"nefs is by its own nature engaged to reward me! "How indifferent muft fuch a perfuafion make a man "to all the occurrences of this life! What trifles

muft he reprefent to himfelf both the enjoyments and the afflictions of this world! How easily must "he acquiefce under mifling the former, and how patiently will he fubmit to the latter who is convinced that his failing of a tranfitory imperfect "reward here, is a most certain argument of his obtaining one permanent and compleat hereafter! "Doft thou think then, thou little, paltry, mean animal, (with fuch language did he treat our truly great man) that I will forego fuch comfortable expectations for any pitiful reward which thou canst fuggeft or promife to me; for that fordid lucre "for which all pains and labour are undertaken by the industrious, and all barbarities and iniquities "committed by the vile; for a worthlefs acquifition

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which, fuch as thou art can poflefs, can give, or "can take away?" The former part of this fpeech occafioned much yawning in our hero, but the latter roufed his anger; and he was collecting his rage to anfwer, when Friendly and the conftable, who had been fummoned by Heartfree, on Wild's first appearance, entered the room, and feized the great man juft as his wrath was bursting from his lips.

THE dialogue which now ensued, is not worth relating, Wild was foon acquainted with the reafon of this rough treatment, and prefently conveyed before a magistrate.

NOTWITHSTANDING the doubts raised by Mr. Wild's lawyer on his examination, he infifting that the proceeding was improper; for that a Writ de Homine replegiando fhould iffue, and on the return of that a Capias in Withernam, the juftice inclined to commitment, fo that Wild was driven to other methods for his defence. He therefore acquainted the juftice, that there was a young man likewife with him in the boat, and begged that he might be fent for, which requeit was accordingly granted, and the faithful Acha es (Mr. Fireblood) was foon produced to bear teftimony for his friend, which he did with

fo. much becoming zeal, and went through his examination with fuch coherence (though he was forced to collect his evidence from the hints given him by Wild in the prefence of the juftice and the accufers) that as here was direct evidence against mere prefumption, our hero was most honourably acquitted, and poor Heartfree was charged by the justice, the audience, and all others, who afterwards heard the flory, with the blackeft ingratitude, in attempting to take away the life of a man, to whom he had fuch eminent obligations.

LEST fo vaft an effort of friendship as this of Fireblood's fhould too violently furprize the reader in this degenerate age; it may be proper to inform him, that befides the ties of engagement in the fame employ, another nearer and ftronger alliance fubfifted between our hero and this youth, which latter was just departed from the arms of the lovely Lætitia, when he received her husband's meffage: an inftance which may alfo ferve to justify those strict intercourses of love and acquaintance, which fo commonly fubfist in modern history between the husband and gallant, difplay the valt force of friendship, contracted by this more honourable than legal alliance, which is thought to be at prefent one of the firongest bonds of amity between great men, and the most reputable as well as eafy way of their favour.

FOUR months had now paffed fince Heartfree's first confinement, and his affairs had begun to wear a more benign afpe&t; but they were a good deal injured by this attempt on Wild (fo dangerous is any attack on a GREAT MAN) feveral of his neighbours, and particularly one or two of his own trade, induftriously endeavouring, from their bitter animofity against fuch kind of iniquity, to fpread and exagge rate his ingratitude as much as poffible; not in the leaft fcrupling, in the violent ardour of their indignation, to add fome fmall circumftances of their own knowledge of the many obligations conferred on Heartfre by Wild. To all these scandals he quietly fubmitted, comforting himself in the confcioufnefs of

his

his own innocence, and confiding in the fure friend of juftice to acquit him.

CHA P. XI.

A fcheme fo deeply laid that it fhames all the politics of this our age; with digreffion and sub-digression.

W

ILD having now, to the hatred he bore Heartfree on account of thofe injuries he had done him, an additional fpur from this injury received (for fo it appeared to him, who, no more than the most ignorant, confidered how truly he deserved it) applied his utmost induftry to accomplish the ruin of one whofe very name founded odious in his ears; when, luckily, a fcheme arofe in his imagination, which not only promised to effect it fecurely; but (which pleafed him moft) by means of the mifchief he had already done him; and which would at once load him with the imputation of having committed what he himself had done to him, and would bring on him the fevereft punishment for a fact, of which he was not only innocent, but had already fo greatly fuffered by. And this was no other than to charge him with having conveyed away his wife, with his most valuable effects, in order to defraud his creditors.

