approaching vengeance. Though our intentions were only to upbraid him with his ingratitude; yet it was refolved to do it in a manner that would be perfectly cutting. For this purpose we agreed to meet him with our ufual fmiles, to chat in the beginning with more than ordinary kindness, to amufe him a little; and then in the midst of the flattering calm to burff upon him like an earthquake, and overwhelm him with the fense of his own baseness. This being refolved upon, my wife undertook to manage the business herself, as the really had fome talents for fuch an undertaking. We faw him approach, he entered, drew a chair, and fat down. A fine day, Mr. Burchell.'⚫ very fine day, Doctor; though I fancy we shall have • fome rain by the fhooting of my corns."

A

The

fhooting of your horns,' cried my wife in a loud fit of laughter, and then afked pardon for being fond of a joke. Dear madam,' replied he, I pardon you with all my heart; for I proteft I, fhould not have thought it a joke, had you not told me.' Perhaps not, Sir,' cried my wife, winking at us, and yet I dare fay you can tell us how many jokes go to an ounce. I fancy, madam,' returned Burchell, you have been reading a jeft-book this morning, that ounce of jokes is fo very good a conceit; and yet, madam, I had rather fee half an ounce of underftanding I believe you might,' cried my wife, ftill fmiling at us, though the laugh was against her; ⚫ and yet I have feen fome men pretend to understanding that have very little.' And no doubt,' replied her antagonist, you have known ladies fet up for wit that had none.'- -I quickly began to find that my wife was likely to gain but little at this businefs; fo I refolved to treat him in a ftyle of more severity myself. Both wit and understanding,' cried I, ' are trifles without integrity; it is that which gives value to every character. The ignorant peafant, without fault, is greater than the philofopher with many; for what is genius or courage without an heart? An honeft man is the nobleft work of God.'

· I al

I always held that hackney'd maxim of Pope," returned Mr. Burchell, as very unworthy a man of genius, and a base desertion of his own fuperiority. As the reputation of books is raifed not by their • freedom from defect, but the greatness of their beauties; fo fhould that of men be prized not for ⚫ their exemption from fault, but the fize of those virtues they are poffeffed of. The fcholar may want prudence, the ftatesman may have pride, and the champion ferocity; but fhall we prefer to these the low mechanic, who laboriously plods on through life, without cenfure or applauie? We might as well prefer the tame correct paintings of the Flemish fchool to the enormous but fublime animations of the Roman pencil.'

• Sir,' replied I, your present observation is juft, when there are shining virtues and minute defects; but when it appears that great vices are oppofed in the fame mind to as extraordinary virtues, such a 'character deferves contempt.'

Perhaps,' cried he, there may be fome fuch monfters as you defcribe, of great vices joined to great virtues; yet in the process through life, I never yet ⚫ found one inftance of their exiftence: on the contrary, I have ever perceived, that where the mind was capacious the affections were good. And in'deed Providence feems kindly our friend in this

particular, thus to debilitate the understanding where the heart is corrupt, and diminish the power where there is the will to do mischief. This rule feems to ⚫ extend even to other animals: the little vermin race are ever treacheorus, cruel, and cowardly, whilft ⚫ thofe endowed with strength and power are generous, brave, and gentle.'

Thefe obfervations found well,' returned I, and yet it would be eafy this moment to point out a man,' and I fixed my eye ftedfaftly upon him, 'whose head and heart form a moft deteftable contraft. Ay, Sir,' continued I, raising my voice, and 'I am glad of having this opportunity of detecting

him

him in the midft of his friends fecurity. Do you know this, Sir, this pocket-book? Yes, Sir,' returned he, with a face of impenetrable affurance, that pocket-book is mine, and I am glad you have found it.' And do you know,' cried I, this letter? Nay, never falter, man; but look 'full in the face: I fay, do you know this letter?'

