Jones, 'to that Providence to which you owe your deliverance; as to my part, I have only discharged the ⚫ common duties of humanity, and what I would have ⚫ done for any fellow creature in your fituation. Let

·

me look at you a little longer,' cries the old gentleman-' You are a human creature then ?-Well, perhaps you are. Come, pray walk into my little hutt. You have been my deliverer indeed.'

6

The old woman was distracted between the fears which he had of her mafter, and for him; and Partridge was, if poffible, in a greater fright. The former of these, however, when he heard her mafter speak kindly to Jones, and perceived what had happened, came again to herself; but Partridge no fooner daw the gentleman, than the ftrangeness of his dress infufed greater terrors into that poor fellow, than he had before felt either from the ftrange defcription which he had heard, or from the uproar which had happened at the door.

To fay the truth, it was an appearance which might have affected a more conftant mind than that of Mr. Partridge This person was of the talleft fize, with a long beard as white as fnow. His body was clothed with the kin of an afs, made fomething into the form of a coat. He wore likewife boots on his legs, and a cap on his head, both compofed of the fkin of fome other animals.

As foon as the old gentleman came into his house, the old woman began her congratulations on his happy efcape from the ruffians. Yes," cried he, I have efcaped indeed, thanks to my preferver. Othe bleffing on him,' anfwered the, he is a good gentleman, I warrant him. I was afraid your worship would have been angry with me for letting him in; and to be certain I fhould not have done it, had not I feen by the moon-light, that he was a gentleman, 1. and almost frozen to death. And to be certain it muft have been fome good angel that fent him hi ́ther, and tempted me to do it.'

I'am afraid Sir,' faid the old gentleman to Jones, that I have nothing in this houfe which you can either eat or drink, unless you will accept a dram of bran'dy;

dy; of which I can give you fome most excellent, and which I have had by me thefe thirty years. Jones declined this offer in a very civil and proper fpeech, and then the other afked him, Whither he was travelling when he mift his way; faying, I must ' own myself furprised to fee fuch a perfon as you ap pear to be journeying on foot at this time of night. 'I fuppofe, Sir, you are a gentleman of thefe parts: 'for you do not look like one who is ufed to travel 'far without horfes.'

Appearances,' cried Jones, are often deceitful; men fometimes look like what they are not. I affure you I am not of this country, and whither I am travelling, in reality I fearce know myfelf.'

Whoever you are, or whitherfoever you are go'ing,' anfwered the old man, I have obligations to you which I can never return.

I once more,' replied Jones, affirm, that you ' have none; for there can be no merit in having "hazarded that in your fervice on which I fet no value. And nothing is fo contemptible in my eyes as • life.'

I am forry, young gentleman,' answered the ftranger, that you have any reafon to be fo unhap-'py at your years.'

་

Indeed I am, Sir,' answered Jones, the most unhappy of mankind. Perhaps you have had a friend, or a miftrefs,' replied the other. • How 'could you,' cries Jones, mention two words fuffi'cient to drive me to distraction.' Either of them are enough to drive any man to distraction,' anfwered the old man. I inquire no farther, Sir. Perhaps my curiofity hath led me too far already.' Indeed, Sir,' cries Jones, I cannot censure a paf'fion, which I feel at this inftant in the higheft. degree. You will pardon me, when I affure you, that every thing which I have feen or heard fince I firft ' entered this houfe, hath confpired to raife the g e great. eft curiofity in me. Something very extraordinary 'must have determined you to this courfe of life, and I have reafon to fear your own hiftory is not without misfortunes.'

F 2

Here

Here the old gentleman again fighed, and remained filent for fome minutes; at laft, looking earnestly on Jones, he faid, I have read that a good countenance is a letter of recommendation; if fo, none ever can be more strongly recommended than yourself. If I did not feel fome yearnings towards you from another confideration, I must be the moft ungrateful monfter upon earth; and I am really concerned it is no otherwife in my power, than by words, to convince you of my gratitude.'

་

6

Jones after a moment's hefitation anfwered, That it was in his power by words to gratify him extremely. I have confeft a curiofity, faid he, Sir; need I fay how much obliged I fhall be to you, if you would condefcend to gratify it? Will you fuffer 'me therefore to beg, unless fome confideration reftrains you, that you would be pleafed to acquaint ⚫ me what motives have induced you thus to withdraw ⚫ from the fociety of mankind, and to betake yourself to a course of life to which it fufficiently appears you were not born?'

