-

ty

• veral Hours before my ufual Time, when • I found four Gentlemen of the Cloth at • Whisk by my Fire; and my Hoyle, Sir, -my belt Hoyle,which coft me a Guinea, lying open on the Table, with a Quanti of Porter fpilt on one of the molt material Leaves of the whole Book. This, you will allow, was provoking; but I faid nothing till the rest of the honest Company were gone, and then gave the Fellow a gentle Rebuke, who, instead of expreffing any Concern, made me a pert Anfwer, "That Servants must have their "Diverfions as well as other People; that "he was forry for the Accident which had

happened to the Book; but that feveral "of his Acquaintance had bought the "fame for a Shilling; and that I might

ftop as much in his Wages if I pleased :" • I now gave him a feverer Reprimand than before, when the Rascal had the Infolence to In short he imputed my early coming Home to — In fhort, he caft • a Reflection, He mentioned the Name of a young Lady, in a Manner In fuch a Manner that incensed me beyond all Patience, and, in my Paffion,, • I ftruck him.'

Fones

Jones anfwered, That he believed no Perfon living would blame him; for my Part, faid he, I confefs I fhould, on the • last mentioned Provocation, have done • the fame Thing.'

Our Company had not fat long before they were joined by the Mother and Daughter, at their Return from the Play. And now they all spent a very chearful Evening together, for all but Jones were heartily merry, and even he put on as much constrained Mirth as poffible. Indeed half his natural Flow of animal Spirits, joined to the Sweetness of his Temper, was fufficient to make a most amiable Companion; and notwithstanding the Heaviness of his Heart, fo agreeable did he make himself on the prefent Occafion, that, at their breaking up, the young Gentleman earnestly defired his further Acquaintance. Mifs Nancy was well pleafed with him; and the Widow, quite charm'd with her new Lodger, invited him with the other, next Morning to Breakfast.

Jones, or his Part, was no lefs fatisfied. As for Mifs Nancy, tho' a very little Creature, fhe was extremely pretty, and the Widow had all the Charms which can adorn a Woman near fifty. As fhe was one of the

moft

most innocent Creatures in the World, fo she was one of the most chearful. She never thought, nor spoke, nor wished any ill, and had constantly that Defire of pleasing, which may be called the happiest of all Defires in this, that it scarce ever fails of attaining its Ends, when not difgraced by Affectation. In fhort, though her Power was very finall, fhe was in her Heart one of the warmest Friends. She had been a moft affectionate Wife, and was a most fond and tender Mother.

As our History doth not, like a NewsPaper, give great Characters to People: who never were heard of before, nor will ever be heard of again; the Reader may hence conclude, that this excellent. Woman will hereafter appear to be of fome Importance in our History.

Nor was Jones a little pleafed with the young Gentleman himself, whofe Wine he had been drinking. He thought he dif cerned in him much good Senfe, though a little too much tainted with Town Foppery; but what recommended him most to Jones were fome Sentiments of great Generosity and Humanity, which occafionally dropt from him; and particularly many Expreffions of the highest Difinterestedness in the

Affair

Affair of Love. On which Subject the young Gentleman delivered himself in a Language which might have very well become an Ar cadian Shepherd of Old, and which appeared very extraordinary when proceeding from the Lips of a modern fine Gentleman, but he was only one by Imitation, and meant by Nature for a much better Cheracter.

CHAP. VI.

What arrived while the Company were at
Breakfast, with fome Hints concerning the
Government of Daughters.

O

UR Company brought together in the Morning the fame good Inclinations towards each other, with which they had separated the Evening before; but poor Jones was extreme difconfolate; for he had just received Information from Partridge, that Mrs. Fitzpatrick had left her Lodging, and that he could not learn whither fhe was gone. This News highly afflicted him, and his Countenance, as well as his Behaviour, in Defiance of all his Endeavours to the contrary, betrayed manifeft Indications of a difordered Mind.

The Difcourfe turned at prefent, as before, on Love; and Mr. Nightingale again expreffed many of thofe warm, generous,and difinterested Sentiments upon this Subject, which wife and fober Men call romantic,

but

but which wife and fober Women generally regard in a better Light. Mrs. Miller, (for fo the Mistress of the Houfe was cal led) greatly approved thefe Sentiments; but when the young Gentleman appealed to Mifs Nancy, the answered only, That she ⚫ believed the Gentleman who had spoke the leaft, was capable of feeling the most.'

This Compliment was fo apparently di rected to Jones, that we fhould have been forry had he paffed it by unregarded. He made her indeed a very polite Answer, and concluded with an oblique Hint, that her own Silence fubjected her to a Sufpr cion of the fame Kind: For indeed she had fcarce opened her Lips either now, or the last Evening.

I am glad, Nanny, fays Mrs. Miller, the Gentleman hath made the Obfervation; I proteft I am almost of his Opinion. What can be the Matter with you, Child? I never faw fuch an Alteration. What' is become of all your Gayety? Would you think, Sir, I ufed to call her my little Prattler. She hath not fpoke twenty Words this Week.'

Here their Conversation was interrupted by the Entrance of a Maid-Servant, who

brought