Mrs. Pilkington very sternly, he was sure she had stolen it. She affirmed very seriously, she had not. Upon which he looked for it, and found it where he himself had laid it: "'Tis well for you," said he, "that I

:

have got it, or I would have charged you with " theft." "Why, pray, Sir," said the, "should I " be suspected more than any other person in the company?' "For a very good reason," said he, "be

"

"cause you are the poorest."

At their going away, the Dean handed Mrs. Pilkington down all the steps to the coach, thanking them for the honour of their company, at the fame time flipping into her hand as much money as Mr. Pilkington and she had given at the offering in the morning, and coach-hire alfo; which the durst not refuse, lest she should have been deemed as great a blockhead as the parson who refused the thick wine.

a

In one of the Dean's periodical fits of deafness he fent for Mrs Pilkington; who having come, he brought out to her a large book, finely bound in Turkey leather, and handsomely gilt"; "This," said he, is a "tranflation of the epistles of Horace, a present to me from the author; 'tis special good cover; " but I have a mind there should be fomething valu**able within fide of it." So, taking out his penknife, he cut out all the leaves close to the inner margin. "Now," faid he, " I will give these what they. "greatly want;" and put them all into the fire.. "Your task, Madam, is to paste in these letters in "this cover, in the order I shall give them to you: *** I intended to do it myself, but that I thought it * might be a pretty amusement for a child; so I fent

for you." She told him she was extremely proud to be honoured with his commands; but requested "to have leave to read the letters as the went on. Why, faid the Dean, " provided you will acknowledge yourself amply rewarded for your trouble, I don't much care if I indulge you so far."...

In reading the letters, the could not avoid remarking to the Dean, that, notwithstanding the friendship Mr. Pope professed for Mr. Gay, he could not forbear a great many fatirical, or, if the might be allowed to

V

fay

fay fo, envious remarks on the success of the Beggar's Opera. The, Dean very frankly owned, he did not think Mr. Pope was fo candid to the merit of other writers as he ought to be. She then ventured to afk the Dean, whether he thought the lines Mr. Pope ad adresses him within the beginning of the Dunciad, were any compliment to him? viz.

Othou! whatever title please thine ear.

" I believe," faid he," they were meant as such, " but they are very stiff." "Indeed, Sir," faid fhe, " he is so perfectly a master of harmonious numbers, "that, had his heart been the least affected with the "fubject, he must have writ better. How cold, how forced, are his lines to you, compared with your's to him?"

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6

Hail, happy Pope, whose generous mind, &c.

Here we fee the masterly poet, and the warm, fincere, generous friend; while he, according to the " character he gives of Mr. Addison, damns with faint praise." Well," replied the Dean, "I'll shew " you a late letter of his." He did fo; and Mrs. Pilkington was furprised to find it filled with low and ungentleman-like reflections, both on Mr. Gay, and the two poble persons who honoured him with their patronage after his disappointment at court, "Well, "Madam," faid the Dean, "what do you think of "that letter?" (feeing the had gone quite through it), "Indeed, Sir," (replied the) "I am forry I have read. "it; for it gives me reason to think, there is no

fuch thing as a fincere friend to be met with in "the world." "Why," replied he," authors. "are as jealous of their prerogative as kings: and can "no more bear a rival in the empire of wit, than a "morarch could in his dominions. Mrs. Pilkington then observing a Latin sentence writ in Italics, defired. the Dean to explain it, "No," replied he, fmiling, "I'll leave that for your husband to do. I'll fend " for him to dine with us, and,

a

int

the mean time, walk in Naboth's vineyard."-

"we e'll go and take of Where may that be, pray, Sir?"

faid

the. "Why,

da

" a garden," said the Dean, " I cheated one of my " neighbours out of." When they entered the gar den, or rather the field, which was square, and inclosed with a stone-wall, the Dean asked her how the liked it? "Why, pray, Sir," said she, "where is "the garden?י "Look behind you," said he, She did fo; and observed the fouth wall was lined with brick, and a great number of fruit-trees planted againft it, which being then in blossom, looked very beautiful. "What are you. so intent on?" faid the Dean. "The opening bloom," replied the; which brought: Waller's lines to her remembrance.

Hope waits upon the flow'ry prime.

