Page images
PDF
EPUB
[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

we are to conclude his hittory, in faying that he died infane, in a mean lodging near Black Friar's Bridge.

Callous to all the fine feelings of humanity, Mrs. N-t triumphed in her husband's mifery. She laughed at his folly, ridiculed his weakness, and fatyrized his perfonal defects. The last expreffion may, perhaps, carry our readers beyond our meaning.-- His figure was agreeable, his ftructure manly, his fentiments noble and generous-he had, however, fome fmall impediment in his fpeech, which the virtuous, candid, faithful, and grateful Mrs. N--b--t took the greatest pains to expose.

No fooner had the thrown off the hackles of connubial restraint, than the once more gave a full loose to her moft wanton paffions, and ran riot at every man that pleafed her eye. Amongit the reft the Captain particularly attracted her; his athletic form, his generous difpofition, his rank, in fine, his tout enfemble, ftruck her fo forcibly, that the relinquished a long catalogue of lovers, to be bleffed in the arms of Auguftus.

We need only add with refpect to Mrs. N- t's memoirs, that the ftill refides in the villa, which her husband purchased for her near Norwood; that here the Captain often vifits her, where the luxuriant moments of reciprocal blifs pafs without alloy, and where intereft feems to have loft its magnetic power, in mutual affection.

Hiftories of the Tete-a-Tete annexed; or,
Memoirs of the Pious Preacher and
Mifs D.
―mple.

A

GAIN we introduce to our readers

an annual friend, to compliment them upon the new year, and offer his fervices in tacking any two heads together, who think they have been cut out of the pale of the Tabernacle, in corref. ponding without the affiftance of a priest. Though these functions are feldom performed without an eye to personal intereft, the Pious Preacher declares he will, upon this occafion, forego all his fees, if the parties become profelytes to his doctrines. How far fuch a declaration may influence the fentiments and opinions of our gay and volatile heroes and heroines, who have flourished in thefe pages, cannot be determined. The G-rs, the L-s, the B-ys of the prefent period, are, we fear, not yet come to thofe years of repentance to imitate a Hunn or a D

Something farther is due to fo exalted and extraordinary a character as the duchefs of K- . Her life, however ænigmatical, can now be folved. At the demise of her husband, finding the fecrets of her former marriage difclofed, and that the duke's heirs intended a criminal profecution against her, the cautiously difpofed of all his moveables, and made a retreat to the Continent, ftill more ambitiously inclined, to become a queen, in the arms of a Polish monarch. It being, however, neceffary to return, the appeared once more in the metropolis of England, from whence (after having laid hands upon all her husband's effects that were tangible) the judged it abfolutely neceffary to be at Rome. to affift at the election of a Pope.

NOT E.

The following paragraphs, which have appeared in the papers, will throw fome additional lights upon this Extraordinary affair.

Befides, they are already united in matrimony, though separated from their dear conforts, and we would by no means ad vife them to commit bigamy to save their reputations. The doctor's generous intentions fhould however be acknowledged, and though he may not make one fingle convert to either matrimony or methodifm, the F-d-y will certainly refound with his praifes on this occafion.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

The pious gentleman we introduced to the world last year to perform this charitable part, appeared ftimulated with the applaufe he met with upon being recorded in our annals of gallantry, and foon became a ftill more popular fubject of converfation, by a female negotiation, which failed only by an unaccountable accident. It is true this affair made fo much noife that it reached the rear, and the doctor was difmiffed from the chapel r1; but he was amply rewarded for his lofs by a celebrated mimic, who ufhered his lady upon the stage to proclaim his uncommon virtues and extraordinary merits. Whether our prefent crape hero may be animated in a fimilar manner to become ftill more popular, is an event yet in the womb of time. We caution him, however, not to intruft his negociation, if any fuch fhould be neceffary, with a female, not even the fair profelyte, as her vanity, like Mrs. D's, may prompt her to divulge it, ere it be ripe for difclofure.

We find our hero at Oxford in the year 1729, and that he foon after formed an affociation, which bore the title of the Holy Club; but their prefident, Mr. M, being ftarved to death by too much regularity, the fociety fell into difgrace, and the Oxonians gave it the title of the Starving Club, which ridicule they could not itand, and they were entirely deftroyed by this nominal famine. But altho' this fociety dropt its name, it still continued to profecute the business which had occafioned its inftitution: this was to make converts to the new fangled doctrines of its members. Their tenets being specious, and their defign appearing laudable, many ignorant and credulous people were feduced to adopt their opinions. As they defpifed riches, and preached charity, be nevolence, and fobriety, they had many adherents amongst the poor and indigent, who were capable of purfuing their doctrine and partaking of their beneficence; whilst the opulent were perfuaded of the neceffity of parting with their fuperfluous wealth in acts of charity, and fome of their donations were doubtlefs applied to the ufe of the neceffitous objects for whom they were deftined. They vifited prifons and jails, where their alms could not fail of prevailing more than their rhetoric; the names of unhappy felons were added to the lift of their followers, and great merit derived for having opened the eyes of these ignorant wretches,

and having put them in the direct road to beatitude, in the path to Tyburn. By fuch artifices and manœuvres our hero and his difciples gained ground, and in a fhort time became very numerous.

The scene was foon changed from Oxford to Bristol and the metropolis, and not contented with making a fuffi. cient number of converts here, our Pi. ous Preacher went over to America, where he was very fuccefsful in formingnumerous profelytes, and levying handfome contributions. Soon after his return to England, he went over to Germany, where he exerted his talents to very little purpose, except it was by praising the fertile plains of America, and thereby inducing many Germans to emigrate from their country, in hopes of making rapid fortunes beyond the Atian

tic.

