plainly, we have been all this time afraid of a son of a whore of a bastard of somebody's, I don't know who's, not I;-and now here is a confounded son of a whore of a lord, who may be a bastard too for what I know or care, for he shall never have a daughter of mine by my consent. They have beggared the nation, but they shall never beggar me. My land shall never be sent over to Hanover."

You surprise me much, my good friend," said Allworthy." Why, zounds! I am surprised myself," answered the squire. "I went to zee sister Western last night, according to her own appointment, and there I was had into a whole room-full of women.-There was my lady cousin Bellaston, and my Lady Betty, and my Lady Catharine, and my lady I don't know who; d-n me if ever you catch me among such a kennel of hoop-petticoat bs. D-n me, I'd rather be run by my own dogs, as one Acton was, that the story-book says was turned into a hare, and his own dogs killed un, and eat un. Od rabbet-it, no mortal was ever run in such a manner; if I dodged one way, one had me, if I offered to clap back, another snapped me. 'O! certainly one of the greatest matches in England,' says one cousin (here he attempted to mimic them); 'A very advantageous offer indeed,' cries another cousin, (for you must know they be all my cousins, thof I never zeed half o'um before.) Surely,' says that fat a-se b-, my Lady Bellaston, Cousin, you must be out of your wits to think of refusing such an offer.'

ter?"-" Hear thee! ay, to be sure, I will," answered he.-"Why then, sir," cries Allworthy, " I can truly say, without a compliment either to you or the young lady, that when this match was proposed, I embraced it very readily and heartily, from my regard to you both. An alliance between two families so nearly neighbours, and between whom there had always existed so mutual an intercourse and good harmony, I thought a most desirable event; and with regard to the young lady, not only the concurrent opinion of all who knew her, but my own obser vation, assured me, that she would be an inestimable treasure to a good husband. I shall say nothing of her personal qualifications, which certainly are admirable; her good-nature, her charitable disposition, her modesty, are too well known to need any panegyric: but she hath one quality, which existed in a high degree in that best of women, who is now one of the first of angels, which, as it is not of a glaring kind, more commonly escapes observation; so little, indeed, is it remarked, that I want a word to express it. I must use negatives on this occasion. I never heard any thing of pertness, or what is called repartee, out of her mouth; no pretence to wit, much less to that kind of wisdom, which is the result only of great learning and experience; the affectation of which, in a young wo man, is as absurd as any of the affectations of an ape. No dictatorial sentiments, no judicial opinions, no profound criticisms. Whenever I have seen her in the company of men, she hath been all attention, with the modesty of a learner, not the forwardness of a teacher. You'll pardon me for it, but I once, to try her only, desired her opinion on a point, which was controverted be"My liking!" said Western, how the devil tween Mr Thwackum and Mr Square, to which should it? I tell you it is a lord, and those are she answered, with much sweetness, You will always volks whom you know I always resolved pardon me, good Mr Allworthy; I am sure you to have nothing to do with. Did unt I refuse a cannot in earnest think me capable of deciding matter of vorty years purchase now for a bit of any point in which two such gentlemen disagree. land, which one o'um had a mind to put into a Thwackum and Square, who both alike thought park, only because I would have no dealings themselves sure of a favourable decision, secondwith lords, and dost think I would marry my ed my request. She answered, with the same daughter zu? Besides, ben't I engaged to you, good humour, I must absolutely be excused; and did I ever go off any bargain when I had for I will affront neither so much, as to give my promised ?" judgment on his side.' Indeed, she always shewed the highest deference to the understandings of men; a quality absolutely essential to the making a good wife. I shall only add, that as she is most apparently void of all affectation, this deference must be certainly real."

"Now I begin to understand," says Allworthy: some person hath made proposals to Miss Western, which the ladies of the family approve, but is not to your liking."

"As to that point, neighbour," said Allworthy, "I entirely release you from any engagement. No contract can be binding between parties who have not a full power to make it at the time, nor ever afterwards acquire the power of fulfilling it."

"Slud! then," answered Western, "I tell you I have the power, and I will fulfil it. Come along with me directly to Doctors Commons, I will get a licence: and I will go to sister, and take away the wench by force, and she shall ha' un, or I will lock her up, and keep her upon bread and water as long as she lives."