HE no fooner ftarted this thought than he immediately refolved on putting it into execution. What remained to confider was only the Quomodo, and the perfon or tool to be employed; for the ftage of the world differs from that in Drury-Lane principally in this; that whereas on the latter, the hero, or chief figure, is almost continually before your eyes, whilst the under-actors are not seen above once in an evening; now, on the former, the hero, or great man, is always behind the curtain, and feldom or never appears, or doth any thing in his own perfon. He doth indeed, in this Grand Drama, rather perform the part of the Prompter, and doth inftruct the well-drest figures, who are ftrutting in public on the ftage, what to fay and do. To fay the truth, a puppet-fhow will illuftrate our meaning better, where it is the mater of the fhow (the great man) who dances and moves

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every thing; whether it be the king of Muscovy, or whatever other potentate, alias puppet, which we behold on the ftage; but he himself wifely keeps out of fight; for fhould he once appear, the whole motion would be at an end. Not that any one is ignosant of his being there, of fuppofes that the puppets are not mere fticks of wood, and he himself the fole mover; but as this (though every one knows it) doth not appear vinbly, i. e. to their eyes, no one is afhamed of confenting to be impofed upon; of helping on the Drama, by calling the feveral sticks or puppets by the names which the mafter hath allotted to them, and by affigning to each the character which the great man is pleafed they fhall move in, or rather in which he himself is pleafed to move them.

Ir would be to fuppofe thee, gentle reader, one of very little knowledge in this world, to imagine thou haft never feen fome of these puppet-fhows, which are fo frequently acted on the great ftage; but though thou shouldft have refided all thy days in thofe remote parts of this ifland, which great men feldom vifit; yet, if thou haft any penetration, thou must have had fome occafions to admire both the folemnity of countenance in the actor, and the gravity of the fpectator, while fome of thofe farces are carried on, which are acted almost daily in every village in the kingdom. He must have a very defpicable opinion of mankind indeed, who can conceive them to be impofed on as often as they appear to be fo. The truth is, they are in the fame fituation with the readers of Romances; who, though they know the whole to be one entire fiction, nevertheless agree to be deceived; and as thefe find amusement, fo do the others find ease and convenience in this concurrence. But this being a fub-digreffion, I return to my digreffion.

A GREAT MAN ought to do his bufinefs by others; to employ hands, as we have before faid, to his purpofes, and keep himself as much behind the curtain as poffible; and though it must be acknowledged that two very great men, whofe names will be both recorded in hiftory, did, in these latter times, come forth themselves on the stage; and did hack and hew,

and

and lay each other moft cruelly open to the diverfion of the spectators; yet this must be mentioned rather as an example of avoidance, than imitation, and is to be afcribed to the number of those. inftances which ferve to evince the truth of thefe maxims: Nemo mortalium omnibus horis fapit. Ira furor brevis eft, &c.

T

CHAP.

XII.

New infances of Friendly's folly, &c.

:

on its

O return to my history, which, having rested itfelf a little, is now ready to proceed journey Fireblood was the perfon chofen by Wild for this fervice. He had, on a late occafion, experienced the talents of this youth for a good round perjury. He immediately, therefore, found him out, and propofed it to him: when receiving his inftant affent, they confulted together, and foon framed an evidence, which, being communicated to one of the most bitter and fevere creditors of Heartfree, by him laid before a magiftrate, and attefted by the oath of Fireblood, the juftice granted his warrant; and Heartfree was accordingly apprehended and brought before him.

WHEN the officers came for this poor wretch, they found him meanly diverting himself with his little children, the younger of whom fat on his knees, and the elder was playing at a little diftance from him with Friendly. One of the officers, who was a very good fort of a man, but one very laudably fevere in his office, after acquainting Heartfree with his errand, bade him come along and be d-d, and leave those little baftards, for fo, he said, he supposed they were, for a legacy to the parish. Heartfree was much furprized at hearing there was a warrant for felony against him; but he fhewed less concern than Friendly did in his countenance. The elder daughter, when fhe faw the officer lay hold on her father, immediately quitted her play, and running to him, and bursting into tears, cry'd out: You fhall not hurt .poor Papa. One of the other ruffians offered to take the little one rudely from his knees; but Heartfree ftarted

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