gallery where their mistress sate (for they were rivals), and let him down with laudable courtesy and pardonable insolence. I do not know but it might be exactly where the coffee-house* is now.

'You are to know this my ancestor was not only of a military genius, but fit also for the arts of peace, for he played on the bass-viol as well as any gentleman at court; you see where his viol hangs by his basket-hilt sword. The action at the Tilt-yard you may be sure won the fair lady, who was a maid of honour, and the greatest beauty of her time; here she stands the next picture. You see, sir, my great great great grandmother has on the newfashioned petticoat, except that the modern is ga thered at the waist; my grandmother appears as if she stood in a large drum, whereas the ladies now walk as if they were in a go-cart. For all this lady was bred at court, she became an excellent countrywife, she brought ten children, and when I shew you the library, you shall see in her own hand (allowing for the difference of the language) the best receipt now in England both for an hasty-pudding and a white-pot.

If you please to fall back a little, because it is necessary to look at the three next pictures at one view; these are three sisters. She on the right. hand, who is so very beautiful, died a maid; the next to her, still handsomer, had the same fate, against her will; this homely thing in the middle had both their portions added to her own, and was stolen by a neighbouring gentleman, a man of stratagem and resolution, for he poisoned three mastiffs to come at her, and knocked down two deer-stealers in carrying her off. Misfortunes happen in all families. The theft of this romp, and so much money,

The Tilt-yard coffee-house, still in being.

most unactive. He no sooner steps out of the but his heart burns with devotion, swells with ... and triumphs in the consciousness of that pr which every where surrounds him; or on the trary, pours out its fears, its sorrows, its appre sions, to the great supporter of its existence.

I have here only considered the necessity man's being virtuous, that he may have someth. do; but if we consider further, that the exerci virtue is not only an amusement for the tim lasts, but that its influence extends to those par our existence which lie beyond the grave, and our whole eternity is to take its colour from t hours which we here employ in virtue or in vice, argument redoubles upon us for putting in pract this method of passing away our time.

When a man has but a little stock to improv and has opportunities of turning it all to goou : count, what shall we think of him if he suffers : teen parts of it to lie dead, and perhaps empe even the twentieth to his ruin or disadvantag But because the mind cannot be always in its vours, nor strained up to a pitch of virtue, it is cessary to find out proper employments for it in 1 relaxations.

The next method therefore that I would propo to fill up our time, should be useful and innoce:. diversions. I must confess I think it is below rea sonable creatures to be altogether conversant in suci versions as are merely innocent, and have nothing ese to recommend them, but that there is no hurt Whether any kind of gaming has even chix mood to say for itself, I shall not determine; A, à bokat is very wonderful to see persons of * As was passing away a dozen hours together le shooting kit dividing a pack of cards, with no Aja veinigase, can but what is made up of a few

was no great matter to our estate. But the next heir that possessed it was this soft gentleman, whom you see there. Observe the small buttons, the little boots, the laces, the slashes about his clothes, and above all the posture he is drawn in (which to be sure was his own choosing); you see he sits with one hand on a desk writing and looking as it were another way, like an easy writer, or a sonnetteer. He was one of those that had too much wit to know how to live in the world; he was a man of no justice, but great good-manners; he ruined every body that had any thing to do with him, but never said a rude thing in his life; the most indolent person in the world, he would sign a deed that passed away half his estate with his gloves on, but would not put on his hat before a lady if it were to save his country. He is said to be the first that made love by squeezing the hand. He left the estate with ten thousand pounds debt upon it; but however, by all hands I have been informed that he was every way the finest gentleman in the world. That debt lay heavy on our house for one generation, but it was retrieved by a gift from that honest man you see there, a citizen of our name, but nothing at all akin to us. I know Sir Andrew Freeport has said behind my back, that this man was descended from one of the ten children of the maid of honour I shewed you above; but it was never made out. We winked at the thing indeed, because money was wanting at that time.'

Here I saw my friend a little embarrassed, and turned my face to the next portraiture.

Sir Roger went on with his account of the gallery in the following manner: This man (pointing to him I looked at) I take to be the honour of our house. Sir Humphry de Coverley; he was in his dealings as punctual as a tradesman, and as gene

rous as a gentleman. He would have thought himself as much undone by breaking his word, as if it were to be followed by bankruptcy. He served his country as knight of this shire to his dying day. He found it no easy matter to maintain an integrity in his words and actions, even in things that regarded the offices which were incumbent upon him, in the care of his own affairs and relations of life, and therefore dreaded (though he had great talents) to go into employments of state, where he must be exposed to the snares of ambition. Innocence of life and great ability were the distinguishing parts of his character; the latter, he had often observed, had led to the destruction of the former, and he used frequently to lament that great and good had not the same signification. He was an excellent husbandman, but had resolved not to exceed such a degree of wealth; all above it he bestowed in secret bounties many years after the sum he aimed at for his own use was attained. Yet he did not slacken his industry, but to a decent old age spent the life and fortune which was superfluous to himself, in the service of his friends and neighbours.'

Here we were called to dinner, and Sir Roger ended the discourse of this gentleman, by telling me, as we followed the servant, that this his ancestor was a brave man, and narrowly escaped being killed in the civil wars; for,' said he, he was sent out of the field upon a private message, the day before the battle of Worcester.' The whim of narrowly escaping by having been within a day of danger, with other matters above mentioned, mixed with good sense, left me at a loss whether I was more delighted with my friend's wisdom or simplicity.

R.

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