateful return; and now ensued a combat between Jones and the footman, which was very fierce, but fhort; for this fellow was no more able to contend with Jones, than his mafter had before been to contend with him.

And now Fortune, according to her ufual custom, reverfed the face of affairs. The former victor lay breathlefs on the ground, and the vanquished gentleman had re