Was ever of opinion, that the honeft man who married and brought up a large family, did more fervice than he who continued fingle, and only talked of population. From this motive, I had fcarce taken orders a year, before I began to think feriously of matrimony, and chofe my wife as fhe did her wedding gown, not for a fine gloffy furface, but fuch qualities as would wear well. To do her justice, fhe was a good-natured notable woman; and as for breeding, there were few country ladies who could fhew anore. She could read any English book without much spelling; but for pickling, preferving, and cookery, none could excel her. She prided herself alfo upon being an excellent contriver in houfe-keeping; though I could never find that we grew richer with all her contrivances. However, we loved each other tenderly, and our fondnefs encreased as we grew old. There was in fact nothing that could make us angry with the world, or each other. We had an elegant houfe, fituated in a fine country, and a good neighbourhood. The year was spent in a moral or rural a mufement; in visiting our rich neighbours, and relieving fuch as were poor. We had no revolutions to fear, nor fatigues to undergo; all our adventures were by the fire-fide, and all our migrations from the blue bed to the brown. As we lived near the road, we often had the traveller or stranger visit us to taste our goofeberry-wine, for which we had great reputation; and I profefs, with the veracity of an hiftorian, that I never knew one of them find fault with it. Our coufins too, even to the fortieth remove, all remembered their affinity, without any help from the herald's office, and came very frequently to fee us. Some of them did us no great honour by these claims of kindred; as we had the blind, the maimed, and the halt, amongst the number. However, my wife always infifted that as they were the fame flesh and blood, they fhould fit with us at the same table. So that if we had not very rich, we generally had very happy friends about us; for this remark will hold good through life, that the poorer the guest, the better pleased he ever is with being treated; and as fome men gaze with admiration at the colours of a tulip, or the wing of a butterfly, so I was by nature an admirer of happy human faces. However, when any one of our relations was found to be a person of a very bad character, a troublefome gueft, or one we defired to get rid of, upon his leaving my houfe, I ever took care to lend him a riding-coat, or a pair of boots, or fometimes an horfe of finall fmall value, and I always had the fatisfaction of finding he never came back to return them. By this the house was cleared of fuch as we did not like; but never was the family of Wakefield known to turn the traveller or the poor dependant out of doors. Thus we lived several years in a state of much happiness, not but that we fometimes had thofe little rubs which Providence fends to enhance the value of it's favours. My orchard was often robbed by school boys, and my wife's. cuftards plundered by the cats or the children. The fquire would fometimes fall asleep in the most pathetic parts of my fermon, or his lady return my wife's civilities at church with a mutilated curtfey. But we foon got over the uneafinefs caufed by fuch accidents, and usually in three or four days began to wonder how they vext us. My children, the offspring of tém perance, as they were educated without foftnefs, fo they were at once well formed and healthy; my fons hardy and active, my daughters beautiful and blooming. When 1 ftood in the midft of the little circle, which promised to be the fupports of my déclining age, I could not avoid repeating the famous ftory of Count Abenberg, who, in Henry II.'s progrefs through Germany, while other courtiers came with their treatures, brought his thirty-two children, and prefented them to his fovereign as the moft valuable offering he had to beftow. In this manner, though I had but fix, I confidered them as a very valuable prefent made to my coun-' try, and confequently looked upon it as my debtor. Our eldeft fon was named George after his uncle, who left us ten thousand pounds. Our fecond child, a girl, I intended to call after her aunt Griffel; but my wife, who during her pregnancy had been reading romances, infifted upon her being called Olivia. In lefs than another year we had another daughter, and now I was determined that Griffel fhould be her name; but a rich relation taking a fancy to ftand godmother, the girl was, by her directions, called Sophia; fo that we had two romantic names in the family; but I folemnly proteft I had no hand in it. Mofes was our next; and after an interval of twelve years, we had two fons more. It would be fruitless to deny my ex ultation when I faw my little ones about me; but the vanity and the fatisfaction of my wife were even greater than mine. When our vifitors would fay, Well, upon my word, Mrs. Primrofe, you have the finest children in the whole country.'