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12.

Hiftories of the Tete-a-Tete.

"You fancy now that you really love me better than any woman in the world." "By all that's good-replied he--I do.". By all that's good-answered fhe-'tis falfe. Read this note, and never let me fee you again."

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Hiflories of the Tete-à-Tete anexed; or, Memoirs of Parfon Pasquin and Mrs.

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T has long been matter of furprize to the thinking part of the community, that their reverences the bishops have not taken fome means to restrain the daily inftances of irreligion and immorality which too often appear among the lower orders of the clergy. To the evil example shewn by many of them, may, in a great measure, be imputed the grofs manners as well as diffipated lives both of the upper and lower claffes of the people; their doctrines and their actions being generally diametrically oppofite to each other. We have at this day parfons teaching deifm in academies, and writing pamphlets against civil government, parfons preaching plurality of wives, conducting newspapers, and living continually with players; parfons drinking, curfing, fwearing, hunting, cock-fighting, horferacing, boxing, cudgelling, duelling, and mobbing at elections-in short, we find as many exceptionable characters among the members of the church, as among the members of any other profeffion; and therefore it is not to be wandered at, that we have lately feen a parfon defendant to an action for crim. con.

To enter into the particulars of this gentleman's life would be irrelevant to this têteà-tête it is fufficient to fay that after he had taken orders, he became director of a public print, in which fituation he fought feveral duels with great perfonal bravery, beat his man at boxing, and having been convicted of a libel against a noble duke, which he never wrote, was committed to prifon

Previous to this event the parfon became acquainted with Mrs. D-, a lady who once poffeffed not only beauty and elegance of perfon, but refined fenfibility and manners the moft amiable; but it was her misfortune to be married early in life to a man who had no relish for her perfonal charms, who fet no value on her mental accomplishments, and indeed who appeared totally unacquainted with her worth.

The purfuits of Mr. D. were not only extraordinay, but oppofite in their natures. His favourite one was anatomy, and in the diffection of his fubjects he was remarkably filthy, often approaching his wife with hands imbrued with blood, while his hounds yelled

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and quarrelled over the flesh of the animals he had been flicing to pieces.

His other favourite amusement, though not quite fo horrid, was equally difgufting to a lady bred up with delicacy and neatness. This was the manufacturing of iron; for which purpose, he had caufed a forge to be erected, where he worked for hours together, returning to his lady covered with duft and dirt, and fitting down to his meals with unwashed hands. In vain did the lady remonftrate against fuch naftinels: her fpoufe continued perfectly inattentive to cleanlinefs, and it is no wonder if the foon began to draw comparisons between him and those gentlemen of her acquaintance who were attentive to their perfons.

Among others who visited this family was a baronet, who had youth and politeness to recommend, and cleanlinefs to diftinguifh him from the husband of our heroine. With this gentleman Mr. D-feemed determined to make an experiment upon the frailty of human nature, by trying how far his wife could withftand the temptation of an infinuating lover. The baronet was often invited to the houfe, and frequently left alone with his fair hoftefs, while the hufband was either employed upon a carcase, or in hammering hot iron. When we confider that the lady had beauty, we cannot wonder at the baronet's feeling the influence of fuch a charm when we confider that the baronet was pleafing, affable, and affiduous, we cannot be furprized that he made a tender impreffion on the lady's fenfibility. She felt however the danger of her fituation. It was an ordeal for virtue, to which every woman was not equal, fhe felt her own weaknefs, and refolved, if poffible, to pass un. fcorched the burning plow fhare which her unworthy fpoufe had laid acrofs her path. For this purpose the expoftulated with him on the meanness and impropriety of his conduct, and requested he would defire the baTonet to difcontinue his affiduities, for fhe wished to avoid disgrace to herself, and difhonour to him; and that though perfectly innocent, the knew the world would foon notice, as criminal, the intimacy he allowed the baronet in his family.

Mr. D― treated this candid caution with ridicule, which completed the contempt that had been long encreasing against him in the mind of his wife. The baronet continued his folicitations, opportunities were frequent, and one night, "when the pale moon shone confcious of the theft," the baronet prevailed, the lady fubmitting to the lofs of her chastity, as much from refentment to her husband, as from inclination to her lover.

Mr. D. foon perceived what had paffed.

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Character of Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon.

rendon.