"Mr Western," said Allworthy, "shall I beg you will hear my full sentiments on this mat

6

Here Blifi sighed bitterly: upon which Western, whose eyes were full of tears at the praise of Sophia, blubbered out, "Don't be chicken-hearted, for shat ha' her; d-n me, shat ha' her, if she was twenty times as good."

"Remember your promise, sir," cried Allworthy, "I was not to be interrupted."-" Well, shat unt," answered the squire," I won't speak another word."-" Now, my good friend," continued Allworthy, "I have dwelt so long on

3

1

1

vinced my dear uncle hath a better opinion of me than to think that I myself would accept of more."

"Look'ee," says Allworthy, "you have my leave to write, to visit, if she will permit it;but I insist on no thoughts of violence. I will have no confinement, nothing of that kind attempted."

Examine your heart, therefore, thoroughly, my good boy; and if, upon examination, you have but the least suspicion of this kind, I am sure your own virtue and religion will impel you to drive so vicious a passion from your heart, and your good sense will soon enable you to do it without pain."

The reader may pretty well guess Blifil's answer; but if he should be at a loss, we are not, at present, at leisure to satisfy him, as our history now hastens on to matters of higher importance, and we can no longer bear to be absent from Sophia.

CHAP. IV.

"Well, well," cries the squire," nothing of that kind shall 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-sauce. There will be nobody An extraordinary scene between Sophia and her but ourselves, unless we have a mind to have the landlord; for I have sent Parson Supple down to Basingstoke after my_tobacco-box, which I left at an inn there, and I would not lose it for the world; for it is an old acquaintance of above twenty years standing. I can tell you landlord is a vast comical bitch, you will like un hugely."

Mr Allworthy at last agreed to this invitation, and soon after the squire went off, singing and capering at the hopes of seeing the speedy tragical end of poor Jones.

When he was gone, Mr Allworthy resumed the aforesaid subject with much gravity. He told his nephew," he wished with all his heart he would endeavour to conquer a passion, in which I cannot," says he, "flatter you with any hopes of succeeding. It is certainly a vulgar error, that aversion in a woman may be conquered by perseverance. Indifference may, perhaps, sometimes yield to it; but the usual triumphs gained by perseverance in a lover, are over caprice, imprudence, affectation, and often an exorbitant degree of levity, which excites women, not over warm in their constitutions, to indulge their vanity by prolonging the time of courtship, even when they are well enough pleased with the object, and resolve (if ever they resolve at all) to make him a very pitiful amends in the end. But a fixed dislike, as I am afraid this is, will rather gather strength, than be conquered by time. Besides, my dear, I have another apprehension which you must excuse. am afraid this passion which you have for this fine young creature, hath her beautiful person 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 possession of a beautiful woman, without any regard to her sentiments towards us, is, I am afraid, too natural; but love, I believe, is the child of love only; at least, I am pretty confident, that to love the creature who we are assured hates us, is not in human nature.

I

Aunt.

THE lowing heifer and the bleating ewe, in herds and flocks, may ramble safe and unregarded through the pastures. These are, indeed, hereafter doomed to be the prey of man, yet many years they are suffered to enjoy their liberty undisturbed. But if a plump doe be discovered to have escaped from the forest, and to repose herself in some field or grove, the whole parish is presently alarmed, every man is ready to set his dogs after her; and if she is preserved from the rest by the good squire, it is only that he may secure her for his own eating.

I have often considered a very fine young woman of fortune and fashion, when first found strayed from the pale of her nursery, to be in pretty much the same situation with this doe. The town is immediately in an uproar, she is hunted from park to play, from court to assembly, from assembly to her own chamber, and rarely escapes a single season from the jaws of some devourer or other: for if her friends protect her from some, it is only to deliver her over to one of their own chusing, often more disagreeable to her than any of the rest; while whole herds or flocks of other women, securely, and scarce regarded, traverse the park, the play, the opera, and the assembly; and though, for the most part at least, they are at last devoured, yet for a long time do they wanton in liberty, without disturbance or controul.

Of all these paragons none ever tasted more of this persecution than poor Sophia. Her ill stars were not contented with all that she had suffered on account of Blifil; they now raised her another pursuer, who seemed likely to torment her no less than the other had done. For though her aunt was less violent, she was no less assiduous in teizing her than her father had been before.

The servants were no sooner departed after dinner, than Mrs Western, who had opened the matter to Sophia, informed her, "That she ex

have been persuaded to marry, I believe I should not have soon been brought to endure so much." -"You will pardon me, dear madam," said Sophia," if I make one observation: you own

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CHAP. V.

the prison.

