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said, there is therefore no need of your interference. “I am glad to hear that," returned I, "for he is a preacher of the truth, and I sincerely hope he will be made the savour of life, not death, to you, for one or the other must every preacher of the truth be made to his hearers." As he still drew nearer and nearer the door, evidently desirous of quitting me, I turned from him, deeply lamenting his miserable situation. His bodily decrepitude, his poverty and the meanness of his dwelling, were circumstances of small moment compared with his hardness of heart, and contempt of admonition.

A middle-aged man, with a wooden leg, now passed me, and I accosted him with the question, how he came in that condition? He told me he had lost his leg in the service of his king and country, but he should not have valued that, if they had found him a better place than a work-house to die in. I felt a little surprised that they had not, and being a governor of one of our noble asylums, for the relief of my brave but poor countrymen, was turning in my mind the means of amending his situation, when on looking more earnestly in his face, I discovered he was an old pensioner, who had been expelled from the hospital to which I belonged, for immoral conduct and breach of rules. "Ungrateful murmurer," said I," what thanks do you owe your God, and country for providing any

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habitation for you?" His confusion may easily be imagined when I mentioned my knowledge of his person and character, and he slunk away from further observation, as the old man had done before.

CHAP. II.

I

Visit to the Work-house.

OBSERVED an elderly woman knitting, and drew near to speak to her, in the hope that employment had produced in her a better humour than was enjoyed by the idle inhabitants I had before conversed with. "I am glad to see you willing to work," said I. "Tis but little, Sir," she replied, "that I can do," and then enumerated a long list of ailments with which she was afflicted, and which had reduced her to the necessity of living on the parish. She then added, "There's an old saying, that learning is better than house or land,' but I'm sure my husband didn't find it so, or I should not have been here." I felt some curiosity to know how it happened that the old saying, to the truth of which I had myself assented, had failed in her case, and as she seemed of a talkative disposition, sat down on a broken chair by her, in expectation of a satisfactory account. "I thought 'twas a great thing," resumed she," to marry a scholar, for, Sir, my husband was sent to a very topping

school, and stayed there till he was fourteen or fifteen, and then he was bound prentice to a wig maker, right over the way against Humphrey Preach's, the top barber now in the town ;—well, as I said, I thought 'twas a great thing to marry a scholar, and he didn't mind my not being one too, because (though you would'nt think it now may be) I had a pretty face. All the gentry about employed him to make wigs and dress hair, and a fine roaring trade he might have had if he would have left off reading, and spouting out of book; but what did he do, the very year we were married, but set up a club for a parcel of boys and he to spout at, and to be sure gabbling so much made 'em dry, and then the money went for drink; and while he was gabbling and drinking, I was crying for money to feed and clothe myself and a child I I had the first year. At last I got him to give up his club, but the matter was'nt mended a bit, for he then took to singing, and many a good dinner he had by way of pay, but I was never the better for it; so we went on for about five years, when Humphrey Preach set up against us, as I said, right over the way, and got all the business, and he was'nt to be blamed for that, if one won't work another must." "But," replied I, you should not lay the blame on learning neither. It appears to me that your husband neglected the best learning; for this spouting, I suppose, was of a trifling sort, out of plays perhaps. If he had read good books,

they might have taught him the duties of his station." Why there's something in that to be sure, Sir," replied the poor woman, "so as I was saying, Humphrey Preach ran away with all the business; but my husband one night came home in high glee from one of his feasts, and told me he had hired himself to a set of strolling players, and should get more money in one night amongst them, than he could in a month by wig-making. That if I would stay behind with the boy, he would soon send me plenty of money; but if I had a mind to learn to act plays, he would take me with him; but he was afraid I could not read well enough. Now I was always pretty spiritty, as we say, when I was put up, and seeing he was so willing to part, I told him I wasn't such a fool as to believe what players said, and was sick of the sight of play-books, that he was welcome to go if he liked, I could maintain myself and the boy.

So off he set in a

few days, and all I said at parting was, Mark the winding of it up." "You did not act quite right here," interrupted I, "you should have quietly reasoned with him, and begged your minister, or some religious person, to have talked with him.”

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Ah! Sir," resumed she," he only laughed at parsons and godly folks." "No matter for that," replied I, "you should have done your duty, we must all use every means in our power to reform a sinner, and look for a blessing from God, which is often granted when we least expect it; but let

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