'straight before them, nor the Hugginsons blow out a candle; that there were none of the Grograms but could sing a song, or of the Marjorams but could tell ' a story. However that be,' cried I, 'the most ' vulgar ballad of them all generally pleases me better ‘than the fine modern odes, and things that petrify us ' in a single stanza; productions that we at once detest ' and praise. Put the glass to your brother, Moses. The 'great fault of these elegiasts is, that they are in despair for griefs that give the sensible part of mankind very little 'pain. A lady loses her muff, her fan, or her lap-dog,and so the silly poet runs home to versify the disaster.'

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'That may be the mode,' cried Moses, in sublimer compositions; but the Ranelagh songs that come down 'to us are perfectly familiar, and all cast in the same 'mould Colin meets Dolly, and they hold a dialogue 'together; he gives her a fairing to put in her hair, and she 'presents him with a nosegay; and then they go together to church, where they give good advice to young ' nymphs and swains to get married as fast as they can.' And very good advice too,' cried I, and I am told 'there is not a place in the world where advice can be 'given with so much propriety as there; for as it per'suades us to marry, it also furnishes us with a wife; and surely that must be an excellent market, my boy, ' where we are told what we want, and supplied with it 'when wanting.'

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·

'Yes, Sir,' returned Moses, and I know but of two such markets for wives in Europe, Ranelagh in England, and 'Fontarabia in Spain. The Spanish market is open once a year. But our English wives are saleable every night.' You are right, my boy,' cried his mother, 'Old Eng'land is the only place in the world for husbands to get ' wives.'- -' And for wives to manage their husbands,' interrupted I. It is a proverb abroad, that if a bridge

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'were built across the sea, all the ladies of the continent

' would come over to take pattern from ours; for there are no such wives in Europe as our own.

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But let us

have one bottle more, Deborah, my life, and Moses give us a good song. What thanks do we not owe to heaven 'for thus bestowing tranquillity, health and competence? 'I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth. He has no such fire-side, nor such pleasant 'faces about it. Yes, Deborah, we are now growing old; 'but the evening of our life is likely to be happy. We ' are descended from ancestors that knew no stain, and 'we shall leave a good and virtuous race of children 'behind us. While we live they will be our support and our pleasure here, and when we die they will transmit our 'honour untainted to posterity. Come, my son, we wait for a song let us have a chorus. But where is my ' darling Olivia? That little cherub's voice is always 'sweetest in the concert.'- Just as I spoke Dick came running in, O pappa, pappa, she is gone from us, she is 'gone from us, my sister Livy is gone from us for ever.''Gone, child!' Yes, she is gone off with two gentlemen ' in a post chaise, and one of them kissed her, and said he would die for her and she cried very much, and was for coming back; but he persuaded her again, and she 'went into the chaise, and said, "O what will my poor papa do when he knows I am undone !”’- -'Now then,' cried I, 'my children, go and be miserable; for we shall never enjoy one hour more. And O may heaven's "everlasting fury light upon him and his! Thus to rob me of my child! And sure it will, for taking back my 'sweet innocent that I was leading up to heaven. Such sincerity as my child was possessed of! But all our ' earthly happiness is now over! Go, my children, go and 'be miserable and infamous; for my heart is broken 'within me!' - Father,' cried my son, 'is this your

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GOLDSMITH II

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fortitude?' Fortitude, child! Yes, he shall see I have 'fortitude! Bring me my pistols. I'll pursue the 'traitor. While he is on earth I'll pursue him. Old as 'I am, he shall find I can sting him yet. The villain! 'The perfidious villain!' I had by this time reached down my pistols, when my poor wife, whose passions were not so strong as mine, caught me in her arms. 'My dearest, dearest husband,' cried she, the Bible is the ' only weapon that is fit for your old hands now. Open 'that, my love, and read our anguish into patience, for 'she has vilely deceived us.' 'Indeed, Sir,' resumed my son, after a pause, 'your rage is too violent and unbe'coming. You should be my mother's comforter, and 'you encrease her pain. It ill suited you and your reverend character, thus to curse your greatest enemy: 'you should not have curst him, villain as he is.'- -'I 'did not curse him, child, did I ? - Indeed, Sir, you 'did; you curst him twice.'- Then may heaven for'give me and him if I did. And now, my son, I see it was more than human benevolence that first taught us 'to bless our enemies! Blest be his holy name for all the "good he hath given, and for all that he hath taken away. But it is not, it is not, a small distress that can 'wring tears from these old eyes, that have not wept for 'so many years. My Child!-To undo my darling! May confusion seize !- -Heaven forgive me, what am

I about to say! You may remember, my love, how ' good she was, and how charming; till this vile moment

all her care was to make us happy. Had she but died! But she is gone, the honour of our family contaminated, ' and I must look out for happiness in other worlds than 'here. But my child, you saw them go off: perhaps he 'forced her away? If he forced her, she may yet be innocent.'—' Ah, no, Sir!' cried the child; "he only 'kissed her, and called her his angel, and she wept very

'much, and leaned upon his arm, and they drove off very 'fast.''She's an ungrateful creature,' cried my wife, who could scarce speak for weeping, 'to use us thus. 'She never had the least constraint put upon her affec'tions. The vile strumpet has basely deserted her parents 'without any provocation, thus to bring your grey hairs 'to the grave, and I must shortly follow.'

In this manner that night, the first of our real misfortunes, was spent in the bitterness of complaint, and illsupported sallies of enthusiasm. I determined, however, to find out our betrayer, wherever he was, and reproach his baseness. The next morning we missed our wretched child at breakfast, where she used to give life and chearfulness to us all. My wife, as before, attempted to ease her heart by reproaches. 'Never,' cried she, 'shall that 'vilest stain of our family again darken these harmless 'doors. I will never call her daughter more. No, let 'the strumpet live with her vile seducer: she may bring us to shame, but she shall never more deceive us.'

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'Wife,' said I, do not talk thus hardly my detestation of her guilt is as great as yours; but ever shall this 'house and this heart be open to a poor returning repent'ant sinner. The sooner she returns from her transgres'sion, the more welcome shall she be to me. For the first 'time the very best may err; art may persuade, and 'novelty spread out its charm. The first fault is the 'child of simplicity; but every other the offspring of 'guilt. Yes, the wretched creature shall be welcome to this heart and this house, though stained with ten thousand vices. I will again hearken to the music of 'her voice, again will I hang fondly on her bosom, if 'I find but repentance there. My son, bring hither my 'Bible and my staff; I will pursue her, wherever she is, ' and though I cannot save her from shame, I may prevent 'the continuance of iniquity.'

Here I found a number of poor creatures, all in circumstances like myself, expecting the arrival of Mr. Crispe, presenting a true epitome of English impatience.'-PAGE 317.

CHAPTER XVIII

THOU

person who handed his sister into the post-chaise, yet my suspicions fell entirely upon our young landlord, whose character for such intrigues was but too well known. I therefore directed my steps towards Thornhillcastle, resolving to upbraid him, and, if possible, to bring back my daughter: but before I had reached his seat, I was met by one of my parishioners, who said he saw a young lady resembling my daughter, in a post-chaise with a gentleman whom, by the description, I could only guess to be Mr. Burchell, and that they drove very fast. This