had fo unaccountably melted at the Sight of him. The Lad was very well pleafed to find a Father who was fo rich, and likely to leave him a good Eftate; the Father, on the other hand, was not a little delighted to fee a Son return to him, whom he had given for loft, with fuch a Strength of Conftitution, Sharpness of Understanding, and Skill in Languages. Here the printed Story leaves off; but if I may give Credit to Reports, our Linguist having received fuch extraordinary Rudiments towards a good Education, was afterwards trained up in every thing that becomes a Gentleman; wearing off by little and little all the vicious Habits and Practices that he had been used to in the Courfe of his Peregrinations: Nay, it is faid, that he has fince been employed in foreign Courts upon National Bufinefs, with great Reputation to himself and Honour to those who sent him, and that he has vifited feveral Countries as a publick Minifter, in which he formerly wandered as a Gyply. C

N° 131.

I

Tuesday, July 31.

Ipfa rurfum concedite Sylva.

Virg.

T is ufual for a Man who loves Country Sports to preferve the Game in his own Grounds, and divert himfelf upon those that belong to his Neighbour. My Friend Sir ROGER generally goes two or three Miles from his House, and gets into the Frontiers of his Eftate, before he beats about in fearch of a Hare or Partridge, on purpofe to fpare his own Fields, where he is always fure of finding Diverfion when the worst comes to the worst. By this means the Breed about his Houfe has time to encreafe and multiply, befides that the Sport is the more agreeable where the Game is the harder to come at, and where it does not lie fo thick as to produce any Perplexity or Confufion in the Purfuit. For thefe Reafons the Country Gentleman, like the Fox, feldom preys near his own Home.

IN the fame manner I have made a Month's Excurfion out of the Town, which is the great Field of Game for Sportsmen of my Species, to try my Fortune in the Country, where I have started feveral Subjects, and hunted them down, with fome Pleasure to my felf, and I hope to others. I am here forced to ufe a great deal of Diligence before I can fpring any thing to my Mind, where-" as in Town, whilft I am following one Character, it is ten to one but I am croffed in my Way by another, and put up fuch a Variety of odd Creatures in both Sexes, that they foil the Scent of one another, and puzzle the Chace. My greatest Difficulty in the Country is to find Sport, and in Town to chufe it. In the mean time, as I have given a whole Month's Reft to the Cities of London and Westminster, I promise my self abundance of new Game upon my return thither.

IT is indeed high time for me to leave the Country, fince I find the whole Neighbourhood begin to grow very inquifitive after my Name and Character: My Love of Solitude, Taciturnity, and particular way of Life, having raifed a great Curiofity in all these Parts.

THE Notions which have been framed of me are va rious; fome look upon me as very proud, fome as very modeft, and fome as very melancholy. Will, Wimble, as my Friend the Butler tells me, obferving me very much alone, and extreamly filent when I am in Company, is afraid I have killed a Man. The Country People feem to fufpect me for a Conjurer; and fome of them hearing of the Vifit which I made to Moll White, will needs have it that Sir ROGER has brought down a Cunning-Man with him, to cure the old Woman, and free the Country from her Charms. So that the Character which I go under in part of the Neighbourhood, is what they here call a White Witch.

A Juftice of Peace, who lives about five Miles off, and is not of Sir ROGER's Party, has it feems faid twice or thrice at his Table, that he wifhes Sir ROGER does not harbour a Jefuit in his Houfe, and that he thinks the Gentlemen of the Country would do very well to make me give fome Account of my self.

ON the other fide, fome of Sir ROGER's Friends are afraid the old Knight is impofed upon by a defigning Fel

low,

low, and as they have heard that he converfes very promiscuously when he is in Town, do not know but he has brought down with him fome difcarded Whig, that is fullen, and fays nothing, because he is out of Place.

SUCH is the Variety of Opinions which are here entertained of me, fo that I pafs among fome for a dif affected Perfon, and among others for a Popish Priest; among fome for a Wizard, and among others for a Murderer; and all this for no other Reason, that I can imagine, but because I do not hoot and hollow and make a Noise. It is true, my Friend Sir ROGER tells them that it is my way, and that I am only a Philofopher; but this will not fatisfie them. They think there is more in me than he discovers, and that I do not hold my Tongue for nothing.