I fcarce think myfelf at liberty to refufe you any thing, after what hath happened,' replied the old man, if you defire therefore to hear the story of an unhappy man, I will relate it to you. Indeed you

judge rightly, in thinking there is commonly fomething extraordinary in the fortunes of thofe who fly from fociety: for however it may feem a paradox, or even a contradiction, certain it is that great philanthropy chiefly inclines us to avoid and deteft mankind; not on account fo much of their private and felfish vices, but for thofe of a relative kind; fuch as envy, malice, treachery, cruelty, with every other fpecies of malevolence. These are the vices which true philanthropy abhors, and which rather than fee and converfe with, fhe avoids society itself. However, without a compliment to you, you do not appear to me one of those whom I fhould fhun or deteft; nay, I must fay, in what little hath dropt from you, there appears fome parity in our for tunes; I hope however yours will conclude more fuccefsfully.'

Here

is

Here fome compliments paffed between our hero and his hoft, and then the latter was going to begin his hiftory, when Partridge interrupted him. apprehenfions had now pretty well left him; but fome. effects of his terrors remained; he therefore reminded the gentleman of that excellent brandy which he had mentioned. This was prefently brought, and Partridge fwallowed a large bumper.

The gentleman then, without any farther preface,. began as you may read in the next chapter.

CHA P. XI.

In which the Man of the Hill begins to relate his hiftory..

Was born in a village of Somerfetfhire, called 4 Mark, in the year 1657; my father was one ofthofe whom they call gentlemen farmers. He had a little eftate of about 300 1. a year of his own, and · rented another eftate of near the fame value.

He

was prudent and induftrious, and fo good a huf 'bandman, that he might have led a very eafy and comfortable life, had not an arrant vixen of a wife foured his domeftic quiet. But though this circumflance perhaps made him miferable, it did not makehim poor: for he confined her almost entirely at 'home, and rather chofe to bear eternal upbraidings in his own houfe, than to injure his fortune by in-. 'dulging her in the extravagancies fhe defired a 'broad.

་་

་

By this Xanthippe' (fo was the wife of Socrates called, faid Partridge) By this Xanthippe he had two fons, of which I was the younger. He des figned to give us both good education; but my ' elder brother, who, unhappily for him, was the favourite of my mother, utterly neglected his learn'ing; infomuch that after having been five or fix years at fchool with little or no improvement, my father being told by his master, that it would be to no purpose to keep him longer there, at last com plied with my mother in taking him home from the hands of that tyrant, as fhe called his matter ; though

F.3

though indeed he gave the lad much less correction than his idlenefs deferved, but much more it seems, than the young gentleman liked, who conftantly complained to his mother of his fevere treatment, and the as conftantly gave him a hearing.

"Yes, yes," cries Partridge, "I have feen fuch "mothers, I have been abufed myfelf by them, and very unjustly; fuch parents deferve correction as "much as their children."

Jones chid the pedagogue for his interruption, and then the Stranger proceeded. My brother now, at the age of fifteen, bid adieu to all learning, and to every thing elfe but to his dog and gun, with which latter he became fo expert, that, though perhaps you may think it incredible, he could not only hit a ftanding mark with great certainty, but hath actually fhot a crow as it was flying in the air. He was likewife excellent at finding a hare fitting, ⚫ and was foon reputed one of the best sportsmen in the country A reputation which both he and his mother enjoyed as much as if he had been thought the fineft fcholar.

The fituation of my brother made me at first think my lot the harder, in being continued at fchool; but I foon changed my opinion; for as I advanced pretty faft in learning, my labours became eafy, and my exercife fo delightful, that holidays were my moft unpleafant time: for my mother, who never loved me, now apprehending that I had the greater fhare of my father's affection, and finding, or at least thinking, that I was more taken notice of by fome gentlemen of learning, and particularly by the parion of the parish, than my brother, the now hated my fight, and made home fo difagreeable to me, that what is called by fchoolboys Black Monday, was to me the whiteft in the whole year.

Having, at length gone through the school at Taunton, I was thence removed to Exeter college in Oxford, where I remained four years; at the end of which an accident took me off entirely from my

ftudies;