By Dr. Shebbeare.

Now Fir Published.

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The broad fhame came ftaring in his face, Character of Edward Hyde, Earl of Claand to keep up appearances he removed his dy to Life in Flanders. But her mind was w corrupt, and he was of all men the capable of rectifying it. She foon conted an intimacy with an officer, carried air amour openly for two years, and then turned to London. Virtue being now totaly eradicated, Mrs. D. became rather inminate in her connections. Among terparamours was old general Defaguliers. While on a vifit to him at Woolwich, on harda yatch, Mr. D.- went on fhore to mufe himself with firing a gun, and left lady in care of the veteran, who played part with fe much fuccefs, that he not retired with him into the cabin, for a confiderable time, but was fo well pleafed with her entertainment while there, that the rewarded the fervant who flood fentinel, to give notice of her husband's approach. In the course of laft month, Mr. D. brought an action of crim. con. againft the parfon, and what is rather extraordinary, the fact which he grounded it was upwards of x years ftanding. As he eftimated his damages at three thousand pounds, it can fcarcely be prefumed that his fole motive was to lay a foundation for obtaining a divorce, but that avarice was the real though latent motive. The evidence given of the trial, clearly thewed that a friendly intimacy had fubfifted between his reverence and the lady; but as to the fact of criminality it not only failed in evidence, but it was alfo made clearly to appear that the principal witnes for the plaintiff was influenced by refenament to the defendant, who, as a juftice of the peace, had refused to grant her a lience for felling liquors. The fact of adultery, given in proof, was alfo difbelieved by the jury; it appearing that the parfon was, the time it was laid to have been committed in Effex, a prifoner in the king's bench. It is true, however, that Mrs. D. while fuppled virtuous, had been acquainted with the parfon's lady, who, not without reafon, tad fulpicions of a jealous nature, having cace met Mrs. D. on the ftairs coming down from herhu band's apartments in the King's

equalled the Earl of Clarendon in extent EW men amongst the wifeft nations have of capacity; fewer of fuch fuperior underftanding have been selected to the fuperintendency of national concerns; and much lefs have ever poffeffed the faculties of the foul in fuch equipoize of excellence, without enfeebling the energy of each other, or one getting the fuperiority of the reft.Though the hate which he had conceived against the fectaries was juftly founded on their execrable principles, and the mitchiefs they had produced; and his love for the Church of England, on the attachment which it had manifefted to the conftitution, the aptnefs which it hath to produce fuch principles, and its analogy to the nature of the government; yet this averfion from that tribe, and their ufurpation, had never driven him into the oppofite extreme of adopting abfolute monarchy: and though he faithfully adhered to and had conftantly ferved kings as his fovereigns, he never departed from the caufe of liberty, and preferving a limited authority in the crown.

bench.

This unfortunate meeting produced a quarrel between the enraged wife and expofed miftrefs, in which each lady exercised their natural weapons, the tongue, with unCommon effect; but after they had difcharged a few vollies, were prevented from comming to the laft extremity of female enagements, the pulling of cape, by the inerpofition of the parfon himfelf, who brought onciliation after the mediation between

about a temporary rec Tanner of Macheath's Pally and Lucy

He condemned the extenfive power of the Council-table, and the Star chamber in the beginning of the reign of Charles the Firft became illegal and arbitrary. In like manner confiftent in principle, at the Reftoration he oppofed the fettling a revenue of two millions on Charles the Second, to prevent the defire (io natural to fovereigns) of proceeding in wars and other concerns of moment, without the confent of the people's reprefentatives, from being carried into action. He ftill preferred the prefervation of the conft.tution to the increafing power in his mafter, and ftability of himself as minifter; and chofe that the king should rather feel himself in fome degree dependent on the good will of his people, than, independent on their fupplies, be tempted by abundance to waste their blood, facrifice their treafure, and invade the liberties and privileges of his subjects;-alike ftrenuous for the king's prerogative and the subjects rights.

No man faw into the diftant effects of prefent caules, or the fatal confequences of deftructive principles, more perfpicuously than the Lord Chancellor Clarendon; which powers rendered him the fittest ftatesman to fix whatever might conduce to make the conftitution ftable and propitious;-a genius of infinite fuperiority to that which conftitutes the mere man of equity.