-' Ay, neighbour,' fhe would anfwer, they C are as Heaven made them, handsome enough, if they be good enough; for handsome is, that handsome does." And then the would bid the girls hold up their heads; who, to conceal nothing, were certainly very handsome. Mere outfide is fo very trifling a circumftance with me, that I should scarce have remembered to mention it, had it not been a general topic of converfation in the country. Olivia, now about eighteen, had that luxuriancy of beauty with which painters generally draw Hebe; open, fprightly, and commanding. Sophia's features were not fo ftriking at firft; but often did more certain execution; for they were soft, modeft, and alluring. The one vanquifhed by a fingle blow, the other by efforts fuccefsfully repeated. The temper of a woman is generally formed from the turn of her features, at leaft it was fo with my daughters. Olivia wifhed for many lovers, Sophia to fecure one. Olivia was often affected from too great a defire to please, Sophia even repreft excellence, from her fears to offend. The one emitained me with her vivacity when I was gay, the other with her fense when I was fericus. But thefe qualities were never carried to excefs in either, and I have often feen them exchange characters for a whole day together. A fuit of mourning has transformed my coquet into a prude, and a new fet of ribbands has given her youngest fifter more than natural vivacity. My eldeft fon, George, was bred at Oxford, as I intended him for one of the learned profeffions. My fecond boy, Mofes, whom I defigned for business, received a fort of a mifcellaneous education at home. But it is needlefs to attempt defcribing the particular characters of young people that had feen but very little of the world. In fhort, a family likeness prevailed through all; and, properly fpeaking, they had but onc character, that of being all equally ge nerous nerous, credulous, fimple, and inoffenfive. CHA P. II. FAMILY MISFORTUNES. THE LOSS OF FORTUME ONLY SERVES TO INCREASE THE PRIDE OF THE WORTHY. MOM TO TH HE temporal concerns of our family were chiefly committed to my wife's management; as to the fpiritual, I took them entirely under my own direction. The profits of my living, which amounted to about thirtyfive pounds a year, I made over to the orphans and widows of the clergy of our diocefe; for having a fufficient fortune of my own, I was careless of temporalities, and felt a fecret pleafure in doing my duty without reward. I alfo fet a refolution of keeping no curate, and of being acquainted with every man in the parish, exhorting the married men to temperance, and the batchelors to matrimony; fo that in a few years it was a common faying, that there were three strange wants at Wakefield, a parfon wanting pride, young men wanting wives, and ale-houfes wanting cuftomers. Matrimony was always one of my favourite topicks, and I wrote feveral fermons to prove it's happiness: but there was a peculiar tenet which I made a point of fupporting; for I maintained with Whifton, that it was unlawful for a prieft of the church of England, after the death of his firft wife, to take a fecond; or to exprefs it in one word, I valued myself upon being a ftrict monogamist. I was early initiated into this important difpute, on which fo many laborious volumes have been written. I published fome tracts upon the fubject myfelf, which, as they never fold, I have the confolation of thinking are read only by the happy few. Some of my friends called this my weak fide; but alas! they had not like me made it the fubject of long contemplation. The more I reflected upon it, the more important it appeared. I even went a step beyond Whifton in difplaying my principles as he had engraven upon his wife's tomb that he was the only wife of William Whifton; fo I wrote a fimilar epitaph for my wife, though still living, in which I extolled her prudence, œconomy, and obedience till death; and having got it copied fair, with an elegant frame, it was placed over the chimney-piece, where it anfwered feveral very ufeful purpofes. It admonished my wife of her duty to me, and my fidelity to her; it infpired her with a paffion for fame, and conftantly put her in mind of her end. As It was thus, perhaps, from hearing marriage so often recommended, that my eldeft fon, juft upon leaving college, fixed his affections upon the daughter of a neighbouring clergyman, who was a dignitary in the church, and in circumstances to give her a large fortune: but fortune was her smallest accomplishment. Mifs Arabella Wilmot was allowed by all (except my two daughters) to be compleatly pretty. Her youth, health, and innocence, were ftill heightened by a complexion fo transparent, and fuch an happy fenfibility of look, as even age could not gaze on with indifference. Mr. Wilmot knew that I could make a very handsome settlement on my son, he was not averfe to the match; fo both families lived together in all that harmony which generally precedes an expected alliance. Being convinced by experience that the days of courtship are the moft happy of our lives, I was willing enough to lengthen