much displease me, as it would give me many opportunities of future triumph, and teach my daughters more humility.

I poveri scansino le alleanze coi ricchi.

OUR family had now made several attempts to be fine; but some unforeseen disaster demolished each as soon as projected. I endeavoured to take the advantage of every disappointment to improve their good sense, in proportion as they were frustrated in ambition. « You see, my children », cried I, << how little is to be got by attempts to impose upon the world, in coping with our betters. Such as are poor, and will associate with none but the rich, are hated by those they avoid, and despised by those they follow. Unequal combinations are always disadvantageous to the weaker side; the rich. having the pleasure, and the poor the inconveniences that result from them. But come, Dick, my boy, and repeat the fable you were reading to-day- for the good of the company ».

<«< Once upon a time», cried the child, « a giant and a dwarf were friends, and kept together. They made a bargain that they would never forsake each other, but go seek adventures. The first battle they fought was with two Saracens; and the dwarf, who was very courageous, dealt one of the champions a most angry blow. It did the Saracen very little injury, who, lifting up his sword, fairly struck off the poor dwarf's arm. He was now in a most woeful plight; but the giant, coming to his assistance, in a short time left the two Saracens dead on the plain, and the dwarf cut off the dead man's head out of spite. Then they travelled on to another adventure. This was against three bloody-minded satyrs (1), who were carrying away a damsel in distress. The dwarf was not quite so fierce now as before; but for all that (2) struck the first blow which was returned by another that

(1) I Satiri formano il seguito di Bacco e vanno attorno per i boschi corteggiando le Ninfe. Sono figure mitologiche intese a personificare la lussuria.

(2) For all that ciò nondimeno.

knocked out his eye; but the giant was soon up with them, and, had they not fled, would certainly have killed them every one. They were all very joyful for this victory, and the damsel who was relieved fell in love with the giant and married him. They now travelled far, and farther than I can tell, till they met with a company of robbers. The giant, for the first time, was foremost now; but the dwarf was not far behind. The battle was stout and long. Wherever the giant came, all fell before him; but the dwarf had like to have been killed more than once (1). At last the victory declared for the two adventurers; but the dwarf lost his leg. The dwarf had now lost an arm, a leg, and an eye, while the giant was without a single wound. Upon which he cried out to his little companion, << My little hero, this is glorious sport; let us get one victory more, and then we shall have honour for ever ». « No » cries the dwarf, who by this time was grown wiser, « no, I declare off; I'll fight no more, for I find in every battle that you get all the honour and rewards, but all the blows fall upon me >>.

La famiglia Primrose si fa ritrattare in un gran quadro. Mrs Primrose scandaglia il cuore dello Squire Thornhill.

WHATEVER might have been Sophia's sensations, the rest. of the family were easily consoled for Mr Burchell's absence by the company of our landlord, whose visits now became more frequent and longer. Though he had been disappointed in procuring my daughters the amusements of the town as he designed, he took every opportunity of supplying them with those little recreations which our retirement would admit of. He usually came in the morning, and while my son and I followed our occupations abroad, he sat with the family at home, and amused them by describing the town, with every part of which he was particularly acquainted. He could re

(1) Ma il nano più d'una volta poco mancò che non restasse ucciso. Per questo costrutto cfr. Gram, Raz, d. L. Inglese, vol. II, pag. 84.

peat all the observations that were retailed in the atmosphere of the playhouses, and had all the good things of the high wits by rote, long before they made their way into the jestbooks (1). The intervals between conversation were employed in teaching my daughters piquet (2); or, sometimes, in setting my two little ones to box, to make them sharp (3), as he called it but the hopes of having him for a son-in-law in some measure blinded us to all his imperfections. It must be owned that my wife laid a thousand schemes to entrap him; or, to speak it more tenderly, used every art to magnify the merit of her daughter. If the cakes at tea ate short and crisp (4), they were made by Olivia; if the gooseberry-wine was well knit, the gooseberries were of her gathering; it was her fingers that gave the pickles their peculiar green; and in the composition of a pudding it was her judgment that mixed the ingredients. Then the poor woman would sometimes tell the Squire that she thought him and Olivia extremely of a size, and would bid both stand up to see which was the tallest. These instances of cunning, which she thought impenetrable, yet which everybody saw through, were very pleasing to our benefactor, who gave every day some new proofs of his passion, which, though they had not arisen to proposals of marriage, yet we thought fell but little short of it (5); and his slowness was attributed sometimes to native bashfulness, and sometimes to his fear of offending his uncle. An occurrence, however, which happened soon after, put it beyond a doubt that he designed to become one of our family; my wife even regarded it as an absolute promise.