me

That letter,' returned he; 'yes, it was I that wrote that letter.'- -And how could you,' faid I, fo bafely, fo ungratefully prefume to write this letter?'- -And how came you,' replied he, with looks of unparalleled effrontery, fo bafely to prefume to break open this letter? Don't you know, now, I could hang you all for this? All that I have to do is to fwear at the next juftice's that you have been guilty of breaking open the lock of my pocket-book, and fo hang you all up at this door.' This piece of unexpected infolence raised me to fuch a pitch that I could fcarce govern my paffion. Ungrateful wretch, begone, and no longer pollute my dwelling with thy bafenefs. Begone, and never let me fee thee again: go from my door, and the only punishment I wish thee, is an alarmed confcience, which will be a fufficient tormentor!' So faying, I threw him his pocket-book, which he took up with a fmile, and fhutting the clafps with the utmoft compofure, left us quite aftonished at the ferenity of his affurance. My wife was particularly enraged that nothing could make him angry, or make him seem ashamed of his villanies: My dear,' cried I, willing to calm thofe paffions that had been raised too high among us, we are not to be furprised that bad men want fhame; they only blush at being de⚫tected in doing good, but glory in their vices.

Guilt and Shame, fays the allegory, were at first companions, and the beginning of their journey infeparably kept together. But their union was foon found to be difagreeable and inconvenient to both: Guilt gave Shame frequent uneafinefs, and Shame often betrayed the fecret confpiracies. of

Guilt.

Guilt. After long difagreement, therefore, they at length confented to part for ever. Guilt boldly walked forward alone to overtake Fate, that went before in the fhape of an executioner: but Shame being naturally timorous, returned back to keep company with Virtue, which in the beginning of their journey they had left behind. Thus, my

'children, after men have travelled through a few ftages in vice, Shame forfakes them, and returns 'back to wait upon the few virtues they have still re'maining.'

CHAP. XVI.

The family ufe art, which is opposed with greater ftill.

WHATEVER might have been Sophia's fenfa

tions, the rest of the family was easily confoled for Mr. Burchell's abfence by the company of our landlord, whofe vifits now became more frequent and longer. Though he had been disappointed in procuring my daughters the amufements of the town, as he defigned, he took every opportunity of fupplying them with thofe little recreations which our retirement would admit of. He ufually came in the morning, and while my fon and I followed our occupations abroad, he fat with the family at home, and amufed them by defcribing the town, with every part of which he was particularly acquainted. He could repeat all the observations that were retailed in the atmosphere of the play-houses, and had all the good things of the high wits by rote long before they made way into the jeft-books. The intervals between converfation were employed in teaching my daughters piquet, or fometimes in fetting my two little ones to box, to make them sharp, as he called it: but the hopes of having him for a fon-in-law, in fome meafure blinded us to all his imperfections. It must be owned, that my wife laid a thousand schemes to entrap him, or, to speak it more tenderly, used every

art

art to magnify the merit of her daughters. If the cakes at tea ate short and crifp, they were made by Olivia; if the goofeberry wine was well knit, the gooseberries were of her gathering: it was her fingers which gave the pickles their peculiar green; and in the compofition of a pudding, it was her judgment that mixed the ingredients. Then the poor woman would fometimes tell the 'Squire, that the thought him and Olivia extremely of a fize, and would bid both ftand up to fee which was talleft. These inftances of cunning, which the thought impenetrable, yet which every body faw through, were very pleafing to our benefactor, who gave every day fome new proofs of his paffion, which though they had not arisen to proposals of marriage, yet we thought fell but little fhort of it; and his flownefs was attributed fometimes to native bashfulness, and fometimes to his fear of offending his uncle. An occurrence, however, which happened foon after, put it beyond a doubt that he defigned to become one of our family; my wife even regarded it as an abfolute promife.

My wife and daughters happening to return a vifit to neighbour Flamborough's, found that family had lately got their pictures drawn by a limner, who travelled the country, and took likeneffes for fifteen fhillings a head. As this family and ours had long a fort of rivalry in point of tafte, our spirit took the alarm at this stolen march upon us, and notwithstanding all I could fay, and I faid much, it was refolved that we should have our pictures done too. Having, therefore, engaged the limner, (for what could I do?) our next deliberation was to fhew the fuperiority of our tafte in attitudes. As for our neighbour's family, there were seven of them, and they were drawn with seven oranges, a thing quite out of tafte, no variety in life, no compofition in the world. We defired to have something in a brighter style, and after many debates, at length came to an unanimous refolution of being drawn together, in one large hiftorical

family