nothing certain could be concluded from fo odd and uncommon an incident, he had the greater latitude to draw what imaginary conclufions from it he pleafed. As his temper, therefore, was naturally fanguine, he indulged it on this occafion, and his imagination worked up a thou fand conceits, to favour and fupport his expectations of meeting his dear Sophia in the evening.

Reader, if thou haft any good wishes towards me, I will fully repay them, by wifhing thee to be poffeffed of this fanguine difpofition of mind: fince, after having read much, and confidered long on the fubject of happiness, which hath employed fo many great pens, I am almost inclined to fix it in the poffeffion of this temper, which puts us, in a manner, out of the reach of fortune, and make us happy without her affiftance. Indeed, the fenfations of pleasure it gives are much more conftant, as well as much keener than thofe which that blind lady bestows; Nature having wifely contrived, that fome fatiety and languor fhould be annexed to all our real enjoyments, left we fhould be fo taken up by them, as to be ftopped from further purfuits. I make no manner of doubt, but that, in this light, we may fee the imaginary future chancellor just called to the bar, the archbishop in crape, and the prime minifter at the tail of an oppofition, more truly happy than thofe who are invefted with all the power and proft of thofe refpective offices.

Mr Jones having now determined to go to the mafquerade that evening, Mr Nightingale offered to conduct him thither. The young gentleman, at the fame time, offered tickets to Mifs Nancy and her mother; but the good woman would not accept them. She faid, fhe did not conceive the harm which fome people imagined in a mafquerade; but that fuch extravagant diverfions were proper only for perfons of quality and fortune, and not for young women who were to get their living, and could at beft hope to be married to a good tradefman. A tradesman, cries Nightingale, 6. you fhan't undervalue my Nancy. There is not a noble← man upon earth above her merit.' O fy, Mr Nightingale, anfwered Mrs Miller, you must not fill the girl's head with fuch fancies: but if it was her good

luck (fays her mother with a fimper) to find a gentleman of your generous way of thinking, I hope the 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 fpending 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 daugh-ters marry whom they will, I fhall endeavour to make them bleifings to their hufbands.I beg, therefore, I may hear of no more masquerades. Nancy is, I ar certain, too good a girl to defire to go;, for the muft remember 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.'

am

Though a gentle figh, which flole from the bofom of Nancy, feemed to argue fome fecret difapprobation of thefe fentiments, fhe did not dare openly to oppose them.. For as this good woman had all the tenderness, so the had preferved all the authority of a parent; and as her indulgence to the defires of her children was restrained only by her fears for their fafety and future welfare, fo. fhe never fuffered thofe commands, which proceeded from fuch fears, to be either difobeyed or difputed. And this the young gentleman who had lodged two years in the houfe, knew fo well, that he prefently 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, where he offered to introduce him to fome of his acquaintance; but Jones begged to be excufed, as his cloaths,' he faid, were not yet come to • town.'

To confefs the truth, Mr Jones was now in a fituation" 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 fituation in mach greater credit among the ancient philofophers than among the modern wile men who live in Lombard-ftreet, or those who frequent White's chocolate-house. And, perhaps, the great honours which thofe philofophers

1

have afcribed to an empty pocket, may be one of the reafons of that high contempt in which they are held in the aforefaid ftreet and chocolate-house.

Now, if the ancient 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 writers of romance, that a man can live altogether on love for however delicious repafts this may afford to fome of our fenfes or appetites, it is most 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, or a violin of gratifying the finell.

Notwithstanding, therefore, all the delicacies which love had fet before him, namely, the hopes of feeing Sophia at the mafquerade, on which, however ill-founded his imagination might be, he had voluptuoufly feafted during the 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 these were rejected with disdain, he collected courage enough once more to mention a return to Mr Allworthy,

6

Partridge, cries Jones, you cannot fee my fortnue in a more defperate light than I fee it myself; and I begin heartily to repent that I fuffered you to leave a place where you was fettled, and to follow me.

How

" ever I infift now on your returning home; and for the ex· pence and trouble which you have so kindly put yourfelt to on my account, all the cloathes 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 ill 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 most earneft intreaties to urge his return home. For Heaven's fake, 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 where-ever you please, I am refolved not to defert you.But pray, Sir, confider,-do, pray Sir, for your own fake, take it into your confideration; and I am fure,' fays he, that your own good sense will bid you return home.'

• How often fhall I tell thee,' anfwered Jones, that I have no home to return to? Had I any hopes that Mr • Allworthy's doors would be open to receive me, I want no distress to urge me :-nay, there is no other caufe upon earth, which could detain me a moment from flying to his presence; but alas! that I am for ever banished from. His laft words were,-O Partridge, they still < ring in my ears His laft words were, when he gave me a fum 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 con "verfe with you any more."

Here paffion ftopt the mouth of Mr Jones, as furprife, for a moment did that of Partridge; but he foon recovered the use of speech, and after a fhort preface, in which he declared he had no inquifitivenefs in his temper, inquired what Jones meant by a confiderable fum; he knew not how much; and what was become of the money.

In both these points he now received full fatisfaction; on which he was proceeding to comment, when he was interrupted by a meffage from Mr Nightingale, who defired his mafter's company in his apartment.

When the two gentlemen were both attired for the masquerade, and Mr Nightingale had given orders for chairs to be fent for, a circumftance of distress occurred to Jones, which will appear very ridiculous to many of my readers; this was, how to procure a filling: but if fuch readers will reflect a little on what they have themselves felt for the want of a thousand pound, cr, perhaps, of ten or twenty, to execute a favourite fcheme, they will have a perfect idea of what Mr Jones felt on this occafion. For this fum, therefore he applied to Partridge, which was the firft he had permitted him to advance, and was the last he intended that poor fellow should advance in his fervice. To fay the truth Par

tridge had lately made no offer of 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 presence 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 these hopes gave him more fpirits than the lights, the mufic, and the company; though these are pretty ftrong antidotes against the fpleen. He now ac. cofted every woman he faw, whofe ftature, fhape, or air, bore any resemblance to his angel. To all of whom he endeavoured to fay fomething fmart, in order to engage an answer, by which he might difcover that voice which he thought it impoffible he fhould miftake. Some of thefe anfwered by a queftion, in a fqueaking voice, Do you know me? Much the greater numbers faid, I don't know you, Sir; and nothing more. Some called him an impertinent fellow; fome made him no answer at all; fome faid, Indeed I don't know your voice, and I shall have nothing to fay to you; and many gave him as kind anfwers as he could with, but not in the voice he defired to hear.

Whilft he was talking with one of thefe laft, (who was in the habit of a fhepherdefs) a lady in a domino came up to him, and flapping him on the fhoulder, whifpered him, at the fame time, in the ear, • If you talk any longer with that trollop, I will acquaint Mife • Western.'