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" rigidly exact, and all these you possess; there "are indeed other, many other, incidental ar❝ticles, which you may, or you may not, fuperadd "to the account; but I am contented to strike "hands with you on the fpot, though you shall "never have fet foot upon foreign foil.-What << fays my daughter to this?

"When I caft my eyes upon the countenance "of the most benevolent of women, and faw it "turned expreffively upon me, fmiling through <c tears, joy palpitated at my heart, whilst she de"livered herself as follows:-I were of all beings "moft infenfible, could I withhold my teftimony "to this gentleman's merits, or my entire affent "to his alliance with my daughter; but as I have "ever repofed perfect confidence in her, and, as "far as I was enabled, always confulted her "wishes, I fhould be glad this question might be "fairly and candidly referred to her unbiaffed

judgment for decifion: fhe is very young; our "friend here is neither old in years nor expe"rience; both parties have time before them; "fhould he be willing to hold off from the "married ftate for a while, fhould the forefee "advantages ir. our friend's undertaking a "fecond tour with the fame inftructive affo"ciate, (whether into foreign countries or nearer

home) let her be the judge of what is moft

"likely

"likely to conduce to her future happiness in a "husband, and as I am perfuaded our friend " here will practise no unfair measures for biaffing "her judgment, let him confult Conftantia's "wishes on the cafe, and as fhe determines fo "let him act, and fo let us agree.

"With these inftructions, which Mr Somer"ville feconded, I haftened to Conftantia, and "without hesitation or disguise related to her "what had paffed and requested her decifion.

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Judge (if it be poffible to judge) of my tran<< fports, when that ingenuous, that angelic "creature gave me a reply, that left no room to "doubt that I was bleft in the poffeffion of her "heart, and that she could not endure a second ❝ feparation.

"I flew to Mr. Somerville; I fell at the feet "of Mrs. Goodifon; I interceded, implored "and was accepted. Nothing ever equalled the

generofity of their behaviour. I am now to "change my name to Somerville, at that wor"thy gentleman's exprefs defire, and measures cc are already in train for that purpose. The "fame abilities, which I am indebted to for the "good condition of my affairs, are employed in "perfecting the marriage fettlement, and the "period now between me and happiness would

"by

"by any other person but myself be 'termed a 66 very fhort one.

"Thus am I on the very eve of being bleft " with the lovelieft, the divineft object upon “earth, and thus have I by the good counsel of

my friends (in which number I fhall ever rec"kon you) broke the shackles of that unmanly «indolence, under which I was finking apace ❝ into irretrievable languor and infignificance. "Henceforward I entreat you to regard me as r a new man, and believe that with my name I " have put off my infirmity. We are in daily "expectation of our friendly Abrahams, who is "an Ifraelite indeed: your company would ❝round our circle and complete the happiness « of

"Your ever affectionate

"EDWARD."

N° CXXIX.

Facilitas Animi ad partem ftultitiæ rapit.

Sir,

THE

(P. SYRUS.)

To THE OBSERVER.

HE antient family of the Saplings, whereof your humble fervant is the unworthy reprefentative, has been for many genera- . tions diftinguished for a certain pliability of temper, which with some people paffes for goodhumour, and by others is called weakness; but however the world may differ in defcribing it, there feems a general agreement in the manner of making use of it.

Our family estate, though far from contemptible, is confiderably reduced from its antient fpendor, not only by an unlucky tumble that my 'grandfather Sir Paul got in the famous Miffifippi fcheme, but also by various loffes, bad debts and incautious fecurities, which have fallen heavy upon the purfes of my predeceffors at different times; but as every man must pay for his good character, I dare fay they did not repent of their purchase, and for my part it is a reflection that

9

never

never gives me any disturbance. This aforefaid grandfather of mine was fuppofed to have furnifhed Congreve with the hint for his character of Sir Paul Pliant, at leaft it hath been fo whispered to me very frequently by my aunt Jemima, who was a great collector of family anecdotes; and, to fpeak the truth, I am not totally without fufpicion, that a certain ingenious author, lately deceafed, had an eye towards my infignificant felf in the dramatic pourtrait of his Good-natured Man.

Though I fcorn the notion of setting myself off to the public and you by panegyrics of my own penning, (as the manner of some is) yet I may truly fay without boafting, that I had the character at school of being the very best fag that ever came into it; and this I believe every gentleman, who was my contemporary at Westminster, will do me the justice to acknowledge: it was a reputation I confefs that I did not earn for nothing, for whilft I worked the clothes off my back and the skin off my bones in scouting upon every body's errands, I was pummeled to a mummy by the boys, shewed up by the ushers, flead alive by the mafters and reported for an incorrigible dunce at my book; a report, which under correction I must think had fome degree

of

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