FOR these and other Reasons I shall set out for London To-morrow, having found by Experience that the Country is not a Place for a Perfon of my Temper, who does not love Jollity, and what they call Good-Neighbourhood. A Man that is out of Humour when an unexpected Gueft breaks in upon him, and does not care for facrificing an Afternoon to every Chance-comer; that will be the Master of his own Time, and the Purfuer of his own Inclinations, makes but a very unfociable Figure in this kind of Life. I fhall therefore retire into the Town, if I may make ufe of that Phrafe, and get into the Crowd again as fast as I can, in order to be alone. I can there raise what Speculations I please upon others without being obferved my self, and at the fame time enjoy all the Advantages of Company with all the Privileges of Solitude. In the meanwhile, to finish the Month and conclude these my Rural Speculations, I fhall here infert a Letter from my Friend WILL. HONEYCOMB, who has not lived a Month for thefe forty Years out of the Smoke of London, and rallies me after his way upon my Country Life.

'

Dear SPEC.

Suppofe this Letter will find thee picking of Daisies, or fmelling to a Lock of Hay, or paffing away thy time in fome innocent Country Diverfion of the like Nature. I have however Orders from the Club to fummon thee up to Town, being all of us curfedly afraid

• thou

thou wilt not be able to relish our Company, after thy Converfatious with Moll. White and Will, Wimble. Pr'ythee don't fend us up any more Stories of a Cock and a Bull, nor frighten the Town with Spirits and Witches. Thy Speculations begin to fmell confoundedly of Woods and Meadows. If thou dost not come up quickly, we fhall conclude that thou art in Love with one of Sir ROGER's Dairy Maids. Service to Knight. Sir ANDREW is grown the Cock of the Club fince he left us, and if he does not return quickly will make every Mother's Son of us Common-wealth's Men. Dear SPEC,

с

Thine Eternally,

WILL. HONEYCOMB,

N° 132.

Wednesday, August 1.

Qui aut Tempus quid poftulet non videt, aut plura loquitur, aut fe oftentat, aut eorum quibufcum eft rationem non habeat, is impetus effe dicitur.

H

Tull.

AVING notified to my good Friend Sir ROGER that I fhould fet out for London the next Day, his Horfes were ready at the appointed Hour in the Evening; and, attended by one of his Grooms, I arrived at the County Town at Twilight, in order to be ready for the Stage-Coach the Day following. As foon as we arrived at the Inn, the Servant who waited upon me, enquired of the Chamberlain in my Hearing what Company he had for the Coach? The Fellow anfwered, Mrs. Betty Arable the great Fortune, and the Widow her Mother; a recruiting Officer (who took a Place because they were to go;) young Squire Quickfet her Coufin (that her Mother wifhed her to be married to;) Ephraim the Quaker, her Guardian; and a Gentleman that had ftudied himself dumb from Sir ROGER DE COVERLEY'S. I obferved by

what

what he faid of my felf, that according to his Office he dealt much in Intelligence; and doubted not but there was fome Foundation for his Reports of the reft of the Company, as well as for the whimfical Account he gave of me. The next Morning at Day-Break we were all called; and I, who know my own natural Shynefs, and endeavour to be as little liable to be difputed with as poffible, dreffed immediately, that I might make no one wait. The first Preparation for our Setting out, was, that the Captain's Half-Pike was placed near the Coachman, and a Drum behind the Coach. In the mean time the Drummer, the Captain's Equipage, was very loud, that none of the Captain's things fhould be placed fo as to be fpoiled; upon which his Cloak-bag was fixed in the Seat of the Coach: And the Captain himself, accor ding to a frequent, tho' invidious Behaviour of Military Men, ordered his Man to look fharp, that none but one of the Ladies fhould have the Place he had taken fronting to the Coach-box.

WE were in fome little time fixed in our Seats, and fat with that Diflike which People not too good-natured ufually conceive of each other at first Sight. The Coach jumbled us infenfibly into fome fort of Familiarity: and we had not moved above two Miles, when the Widow asked the Captain what Succefs he had in his Recruiting? The Officer, with a Frankness he believed very graceful, told her, That indeed he had but very ⚫ little Luck, and had suffered much by Desertion, there'fore fhould be glad to end his Warfare in the Service of her or her fair Daughter. In a Word, continued he, I am a Soldier, and to be plain is my Character: You fee me, Madam, young, found, and impudent; take me your felf, Widow, or give me to her, I will be wholly at your Difpofal. I am a Soldier of Fortune, ha!' This was followed by a vain Laugh of his own, and a deep Silence of all the rest of the Company. I had nothing left for it but to fall faft afleep, which I did with all Speed. Come, faid he, refolve upon it, we will make a Wedding at the next Town: We will wake this pleasant Companion who is fallen afleep, to be the Brideman, and (giving the Quaker a Clap on the Knee) he concluded, This fly Saint, who, I'l · warrant