WHEN Mr Allworthy and his nephew went to meet Mr Western, Mrs Miller set forwards to her son-in-law's lodgings, in order to acquaint him with the accident which had befallen his friend Jones; but he had known it long before from Partridge, (for Jones, when he left Mrs Miller, had been furnished with a room in the same house with Mr Nightingale.) The good woman found her daughter under great affliction on account of Jones; whom having comforted as well as she could, she set forwards to the Gate-house, where she heard he was, and where Mr Nightingale was arrived before her.

you have had many lovers, and the world knows Mrs Miller and Mr Nightingale visit Jones in it, even if you should deny it. You refused them all, and, I am convinced, one coronet at least among them."-" You say true, dear Sophy," answered she; "I had once the offer of a title."-" Why then," said Sophia, "will you not suffer me to refuse this once?"-"It is true, child," said she, "I have refused the offer of a title; but it was not so good an offer; that is, not so very, very good an offer."-" Yes, madam," said Sophia; "but you have had very great proposals from men of vast fortunes. It was not the first, nor the second, nor the third advantageous match that offered itself."-" I own it was not," said she.-" Well, madam," continued Sophia," and why may not I expect to have a second perhaps better than this? You are now but a young woman, and I am convinced would not promise to yield to the first lover of fortune, nay, or of title too. I am a very young woman, and sure I need not despair.""Well, my dear, dear Sophy," cries the aunt, "what would you have me say?"-" Why, I only beg that I may not be left alone, at least this evening: grant me that, and I will submit, if you think, after what is past, I ought, to see him in your company."- - Well, I will grant it," cries the aunt. 66 Sophy, you know I love you, and can deny you nothing. You know the easiness of my nature; I have not always been so easy. I have been formerly thought cruel; by the men I mean. I was called the cruel Parthenissa. I have broken many a window that has had verses to the cruel Parthenissa in it. Sophy, I was never so handsome as you, and yet I had something of you formerly. I am a little altered. Kingdoms and states, as Tully Cicero says in his Epistles, undergo alterations, and so must the human form." Thus run she on for near half an hour upon herself, and her conquests and her cruelty, 'till the arrival of my lord, who, after a most tedious visit, during which Mrs Western never once offered to leave the room, retired, not much more satisfied with the aunt than with the niece. For Sophia had brought her aunt into so excellent a temper, that she consented to almost every thing her niece said; and agreed that a little distant behaviour might not be improper to so forward a lover.

Thus Sophia, by a little well-directed flattery, for which surely none will blame her, obtained a little ease for herself, and, at least, put off the evil day. And now we have seen our heroine in a better situation than she hath been for a long time before, we will look a little after Mr Jones, whom we left in the most deplorable si tuation that can well be imagined.

The firmness and constancy of a true friend is a circumstance so extremely delightful to persons in any kind of distress, that the distress itself, if it be only temporary, and admits of relief, is more than compensated by bringing this comfort with it. Nor are instances of this kind so rare, as some superficial and inaccurate observers have reported. To say the truth, want of compassion is not to be numbered among our general faults. The black ingredient which fouls our disposition is envy. Hence our eye is seldom, I am afraid, turned upwards to those who are manifestly greater, better, wiser, or happier than ourselves, without some degree of malignity; while we commonly look downwards on the mean and miserable with sufficient benevolence and pity. In fact, I have remarked, that most of the defects which have discovered themselves in the friendships within my observation, have arisen from envy only: a hellish vice; and yet one from which I have known very few absolutely exempt.-But enough of a subject, which, if pursued, would lead me too far.

Whether it was that Fortune was apprehensive lest Jones should sink under the weight of his adversity, and that she should thus lose any future opportunity of tormenting him; or whether she really abated somewhat of her severity towards him, she seemed a little to relax her persecution, by sending him the company of two such faithful friends, and, what is perhaps more rare, a faithful servant. For Partridge, though he had many imperfections, wanted not fidelity; and though fear would not suffer him to be hanged for his master, yet the world, I believe, could not have bribed him to desert his cause.

While Jones was expressing great satisfaction in the presence of his friends, Partridge brought an account, that Mr Fitzpatrick was still alive, though the surgeon declared that he had very little hopes. Upon which Jones fetching a deep sigh, Nightingale said to him, " My dear Tom, why