into two sorts of people, to wit, high people and low people. As by high people I would not be understood to mean persons literally born higher in their dimensions than the rest of the species, nor metaphorically those of exalted characters or abilities; so by low people I cannot be construed to intend the reverse. High people signify no other than people of fashion, and low people those of no fashion. Now this word of fashion hath by long use lost its original meaning, from which at present it gives us a very different idea; for I am deceived, if by persons of fashion we do not generally include a conception of birth and accomplishments superior to the herd of mankind; whereas, in reality, nothing more was originally meant by a person of fashion, than a person who drest himself in the fashion of the times; and the word really and truly signifies no more at this day. Now the world being thus divided into people of fashion and people of no fashion, a fierce contention arose between them; nor would those of one party, to avoid suspicion, be seen publicly to speak to those of the other, though they often held a very good correspondence in private. In this contention it is difficult to say which party succeeded; for whilst the people of fashion seized several places to their own use, such as courts, assemblies, operas, balls, &c.; the people of no fashion, besides one royal place, called his Majesty's Bear-garden, have been in constant possession of all hops, fairs, revels, &c. Two places have been agreed to be divided between them, namely, the church and the playhouse; where they segregate themselves from each other in a remarkable manner: for as the people of fashion exalt themselves at church over the heads of the people of no fashion; so in the playhouse they abase themselves in the same degree under their feet. This distinction I have never met with any one able to account for: it is sufficient, that, so far from looking on each other

as brethren in the Christian language, they seem scarce to regard each other as of the same species. This the terms strange persons, people one does not know, the creature, wretches, beasts, brutes,' and many other appellations, evidently demonstrate; which Mrs. Slipslop having often heard her mistress use, thought she had also a right to use in her turn; and perhaps she was not mistaken; for these two parties, especially those bordering nearly on each other, to wit, the lowest of the high, and the highest of the low, often change their parties according to place and time; for those who are people of fashion in one place, are often people of no fashion in another. And with regard to time, it may not be unpleasant to survey the picture of dependence like a kind of ladder: as for instance; early in the morning arises the postilion, or some other boy, which great families, no more than great ships, are never without, and falls to brushing the clothes and cleaning the shoes of John the footman; who being drest himself, applies his hands to the same labours for Mr. Second-hand, the squire's gentleman; the gentleman in the like manner, a little later in the day, attends the squire; the squire is no sooner equipped than he attends the levee of my lord; which is no sooner over, than my lord himself attends the levee of the favourite, who, after the hour of homage is at an end, appears himself to pay homage to the levee of his sovereign. Nor is there, perhaps, in this whole ladder of dependence, any one step at a greater distance from the other than the first from the second; so that to a philosopher the question might only seem, whether you would choose to be a great man at six in the morning, or at two in the afternoon. And yet there are scarce two of these who do not think the least familiarity with the persons below them a condescension, and, if they were to go one step farther, a degradation.

And now, reader, I hope thou wilt pardon this long digression, which seemed to me necessary to vindicate the great character of Mrs. Slipslop, from what low people, who have never seen high people, might think an absurdity; but we, who know them, must have daily found very high persons know us in one place and not in another, to-day and not to-morrow; all which it is difficult to account for, otherwise than I have here endeavoured; and, perhaps, if the gods, according to the opinion of some, made men only to laugh at them, there is no part of our behaviour which answers the end of our creation better than this.

เ

But to return to our history: Adams, who knew no more of this than the cat which sat on the table, imagining Mrs. Slipslop's memory had been much worse than it really was, followed her into the next room, crying out, Madam Slipslop, here is one of your old acquaintance; do but see what a fine woman she is grown since she left Lady Booby's service.' 'I think I ' reflect something of her,' answered she, with great dignity, but I can't remember all the inferior servants ' in our family.' She then proceeded to satisfy Adams's curiosity by telling him when she arrived at the inn, she found a chaise ready for her: that, her lady being expected very shortly in the country, she was obliged to make the utmost haste; and, in commensuration of Joseph's lameness, she had taken him with her; and lastly, that the excessive virulence of the storm had driven them into the house where he found them. After which, she acquainted Adams with his having left his horse, and expressed some wonder at his having strayed so far out of his way, and at meeting him, as she said, in the company of that wench, who she feared was no better than she should be.

The horse was no sooner put into Adams's head but

he was immediately driven out by this reflection on the character of Fanny. He protested, He believed there was not a chaster damsel in the universe. I heartily 'wish, I heartily wish,' cried he (snapping his fingers), 'that all her betters were as good.' He then pro

ceeded to inform her of the accident of their meeting; but when he came to mention the circumstance of delivering her from the rape, she said, She thought him properer for the army than the clergy; that it did not become a clergyman to lay violent hands on any one; that he should have rather prayed that she might be strengthened. Adams said, He was very far from being ashamed of what he had done: she replied, Want of shame was not the currycuristic of a clergyman. This dialogue might have probably grown warmer, had not Joseph opportunely entered the room to ask leave of Madam Slipslop to introduce Fanny; but she positively refused to admit any such trollops; and she told him, She would have been burnt, before she would have suffered him to get into a chaise with her, if she had once respected him of having his sluts way-laid on the road for him; adding, that Mr. Adams acted a very pretty part, and she did not doubt but to see him a bishop. He made the best bow he could, and cried out, 'I thank you, Madam, for that right-reverend appel'lation, which I shall take all honest means to deserve.' —' Very honest means,' returned she with a sneer, ‘to 'bring people together.' At these words Adams took two or three strides across the room, when the coachman came to inform Mrs. Slipslop, That the storm was over, and the moon shone very bright. She then sent for Joseph, who was sitting without with his Fanny, and would have had him gone with her; but he peremptorily refused to leave Fanny behind; which threw the good woman into a violent rage. She said, She would in

form her lady what doings were carrying on, and did not doubt but she would rid the parish of all such people; and concluded a long speech full of bitterness and very hard woods, with some reflections on the clergy, not decent to repeat; at last, finding Joseph unmoveable, she flung herself into the chaise, casting a look at Fanny as she went, not unlike that which Cleopatra gives Octavia in the play. To say the truth, she was most disagreeably disappointed by the presence of Fanny: she had, from her first seeing Joseph at the inn, conceived hopes of something which might have been accomplished at an alehouse as well as a palace. Indeed it is probable Mr. Adams had rescued more than Fanny from the danger of a rape that evening.

When the chaise had carried off the enraged Slipslop, Adams, Joseph, and Fanny assembled over the fire; where they had a great deal of innocent chat, pretty enough; but, as possibly it would not be very entertaining to the reader, we shall hasten to the morning; only observing that none of them went to bed that night. Adams, when he had smoked three pipes, took a comfortable nap in a great chair, and left the lovers, whose eyes were too well employed to permit any desire of shutting them, to enjoy by themselves, during some hours, a happiness of which none of my readers who have never been in love are capable of the least conception, though we had as many tongues as Homer desired to describe it with, and which all true lovers will represent to their own minds, without the least assistance from us.

Let it suffice then to say, that Fanny, after a thousand entreaties, at last gave up her whole soul to Joseph; and almost fainting in his arms, with a sigh infinitely softer and sweeter too than any Arabian breeze, she whispered to his lips, which were then close to hers, 'O Joseph, you 'have won me; I will be yours for ever.' Joseph having