smoking likewise the information of the cassock, to change his thoughts, and made a small advance to conversation on his side, by saying, 'Sir, I suppose you ' are not one of these parts ?' Adams immediately told him, 'No; that he was a 'traveller, and invited by the beauty of the evening and 'the place to repose a little, and amuse himself with 'reading.'—' I may as well repose myself too,' said the sportsman, for I have been out this whole afternoon, and 'the devil a bird have I seen till I came hither.' เ เ 'Perhaps then the game is not very plenty hereabouts,' cries Adams. 'No, Sir,' said the gentleman: the 'soldiers, who are quartered in the neighbourhood, 'have killed it all.''It is very probable,' cries Adams; for shooting is their profession.'' Ay, shoot'ing the game,' answered the other; but I don't see they are so forward to shoot our enemies. I don't 'like that affair of Carthagena: if I had been there, 'I believe I should have done other-guess things, d-n 'me: what's a man's life when his country demands it? a man who won't sacrifice his life for his country, 'deserves to be hang'd, d-n me.' Which words he spoke with so violent a gesture, so loud a voice, so strong an accent, and so fierce a countenance, that he might have frightened a captain of trained-bands at the head of his company; but Mr. Adams was not greatly subject to fear: he told him intrepidly, that he very much approved his virtue, but disliked his swearing, and begged him not to addict himself to so bad a custom, without which he said he might fight as bravely as Achilles did. Indeed he was charmed with this discourse: he told the gentleman, he would willingly have gone many miles to have met a man of his generous way of thinking; that if he pleased to sit down, he should be greatly delighted to commune with him; for though he was clergyman, he would himself be ready, if thereto called, to lay down his life for his country. The gentleman sat down, and Adams by him; and then the latter began, as in the following chapter, a discourse which we have placed by itself, as it is not only the most curious in this but perhaps in any other book. เ เ CHAPTER VIII. A notable dissertation by Mr. Abraham Adams; wherein that gentleman appears in a political light. I DO assure you, Sir,' (says he, taking the gentleman by the hand), 'I am heartily glad to meet with a man of your kidney; for though I am a poor parson, I will be 'bold to say I am an honest man, and would not do an 'ill thing to be made a bishop; nay, though it hath not 'fallen in my way to offer so noble a sacrifice, I have not 'been without opportunities of suffering for the sake of my conscience, I thank heaven for them; for I have had ' relations, though I say it, who made some figure in the 'world; particularly a nephew, who was a shopkeeper ' and an alderman of a corporation. He was a good lad, ' and was under my care when a boy; and I believe 'would do what I bade him to his dying day. Indeed, 'it looks like extreme vanity in me, to affect being a man of such consequence as to have so great an interest in เ an alderman; but others have thought so too, as manifestly appeared by the rector, whose curate I formerly was, sending for me on the approach of an election, and telling me, if I expected to continue in his cure, that I 'must bring my nephew to vote for one Colonel Courtly, a gentleman whom I had never heard tidings of till that เ เ เ เ เ 'instant. I told the rector I had no power over my nephew's vote (God forgive me for such prevarication!); 'that I supposed he would give it according to his con'science that I would by no means endeavour to in'fluence him to give it otherwise. He told me it was in ' vain to equivocate; that he knew I had already spoke to 'him in favour of esquire Fickle, my neighbour; and, indeed, it was true I had; for it was at a season when 'the church was in danger, and when all good men expected they knew not what would happen to us all. I then answered boldly, If he thought I had given my promise, he affronted me in proposing any breach of it. 'Not to be too prolix; I persevered, and so did my nephew, in the esquire's interest, who was chose chiefly through his means; and so I lost my curacy. Well, Sir, but do you think the esquire ever mentioned a word of the church? Ne verbum quidem, ut ita dicam: within two years he got a place, and hath ever since lived in 'London; where I have been informed (but God forbid 'I should believe that), that he never so much as goeth 'to church. I remained, Sir, a considerable time with'out any cure, and lived a full month on one funeral sermon, which I preached on the indisposition of a clergyman: but this by the bye. At last, when Mr. 'Fickle got his place, Colonel Courtly stood again; and who should make interest for him but Mr. 'Fickle himself! that very identical Mr. Fickle, 'who had formerly told me the colonel was an enemy to both the church both the church and state, had the 'confidence to solicit my nephew for him; and the 'colonel himself offered me to make me chaplain to his regiment, which I refused in favour of Sir Oliver 'Hearty, who told us he would sacrifice everything to 'his country; and I believe he would, except his hunting, 'which he stuck so close to, that in five years together เ 'he went but twice up to parliament; and one of those เ times, I have been told, never was within sight of the 'house. However he was a worthy man, and the best 'friend I ever had; for, by his interest with a bishop, 'he got me replaced into my curacy, and gave me eight pounds out of his own pocket to buy me a gown and 'cassock, and furnish my house. He had our interest 'while he lived, which was not many years. On his 'death I had fresh applications made to me; for all 'the world knew the interest I had with my good 'nephew, who was now a leading man in the corporation; ' and Sir Thomas Booby, buying the estate which had 'been Sir Oliver's, proposed himself a candidate. He was then a young gentleman just come from his 'travels; and it did me good to hear him discourse on เ affairs, which, for my part, I knew nothing of. If I 'had been master of a thousand votes, he should have 'had them all. I engaged my nephew in his interest, and he was elected; and a very fine parliament man 'he was. They tell me he made speeches of an hour long; and, I have been told, very fine ones; but he 'could never persuade the parliament to be of his เ เ เ เ 'opinion. Non omnia possumus omnes. He promised me a living, poor man; and I believe I should have had it, but an accident happened, which was, that my lady had promised it before, unknown to him. This, indeed, I never heard till afterwards; for my nephew, 'who died about a month before the incumbent, always 'told me I might be assured of it. Since that time, Sir Thomas, poor man, had always so much business, 'that he never could find leisure to see me. I believe it was partly my lady's fault too, who did not think เ my dress good enough for the gentry at her table. However, I must do him the justice to say he never was ungrateful; and I have always found his kitchen, and his cellar too, open to me: many a time, after 'service on a Sunday-for I preach at four churches '-have I recruited my spirits with a glass of his ale. 'Since my nephew's death, the corporation is in other 'hands; and I am not a man of that consequence I 'was formerly. I have now no longer any talents to 'lay out in the service of my country; and to whom ' nothing is given, of him can nothing be required. However, on all proper seasons, such as the approach of 6 an election, I throw a suitable dash or two into my sermons: which I have the pleasure to hear is not disagreeable to Sir Thomas, and the other honest gen'tlemen my neighbours, who have all promised me 'these five years to procure an ordination for a son of 'mine, who is now near thirty, hath an infinite stock ' of learning, and is, I thank heaven, of an unexcep'tionable life: though, as he was never at a university, 'the bishop refuses to ordain him. Too much care 'cannot indeed be taken in admitting any to the sacred 'office: though I hope he will never act so as to be a 'disgrace to any order; but will serve his God and 'his country to the utmost of his power, as I have ' endeavoured to do before him; nay, and will lay down 'his life whenever called to that purpose. I am sure 'I have educated him in those principles: so that I 'have acquitted my duty, and shall have nothing to เ answer for on that account. But I do not distrust 'him, for he is a good boy; and if Providence should 'throw it in his way to be of as much consequence in a public light as his father once was, I can answer for 'him he will use his talents as honestly as I have 'done.' เ |