depends entirely on the affection which fubfifts be 6 tween the parties.

I have therefore always thought it unreasonable in parents to defire to chufe for their children on this occafion, fince to force affection is an impoffible attempt; nay, fo much doth love abhor force, that • I know not whether through an unfortunate, but incurable perverfenefs in our natures, it may not be even impatient of perfuafion.

It is however true, that, though a parent will not, I think, wifely prescribe, he ought to be con⚫ fulted on this occafion, and in ftrictnefs perhaps 'fhould at least have a negative voice. My nephew therefore, I own, in marrying without asking your advice, hath been guilty of a fault. But honeftly fpeaking, brother, have you not a little promoted this fault? Have not your frequent declarations on this fubject given him a moral certainty of your refufal, where there was any deficiency in point of fortune? nay, doth not your prefent anger arife folely from that deficiency? And, if he hath failed in his duty here, did you not as much exceed that authority, when you abfolutely bargained with him for a woman without his knowledge, whom you yourself never faw, and whom, if you had feen and known as well as I, it must have been madness in you to have ever thought of bringing her into your family.

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Still I own my nephew in a fault; but furely it is not an unpardonable fault. He hath acted indeed, without your confent, in a matter in which he ought to have afked it; but it is in a matter in which his intereft is principally concerned; you yourself must and will acknowledge, that you confulted his intereft only; and, if he unfortunately differed from you, and hath been mistaken in his notion of happinefs, will you, brother, if you love your fon, carry him ftill wider from the point? will you increafe the ill confequences of his fimple choice? ⚫ will you endeavour to make an event certain mifery to him, which may accidentally prove fo? in a ⚫ word, brother, because he hath put it out of your 6 power

power to make his circumftances as affluent as you 'would, will you distress them as much as you can ?'

By the force of the true catholic faith, St. Antony won upon the fishes. Orpheus and Amphion went a little farther, and by the charms of mufic enchanted things merely inanimate. Wonderful both! but neither history nor fable have ever yet ventured to record an inftance of any one, who by force of argument and reason hath triumphed over habitual avarice.

Mr. Nightingale, the father, inftead of attempting to answer his brother, contented himself with only obferving, that they had always differed in their fentiments concerning the education of their children. 'I with,' faid he, brother, you would have confined your care to your own daughter, and never have • troubled yourself with my fon, who hath, I believe, as little profited by your precepts, as by your example: For young Nightingale was his uncle's godfon, and had lived more with him than with his father: So that the uncle had often declared, he loved his nephew almost equally with his own child.

Jones fell into raptures with this good gentleman; and, when after much perfuafion they found the father grew ftill more and more irritated instead of appeafed, Jones conducted the uncle to his nephew at the house of Mrs. Miller.

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CHA P. IX.

Containing ftrange matters.

This return to his lodgings, Jones found the fituation of affairs greatly altered from what. they had been in at his departure. The mother, the. two daughters, and young Mr. Nightingale, were now fat down to fupper together, when the uncle was, at his own defire, introduced without any ceremony into the company, to all of whom he was well known; for he had feveral times vifited his nephew at that houfe.

ifs.

The old gentleman immediately walked up to Nancy, faluted and wished her joy, as he did afterwards the nephew and the other filter; and lastly, he. paid the proper compliments to his nephew, with, the fame good humour and courtefy, as if his nephew had

married

married his equal or fuperior in fortune, with all the previous requifites first performed.

Mifs Nancy and her fuppofed husband both turned pale, and looked rather foolish than otherwise upon the occafion; but Mrs. Miller took the first opportunity of withdrawing; and, having fent for Jones into the dining-room, the threw herself at his feet, and in a moft paffionate flood of tears called him her good angel, the preferver of her poor little family, with many other refpectful and endearing appellations, and made him every acknowledgment which the highest benefit can extract from the moft grateful heart.

After the first guft of her paffion was a little over, which he declared, if the had not vented, would have burst her, the proceeded to inform Mr. Jones, that all matters were settled between Mr. Nightingale and her daughter, and that they were to be married the next morning at which Mr. Jones having expreffed much pleafure, the poor woman fell again into a fit of joy and thanksgiving, which he at length with difficulty filenced, and prevailed on her to return with him back to the company. whom they found in the fame good. humour in which they had left them.

