then, I defire you to anfwer me one queflion, Did not I beget her? did not I beget her? anfwer me that. They fay, indeed, it is a wife father that knows his own child; but I am fure I have the best title to her, for I bred her up. But I believe you will allow me to be her father; and if I be, am I not to govern my own child, I afk you that, am I not to govern my own child? and if I am to govern her in other matters, furely I am to govern her in this which concerns her moft. And what am I defiring all this while? Am I defiring her to do any thing for me to give me any thing Zu much on t'other fide, that I am only defiring her to take away half my eftate now, and t'other half when I die. Well, and what is it all vor? Why, is unt it to make her happy? Its enough to make one mad to hear volks talk; if I was going to marry myself, then fhe would ha reafon to cry and to blubber; but, on on the contrary, ha'nt 1 offered to bind down my land in fuch a manner, that I could not marry if I would, feeing as narro' woman upon earth would ha me? What the devil in hell can I do do more? I contribute to her damnation !-Zounds! I'd zee all the world d-n'd bevore her little vinger fhould be hurt. Indeed, Mr Allworthy you must excufe me, but I am surprised to hear 6 you talk in fuch a manner, and I muft fay, take it how 6 you will, that I thought you had more fenfe.'

Allworthy refented this reflection only with a smile; nor could he, if he would have endeavoured it, have conveyed into that fmile any mixture of malice or contempt. His fimiles at folly were indeed fuch as we may suppose the angels below on the abfurdities of mankind.

Blitil now defired to be permitted to speak a few words. As to uting any violence on the young lady, I am fure I fhall never confent to it. My confcience will not permit me to use violence on any one, much lefs on a lady for whom, however cruel fhe is to me, I fhall always preferve the pureft and fincereft affection. But yet I have read, that women are feldom proof against perfeverance. Why may not I hope then, by fuch perfeverance, at laft to gain thofe inclinations, in which for the future I fhall perhaps, have no rival? for as for this lord, Mr Watern is fo kind as to prefer me to him; and fure, Sir, you

will not deny but that a parent hath at leaft a negative voice in thefe matters; nay, I have heard this very young lady herself say so, more than once, and declare, that the thought children inexcufable who married in direct oppofition to the will of their parents. Befides, though the other ladies of the family feem to favour the pretenfions of my Lord, I do not find the lady herself is inclined to give him any countenance: alas! I am too well affured he is not; I am too fenfible that wicked'est of men remains uppermost in her heart.''

Ay, ay, fo he does,' cries Western.

But furely,' fays' Blifil, when the hears of this murder which he hath committed, if the law should spare his life

What's that,' cries Western ;' murder! hath he committed a murder, and is there any hopes of feeing • him hanged?—Tol de rol, tol lol de rol.' Here he fell a finging and capering about the room.

Child, fays Allworthy, this unhappy paffion of yours diftredes me beyond meafure. I heartily pity you, and would do every fair thing to promote your fuc 'cefs.'

I defire no more,' cries Blifil; I am convinced my dear uncle hath a better opinion of me than to think that I myself would accept of more.'

Lookee,' fays Allworthy, you have my leave to write, to vifit, if fhe will permit it ;--but I infift on no thought of violence. I will have no confinement, nothing of that kind attempted.'

Well, well,' cries the fquire, nothing of that kind fhall be attempted; we will try a little longer what 'fair means will effect; and if this fellow be but hanged out of the way-Tol lol de rol.-I never heard better news in my life; I warrant every thing goes to my mind. -Do, prithee, dear Allworthy, come and dine with. me at the Hercules Pillars; I have bespoke a shoulder ' of mutton roasted, and a spare-rib of pork, and a fowl and " egg-i -fauce: There will be nobody but ourselves, unless we have a mind to have the landlord; for I have fent parfon Supple down to Balingftroke after my tobaccobox, which I left at an inn there, and I would not lofe.

6

it for the world; for it is an old acquaintance of above twenty years ftanding. I can tell you landlord is a vaft comical bitch, you will like un hugely.'

Mr Allworthy at laft agreed to this invitation, and foon after the fquire went, off, finging and capering at the hopes of feeing the speedy and tragical end of poor Jones.

