เ 'the hopes of preferment; can we believe, that a fellow 'whom we see to have so many hard taskmasters upon earth, ever thinks of his Master which is in heaven? Must he not himself think, if ever he reflects at all, 'that so glorious a master will disdain and disown a servant, who is the dutiful tool of a court-favourite, ' and employed either as a pimp of his pleasure, or some'times perhaps made a dirty channel, to assist in the conveyance of that corruption, which is clogging up ' and destroying the very vitals of his country? เ 6 'The last vice which I shall mention, is Pride. There is not in the universe a more ridiculous, nor a more 'contemptible animal, than a proud clergyman; a turkey cock, or a jackdaw, are objects of veneration, when เ compared with him. I don't mean, by Pride, that noble dignity of mind to which goodness can only 'administer an adequate object, which delights in the testimony of its own conscience, and could not, without 'the highest agonies, bear its condemnation. By Pride, 'I mean that saucy passion which exults in every little eventual pre-eminence over other men; such are the ordinary gifts of nature, and the paltry presents of 'fortune, wit, knowledge, birth, strength, beauty, riches, titles, and rank. That passion which is ever aspiring, 'like a silly child, to look over the heads of all about them; which, while it servilely adheres to the great, flies from the poor, as if afraid of contamination : devouring greedily every murmur of applause, and every look of admiration; pleased and elated with all 'kind of respect; and hurt and inflamed with the contempt of the lowest and most despicable of fools, even with such as treated you last night disrespectfully at Vauxhall. Can such a mind as this be fixed on things above? Can such a man reflect that he 'hath the ineffable honour to be employed in the im เ ( เ 'mediate service of his great Creator? or, can he please 'himself with the heart-warming hope, that his ways are acceptable in the sight of that glorious, that incomprehensible Being?' Hear, child, hear,' cries the old gentleman; 'hear, and improve your understanding. Indeed, my good 'friend, no one retires from you without carrying away some good instructions with him. Learn of the doctor, 'Tom, and you will be the better man as long as you live.' 'Undoubtedly, Sir,' answered Tom, 'the doctor hath spoken a great deal of excellent truth; and without a compliment to him, I was always a great admirer of 'his sermons, particularly of their oratory. But, เ Nec tamen hoc tribuens dederim quoque cætera. 'I cannot agree that a clergyman is obliged to put up 'with an affront any more than another man, and more ' especially when it is paid to the order.' 'I am very sorry, young gentleman,' cries the doctor, 'that you should be ever liable to be affronted as a clergyman; and I do assure you, if I had known your disposition formerly, the order should never have been affronted through you.' The old gentleman now began to check his son, for his opposition to the doctor; when a servant delivered the latter a note from Amelia, which he read immediately to himself, and it contained the following words: MY DEAR SIR, 'Something hath happened since I saw you, which gives me great uneasiness, and I beg the favour of seeing you as soon as possible, to advise with I am, 'Your most obliged you upon it. 'And dutiful daughter, The doctor's answer was, that he would wait on the lady directly; and then turning to his friend, he asked him if he would not take a walk in the Park before dinner. I must go,' says he, 'to the lady who was with us last night; for I am afraid, by her letter, some bad 'accident hath happened to her. Come, young gentleman, I spoke a little too hastily to you just now; but 'I ask your pardon. Some allowance must be made to 'the warmth of your blood. I hope we shall in time 'both think alike.' The old gentleman made his friend another compliment, and the young one declared, he hoped he should always think and act too with the dignity becoming his cloth. After which the doctor took his leave for a while, and went to Amelia's lodgings. เ As soon as he was gone, the old gentleman fell very severely on his son. Tom,' says he, how can you be such a fool, to undo by your perverseness all that I have been doing? Why will you not learn to study mankind with the attention which I have employed to that pur'pose? Do you think, if I had affronted this obstinate 'old fellow as you do, I should ever have engaged ' his friendship?' 'I cannot help it, Sir,' said Tom; 'I have not studied six years at the university to give up my sentiments to every one. It is true, indeed, he put together a set of 'sounding words; but, in the main, I never heard any one talk more foolishly.' any 'What of that,' cries the father; 'I never told you he was a wise man, nor did I ever think him so. If he had understanding, he would have been a bishop long ago, to my certain knowledge. But, indeed he hath 'been always a fool in private life; for I question whether 'he is worth 1007. in the world more than his annual 'income. He hath given away above half his fortune to 'the Lord knows who. I believe I have had above 2001. ' of him, first and last; and would you lose such a milch'cow as this, for want of a few compliments? Indeed, 'Tom, thou art as great a simpleton as himself. How do you expect to rise in the church, if you cannot temporise, ' and give in to the opinions of your superiors?' 'I don't know, Sir,' cries Tom, 'what you mean by my superiors. In one sense, I own, a doctor of divinity is superior to a bachelor of arts, and so far I am ready to 'allow his superiority; but I understand Greek and Hebrew as well as he, and will maintain my opinion ' against him or any other in the schools.' 'Tom,' cries the old gentleman, 'till thou gettest the better of thy conceit, I shall never have any hopes of thee. If thou art wise, thou wilt think every man thy 'superior of whom thou canst get any thing; at least, 'thou wilt persuade him that thou thinkest so, and that 'is sufficient. Tom, Tom, thou hast no policy in thee.' 'What have I been learning these seven years,' answered he, in the university? However, father, I can account for your opinion. It is the common failing of old men to attribute all wisdom to themselves. Nestor did it long ago: but, if you will enquire my character at college, I fancy you will not think I want to go to 'school again.' The father and son then went to take their walk, during which the former repeated many good lessons of policy to his son, not greatly perhaps to his edification. In truth, if the old gentleman's fondness had not, in a great measure, blinded him to the imperfections of his son, he would have soon perceived that he was sowing all his instructions in a soil so choked with selfconceit that it was utterly impossible they should ever bear any fruit. A MEL I A. BOOK X. CHAPTER I. To which we will prefix no preface. THE doctor found Amelia alone, for Booth was gone to walk with his new-revived acquaintaince, captain Trent, who seemed so pleased with the renewal of his intercourse with his old brother officer, that he had been almost continually with him from the time of their meeting at the drum. เ Amelia acquainted the doctor with the purport of her message, as follows: 'I ask your pardon, my dear Sir, 'for troubling you so often with my affairs; but I know 'your extreme readiness, as well as ability, to assist any one with your advice. The fact is, that my husband 'hath been presented by colonel James with two tickets for a masquerade, which is to be in a day or two; and ' he insists so strongly on my going with him that I really do not know how to refuse, without giving him some reason; and I am not able to invent any other than the true one, which you would not, I am sure, advise me to communicate to him. Indeed I had a most narrow esthe other day; for I was almost drawn in, inadvertently, by a very strange accident, to acquaint him with 'the whole matter.' She then related the serjeant's dream with all the consequences that attended it. cape |