particular engagement, though no man loved

the fex in general more.'

He then began an eulogium on matrimony, the comforts attending a regular uniform life in the fociety of an agreeable woman, the advantages attending entering early into that ftate, by which a man had the happiness of directing the education, and forming the minds, of his children, with the profpect of feeing them rise and profper in the world.

I could easily have ballanced this last article with inftances of an oppofite complexion; but I only hinted it in general terms, with regard to the uniformity he had mentioned. I faid" that I never had derived much comfort from that quarter; that those people who were uniformly furrounded with what they called their comforts feemed to me to live the moft infipid comfortlefs life in the world; they made no exertions, overcame no difficulties: that I had a curiofity often to go where comforts of their kind were not to be found, and had enjoyments which thofe

who were wallowing in comforts could not tafte; yet, when I returned from fuch excurfions, I could, for a time, relish their comforts as much as and more than thofe who thought of nothing but pampering and living fnugly did; that I was fo unluckily framed, that perfisting long in a continual jog-trot of comforts tired me, even although a plentiful table, an easy carriage, and a foft bed, were of the number; that I knew very well that he could give me instances of prudenter people, who thought very differently, who, for the fake of thofe very comforts, had bound themselves to infipid companions, and difagreeable bedfellows, for life; and would drawl on until they were cut fhort by an apoplexy, or fuffocated by fat, and decently interred in a church-yard; but that, for my own part, I could not help preferring the free life of a batchelor, for fome time longer at least, to all thofe comforts."

My brother laughed the more willingly at this fketch, because he faw it was partly

taken from an unhappy kinfman of our own, who, being in eafy circumstances, had married a widow of great wealth and corpulency; and, though the woman was of fo quiet a difpofition, that her voice was hardly ever heard in the family, except when she was in labour, he became fo afhamed of what little she spoke, that he carried her to the country, funk into low fpirits, and has as little relish for the comforts fhe brought him, as, from the beginning, he had had for herself:-there the poor man remains, waiting impatiently for one or other of the catastrophes above mentioned.

Refuming a serious air, my brother said, in an earnest and most affectionate manner, "You cannot imagine, my dear Jack, that I am fo unreasonable and selfish as to expect that you fhall make a facrifice of your happiness to my whim or vanity. I acknowledge, that it would be a very great fatisfaction to me to fee you happily married: in your children I should behold the future inheritors of my fortune and title; but I willingly give up every idea

of that enjoyment until you meet with a woman entirely to your tafte.'

"It is the easiest thing in the world," replied I," to find a woman to my tafte: the difficulty or hardship lies in my being bound to her for life."

"Without that circumftance, you know, my dear brother, that, by the laws of our country, what I have in view cannot be accomplished." He then expreffed astonishment at the fingular averfion I seemed to have against marriage, enumerated the number of marriages among people of rank of late.-By the way, matrimony was never in my time fo very much the ton. Though, in many particulars, the young fellows of the prefent age imitate the manners of the age of Charles II.; yet, in this, they follow the example of Henry VIII. who, when he took a fancy for a woman, thought of no other expedient but marrying her. It is fortunate for the wives of fome of those gentlemen, however, that they have not the power of that tyrant, who, whenever he tired

of a wife, thought of no other refource but cutting off her head.

Among the lift of marriages, my brother did not omit yours, my dear Sommers; and enlarged on the account that had been given him of your happiness, and the admirable qualities of your Juliet.

To all this I answered (for I wished to give the whole difcuffion an air of jocularity)" that although I had always endeavoured to be in the fashion, yet it was more dangerous to indulge my inclination in this prefent point than in any other; because fashions were apt to change, and, if once I adopted this, it might not be in my power to conform to the new mode, however much it might be my inclination, when the taste for a single life should prevail."

"You will have your friend Sommers, at leaft, to keep you in countenance," said he; "and, I am fure, you would be better pleased to be claffed with him, than with thofe idle young fellows of fashion who attempt to turn

the married state into ridicule."