6

6

'me.'-' Perhaps not, Sir,' cried my wife, winking at us, ' and yet I dare say you can tell us how many jokes go 'to an ounce.'I fancy, madam,' returned Burchell, 'you have been reading a jest book this morning, that ounce of jokes is so very good a conceit; and yet, madam, I had rather see half an ounce of understanding.' 'I believe you might,' cried my wife, still smiling at us, though the laugh was against her; and yet I have seen some men pretend to understanding that have very 'little.' And no doubt,' replied her antagonist, 'you 'have known ladies set up for wit that had none.'—I quickly began to find that my wife was likely to gain but little at this business; so I resolved to treat him in a style 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 peasant without fault, is greater than the philosopher with 'many; for what is genius or courage without an heart? 'An honest man is the noblest work of God.'

6

'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 superiority. As the reputation of books is raised not by their freedom from defect, but the greatness of their beauties; so should 'that of men be prized, not for their exemption from 'fault, but the size of those virtues they are possessed of.

The scholar may want prudence, the statesman may 'have pride, and the champion ferocity; but shall we prefer to these the low mechanic, who laboriously plods through life without censure or applause? We might as well prefer the tame correct paintings of the Flemish school to the erroneous, but sublime animations of the 'Roman pencil.'

'Sir,' replied I, 'your present observation is just, "when there are shining virtues and minute defects; but

'when it appears that great vices are opposed in the 'same mind to as extraordinary virtues, such a character 'deserves contempt.'

6

'Perhaps,' cried he, ' there may be some such monsters as you describe, of great vices joined to great virtues ; yet in my progress through life, I never yet found one 'instance of their existence: on the contrary, I have 'ever perceived, that where the mind was capacious, the 'affections were good. And indeed Providence seems '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 seems to extend even to other animals : 'the little vermin race are ever treacherous, cruel, and 'cowardly, whilst those endowed with strength and power are generous, brave, and gentle.'

'These observations sound well,' returned I, ' and yet 'it would be easy this moment to point out a man,' and I fixed my eye stedfastly upon him, 'whose head and 'heart form a most detestable contrast. Ay, Sir,' continued I, raising my voice, and I am glad to have this 'opportunity of detecting him in the midst of his fancied 'security. Do you know this, Sir, this pocket-book ?

6

6

- Yes, Sir,' returned he, with a face of impenetrable assurance, 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 me full in 'the face I say, do you know this letter? "That

6

' letter,'-returned he, 'yes, it was I that wrote that ' letter.'—' And how could you,' said I, 'so basely, so 'ungratefully presume to write this letter?' And 'how came you,' replied he, with looks of unparalleled effrontery, 'so basely to presume 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 swear at the

6

'next justice's, that you have been guilty of breaking open the lock of my pocket-book, and so hang you all up at his door.' This piece of unexpected insolence raised me to such a pitch, that I could scarcely govern my passion. Ungrateful wretch, begone, and no longer 'pollute my dwelling with thy baseness: begone, and never let me see thee again: go from my door, and 'the only punishment I wish thee is an alarmed con'science, which will be a sufficient tormentor!' So saying, I threw him his pocket book, which he took up with a smile, and shutting the clasps with the utmost composure, left us, quite astonished at the serenity of his assurance. 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 those passions that had been raised too high among us, we are not to be surprised that bad men want 'shame; they only blush at being detected in doing 'good, but glory in their vices.

6

Guilt and shame, says the allegory, were at first com‘panions, and in the beginning of their journey insepar'ably kept together. But their union was soon found to be disagreeable and inconvenient to both; guilt gave 'shame frequent uneasiness, and shame often betrayed 'the secret conspiracies of guilt. After long disagreement, therefore, they at length consented to part for ever. Guilt boldly walked forward alone, to overtake 'fate, that went before in the shape 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 stages in vice, shame forsakes them, and returns back to wait upon 'the few virtues they have still remaining.'

I was struck dumb with the apprehensions of my own absurdity, when whom should I next see enter the room but my dear Miss Arabella Wilmot.PAGE 304.

CHAPTER XVI

WHATEVER might have been Sophia's sensations,

W the rest of the family was easily consoled for

rest

Mr. Burchell's absence by the company of our landlord, whose visits now became more frequent and longer. Though he had been disappointed in procuring my daughters the amusements of the town as he designed, he took every opportunity of supplying them with those little recreations which our retirement would admit of. He usually came in the morning, and while my son and I followed our occupations abroad, he sat with the family

at home, and amused them by describing 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 jest-books. The intervals between conversation were employed in teaching my daughters piquet, or sometimes in setting my two little ones to box to make them sharp, as he called it but the hopes of having him for a son-in-law, in some measure 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 to magnify the merit of her daughter. If the cakes at tea eat short and crisp, they were made by Olivia; if the gooseberry wine was well knit, the gooseberries were of her gathering; it was her fingers which gave the pickles their peculiar green; and in the composition of a pudding, it was her judgment that mixed the ingredients. Then the poor woman would sometimes tell the 'Squire, that she thought him and Olivia extremely of a size, and would bid both stand up to see which was tallest. These instances of cunning, which she thought impenetrable, yet which every body saw through, were very pleasing to our benefactor, who gave every day some new proofs of his passion, which, though they had not arisen to proposals of marriage, yet we thought fell but little short of it; and his slowness was attributed sometimes to native bashfulness, and sometimes to his fear of offending his uncle. An occurrence, however, which happened soon after, put it beyond a doubt that he designed to become one of our family; my wife even regarded it as an absolute promise.

My wife and daughters happening to return a visit to neighbour Flamborough's, found that family had lately got their pictures drawn by a limner, who travelled the