"Oh!" replied he, " you are in a poetical vein; I " thought you had been taking notice of my wall... "'Tis the best in Ireland. When the mafons were

building it, (as most tradesmen are rogues) I watch "ed them very close, and as often as they could, they " put in a rotten stone; of which, however, I took "no notice, till they had built three or four perches "beyond it. Now, as I am an absolute monarch in "the liberties, and king of the mob, my way with "them was, to have the wall thrown down to the " place where I observed the rotten stone; and by do

ing so five or fix times, the workmen were at last "convinced it was their interest to be honest." "Or elfe, Sir," said Mrs. Pilkington, "your wall "would have been as tedious a piece of work as Pe"nelope's web, if all that was done in the day was to "be undone at night." ""Well," answered the Dean, "I find you have poetry for every occafion; " but as you cannot keep pace with me in walking, L "would have you fit down on that little bank, till

you are rested, or I tired, to put us more upon a "par."

She seated herself, and away the Dean walked, or rather trotted as hard as ever he could drive. She could not help fmiling at his odd gait; for the thought to herselfs he had written so much in praife of horfes, that he was refolved to imitate them as nearly as hercould. As the was indulging this fancy, the Dean returned

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returned to her, and gave her a strong confirmation of his partiality to those animals. " I have been con"fidering, Madam, as I walked," said he,

what

a fool Mr. Pilkington was to marry you: for he could have afforded to keep a horse for less money than you cost him; and that, you must confefs, -" would have given him better exercise and more " pleasure than a wife. -Why, you laugh, and

don't answer me - is it not truth?" " I must " answer you, Sir," replied she, with another que"stion; Pray, how can a bachelor judge of this mat

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ter?" " I find," said he, " you are vain enough to give yourself the preference." " I do, Sir," replied the, "to that species here; to a Honyhn

hnm, I would, as becomes me, give preference. "But, Sir, 'tis going to rain." - "I hope not, faid he, for that will cost me fixpence for a coach for

you," (the garden being at some distance from the houfe), "Come, haste; O how the tester trembles " in my pocket!" She obeyed, and they got in a doors just time enough to escape a heavy shower. "Thank God," said the Dean, "I have saved my

money. Here, you fellow," (to the servant) "carry this fixpence to the lame old man that fells gingerbread in the corner, because he tries to do " fomething, and does not beg."

Mrs. Pilkington was shewed into a little street-par lour, where was Mrs. Brent, his house-keeper." Here, says he," Mrs. Brent, take care of this child, while I "take my walk out within doors." The Dean then ran up the great stairs, down one pair of back-stairs, up another, in fso violent a manner, that Mrs. Pilking. ton could not help expreffing her uneasiness to Mrs. Brent, left he should fall, and be hurted. Mrs. Brent faid, it was a customary exercise with him, when the weather did not permit him to walk abroad.

Mrs. Brent then told Mrs. Pilkington of the Dean's charity; of his giving above half of his yearly income in private pensions to decayed families; and keeping 500 1. in the constant service of industrious poor, which he lent out 5 1. at a time, and took the payment back at is, a-week, which, the observed, did them

:

more service than if he gave it them entirely, as it obliged them to work, and at the same time kept up his charitable fund for the affistance of many. You "cannot imagine," said she, "what numbers of poor "tradesmen, who have even wanted proper tools to carry on their work, have, by this small loan, been put into a profperous way, and brought up their families in credit. The Dean," added she," has "found out a new method of being charitable, in which, however, I believe, he will have but few "followers; which is, to debar himself of what he " calls the fuperfluities of life, in order to adminifter " the neceffities of the distressed. You just now faw

an instance of it, the money a coach would have "cost him, he gave to a poor man unable to walk. When he dines alone, he drinks a pint of beer, and "gives away the price of a pint of wine. And thus " he acts in numberless inftances,"

The Dean came to dine with Mr. and Mrs. Pil. kington at their Lilliputian palace, as he called it; and, who would have thought it? he just looked into the parlour, and ran up into the garret, then into Mrs, Pilkington's bed-chamber and library, and from thence down to the kitchen; and the house being very clean, he complimented her upon it, and told her that was his custom; and that it was from the cleanliness of the garret and kitchen, he judged of the housewifery of the mistress of the house; for no doubt but a flut would have the room clean where the guests were to be entertained,

He was sometimes very rude, even to his superiors; of which the following story, related to Mrs. Pilkington by himself, may ferve as one instance amongst a thousand others,

The last time he was in London, he went to dine with the Earl of Burlington, who was then but newly married. The Earl being willing, 'tis supposed, to have some diversion, did not introduce him to his lady, nor mention his name. It is to be observed, that his gown was generally very rusty, and his person no way extraordinary. After dinner, faid the Dean, "Lady Burlington, I hear you can fing; fing me a fong."

The