the period; and the various amufements which the young couple every day fhared in each other's company, feemed to increase their paffion. We were generally awaked in the morning by mufic, and on fine days rode a hunting. The hours between breakfaft and dinner the ladies devoted to drefs and ftudy: they ufually read a page, and then gazed at themfelves in the glafs, which even philofophers might own often prefented the page of greatest beauty. At dinner my wife took the lead; for, as the always infifted upon carving every thing herfelf, it being her mother's way, the gave us upon thefe occafions the hiftory of every difh. When we had dined, to prevent the ladies leaving us, I generally ordered the table to be removed; and fometimes, with the mufic master's affiftance, the girls would give us a very agreeable concert. Walking out, drinking tea, country dances, and forfeits, B fhortened fhortened the rest of the day, without the affiftance of cards, as I hated all manner of gaming, except backgammon, at which my old friend and I fometimes took a twopenny hit. Nor can I here pass over an ominous circumftance that happened the last time we played together; I only wanted to fing a quatre, and yet I threw deuce ace five times running. Some months were elapfed in this manner, till at last it was thought convenient to fix a day for the nuptials of the young couple, who feemed earnestly to defire it. During the preparations for the wedding, I need not defcribe the bufy importance of my wife, nor the fly looks of my daughters: in fact, my attention was fixed on another object, the completing a tract which I intended fhortly to publifh in defence of my favourite principle. As I looked upon this as a mafter-piece both for argument and ftyle, I could not in the pride of my heart avoid fhewing it to my old friend Mr. Wilmot, as I made no doubt of receiving his approbation: but not till too late, I discovered that he was most violently attached to the contrary opinion, and with good reafon; for he was at that time actually courting a fourth wife. This, as may be expected, produced a difpute attended with fome acrimony, which threatened to interrupt our intended alliance; but on the day before that appointed for the ceremony, we agreed to difcufs the fubject at large. It was managed with proper fpirit on both fides; he afferted that I was heterodox, I retorted the charge: he replied, and I rejoined. In the mean time, while the controverfy was hotteft, I was called out by one of my relations, who, with a face of concern, advised me to give up the dispute, at least till my fon's wedding was over. 'How,' cried I, relinquish the cause of truth, and let him be an husband, already driven to the very verge of abfurdity. • You might as well advise me to give up my fortune as my argument." Your fortune,' returned my friend, I am now forry to inform you, is almoft nothing. The merchant in town, in whofe hands your money was lodged, has gone off, to avoid a ftatute of bankruptcy, and is thought not to have left a fhilling in the pound. I was unwilling to fhock you or the family with the account till after the wedding: but now it may serve to • moderate your warmth in the argument; for, I fuppofe, your own prudence will enforce the neceffity of diffembling, at leaft till your fon has the young lady's fortune fecure. Well,' returned I, if 'what you tell me be true, and if I am to be a beggar, it hall never make me a rafcal, or induce me to difavow my principles. I'H go this moment, and inform the company of my circumstances; and as for the argument, I even here retract my former conceffions in the old gentleman's favour, nor will I allow him now to be an husband in any fenfe of the expres'fion.' It would be endlefs to defcribe the different fenfations of both families when I divulged the news of our misfortune; but what others felt was flight to what the lovers appeared to endure. Mr. Wilmot, who feemed before fufficiently inclined to break off the match, was by this blow foon determined: one virtue he had in perfection, which was prudence; too often the only one that is left us at feventy-two. CHA P. III. A MIGRATION. THE FORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES OF OUR LIVES ARE GENERALLY FOUND AT LAST TO BE OF OUR OWN PROCURING. TH HE only hope of our family now was, that the report of our misfortunes might be malicious or premature: but a letter from my agent in town foon came with a confirmation of every particular. The lofs of fortune to myself alone would have been trifling; the only uneafinefs I felt was for my family, who were to be humble without an education to render them callous to contempt. Near a fortnight had paffed before I attempted to restrain their affliction; for premature confolation is but the re membrancer of forrow. During this interval, my thoughts were employed on fome future means of fupporting them; and at last a small cure of fifteen pounds a year was offered me in a diftant neighbourhood where I could still enjoy my principles without molefta tion. |