My wife and daughters, happening to return a visit at neighbour Flamborough's, found that family had lately got

(1) E sapeva a memoria tutte le facezie de' bei spiriti del gran mondo assai prima che fossero introdotte nelle raccolte dei be' motti. (2) Un giuoco di carte fra due persone.

(3 Per renderli destri, capaci di cavarsela da soli nella vita.

(4) Se le ciambelle servite col the subito si disfacevano croccanti sotto il dente, esse allora . . . . Per la voce media o intransitiva del verbo cfr. Gram. Raz. d. L. I. vol. I, pag. 119, parag. 2.

(5) Che, sebbene non fossero mai giunte al punto di diventare vere e proprie proposte di matrimonio, noi tuttavia pensavamo che di poco se ne allontanassero.

their pictures drawn by a limner (1), who travels the country and took likenesses for fifteen shillings a-head. As this family and ours had long a sort of rivalry in point of taste, our spirit took the alarm at this stolen march upon us (2), and, notwithstanding all I could say and I said much it was resolved that we should have our pictures done too. Having, therefore, engaged the limner (for what could I do?), our next deliberation was to show the superiority of our taste in the attitudes. As for our neighbour's family, there were seven of them, and they were drawn with seven oranges (3) —a thing quite out of taste, no variety in life, no composition in the world. We desired to have something in a brighter style, and, after many debates, at length came to an unanimous resolution of being drawn together in one large historical family piece. This would be cheaper, since one frame would serve for all, and it would be infinitely more genteel; for all families of any taste were now drawn in the same manner. As we did not immediately recollect a historical subject to hit us, we were contented each with being drawn as independent historical figures. My wife desired to be represented as Venus, and the painter was requested not to be too frugal of his diamonds in her stomacher and hair. Her two little ones were to be as Cupids by her side; while I, in my gown and bands, was to present her with my books on the Whistonian controversy (4). Olivia would be drawn

(1) Un pittore, specialmente un acquarellista. È probabile che Goldsmith alluda qui a George Romney che alcuni anni prima del 1762 percorse lo Yorkshire e fece molti ritratti a un prezzo assai mite.

(2) Restammo allarmati dal passo che alla chetichella avevano preso dinnanzi a noi.

(3) Probabilmente a designare la loro fedeltà alla casa d'Orange. Il colore arancio durante la rivoluzione del 1688 servì di simbolo ai partigiani di William, principe di Orange.

(4) Il reverendo William Whiston scrisse le sue Memorie, e in queste sostenne la tesi della monogamia con tale veemenza che si creò molti nemici. Il Dottor Primrose, come abbiamo già accennato, era un convinto e battagliero partigiano di Whiston. La tesi che i pastori della Chiesa Anglicana non possano contrarre seconde nozze si trova a pag. 540 del libro di Whiston, Memoirs of his Life and Writings written by himself.

as an Amazon, sitting upon a bank of flowers, dressed in a green Joseph (1), richly laced with gold, and a whip in her hand. Sophia was to be a shepherdess, with as many sheep as the painter could put in for nothing; and Moses was to be dressed out with a hat and white feather.

Our taste so much pleased the Squire, that he insisted on being put in as one of the family, in the character of Alexander the Great, at Olivia's feet. This was considered by us all as an indication of his desire to be introduced into the family, nor could we refuse his request. The painter was therefore set to work, and, as he wrought (2) with assiduity and expedition, in less than four days the whole was completed. The piece was large, and it must be owned he did not spare his colours, for which my wife gave him great encomiums. We were all perfectly satisfied with his performance; but an unfortunate circumstance, which had not occurred till the picture was finished, now struck us with dismay. It was so very large, that we had no place in the house to fix it. How we all came to disregard so material a point is inconceivable; but certain it is, we had all been greatly remiss. The picture, therefore, instead of gratifying our vanity, as we hoped, leaned in a most mortifying manner against the kitchen wall, where the canvas was stretched and painted, much too large to be got through any of the doors, and the jest of all our neighbours. One compared it to Robinson Crusoe's long-boat, too large to be removed; another thought it more resembled a reel in a bottle; some wondered how it could be got out, but still more were amazed how it ever got in.

But though it excited the ridicule of some, it effectually raised more malicious suggestions in many. The Squire's portrait being found united with ours, was an honour too great to escape envy. Scandalous whispers began to circulate at our expense, and our tranquillity was continually disturbed by persons who came as friends to tell us what was said of us by enemies. These reports we always resented with becoming spirit; but scandal ever improves by opposition.

(1) Un lungo mantello che le dame inglesi del secolo XVIII indossavano nel cavalcare. Era abbottonato da cima in fondo sul davanti e provvisto d'un cappuccio.

(2) Passato di to work, cfr. Gram. Raz. vol. I, pag. 166.