ventured to ask her, whether she was fo rigidly bigotted to the Doctrines of the Roman Catholic Faith, as to admit of no Salvation out of the Pale of that Church? Let me treasure up for ever the remarkable Answer of this divine Creature! I expected, my dear Thompson, that fome Time or other we should fall upon this Difcourfe, and am prepared to refolve you of my Opinions; that I am not bigotted, you might have learnt from your dear Mother, as I have conftantly for several Years paft joined in the public Worship at our Parish Church, where I have been greatly edified by the excellent Difcourses of your Father. As to this or that Mode of Worship, I think every one ought to be allowed to follow the Dictates of Confcience; but I must own the Simplicity of the Church of England, in her Rites and Doctrines, feems more agreeable to Scripture, than any other I have confidered; and my Retirement in the Country, and the Method of my Education, under a worthy Mother, of large and charitable Notions, gave me, together with a proper Choice of Books, which she left behind her, and the Ufe of a much better Collection of your Father's, which I had the Liberty to fend for any Book from, an Opportunity of turning my Thoughts to thofe Things, more than is common for one of my tender Sex. A Priest of the Roman Church used to vifit our Family, but was foon difgufted at our converfing so much wtih with Heretics, as he called them; but the Truth was, because we did not make him the Repofitory of our Secrets, and act implicitly by his Directions. Two Things, amongst those of that Perfuafion, fhock me more than any Thing else, not that I believe all the Stories that are told in our Books of Martyrology, which are the Spirit of Perfecution, and their Maxim, That no Faith is to be kept with Heretics.--In Contradiction to which, I'll ftick to what was said by the great Mr. Pope, another Roman Catholic, of a charitable allowing Spirit, in one of his Letters, and, if I remember right, his Words are thefe: "Fire and Sword, and Fire and Faggot, are equally my Aversion; I pray for different Sets and different Parties, with the fame Sincerity I pray for myself; I think to be a Lover of my Country is a glorious Elogy, but that it is a much greater to be a Lover of Mankind." And I believe the Almighty efteems no particular Opinions in Comparison to the truly good Man, who may be faid to be a Chriftian at large. As Things are managed at present by the Advocates on every Side of the Question, Religion feems to have the leaft Share in their Refearches, which is a Thing I imagine quite fimple, and her Duties comprized, according to our Saviour himself, in a very few Words; but, alas! tho' the is, as Rowe fays, Divinely pure and fimple from all Arts, They daub and dress her, like a common Mistress, I ftood amazed at the Penetration of my excellent ་པ1° CHAP. XXIV. Mr. Diaper receives Letters from his Father, WAS with the utmost Difficulty I prevailed 'TW on myself to leave my blifsful Abode, and to comply with the repeated Requefts of my Friend, to return to my Father's; which, however, at length, I was obliged to do, taking the most tender Adieu of the Charmer of my Soul! When I came Home, every one rejoiced at the Vivacity, and lively Spirit, I brought with me; all being eafy eafy within, and, the great Business of Love fettled upon fo unexpectedly happy a Footing, I indulged all the Jollity and Mirth of my Soul. My Friend, to whom I imparted all that had paffed, congratulated me in the fincereft Manner; and now, fays he, I don't doubt, my Joey, but we fhall be both extremely happy, and may promife ourselves a Life of conftant Felicity, which I hope will be spent, for the future Part of it, in a Harmony and Cordiality between us, equal to that we have maintained hitherto in the Firft; our Joys, our Griefs, mutual and the fame: Ah! how blind a little flattering Succefs renders unhappy Mortals to the Strokes of ill Fortune, that they are every Minute liable to, and which burst the airy Bubbles of their delufive, deceitful Expectations! A Day or two after my Arrival, Mr. Diaper received a Packet of Letters from London, by the Superfcription of which we immediately knew it to be from my Master, who had not wrote to either of us before, tho' my Father and he had conftantly corresponded; giving, as a Reafon for it, that he would not disturb the young People in their Diverfions, by giving them the Trouble to write; notwithstanding which, we had frequently paid our Duties both to him and my Mistress. I was alarmed at this, greatly fearing it was a Summons of us up to Town; and nothing could at prefent have grieved me more than Abfence from my Louifa. Upon opening it, there was a Letter for Mr. Diaper, and one for me, from his Father, and another directed to us both, which I difcovered in an Inftant to be from Mr. Prig. Both our Letters from my dear and worthy Mafter were full of Affection to me, as well as his Son; but we were extremely fhocked, when we understood that Mr. Traffic, a Merchant at Bristol, had failed, whereby, at the lowest Computation, he was become Lofer above twelve Thousand Pounds. In relating this Circumstance he had said all that a Man of Sense, and a Christian, who was acquainted with the unforefeen Accidents of Life, could fay to moderate his Son's Affliction; but it was a Blow he could hardly bear with Fortitude, as it in fome Degree difconcerted the Schemes of Happinefs he had formed for himself with the lovely Mifs Bellair; in fhort, tho' it was but a Trifle, when weighed against my Mafter's other Poffeffions, 'twas a Lofs that could not but be very heavily felt, and would, of Confequence, oblige us to retrench our extenfive Dealings within a narrower Compass. I was not without my Share of Concern for myself also, that is so natural, as I knew it would render it more difficult for my Friend to bring me into a Share of the Business, which, on Account of my Pretenfions to Louifa, I was become more and more defirous of: However, as there was no Remedy, we gave Ear to the confoling Arguments of my Father, |