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'death of that best of men; for my brother, who was

now become master of the house, differed so widely 'from me in his inclinations, and our pursuits in life 'had been so very various, that we were the worst of company to each other: but what made our living 'together still more disagreeable, was the little harmony เ which could subsist between the few who resorted to me, and the numerous train of sportsmen who often เ attended my brother from the field to the table; for 'such fellows, besides the noise and nonsense with which they persecute the ears of sober men, endeavour always to attack them with affront and contempt. This was so much the case, that neither I myself, nor my friends, 'could ever sit down to a meal with them without being 'treated with derision, because we were unacquainted with the phrases of sportsmen. For men of true learning, ' and almost universal knowledge, always compassionate the ignorance of others; but fellows who excel in some little, low, contemptible art, are always certain to despise those who are unacquainted with that art.

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In short, we soon separated, and I went, by the advice of a physician, to drink the Bath waters; for my violent affliction, added to a sedentary life, had 'thrown me into a kind of paralytic disorder, for which 'those waters are accounted an almost certain cure. The second day after my arrival, as I was walking by the river, the sun shone so intensely hot (though เ it was early in the year), that I retired to the shelter 'of some willows, and sat down by the river side. Here I had not been seated long before I heard a person on the other side the willows sighing and be'moaning himself bitterly. On a sudden, having uttered a most impious oath, he cried, "I am resolved to bear "it no longer," and directly threw himself into the 'water. I immediately started, and ran towards the

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'place, calling at the same time as loudly as I could for assistance. An angler happened luckily to be a "fishing a little below me, though some very high 'sedge had hid him from my sight. He immediately came up, and both of us together, not without some 'hazard of our lives, drew the body to the shore. At 'first we perceived no sign of life remaining; but having held the body up by the heels (for we soon 'had assistance enough), 'it discharged a vast quantity 'of water at the mouth, and at length began to disเ cover some symptoms of breathing, and a little afterwards to move both its hands and its legs.

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'An apothecary, who happened to be present among others, advised that the body, which seemed now to 'have pretty well emptied itself of water, and which began to have many convulsive motions, should be directly taken up, and carried into a warm bed. This was accordingly performed, the apothecary and myself 'attending.

'As we were going towards an inn, for we knew not 'the man's lodgings, luckily a woman met us, who, after some violent screaming, told us that the gentleman 'lodged at her house.

When I had seen the man safely deposited there, I 'left him to the care of the apothecary; who, I suppose, 'used all the right methods with him, for the next 'morning I heard he had perfectly recovered his senses.

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'I then went to visit him, intending to search out, as well as I could, the cause of his having attempted so เ desperate an act, and to prevent, as far as I was able, 'his pursuing such wicked intentions for the future. I เ was no sooner admitted into his chamber, than we both 'instantly knew each other; for who should this person be, but my good friend Mr. Watson! Here I will not 'trouble you with what passed at our first interview: for

'I would avoid prolixity as much as possible.'-' Pray let 'us hear all,' cries Partridge; 'I want mightily to know 'what brought him to Bath.'

'You shall hear every thing material,' answered the stranger; and then proceeded to relate what we shall proceed to write, after we have given a short breathingtime to both ourselves and the reader.

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CHAPTER XIV.

In which the Man of the Hill concludes his history.

MR. WATSON,' continued the stranger, very freely acquainted me, that the unhappy situation of his 'circumstances, occasioned by a tide of ill luck, had in a manner forced him to a resolution of destroying ' himself.

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'I now began to argue very seriously with him, in opposition to this heathenish, or indeed diabolical, principle of the lawfulness of self-murder; and said every thing which occurred to me on the subject; but, to my great concern, it seemed to have very little effect on him. He seemed not at all to repent ' of what he had done, and gave me reason to fear he 'would soon make a second attempt of the like horrible 'kind.

'When I had finished my discourse, instead of endeavouring to answer my arguments, he looked me 'steadfastly in the face, and with a smile said, "You are "strangely altered, my good friend, since I remember

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you. I question whether any of our bishops could ""make a better argument against suicide than you "have entertained me with; but unless you can find

"somebody who will lend me a cool hundred, I must ""either hang, or drown, or starve; and, in my opinion, "the last death is the most terrible of the three."

'I answered him very gravely, that I was indeed altered since I had seen him last. That I had found 'leisure to look into my follies, and to repent of them. I then advised him to pursue the same steps; and at last concluded with an assurance that I myself would 'lend him a hundred pound, if it would be of any 'service to his affairs, and he would not put it into the power of a die to deprive him of it.

'Mr. Watson, who seemed almost composed in slumber by the former part of my discourse, was roused by the 'latter. He seized my hand eagerly, gave me a thousand thanks, and declared I was a friend indeed; adding that ' he hoped I had a better opinion of him than to imagine

he had profited so little by experience, as to put any 'confidence in those damned dice which had so often de'ceived him. "No, no," cries he; "let me but once "handsomely be set up again, and if ever Fortune "makes a broken merchant of me afterwards, I will ""forgive her."

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'I very well understood the language of setting up, ' and broken merchant. I therefore said to him, with a very grave face, Mr. Watson, you must endeavour 'to find out some business or employment, by which you may procure yourself a livelihood; and I promise you, could I see any probability of being repaid เ hereafter, I would advance a much larger sum than 'what you have mentioned, to equip you in any fair and honourable calling; but as to gaming, besides. the baseness and wickedness of making it a profes'sion, you are really, to my own knowledge, unfit for it, and it will end in your certain ruin.

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Why now, that's strange," answered he; "neither

6.66 you, nor any of my friends, would ever allow me to "know any thing of the matter, and yet I believe I am 6.66 as good a hand at every game as any of you all; and "I heartily wish I was to play with you only for your "whole fortune: I should desire no better sport, and I ""would let you name your game into the bargain: but come, my dear boy, have you the hundred in your "" pocket?"

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'I answered I had only a bill for 50%., which I ' delivered him, and promised to bring him the rest 'next morning; and after giving him a little more advice, took my leave.

'I was indeed better than my word; for I returned to 'him that very afternoon. When I entered the room, I 'found him sitting up in his bed at cards with a notorious เ gamester. This sight, you will imagine, shocked me not เ a little; to which I may add the mortification of seeing my bill delivered by him to his antagonist, and thirty เ 'guineas only given in exchange for it.

'The other gamester presently quitted the room, and then Watson declared he was ashamed to see me; "but," says he, "I find luck runs so damnably "against me, that I will resolve to leave off play I have thought of the kind proposal 6.66 you made me ever since, and I promise you there "shall be no fault in me, if I do not put it in exe""cution."

for ever.

'Though I had no great faith in his promises, I pro'duced him the remainder of the hundred in consequence เ of my own; for which he gave me a note, which was 'all I ever expected to see in return for my money.

'We were prevented from any further discourse at present by the arrival of the apothecary; who, with 'much joy in his countenance, and without even asking 'his patient how he did, proclaimed there was great