good man, and heartily zealous for the established faith, though more from habit and prejudice than reason, my errors gave him great affliction I perceived it with the utmost concern; I perceived too, that he looked upon me with a degree of abhorrence mixed with pity, and that I was wholly indebted to his good-nature for that protection which I had flattered myself I should owe to his love. I comforted myself, however, with my own integrity, and even felt a confcious pride in fuffering this perfecution from ignorance and folly, only because I was fuperior to vulgar errors and popular fuperftition; and that Christianity deserved these appellations, I was not more convinced by my father's arguments than my uncle's conduct, who, as his zeal was not according to knowledge, was by no means qualified to adorn the "doctrine which he profeffed to believe."

I had lived a few months under the painful fenfibility of receiving continual benefits from a person whose efteem and affection I had loft, when my uncle one day came into my chamber, and after preparing me for fome unexpected good fortune, told me, he had juft a propofal of marriage for me from a man to whom I could not poffibly have any objection. He then named a merchant, with whom I had often been in company at his table. As the man was neither old nor ugly, had a large fortune and a fair character, my uncle thought himfelf fufficiently authorised to pronouce as he did, that I could not poffibly have any objection to him. An objection, however, I had, which I told my uncle was to me infuperable; it was, that the perfon whom he propofed to me as the companion, the guide, and director of my whole life, to whom I was to vow not only obedi ence but love, had nothing in him that could ever en

gage

gage my affection: his understanding was low, his fen timents mean and indelicate, and his manner unpolite and unpleafing."What stuff is all this," interrupted my uncle, "fentiments indelicate! unpolite! his "understanding, forfooth, not equal to your own! A "child, if you had lefs romance, eonceit and arrogance, " and more true discretion and prudence, it would do 66 you more good than all the fine books you have con"founded your poor head with, and what is worse, per"haps ruined your poor foul. I own, it went a little "against my confcience to accept my honest friend's "kind offer, and give him fuch a pagan for his wife. "But how know I whether the believing husband may not convert the unbelieving wife? -As to your flighty objections, they are fuch nonfenfe, that I "wonder you can suppose me fool enough to be de"ceived by them. No, child; wife as you are, you "cannot impose upon a man who has lived as many

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years in the world as I have. I fee your motive;

you have fome infidel libertine rake in your eye, with "whom you would go headlong to perdition. But I "fhall take care not to have your foul to answer for as "well as your perfon. Either I fhall difpofe of you "to an honest man that may convert you, or you shall "difpofe of yourself how you please for me; for I dif"claim all farther care or trouble about you; fo I "leave you to confider, whether or no the kindness I "have fhewn you, entitles me to fome little influence 66 over you, and whether you choose to feek protection " where you can find it, or accept of the happy lot "providence has cut out for you."

He left me at the close of this fine harangue, and I seriously fet myself to confider as he bade me, which of

the

the two states he had set before me I ought to choose; to fubmit to a legal fort of proftitution, with additional weight of perjury on my conscience, or to expose myself to all the diftreffes of friendless poverty, and unprotected youth. After fome hours of deliberation, I determined on the latter, and that more from principle than inclination; for though my delicacy would have fuffered extremely in accepting a husband, at least indifferent to me; yet as my heart was perfectly difengaged, and my temper naturally eafy, I thought I could have been lefs unhappy in following my uncle's advice, than I might probably be by rejecting it: but then I must have submitted to an action I could not think justifiable, in order to avoid mere external diftreffes. This would have been philofophical. I had always been taught, that virtue was of itself sufficient to happinefs; and that thofe things which are generally efteemed evils, could have no power to disturb the felicity of a mind governed by the eternal rule of right, and truly enamoured of the charms of moral beauty. I refolved, therefore, to run all risks, rather than depart from this glorious principle; I felt myself raised by the trial,` and exulted in the opportunity of fhewing my contempt of the fmiles or frowns of fortune, and of proving the power of virtue to fuftain the foul under all the accidental circumstances of distress.

I communicated my refolution to my uncle, affuring him at the fame time of my everlasting gratitude and. respect, and that nothing should have induced me to offend or disobey him, but his requiring me to do what my reafon and confcience difapproved; that fuppofing the advantages of riches to be really as great as he believed, yet ftill thofe of virtue were greater, and I

could not refolve to purchase the one by a violation of the other; that a falfe vow was certainly criminal; and that it would be doing an act of the highest injustice, to enter into fo folemn an engagement without the power of fulfilling it; that my affections did not depend on my own will; and that no man fhould poffefs my perfon, who could not obtain the first place in my heart.

I was surprised that my uncle's impatience had permitted me to go on thus far; but looking in his face, I perceived that paffion had kept him filent. At length the gathering ftorm burft over my head in a torrent of reproaches. My reafons were condemned as romantic abfurdities, which I could not myself believe; I was accused of defigning to deeeive, and to throw myself away on fome worthless fellow, whose principles were as bad as my own. It was in vain for me to affert that I had no fuch defign, nor any inclination to marry at all; my uncle could fooner have believed the groffeft contradiction, than that a young woman could so strenuously refuse one man without being prepoffeffed in favour of another. As I thought myself injured by his accufations and tyranny, I gave over the attempt to mitigate his anger. He appealed to Heaven for the justice of his resentment, and against my ingratitude and rebellion; and then giving me a note of fifty pounds, which he faid would keep me from immediate indigence, he bade me leave his house, and fee his face no I bowed in fign of obedience; and collecting all my dignity and refolution, I arofe, thanked him for his past benefits, and with a low curt'fy left the room.

more.

In less than an hour I departed with my little wardrobe to the house of a person who had formerly been my father's fervant, and who now kept a fhop and let VOL. III. lodgings.

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lodgings. From hence I went the next day to vifit my father's nephew, who was in poffeffion of the family eftate, and had lately married a lady of great fortune. He was a young gentleman of good parts, his principles the fame as my father's, though his practice had not been quite agreeable to the ftrict rules of morality: however, fetting afide a few of thofe vices which are looked upon as genteel accomplishments in young fellows of fortune, I thought him a good fort of man ; and as we had always lived in great kindness, I doubted not that I should find him my friend, and meet with approbation and encouragement at least, if not assistance from him. I told him my story, and the reasons that had determined me to the refusal that had incurred my uncle's displeasure. But how was I difappointed, when, inftead of the applause I expected for my heroic virtue and unmerited perfecutions, I perceived a smile of contempt on his face, when he interrupted me in the following manner : "And what, in the devil's name, 66 my dear coufin, could make a woman of your sense "behave fo like an idiot: What! forfeit all your hopes from your uncle, refufe an excellent match, and reduce yourself to beggary, because truly you were not in love? Surely, one might have expected better "from you even at fifteen. Who is it pray that mar"ries the perfon of their choice? For my own part, "who have rather a better title to please myself with "a good fifteen hundred a-year, than you who have "not a fhilling, I found it would not do, and that there was fomething more to be fought after in a wife than a pretty face or a genius? Do you think I cared "three farthings for the woman I married? No, faith.. "But her thirty thousand pounds were worth having;