it will the Reader; that, as it must disqualify us both from proceeding any farther at prefent, we will now take a little Breath; and therefore we fhall here clofe this Book.

THE

(95)

THE

HISTORY

OF THE

LIFE of the late

Mr. JONATHAN WILD the Great.

BOOK II.

CHA P. I.

Characters of filly People, with the proper Ufes for which fuch are defigned.

O

NE Reason why we chose to end our first Book as we did with the laft Chapter, was that we are now obliged to produce two Characters of a Stamp entirely different from what we have hitherto dealt in. These Perfons are of that pitiful Order of Mortals, who

are

are in Contempt called Good-natured; being indeed sent into the World by Nature, with the fame Defign as Men put little Fish into a Pike-Pond, in order to be devoured by that voracious Water-Hero.

BUT to proceed with our Hiftory, Wild having shared the Booty in much the fame Manner as before, i. e. taken three Fourths of it, amounting to eighteen Pence, was now retiring to reft, in no very happy Mood, when by Accident he met a young Fellow, who had formerly been his School-Fellow. This Perfon had a Regard for our Hero, as he had more than once, for a small Reward, taken a Fault on himself, for which the other, who had more Regard for his Skin than Wild, was to have been whipp'd. He therefore accofted Wild in the most friendly Manner, and invited him home. with him to Breakfast, it being now near Nine in the Morning, which our Hero, with no great Difficulty confented to. This young Man, who was about Wild's Age, had fome Time before fet up in the Trade of a Jeweller, in the Materials or Stock for which, he had laid out the greatest Part

of

it

of a little Fortune, and had married a very agreeable Woman for Love, by whom he then had two Children. As our Reader is to be more acquainted with this Person, may not be improper to open fomewhat of his Character, especially as it will ferve as a Kind of Foil to the noble and GREAT Difpofition of our Hero, and as the one feems fent into this World as a proper Object on which the GREAT Talents of the other were to be displayed with a proper and juft Success.

MR. Thomas Heartfree then (for that was his Name) was of an honeft and open Difpofition. He was of that Sort of Men, whom Experience only, and not their own Natures, muft inform that there are fuch things as Deceit and Hypocrify in the World; and who, confequently, are not at five and twenty as difficult to be imposed upon as the oldest and most fubtile. He was poffeffed of several great Weaknesses of Mind; being good-natured, friendly, and generous to a great Excefs. He had indeed too little Regard to common Juftice, for he had forgiven fome Debts to his Acquaintance, only because they could not pay him; VOL. III. H

and

and had entrusted a Bankrupt on his fetting up a fecond time, from having been convinced, that he had dealt in his Bankruptcy with a fair and honeft Heart, and that it was owing to Misfortune, and not to Neglect or Impofture. He was withal fo filly a Fellow that he never took the leaft Advantage of the Ignorance of his Customers, and contented himself with very moderate Gains on his Goods; which he was the better enabled to do, notwithstanding his Generofity, because his Life was extremely temperate, his Expences being folely confined to the cheerful Entertainment of his Friends at Home, and now and then a moderate Glafs of Wine, in which he indulged himself in the Company of his Wife, who was a mean-fpirited, poor, domeftic, low-bred Animal, who confined herself mostly to the Care of her Family, placed her Happiness in her Husband and her Children; followed no expensive Fashions or Diverfions, and indeed rarely went abroad, unless to return the Vifits of a few plain Neighbours, and twice a Year at farthest afforded herself in Company with her Hufband the Diverfion of a Play,

where