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When he was gone, Mr Allworthy refumed the aforefaid fubject with much gravity. He told his nephew, he wifhed with all his heart he would endeavour to conquer a paffion, in which I cannot,' fays he, flatter you with any hopes of fuccecding. It is certainly a vulgar error, that averfion in a woman may be conquered by perfeverance. Indifference may, perhaps, fometimes yield to it; but the ufual triumphs gained by perfeverance in a lover, are over caprice, imprudence, affectation, and often an exorbitant degree of levity, which excites women, nor over warm in their conflitutions, to indulge their vanity by prolonging the • time of courtship, even when they are well enough pleafed with the object, and refolve (if they ever refolve at all) to make him a very pitiful amends in the end. But a fixed diflike, as I am afraid, this is, will rather gather ftrength, than be conquered by time. Befides, my dear, I have another apprehenfion which you must excufe. I am afraid this paffion which you have for this fine young creature, hath her beautiful perfon too much for its object, and is unworthy of the name of that love, which is the only foundation of matrimonial felicity. To admire, to like, and to long for the poffeffion of a beautiful woman, without any regard to her fentiments towards us, is, I am afraid, too natural; but love, I believe, is the child of love only; at leaft, I am pretty confident, that to love the creature who we are affured hates us, is not in human nature. • Examine your heart, therefore, thoroughly, my good boy; and if, upon examination, you have but the leaft fufpicion of this kind, I am fure your own virtue and religion will impel you to drive fo vicious a paffion from you heart, and your good fenfe will foon enable you to do it without pain.'

The reader may pretty well guefs Blifil's anfwer; but if he should be at a lofs, we are not, at prefent, at leisure to fatisfy him, as our hiftory now haftens on to matters of higher importance, and we can no longer bear to be abfent from Sophia.

CHA P. IV.

An extraordinary feene beween Sophia and her aunt.

Tocka, may ramble fafe and unregarded through the

HE lowing heifer and the bleating ewe, in herds and

pastures. These are, indeed, hereafter doomed to be the prey of man, yet many years they are fuffered to enjoy their liberty undisturbed. But if a plump doe be difcovered to have efcaped from the foreft, and to repofe herself in fome field or grove, the whole parish is prefently alarmed, every man is ready to fets his dogs after her; and if fhe is preferved from the reft by the good fquire, it is only that he may fecure her for his own eating.

I have often confidered a very fine young woman of fortune and fashion, when firft found ftrayed from the pale of her nursery, to be in pretty much the fame fituation with this doe. The town is immediately in an up-roar, fhe is hunted from park to play, from court to affembly, from affembly to her own chamber, and rarely efcapes a fingle feafon from the jaws of fome devourer. or other for if her friends protect her from some, it is only to deliver her over to one of their own chufing, of-ten more difagreeable to her than any of the reft; while whole herds or flocks of other women fecurely, and scarce regarded, traverfe the park, the play, the opera, and the affembly; and though, for the most part, at leaft, they are at laft devoured, yet for a long time do they wanton in liberty, without disturbance or controul.

Of all these paragons none ever tated more of this perfecution than poor Sophia. Her ill ftars were not contented with all that he had fuffered on- account of Blifil; they now raised her another purfuer, who feemed likely to torment her no less than the other had done. For though her aunt was lefs violent, fhe was no

lefs affiduous in teazing her than her father had been be-fore.

The fervants were no fooner departed after dinner, than Mrs Western, who had opened the matter to Sophia, informed her,That he expected his Lordship that very afternoon, and intended to take the first opportunity of leaving her alone with him.' • If you do, Madam,' anfwered Sophia, with fome spirit, I fhall take the firft opportunity of leaving him by himself." How! Madam cries the aunt: is this the return you make me for my kindness, in relieving you from 6 your confinement at your father's? You know, Madam,' faid Sophia, the cause of that confinement was a refufal to comply with my father, in accepting a man I detefted; and will my dear aunt, who hath relieved me from that diftrefs, involve me in another equally bad? And do you think then, Madam,' answered Mrs Weltern, that there is no difference between Lord Fellamar and Mr Blifil ? Very little, in my my opinion,' cries Sophia: and if I must be condemned to one, I would certainly have the merit of facrificing myfelf to my father's pleafure.' Then my pleafure, I find,"" faid the aunt, hath very little weight with you; but that • confideration fhall not move me. I act from nobler motives; the view of aggrandizing my family, of ennobling yourfelf, is what I proceed upon. Have you no fenfe of ambition? are there no charms in the thoughts of having a coronet on your coach. ?' None upon my honour,' faid Sophia. A pincushion upon the coach would pleafe me juft as well.' Never mention ho

nour,' cries the aunt, it becomes not the mouth of fuch a wretch. I am forry, niece, you force me to ufe these words, but I cannot bear your grovelling temper; you have none of the blood of the Westerns in you. But however mean and bafe your own ideas are, you fall bring no imputation on mine. I will never fuffer the world to fay of me, that I encouraged you in refuting one of the beft matches in England; a match which, befides its advantage in fortune, would " do honour to almost any family, and hath indeed, in the title, the advantage of ours.' Surely,' fays Sophia, I am born deficient, and have not the fenfes with