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knew a poor gentleman who was kept in a mad'house all his life by his family, and they enjoyed his estate, but it did them no good: for though 'the law gave it them, it was the right of another.' Pogh! cries the clerk, with great contempt, 'who hath any right but what the law gives them? If the law gave me the best estate in the country, 'I should never trouble myself much who had the 'right.'

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If it be so,' says Partridge, 'Felir quem faciunt 'aliena pericula cautum.'

My landlord, who had been called out by the arrival of a horseman at the gate, now returned into the kitchen, and with an affrighted countenance cried out,What do you think, gentlemen? The rebels have given the duke the slip, and are got ' almost to London.-It is certainly true, for a man 'on horseback just now told me so.'

I am glad of it with all my heart,' cries Partridge, then there will be no fighting in these parts.'

'I am glad,' cries the clerk, for a better reason; 'for I would always have right take place.'

'Ay, but,' answered the landlord, I have heard some people say this man hath no right.'

'I will prove the contrary in a moment,' cries the clerk; if my father dies seized of a right; do you mind me, seized of a right, I say; doth not 'that right descend to his son; and doth not one 'right descend as well as another?'

But how can he have any right to make us papishes?' says the landlord."

'As to the

Never fear that,' cries Partridge. matter of right, the gentleman there hath proved it as clear as the sun; and as to the matter of religion, it is quite out of the case. The papists 'themselves don't expect any such thing. A popish priest, whom I know very well, and who is a very 'honest man, told me upon his word and honour 'they had no such design.'

And another priest, of my acquaintance,' said the landlady, hath told me the same thing.-But my husband is always so afraid of papishes. I 'know a great many papishes that are very honest sort of people, and spend their money very freely; and it is always a mxiam with me, that one man's money is as good as another's.'

Very true, Mistress,' said the puppet-show man, 'I don't care what religion comes; provided the Presbyterians are not uppermost; for they are enemies to puppet-shows.'

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And so you would sacrifice your religion to your interest,' cries the excisemen; and are desirous to see popery brought in, are you?' 'Not I, truly,' answered the other; I hate popery as much as any man; but yet it is a comfort to one, that one should be able to live under it, which I could not do among Presbyterians. To be sure every man values his livelihood first; that must be granted; and I warrant, if you would confess the truth, you are more afraid of losing your place than any thing else; but never fear, friend, there will be an excise under another government as well as under this.'

Why, certainly,' replied the exciseman, I 'should be a very ill man, if I did not honour the 'king, whose bread I eat. That is no more than natural, as a man may say: for what signifies it to 'me that there would be an excise-office under another government, since my friends would be 'out, and I could expect no better than to follow 'them? No, no, friend, I shall never be bubbled 'out of my religion in hopes only of keeping my place under another government; for for I should certainly be no better, and very probably might 'be worse.'

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Why, that is what I say,' cries the landlord, 'whenever folks say who knows what may happen? "Odsooks! should not I be a blockhead to lend

my money to I know not who, because mayhap

'he may return it again? I am sure it is safe in 'my own bureau, and there I will keep it.'

The attorney's clerk had taken a great fancy to the sagacity of Partridge. Whether this proceeded from the great discernment which the former had into men, as well as things, or whether it arose from the sympathy between their minds; for they were both truly Jacobites in principle; they now shook hands heartily, and drank bumpers of strong beer to healths which we think proper to bury in oblivion.

These healths were afterwards pledged by all present, and even by my landlord himself, though reluctantly; but he could not withstand the menaces of the clerk, who swore he would never set his foot within his house again, if he refused. The bumpers which were swallowed on this occasion soon put an end to the conversation. Here, therefore, we will put an end to the chapter.

CHAP. VIII.

In which Fortune seems to have been in a better Humour with Jones than we have hitherto seen her.

Of

As there is no wholesomer, so perhaps there are few stronger, sleeping potions than fatigue. this Jones might be said to have taken a very large dose, and it operated very forcibly upon him. He had already slept nine hours, and might perhaps have slept longer, had he not been awakened by a most violent noise at his chamber-door, where the sound of many heavy blows was accompanied with many exclamations of murder. Jones presently leapt from his bed, where he found the master of the puppet-show belabouring the back and ribs of his poor Merry-Andrew, without either mercy or moderation.

Jones instantly interposed on behalf of the suffering party, and pinned the insulting conqueror up to

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the wall: for the puppet-show man was no more able to contend with Jones, than the poor party-coloured jester had been to contend with this puppet-man.

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But though the Merry-Andrew was a little fellow, and not very strong, he had nevertheless some choler about him. He therefore no sooner found himself delivered from the enemy, than he began to attack him with the only weapon at which he was his equal. From this he first discharged a volley of general abusive words, and thence proceeded to some particular accusations- D-n your bl-d, you rascal,' says he, I have not only supported you (for to me you owe all the money you get), but I have saved you from the gallows. Did you not want to rob the lady of her fine riding-habit, no longer ago than yesterday, in the back-lane here? Can you deny that you wished to have her ' alone in a wood, to strip her, to strip one of the ' prettiest ladies that ever was seen in the world? and 'here you have fallen upon me, and have almost mur'dered me for doing no harm to a girl as willing as 'myself, only because she likes me better than you.

Jones no sooner heard this, than he quitted the master, laying on him at the same time the most violent injunctions of forbearance from any further insult on the Merry-Andrew; and then taking the poor wretch with him into his own apartment, he soon learnt tidings of his Sophia, whom the fellow, as he was attending his master with his drum the day before, had seen pass by. He easily prevailed with the lad to shew him the exact place, and then having summoned Partridge, he departed with the utmost expedition.

It was almost eight of the clock before all matters could be got ready for his departure: for Partridge was not in any haste; nor could the reckoning be presently adjusted; and when both these were settled and over, Jones would not quit the place, before he had perfectly reconciled all differences between the master and the man.

When this was happily accomplished, he set forwards, and was by the trusty Merry-Andrew conducted to the spot by which Sophia had past; and then having handsomely rewarded his conductor, he again pushed on with the utmost eagerness, being highly delighted with the extraordinary manner in which he received his intelligence. Of this Partridge was no sooner acquainted, than he, with great earnestness, began to prophecy, and assured Jones, that he would certainly have good success in the end: for, he said, 'two such accidents could never have happened to direct him after his mistress, if Providence had not designed to bring them together at last.' And this was the first time that Jones lent any attention to the superstitious doctrines of his companion.

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They had not gone above two miles, when a violent storm of rain overtook them; and as they happened to be at the same time in sight of an alehouse, Partridge, with much earnest entreaty, prevailed with Jones to enter, and weather the storm. Hunger is an enemy (if indeed it may be called one) which partakes more of the English than of the French disposition; for though you subdue this never so often, it will always rally again in time; and so it did with Partridge, who was no sooner arrived within the kitchen, than he began to ask the same questions which he had asked the night before. The consequence of this was an excellent cold chine being produced upon the table, upon which not only Partridge, but Jones himself, made a very hearty breakfast, though the latter began to grow again uneasy, as the people of the house could give him no fresh information concerning Sophia.

Their meal being over, Jones was again preparing to sally, notwithstanding the violence of the storm still continued; but Partridge begged hearily for another mug; and at last casting his eyes on a lad at the fire, who had entered into the kitchen, and who at that instant was looking as ear

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