books enow written to gratify thy tafte; but as we have not, in the courfe of our converfation, ever happened to meet with any fuch perfon, we have not chofen to introduce any fuch here. To fay the truth, 1 a little queftion whether mere man ever arrived at this confummate degree of excellence, as well as whether there hath ever exifted a monster bad enough to verify that

in Juvenal: nor do I, indeed, conceive the good purpofes ferved by inferting characters of fuch angelic perfection, or fuch diabolical depravity, in any work of invention: fince, from contemplating either, the mind of man is more likely to be overwhelmed with forrow and fhame, than to draw any good ufes from fuch patterns for in the former inftance he may be both concerned and afhamed to fee a pattern of excellence, in his nature, which he may reafonably defpair of ever arriving at: and, in contemplating the latter, he may be no lefs affected with thofe uneafy fenfations, at feeing the nature, of which he is a partaker, degraded into fo odious and deteftable a creature.

In fact, if there be enough of goodnefs in a character to engage the admiration and affection of a welldifpofed mind, though there fhould appear fome of thofe little blemishes, quas humana parum cavit natura, they will raise our compaffion rather than our abhorrence Indeed, nothing can be of more moral ufe than the imperfections which are feen in examples of this kind; fince fuch form a kind of furprize, more apt to affect and dwell upon our minds, than the faults of very vicious and wicked perfons. The foibles and vices of men, in whom there is great mixture of good, become more glaring objects from the virtues which contraft them, and fhew their deformity; and, when we find fuch vices attended with their evil confequence to our favourite characters, we are not only taught

* Whose vices are not allayed with a single virtue.

131 to fhun them for our own fake, but to hate them for the mifchiefs they have already brought on those we love.

And now, my friend, having given you these few admonitions, we will, if you pleafe, once more fet forward with our history.

CHA P. II.

Containing the arrival of an Irish gentleman, with very extraordinary adventures which enfued at the inn.

OW the little trembling hare, which the dread. of all her numerous enemies, and chiefly of that cunning, cruel, carnivorous animal man, had confined all the day to her lurking place, fports wantonly o'er the lawns: now on fome hollow tree the owl, fhrill chorister of the night, hoots forth notes which might charm the ears of fome modern connoiffeurs in mufic: now in the imagination of the half-drunk clown, as he staggers through the church-yard, or rather charnel-yard, to his home, fear paints the bloody hobgoblin: now thieves and ruffians are awake, and honeft watchmen faft afleep: in plain English, it was now midnight; and the company at the inn, as well thofe who have been already mentioned in this hiftory, as fome others who arrived in the evening, were all in bed. Only Sufan chambermaid was now ftirring, the being obliged to wash the kitchen, before fhe retired to the arms of the fond, expecting holler.

In this pofture were affairs at the inn, when a gentleman arrived there poft. He immediately alighted from his horse, and, coming up to Sufan, enquired of her, in a very abrupt and confufed manner, being almoft out of breath with eagerness, whether there was any lady in the houfe. The hour of night, and the behaviour of the man, who ftared very wildly all the time, a little furprised Sufan, fo that the hesitated before the made any anfwer: upon which the gentleman, with redoubled eagerness, begged her to give him a true information, faying, he had loft his wife, and was come in pursuit of her. Upon my fhoul,' cries

he,

he, I have been near catching her already in two ་ or three places, if I had not found her gone just as I came up with her. If fhe be in the houfe, do carry me up in the dark, and fhew her to me; and, if fhe be gone away before me, do tell me which C way I fhall go after her to meet her, and, upon my fhoul, I will make you the richest poor woman in the nation.' He then pulled out a handful of guineas, a fight which would have bribed perfons of much greater confequence than this poor wench, to much worfe purposes.

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Sufan, from the account fhe had received of Mrs. Waters, made not the least doubt but that he was the very identical stray whom the right owner pursued. As he concluded, therefore, with great appearance of reason, that she never could get money in an honefter way than by restoring a wife to her husband, the made no fcruple of affuring the gentleman, that the lady he wanted was then in the houfe; and was prefently afterwards prevailed upon (by very liberal promifes, and fome earnest paid into her hands), to conduct him to the bed-chamber of Mrs. Waters.