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This little fociety now paffed two or three very agreeable hours together, in which the uncle, who was a very great lover of his bottle, had fo well plyed his nephew that this latter, though not drunk, began to be fomewhat fluttered; and now Mr. Nightingale, taking the old gentleman with him up ftairs into the apartment he had lately occupied, unbofomed himfelf as follows:

As you have been always the best and kindest of uncles to me, and as you have fhewn fuch unparal lelled goodness in forgiving this match, which to be fure may be thought a little improvident; I fhould never forgive myself if I attempted to deceive you in any thing.' He then confeffed the truth; and opened the whole affair.,

How, Jack!' faid the old gentleman, and are you really then not married to this young woman?' No, upon my bonour,' anfwered Nightingale, I have told you the fimple truth.' My dear boy,' cries the uncle, kiffing him, I am heartily glad to

hear

← hear it. I never was better pleafed in my life. If you had been married, I fhould have affifted you, as much as was in my power, to have made the ⚫ best of a bad matter; but there is a great difference • between confidering a thing which is already done

and irrecoverable, and that which is yet to do. • Let your reason have fair play, Jack, and you will fee this match in fo foolifh and prepofterous a light, that there will be no need of any diffuafive argu'ments.' 'How, Sir replies young Nightingale, is there this difference between having already done an act, and being in honour engaged to do it?" Pugh,' faid the uncle, honour is a creature of the world's making, and the world hath the power of a creator over it, and may govern and direct it as they please. Now you well know how trivial thefe • breaches of contract are thought; even the groffeft • make but the wonder and converfation of a day. Is there a man who afterwards will be more backward in giving you his fifter or daughter? or is there any fifter or daughter who would be more ⚫ backward to receive you? Honour is not concerned in thefe engagements.' Pardon me, dear Sir," cries Nightingale; 1 can never think fo; and not ⚫ only honour, but confcience and humanity are concerned. I am well fatisfied, that, was I now to dif'appoint the young creature, her death would be the confequence, and I fhould look upon myfelf as ⚫ her murderer, nay, as her murderer by the cruelleft of all methods, by breaking her heart.' • Break her heart, indeed! no, no, Jack,' cries the uncle, the hearts of women are not fo foon broke; they are tough, boy, they are tough.' But, Sir,' anfwered Nightingale, my own affections are engaged, and I never could be happy with any other woman. How often have I heard you fay, that children fhould be always fuffered to chufe for themselves, and that you would let my coufin Harriet do fo!' Why ay,' replied the old gentleman, fo I would have them; but then I would have them chufe wifely-Indeed, Jack, you must, and fhall leave this girl. Indeed, uncle,' cries the other, l • muft

6

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muft and will have her.' You will, young gentle. man faid the uncle; I did not expect fuch a word from you. I fhould not wonder if you had ufed fuch language to your father, who hath always treated you like a dog, and kept you at the distance which a tyrant preferves over his fubjects; but I, who have lived with you upon an equal footing, might furely expect better ufage: but I know how to account for it all! it is all owing to your prepofterous education, in which I have had too little fhare. There is my daughter now, whom I have brought up as my friend, never doth any thing without my advice, nor ever refuses to take it when I give it her.' You have never yet given her advice in an affair of this kind,' faid Nightingale, for I am greatly mistaken in my coufin, if the would be very ready to obey even your most pofitive com mands in abandoning her inclinations.'Don't abufe my girl,' anfwered the old gentleman with fome. emotion; don't abufe my Harriet. I have brought her up to have no inclinations contrary to my own. By fuffering her to do whatever the pleafes, I have ⚫ inured her to a habit of being pleafed to do whatever I like.' Pardon me, Sir,' faid Nightingale, I have not the leaft defign to reflect on my coufin, for whom I have the greateft efteem; and indeed I am convinced you will never put her to fo fevere a trial, or lay fuch hard commands on her as you would do on me -But, dear Sir, let us return to. the company; for they will begin to be uneafy at our long abfsence I must beg one favour of my. ⚫ dear uncle, which is that he would not fay any thing, to fhock the poor girl or her mother O you need " not fear me,' answered he, I understand myfelf too well to affront women; fo I will readily grant you that favour; and in return I must expect another of you.' There are but few of your commands, Sir,' faid Nightingale, which I thall not very cheerfully obey.' Nay, Sir, I afk nothing,' faid the uncle, but the honour of your company home to my lodging, that I may reafon the cafe a little more fully with you: for I would, if poffible,

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• have