of good Senfe, eafily came into his Notions, and agreed to take their Sons away from Profody, determining to fend them to another School at York; but, as my Father recollected there were no proper Companions for me in his Neighbourhood, he generously told them he would undertake the further Care of them, together with me, at which they were highly delighted, and returned him many Acknowledgments; and, as they were all fomewhat in Arrear with Profody, they agreed to ride over together to his Houfe, and finally discharge their Obligations to him.

When they arrived there, the old Pedant, not knowing we had been before-hand with him, told fo many Falfhoods of us, and inveighed against us with fo much apparent Malicé and Refentment, that, if they had not been prepoffeffed against him before, it would have given them the fame Ideas we had laboured to infpire them with. They made little Reply to what he faid, and when he came to understand their Errand, and that we had got Home, he was quite Thunder-ftruck, and began to foften his Manner of Expreffion, laying the Tricks we had been guilty of upon Levity and Puerility, which before he had afcribed to a natural Turpitude and Wickedness of Heart; but his Attempts to reclaim us were all in vain, and they parted with him, leaving him in the highest Disgust and ill Humour, which was fenfibly increased by a very

grave Lecture which was read him by my Father, upon the right Conduct of the Office of a Schoolmafter, and the Bafenefs of Avarice and Revenge. A Servant that attended them brought us our Books, and what wearing Apparel we had left behind us in our precipitate Retreat.

CHAP. VI.

His Father's Manner of Education.-Sharpley is fent to Sea, and Archer to Oporto.—Proper Reflections.-Takes great Delight in Hunting, and gains the Friendship of Sir Walter Rich, by a generous Alion.-His Father determines to fend him to London.

A

FTER we had been indulged fome Days in

fuch Amusements as were fuitable to our Years, my Father applied himself to the further Cultivation of our Understandings. We had all made pretty near the fame Progrefs, and were, at fo green an Age, tolerable Mafters of Greek and Latin: And, as we were intended for the World, he endeavoured to give us the moft ftrong Ideas of Religion and Morality; which, being conveyed in the most captivating Manner to our Minds, funk deep into our Souls; and were the more ftrengthened by the excellent Pattern we faw daily before

us, in my Father and Mother, who used my Companions as well as myfelf, like their own Children. We foon became Proficients in the moft useful Branches of the Mathematics; and Natural Philofophy was rendered fo entertaining to us, and discovered such a Field of Wonders, that we forgot all our trifling Sports, and that alone conftituted the Employment of our leifure Hours. He taught us the French Language, which is fo generally spoken all over the World; and, my Mother talking it very well, we converfed hardly in any other Tongue. To preferve our Healths we were permitted to have a Fencing-Mafter twice a Week, who alfo was directed to form us to a polite Addrefs, without making Dancing fo important a Part of Education, as it generally feems to be reckoned. We had the Happiness to make great Improvement in every Thing we were put to; and, my Father, forfaking almost all other Company, became our conftant Companion; and hist honied Precepts met with fuch eager Attention, that we became the Wonder, and, at the fame Time, the Delight of the adjacent Country. Happy Period of Life! when the boiling Paffions, the Attendants of Human Nature, are kept under the Restraints of Reason and Authority; when Care and Anxiety is never tafted, and the genuine Chearfulness of the Heart is undepreffed by the hurrying Toils and torturing Viciffitudes of Life. With

what Regret I look back and furvey the engaging Scenes which Riches and Splendor can never recompense the Lofs of! Ye Hours of golden Inftruction! ye Moments of pure Content, and untainted Pleasure! how dearly ought we to prize you and how little are we acquainted with your ! true Value and Eftimation! Hurrying into the tempeftuous Ocean of bufy, advancing Years, we foon are loft to your ineffable Sweets; the Mind grows foul and muddy with Croffes and Vexations; and over-bearing Folly, and growing Vices, turmoil the reft of our mortal Pilgrimage. Well has Providence allotted a few Years of Youth and Innocence to our Share: Had we been doomed to furvey and feel, at once, the Load of Ills we are born to, without this blissful Paufe of Misfortune and Anguish, who could fupport the shocking State of Existence? And yet, how wifely Providence does ftimulate and excite us to launch out into maturer Action, and all the fancied Joys, and real Sorrows, that at every advancing Step furround us; but by the Inftability and Vanity of the former, and the conftant Attendance of the latter, fpur us ftill to explore new Regions of exftatic Calm, and eternal Content, which it has referved for thofe who worthily attain to the Period of their Race, the Goal of their Pursuits.

We had paffed near two Years in this Situation, at my Father's, when Mr. Sharpley, who had

other

other Children, and but a small Eftate, determined to fend his Son to Sea, under a Brother who commanded a Man of War, and accordingly procured him the King's Letter; and, to rob me of both my dear Companions, Mr. Archer, about the fame Time, fent his Son to Oporto, to a diftant Relation, who was a confiderable Merchant there, to be placed in his Compting-Houfe. As we had lived in the greatest Harmony, we could not part without the highest Tokens of Sorrow, and took our Leave of each other, after Proteftations of eternal Friendship, and Refolutions of renewing our Familiarity, whenever it should be in our Power, My Father and Mother were affected with the Lofs of them, and he could not be prevailed on to accept of the leaft Confideration for the agreeable Pains he had beftowed upon them: the Fruits of which were very visible in their Conversation and Behaviour, and gave the utmoft Satisfaction to their Parents. To fhew their Gratitude, they begged my Father to let me spend some Months at their Houfe, which they defired fo preffingly, that he could not refufe them and accordingly I went Home with them, both living in the fame Part of the Country, between five and fix Miles from our Houfe. I was now in my fixteenth Year, and was flattered with the Appellation of a polite and intelligent young Gentleman; my Stature was fuperior to most of my Age, and Nature had be

ftowed