It hath been a custom long established in the polite world, and that upon very folid and substantial reafons, that a husband fhall never enter his wife's apartment without first knocking at the door. The many excellent ufes of this cuftom need fecarce be hinted to á reader who hath any knowledge of the world: for by this means the lady hath time to adjust herself, or to remove any difagreeable object out of the way; for there are fome fituations, in which nice and delicate women would not be discovered by their husbands.

To fay the truth, there are feveral ceremonies inftituted among the polished part of mankind, which, though they may, to coarfer judgments, appear as natters of mere form, are found to have much of fubstance in them, by the more difcerning; and lucky would it have been, had the custom above-mentioned been obferved by our gentleman in the prefent inflance. Knock, indeed, he did at the door, but not with one of thofe gentle raps which is ufual on such occafions. On the contrary, when he found the door locked,

locked, he flew at it with fuch violence, that the lock immediately gave way, the door burft open, and he fell headlong into the room.

He had no fooner recovered his legs, than forth from the bed, upon his legs like wife appeared with fhame and forrow are we obliged to proceed our hero himself, who, with a menacing voice, demanded of the gentleman who he was, and what he meant by daring to burst open his chamber in that outrageous manner.

The gentleman at first thought he had committed a mistake, and was going to afk pardon and retreat, when, on a fudden, as the moon fhone very bright, he caft his eyes on ftays, gowns, petticoats, caps, ribbons, ftockings, garters, fhoes, clogs, &c. all which lay in a difordered manner on the floor. All thefe operating on the natural jealoufy of his temper, fo enraged him, that he loft all power of speech; and, without returning any answer to Jones, he endeavour. ed to approach the bed.

Jones immediately interpofing, a fierce contention arofe, which foon proceeded to blows on both fides. And now Mrs. Waters (for we must confefs she was in the fame bed), being, I fuppofe, awakened from her fleep, and feeing two men fighting in her bed-chamber, began to fcream in the most violent manner, crying out murder! robbery! and more frequently rape! which laft, fome, perhaps, may wonder the should mention, who do not confider that these words of exclamation are ufed by ladies in a fright, as fa, la, la, ra, da, &c. are, in mufic, only as the vehicles of found, and without any fixed ideas.

Next to the lady's chamber was depofited the body of an Irish gentleman, who arrived too late at the inn to have been mentioned before. This gentleman was one of those whom the Irish call a calabalaro, or cavalier. He was a younger brother of a good family, and, having no fortune at home, was obliged to look abroad in order to get one: for which purpose he was proceeding to Bath to try his luck with cards and the women.

This young fellow lay in bed reading one of Mrs. VOL. VIII. Beha's

N

Behn's novels: for he had been inftructed by a friend, that he would find no more effectual method of recommending himself to the ladies than the improving his understanding, and filling his mind with good literature. He no fooner, therefore. heard the violent uproar in the next room, than he leapt from his boller, and, taking his fword in one hand, and the candle which burnt by him in the other. he went directly to Mrs Waters's chamber.

If the fight of another man in his fhirt at first added foe fhock to the decency of the lady, it made her picicatly amends by confiderably abating her fears; for no fooner had the calabalaro entered the room, then he cried out: Mr Fitzpatrick, what the devil is the meaning of this? Upon which the other immediately anfwered, O, Mr. Macklachlan, I am rejoiced you are here.-This villain hath debauchcd my wife, and is got into bed with her.'-' What wife?' cries Macklachlan, do not I know Mrs. Fitzpatrick very well, and don't I fee that the lady, whom the gentleman who ftands here in his fhirt is lying in bed with, is none of her?'

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Fitzpatrick now perceiving, as well by the glimpfe he had of the lady, as by her voice, which might have been diftinguished at a greater distance than he now ftood from her, that he had made a very unfortunate miftake, began to ask many pardons of the lady; and, then turning to Jones, he said, I would · have you take notice I do not ask your pardon, for you have beat me; for which I am refolved to have your blood in the morning.'

Jones treated this menace with much contempt; and Mr. Macklachlan answered, Indeed, Mr. Fitzpatrick, you may be ashamed of your ownself, to difturb people at this time of night: if all the people in the inn were not afleep, you would have • awakened them as you have me. The gentleman • has ferved you very rightly. Upon my confcience, though I have no wife, if you had treated her fo, • I would have cut your throat.'

Jones was fo confounded with his fears for his lady's reputation, that he knew neither what to fay or do;

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