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Character of Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon.

due from an inferior to his fovereign better than Lord Clarendon; yet he never forgot in his obedience to majefty, that though a subject, he was yet a freeman; and, though he received his exaltation from the king, that he was fill the fervant of the people. For thefe reafons, he neither menaced his fovereign with deferting him in times of danger, nor preferred adulation before good counfel in his advices, in order to obtain power; nor, during the most zealous fervices to two princes, did he ever fully, by complaifance to humour, mifiaken judgment, or foine more culpable defign, that reverence which was only facred to the conftitution.

As his expectations were honourably founded on the fervices which he might render to the flate, on thofe alone, and not on foftering the king's inclinations, he planned the defign of his advancement, and fixed the bafis of his fame.

Formed with complaifance for virtue alone, he fteadily afferted, that crowns afforded no pretext for criminal measures; and that royalty could not alter the ignominious ideas which were originally intended to accompany vice.

No man diftinguished the different degrees of men's capacity with a precision equal to this noble Author. He knew the limits of their understanding, and what they were able to conceive; the refolutions of their hearts, and what they were equal to the accomplishing; and therefore was peculiarly happy in the power of felecting and apply ing to their proper ftations, thofe which government abfolutely ftands in need of to preferve honour, and derive profperity to itself; almoft the chiefeft qualification of a ftatefman, and the most useful to the ftate. This truth feems to be incontrovertibly evinced from that perfpicuity with which he penetrated the characters of his cotemporaries.

Being born a gentleman, and holding money in contempt, he was utterly incapable of meannels or corruption; vices fo intimately connected with a bafe original and avaricious difpofition. At the fame time deeming the honour and welfare of his country inviolably facred, he never preferred to embassies, or to the command of Яeets and armies, men unequal to their respective duties: Clarendon faw truth and right by intuition, and the effect which they ought to have in decifions of equity.

The fovereign who neglected his people's welfare was doubly culpable in his eyes, from the greater mifchief which muft follow fuch delinquency. In confequence of this manner of conceiving things, no minion of the court found acceptance in his fight, who, by the inticements of wit, licentious raillery, or foftering the ruling paffion of

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his prince, feduced him from the means of rendering the nation great and happy.

Though bred in Courts, he dared not to difguile; and he could not be filent, when the national affairs were neglected. He held it for a facred rule, that the money levied on the people ought to be spent in their fervice only: and undoubtedly had Charles the Second, under a diftinct title from that of King of England, been the defpotic lord of continental flaves and continental dominions; had he maintained with English money armies fighting in their caufe, whilft his coffers were avariciously crammed with treasure levied on them and this people; Lord Clarendon would have told him, that Englishmen were born to be free, and not vaffals doomed to labour for foreign lands and foreign princes, to the ruin of themselves and progeny. His lips in parliament would have oppofed fuch unnational fquanderings, his heart revoked allegiance to fo unworthy a fovereign, and mourned the day of his af fending the throne of his father."

As the hope of exaltation never prompted him to finifter actions, fo the dread of falling from the honours he had deferved never induced him to deviate from the pursuit of national advantage. The laws were his rules of action; nor did he ever promote fuch as by their power would enable him to destroy the conftitution, under that fpecious guife of being made by the people's representatives: to rile or fall by virtue were his fixed refolves; and he conftantly preferred being just to being acceptable.

As the neceflary refult of fuch difpofition, his thirft of fame was undoubtedly great; yet not to be fated by luscious draughts of popular applaufe, but from the bleffings of a righteous adminiftration fpread upon his fellow fubjects, in whofe welfare he delighted, and from the internal fenfations of a mind confcientiously right.

Parfimonious of the public revenues, he beheld with fincere concern the profufion which attended the national administration, and frequently interpofed between the king's too great liberality, and the infatiate defire of receiving too many favourites.

So highly did he conceive of those titles which kings can bestow, that he held it a prophanation of the royal power to fquander them on the unworthy; and in each inftance refpecting himself, accepted with reluctance, what no ftatefman did ever more righteously deferve, left he might be deemed rather a minifter actuated by mercenary motives, than by the defire of propagating the public good. From fuch behaviour, it was no wonder he became offenfive to the greedy and ambitious.

Steady in his allegiance to the royal family of Stuart, he became the willing partaker of their fufferings. He fcorned to live beneath

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