was not therefore without reason, that the learned Dr. Cheney used to call drinking punch, pouring liquid fire down your throat.

Now Mrs. Honour had unluckily poured fo much of this liquid fire down her throat, that the fmoke of it began to afcend into her pericranium, and blinded the eyes of reafon, which is there fuppofed to keep her refidence, while the fire itself from the stomach eafily reached the heart, and there inflamed the noble paffion of pride: So that, upon the whole, we shall ceafe to wonder at the violent rage of the waiting woman; though at firtt fight we must confefs the cause seems inadequate to the effect.

Sophia, and her coufin both, did all in their power to extinguish these flames, which had roared fo loudly all over the house. They at length prevailed; or, to carry the metaphor one step farther, the fire, having confumed all the fuel which the language affords, to wit, every reproachful term in it, at last went out of its own accord.

But, though tranquillity was restored above stairs, it was not fo below; where my landlady, highly refenting the injury done to the beauty of her husband, by the flesh-fpades of Mrs. Honour, called aloud for revenge and juftice. As to the poor man, who had principally fuffered in the engagement, he was perfectly quiet. Perhaps the blood which he loft might have cooled his anger: for the enemy had not only applied her nails to his cheeks, but likewife her fift to his noftrils, which lamented the blow with tears of blood in great abundance. To this we may add reflections on his mistake; but indeed nothing fo effectually filenced his resentment, as the manner in which he now difcovered his error; for as to the behaviour of Mrs. Honour, it had the more confirmed him in his opinion but he was now affured by a person of great figure, and who was attended by a great equipage, that one of the ladies was a woman of fashion and his intimate acquaintance.

:

By the orders of this perfon, the landlord now afcended, and acquainted our fair travellers, that a great gentleman below defired to do them the honour

of

of waiting on them. Sophia turned pale, and trembled at this meffage, though the reader will conclude it was too civil, notwithstanding the landlord's blunder, to have come from her father; but fear hath the common fault of a juftice of peace, and is apt to conclude haftily from every flight circumftance, without examining the evidence on both fides.

To eafe the reader's curiosity, therefore, rather than his apprehenfions, we proceed to inform him, that an Irish peer had arrived very late that evening at the inn in his way to London. This nobleman, having fallied from his fupper at the hurricane before commemorated, had feen the attendant of Mrs. Fitzpatrick, and upon a fhort enquiry was informed, that her lady, with whom he was very particularly acquainted, was above. This information he had no fooner received, than he addreffed himself to the landlord, pacified him, and fent him up ftairs with compliments rather civiller than those which were delivered.

It may perhaps be wondered at, that the waitingwoman herself was not the meffenger employed on this occafion; but we are forry to say, fhe was not at prefent qualified for that, or indeed for any other office. The rum (for fo the landlord chofe to call the diftillation from malt), had bafely taken the advantage of the fatigue which the poor woman had undergone, and had made terrible depredations on her noble faculties, at a time when they were very unable to refift the attack.

We fhall not defcribe this tragical fcene too fully; but we thought ourfelves obliged, by that hiftoric integrity which we profeis, fhortly to hint a matter, which we would otherwife have been glad to have fpared. Many hiftorians indeed, for want of this integrity, or of diligence, to fay no worfe, often leave the reader to find out thefe little circumstances in the dark, and sometimes to his great confufion and perplexity.

Sophia was very foon eafed of her caufelefs fright by the entry of the noble peer, who was not only an inti mate acquaintance of Mrs. Fitzpatrick, but in reality a very particular friend of that lady. To fay truth, it

was by his affiftance, that she had been enabled to escape from her husband; for this nobleman had the fame gallant disposition with those renowned knights, of whom we read in heroic story, and had delivered many an imprifoned nymph from durance. He was indeed as bitter an eneiny to the favage authority too often exercifed by husbands and fathers, over the young and lovely of the other fex, as ever knight-errant was to the barbarous power of enchanters: nay, to fay truth, I have often fuspected, that those very enchanters, with which romance every where abounds, were in reality no other than the husbands of those days ; and matrimony itself was perhaps the enchanted caftle in which the nymphs were faid to be confined.