Such indefatigable toil and arduous industry to propagate the true faith, increafed the number of his difciples almoft beyond belief; and we now find him enabled to erect a handfome building to vociferate in, within the purlieus of Moorfields, and in the vicinity of the Incurables, many of whom had been among the number of his followers.

Travel feems to have been the predominant paffion of our hero; and tho' he afcribed his difpofition to the laudable defign of propagating his doctrines, we may, without being uncharitable, fup pofe he derived a fecret pleafure from it, independent of any religious views, We find him, in the year 1760, at Carrickfergus, in converfation with Monfieur Cavenac, the French general, whom, if we may judge from the conclusion of their difcourfe, he made a convert to his opinions; for after our crape hero had fet forth his doctrines and fenets in the most forcible and extensive manner, the general acquiefced with him; "Why this is my religion! there is no religion befide it." Our hero feems to triumph on this occafion, and not without reason, as we are affured by him, that method ifm and popery are as oppofite as any two fects can be. But we must be allowed fome latitude for belief in his narrations, as well as his faith; for he frankly acknowledges, in an introduction to one of his journals, "I am fenfible there are many particulars in the following journal, which fome ferious perfons will not believe, and which others will turn to ridicule."

Notwith

Notwithstanding the fundamental principles of the Pious Preacher's doctrine is to fubdue the flesh, and to that end he recommends abftemiousness even to the riique of death (as in the cafe of that fanatie victim Mr. Mrgn, at Oxford) yet we cannot believe that Mr. W would run counter to the moft orthodox text, which recommends us to fpread and multiply, for the fake of pofterity, which muft otherwise be anniblated. Indeed, from fome fecret anecdote of his life, there is reafon to be lieve, that though he might judge it prudent to avoid fcandal, and apparently maintain by practice his doctrines, that he had fomie unguarded moments, when the glowing clime of Georgia, with the auxiliary charms of female beauty, made him relax from the feverity of his fentiments, and yield to the dictates of nature. He conftantly maintained with his young female difciples, that they never could attain real happiness, "till they received faith, to be ftill ceafing from entward works;" and no one was capable of explaining this to greater advantage than the Pious Preacher.

In Ireland there is great reafon to believe he felt the effects of female influence, and that notwithstanding his abftemious life, Hibernian hofpitality would fometimes prevail, and fer the blood in eager motion. Even Carrickfergus is not deititute of fuch attractions as might warm an Anchorite, which Monfieur Cavenac, notwithstanding his becoming a profelyte to our hero, afterwards frequently acknowledged.

However, if thele emotions cannot be pofitively proved, his prefent partiality to Mifs D-mple, will at least authenticate their probability.-This young lady is the daughter of an eminent attorney, who made a capital fortune by fury and the rapine of the law. He gave her a polite education, and imagin ed, with the portion he could beflow upon her, that he was entitled to a hufband in a man of fafhion and family. Upon the death of his wife he fent for Ms D

from the boardingfcool to fuperintend his domeftic affairs. She was now about eighteen, and though not a regular beauty, was a very genteel, agreeable girl. At this time Mr. D had a clerk nearly at the expiration of his time. He became mitten with Mifs D-- -'s charms, end paid his addrelles to her in an honourable way, and the young lady acknowledged a fympathetic regard; all

that appeared neceffary to accomplish their felicity was the approbation of Mr. D; but when the propofal was made to him, he would not litten to it, having more elevated views for his daughter. The refufal fo greatly affected this young gentleman, that as foon as he became his own master, he went abroad,and fettled in America. Mifs D- was nearly as much affected, whilst her father was looking out for a match that he judged the was entitled to. During this purfuit, an officer of the army ftept in, and finding he had no chance of fucceeding in an honourable way, he used all his artillery of ftratagem to fucceed upon other terms. He was too fortunate, and the event was very natural. Upon her being vifibly pregnant, her father banifhed her his house, and the only afytum fhe could find was at a kinfwoman's, who profeffed midwifry. After having got rid of her burthen, her protectress began to remonftrate again the heinous fins the had been guilty of, and having herself juft had a Call, the perfuaded Mifs D

to follow her footsteps. and be regenerated. Accordingly they conftantly attended the Pious Preacher at his difcourfes, when he made a great impreffion upon our heroine. He now frequently visited mother Midnight, and feemed to take particular pains and pleasure to make Mifs Dvert. He at length fucceeded to the utmost of his wifhes, and gave her the appellation of his fair Profelyte.

a con

The voice of flander has been pretty free upon this occafion; it has gone fo far as to report that Mifs D's kinf woman has been obliged to call in her obstetric fkill once more in favour of the fair profelyte; and that even twins have been produced to the world that greatly refemble the Pious Preacher; but let us be charitable, and with lord Chesterfield, upon these occafions, "never believe above half what the world fays" Fable of a new mufical Farce called The Two Mifers, the Words written, and › the Mafic felected and adapted to the Airs, by Mr. O'Hara, the Author of Midas and the Golden Pipin.

Grife, the two Nijers, S Mir. Quick.
Hunks,

Mr. Reinhold. Mifs Catley. Mrs. Mattocks.

Harriet, Gripe's Niece.
Jenny, her Maid,
Lively, Hunks's Nephew, Mr. Mattocks.
Ofnan,
Ali,
Muftatha,

Janizaries

zarie: {

Mr. Lunfall. Mr. Baker, Mr. Fox.

[ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »