of melancholy and defpair. Time, however, the best phyfician of the mind, at length brought me ' relief.' Ay, ay, Tempus edax rerum.' faid Partridge. I then,' continued the ftranger, betook myfelf again to my former ftudies, which I may fay perfected my cure for philofophy and religion 6 may be called the exercifes of the mind, and when this is difordered they are as wholfome as exercise can be to a diftempered body They do indeed ' produce fimilar effects with exercife: for they ftrengthen and confirm the mind; till man becomes, in the noble strain of Horace, Fortis, et in feipfo totus teres atque rotundus, Here Jones fimiled at fome conceit which intrudeď itfelf into his imagination; but the firanger, i believe, perceived it not, and proceeded thus. ' My circumstances were now greatly altered by the death of that beft of men: for my brother, 'who was now become master of the house, differ: 'ed fo widely from me in his inclinations, and our purfuits in life had been fo very various, that we were the worst of company to each other; but what made our living together Atill more difagreeable, was the little harmony which could fubfift • between the few who reforted to me, and the numerous train of sportsmen who often attended my 'brother froin the field to the table: for fuch fellows, befides the noife and nonfenfe with which they perfecute the ears of fober men, endeavour always to attack them with affront and contempt. This was fo much the cafe, that neither I myself, friends, could ever fit down to a meal with them, without being treated with derifion, because we were unacquainted with the phrafes of fportfFor men of true learning, and almost univerfal knowledge, always compaffionate the igno ་ ་ nor my ་ men. * Firm in himself, who on himself relics, And breaks misfortunes with fuperior force. Mr. FRANCIS.. H 2 rance. rance of others; but fellows who excel in fome little, low, contemptible art, are always certain to defpife thofe who are unacquainted with that art. ་ In fhort, we foon feparated, and I went by the advice of a phyfician to drink the Bath waters: for my violent affliction, added to a fedentary life, had thrown me into a kind of paralytic diforder, for which thofe waters are accounted an almoft certain cure. The fecond day after my arrival, as 1 was walking by the river, the fun fhone fo intenfely hot (though it was early in the year) that I retired to the fhelter of fome willows, and fat down by the river-fide. Here I had not been feated long before I heard a perfon on the other fide the willows, fighing and bemoaning himself bitterly. • On a fudden, having uttered a moft impious oath, • he cried, I am refolved to bear it no longer,' • and directly threw himself into the water. Limmediately started, and ran towards the place, calling at the fame time as loudly as I could for affiftAn angler happened luckily to be a fishing a little below me, though fome very high fedge had • hid him from my fight. He immediately came up, and both of us together, not without fome hazard of our lives, drew the body to the fhore. At first we perceived no fign of life remaining; but having held the body up by the heels (for we foon had affitance enough) it difcharged a vast quantity of water at the mouth, and at length began to difcover fome fymptoms of breathing, and a little afterwards to move both its hands and its legs, •ance. An apothecary, who happened to be prefent among others, advised that the body which feemed now to have pretty well emptied itself of water, and which began to have many convulfive motions, fhould be directly taken up, and carried into a warm bed. This was accordingly performed, the apothecary and myfelf attending. As we were going towards an inn, for we knew not the man's lodgings, luckily a woman met us, who after fome violent fcreaming, told us, that the gentleman lodged at her houfe. • When When I had feen the man fafely depofited there, 'I left him to the care of the apothecary, who, I fuppofe, ufed all the right methods with him; for the next morning I heard he had perfectly recover⚫ed his fenfes. 'I then went to vifit him, intending to fearch out, as well as I could, the cause of his having attempted fo defperate an act, and to prevent, as 'far as I was able, his pursuing fuch wicked intentions for the future. I was no fooner admitted into 'his chamber, than we both inftantly knew each other; for who fhould this perfon be but my good 'friend Mr. Watfon! here I will not trouble you ' with what paft at our first interview; for I would ' avoid prolixity as much as poffible ' Pray let us hear all,' cries Partridge, I want mightily to know what brought him to Bath' You fhall hear every thing material,' anfwered the ftranger; and then proceeded to relate what we fhall proceed to write, after we have given a fhort breathing time to both ourselves and the reader. CHAP. XIV.. In which the Man of the Hill concludes his hiftory. M very R. Watfon,' continued the ftranger, freely acquainted me, that the unhappy fituation of his circumftances, occafioned by a tide: of ill-luck, had in a manner forced him to a refo'lution of destroying himself.. ག I now began to argue very feriously with him, ' in oppofition to this heathenith, or indeed diabolical principle of the lawfulness of felf-murder; and faid every thing which occurred to me on the fubject but, to my great concern, it feemed to have very little effect on him. He feemed not at all ." to repent of what he had done, and gave me reafon to fear, he would foon make a fecond attempt: of the like horrible kind When I had finished my difcourfe, instead of endeavouring to answer my arguments, he looked H 3 mes me fledfaftly in the face, and with a fmile faid, "You are strangely altered, my good friend, fince "I remember you. I question whether any of our bishops, could make a better argument against "fuicide than you have entertained me with; but "unless you can find fomebody who will lend me a "cool hundred, I muft either hang, or drown, or "starve; and in my opinion the laft death is the most "terrible of the three.' I answered him very gravely, that I was indeed 'altered fince I had feen him laft. That I had found leifure to look into my follies, and to repent of them. I then advifed him to pursue the fame fteps; and at laft concluded with an affurance, that I myfelf would lend him a hundred pound, if it would be of any fervice to his affairs, and he would not put it into the power of a die to deprive him of it. < Mr. Watfon, who feemed almoft compofed in flumber by the former part of my difcourfe, was roufed by the latter. He feized my hand eagerly, gave me a thoufand thanks, and declared I was a friend indeed; adding that he hoped I had a better opinion of him, than to imagine he had profited fo little by experience, as to put any confidence in thofe damned dice, which had fo often deceived • him.' No, no,' cries he, let me but once handfomely be fet up again, and if ever fortune "makes a broken merchant of me afterwards, I will forgive her.' ' I very well understood the language of fetting up, and broken merchant. I therefore faid to him with a very grave face, Mr. Watfon, you must endeavour to find out fome bufinefs, or employment, by which you may precure yourself a livelihood; and I promise you, could I fee any probability of being repaid hereafter, I would advance a much larger fum than what you have mentioned, to equip you in any fair and honourable calling; but as to gaming, befides the bafenefs and wickednefs of making it a profeffion, you are really to my own knowledge, unfit for it, and it will end in your certain ruin/ "Why "Why now, that's ftrange,' anfwered he, nei"ther you, nor any of my friends, would ever allow "me to know any thing of the matter; and yet, I "believe, I am as good a hand at every game as any "of you all; and I heartily with I was to play with you only for your whole fortune; I fhould defire "no better fport, and I would let you name your 66 game into the bargain: but come my dear boy, "have you the hundred in your pocket?' I answered, I had only a bill for 50 1. which I ' delivered him, and promifed to bring him the reft next morning; and, after giving him a little more 'advice, took my leave. 、 ་ 'I was indeed better than my word: for I re' turned to him that very afternoon. When I entered 'the room, I found him fitting up in his bed at cards 'with a notorious gameller. This fight, you will 'imagine, fhocked me not a little to which I may add the mortification of feeing my bill delivered by him to his antagonist, and thirty guineas only given in exchange for it. The other gamefter prefently quitted the room, and then Watfon declared he was afhamed to fee me; but,' fays he, I find luck runs fo damnably against me, that I will refolve to leave off play for ever. I have thought of the kind propo. "fal you made me ever fince, and I promise you "there shall be no fault in me, if I do not put it in "execution.' ་ Though I had no great faith in his promifes, I ' produced him the remainder of the hundred in confequence of my own; for which he gave me a note, ' which was all i ever expected to fee in return for 4 my money. 'We were prevented from any further difcourse at 'prefent, by the arrival of the apothecary; who, with much joy in his countenance, and without 'even afking his patient how he did, proclaimed there was great news arrived in a letter to himself, which he faid would fhortly be public, That, the "Duke of Monmouth was landed in the weft with a "valt army of Dutch; and that another vaft fleet hovered |