This nobleman had an estate in the neighbourhood of Fitzpatrick, and had been for fome time acquainted with the lady. No fooner therefore did he hear of her confinement, than he earnestly applied himself to procure her liberty; which he prefently effected, not by ftorming the caftle, according to the example of ancient heroes; but by corrupting the governor, in conformity with the modern art of war; in which craft is held to be preferable to valour, and gold is found to be more irresistible than either lead or steel.

This circumftance, however, as the lady did not think it material enough to relate to her friend, we would not at that time impart it to the reader. We' rather chofe to leave him a while under a fuppofi. tion, that she had found, or coined, or by forme very extraordinary, perhaps fupernatural means, had poffeffed herself of the money with which the had bribed her keeper, than to interrupt her narrative by giving a hint of what feemed to her of too little importance to be mentioned.

The peer, after a fhort converfation, could not forbear expreffing fome furprize at meeting the lady in that place; nor could he refrain from telling her, he imagined she had been gone to Bath. Mrs. Fitzpatrick very freely answered, That she had been prevented in her purpose by the arrival of a person fhe • need no mention. In fhort,' fays fhe, I was over'taken by my husband (for I need not affect to conVOL. VIII.

U

•ceal

ceal what the world knows too well already). I had the good fortune to escape in a most surprising manner, and am now going to London with this young lady, who is a near relation of mine, and who hath efcaped from as great a tyrant as my

' own.'

His lordship concluding that this tyrant was likewife a husband, made a fpeech full of compliments to both the ladies. and as full of invectives against his own fex; nor indeed did he avoid fome oblique glances at the matrimonial institution itself, and at the unjust powers given by it to man over the more fenfible, and more meritorious part of the fpecies. He ended his oration with an offer of his protection, and of his coach and fix, which was inftantly accepted by Mrs Fitzpatrick, and at laft, upon her perfuafions, by Sophia.

Matters being thus adjusted, his lordship took his leave, and the ladies retired to reft, where Mrs. Fitzpatrick entertained her coufin with many high encomiums on the character of the noble peer, and enlarged very particularly on his great fondnefs for his wife; faying, fhe believed he was almost the only perfon of high rank, who was entirely conftant to the marriage-bed. Indeed,' added fhe, my dear Sophy, that is a very rare virtue amongst men of condition. Never expect it when you marry; for, believe me, if you do, you will certainly be deceived.' A gentle figh ftole from Sophia at these words, which perhaps contributed to form a dream of no very pleasant kind; but as the never revealed this dream to any one, fo the reader cannot expect to fee it related here.

CHAP.

CHA P. IX.

The morning introduced in fame pretty writing. Aftage coach The civility of chamber-maids. The heroic temper of Sophia. Her generofity. The return to it. The departure of the company, and their arrival at London; with fome remarks for the use of travellers.

T

HOSE members of the fociety, who are born to furnish the bleffings of life, now began to light their candles, in order to purfue their daily labours for the ufe of thofe who are born to enjoy these bleffings. The sturdy hind now attends the levee of his fellow-labourer the ox: the cunning artificer, the diligent mechanic, fpring from their hard mattress; and now the bonny houfemaid begins to repair the. disordered drum-room; while the riotous authors of that diforder, in broken interrupted flumbers tumble and tofs, as if the hardnefs of down difquieted their repofe.

In fimple phrafe, the clock had no fooner ftruck feven, than the ladies were ready for their journey; and at their defire, his lordfhip and his equipage were prepared to attend them.

And now a matter of fome difficulty arofe; and this was how his lordship himself fhould be conveyed: for though in ftage-coaches, where paffengers are properly, confidered as fo much luggage, the ingenious coachman flows half a dozen with perfect eate into the place of four: for well he contrives that the fat hoftefs, or well-fed alderman, may take up no more room than the flim mifs, or taper mafter; it being the nature of guts, when well fqueezed, to give way, and to lie in a narrow compass; yet in these vehicles, which are called, for diftinction's fake, gentlemen's coaches, though they are often larger than the others, this method of packing is never attempted.

His lord hip would have put a fhort end to the difficulty, by very gallantly defiring to mount his horfe; but Mrs. Fitzpatrick wound by no means confent to it. It was therefore concluded, that the Abigails fhould by turns relieve each other on one of his