might make his efcape abroad. In all which expedition Mrs. Waters declared fhe would bear him company; and for which he was able to furnish him with money, a very material article to Mr. Northerton, fhe having then in her pocket three bank notes to the amount of 90 1. befides fome cath, and a diamond ring of pretty confiderable value on her finger, All which fhe with the utmoft confidence revealed to this wicked man, little fufpecting the fhould by thefe means infpire him with a defign of robbing her. Now, as they muft, by taking horfes from Worcester, have furnished any purfuers with the means of hereafter difcovering their rout, the enfign propofed, and the lady prefently agreed, to make their firft ftage on foot, for which purpofe the hardness, of the froft was very feafonable.

The main part of the lady's baggage was already at Bath, and the had nothing with her at prefent befides a very fmall quantity of linen, which the gallant undertook to carry in his own pockets. All things. therefore, being fettled in the evening, they arofe: early the next morning, and at five o'clock departed from Worcester, it being then above two hours before day. But the moon, which was then at the full, gave them all the light fhe was capable of affording.

Mrs. Waters was not of that delicate race of women who are obliged to the invention of vehicles › for the capacity of removing themfelves from one place to another, and with whom confequently a coach is reckoned among the neceffaries of life. Her limbs were indeed full of strength and agility, and as › her mind was no lefs animated with fpirit, fhe was per fectly able to keep pace with her nimble lover..

Having travelled on for fome miles in a high road? which Northerton faid he was informed led to Hereford, they came at the break of day to the fide of a large wood, where he suddenly stopped, and affecting to meditate a moment with himself, expreffed fome apprehenfions from travelling any longer in fo public a way. Upon which he eafily perfuaded his fair companion to ftrike with him into a path.. which feemed to lead directly through the wood, and.

M 3

whicha

which at length brought them both to the bottom of Mazard-hill.

Whether the execrable fcheme, which he now attempted to execute, was the effect of previous deliberation, or whether it now first came into his head, I cannot determine. But being arrived in this lonely place, where it was very improbable he fhould meet with any interruption, he fuddenly flipped his garter from his leg, and, laying violent hands on the poor woman, endeavoured to perpetrate that dreadful and deteftable fact, which we have before commemorated, and which the providential appearance of Jones did fo fortunately prevent.

Happy was it for Mrs. Waters, that she was not of the weakest order of females; for no fooner, did the perceive, by his tying a knot in his garter, and by his declarations, what his hellish intentions were, than fhe stood ftoutly to her defence, and so strongly ftruggled with her enemy, fcreaming all the while for affiftance, that fhe delayed the execution of the villain's purpose feveral minutes, by which means Mr Jones came to her r lief, at that very inftant when her ftrength failed, and fhe was totally overpowered, and delivered her from the ruffian's hands, with no other lofs than that of her cloaths, which were torn from her back, and of the diamond ring, which, during the contention, either dropped from her finger. or was wrenched from it by Northerton.

Thus, reader we have given thee the fruits of a very painful enquiry, which, for thy fatisfaction, we have made into this matter. And here we have opened to thee a fcene of folly, as well as villany, which we could fcarce have believed a human creature capable of being guilty of; had we not remembered that this fellow was at that time firmly perfuaded, that he had already committed a murder, and had forfeited his life to the law. As he concluded therefore that his only fafety lay in flight, he thought the poffeffing himself of this poor woman's money and ring, would make him amends for the additional burden he was to lay on his confcience.

And

And here, reader, we muft ftrictly caution thee, that thou dost not take any occafion from the nibehaviour of fuch a wretch as this, to reflect on fo worthy and honourable a body of men, as are the officers of our army in general. Thou wilt be pleafed to confider, that this fellow, as we have already informed thee; had neither the birth nor education of a gentleman, nor was a proper person to be inrolled among the number of fuch. If therefore his bafenefs can justly reflect on any befides himself, it must be only on those who gave him his commiffion.

THE

THE

HISTORY

OF A

FOUNDLING.

BOOK X.

In which the hifiory goes forward about twelve hours.

CHAP. I..

Containing inftructions very necessary to be perused by: modern critics.

R

EADER, it is impoffible we should know what fort of person thou wilt be: for perhaps, thou may't be as learned in human nature as Shakespear himfelf was, and perhaps thou may't be no wifer than fome of his editors. Now, left this latter fhould be the cafe, we think proper, before we go any farther together, to give thee a few wholefome admonitions; that thou may'ft not as grofsly misunderstand and mifreprefent us, as fome of the faid editors have mifunderstood and mifreprefented their author.

Firft, then, we warn thee not too haftily to con-demn any of the incidents in this our hiftory, as impertinent and foreign to our main defign. because thou doft not immediately conceive in what manner fuch incident may conduce to that defign. This work may, indeed, be confidered as a great creation of our own; and for a little reptile of a critic to presume to find fault

with any of its parts, without knowing the manner in which the whole is conne&ed, and before he comes to the final catastrophe, is a most presumptuous abfurdity. The allufion and metaphor we have here made ufe of, we must acknowledge to be infinitely too great for our occafion; but there is, indeed, no other, which is at all adequate to exprefs the difference between an author of the first rate, and a critic of the lowest.

Another caution we would give thee, my good reptile, is, that thou doft not find out too near a refemblance between certain characters here introduced; as for inftance, between the landlady who appears in the feventh book, and her in the ninth. Thou art to know, friend, that there are certain characteristics, in which most individuals of every profeffion and occupation agree. To be able to preferve thefe characteriftics, and at the fame time to diverfify their operations, is one talent of a good writer. Again, to mark the nice diftinction between two perfons actuated by the fame vice or folly is another; and as this last talent is found in very few writers, fo is the true difcernment of it found in as few readers; though, I believe, the obfervation of this forms a very principal pleature in thofe who are capable of the difcovery every perfon, for inftance, can diftinguish between Sir Epicure Mammon, and Sir Fopling Flutter; but to note the difference between Sir Fopling Flutter and Sir Courtly Nice, requires a more exquifite judgment: for want of which, vulgar fpectators of plays very often do great injustice in the theatre; where I have fometimes known a poet in danger of being convicted as a thief, upon much worfe evidence than the refemblance of hands hath been held to be in the law. In reality, I apprehend every amorous widow on the ftage would run the hazard of being condemned as a fervile imitation of Dido, but that happily very few of our play houfe critics understand enough of Latin to read Virgil.

In the next place, we muft admonifh thee, my worthy friend, (for, perhaps, thy heart may be better than thy head), not to condemn a character as a bad one, because it is not perfectly a good one. If thou doft delight in thefe models of perfection, there are

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