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bling coward;' but if this accusation be founded, his conduct was beyond a political humbug;— it was the act of a fiend.

Misfortunes seldom come alone, and this internal calamity was speedily followed by a new external one. One Stateholder, a farmer who owned an estate called Bighose, joined the confederacy against Freeland, so that Farmer Gildrig was nearly surrounded by foreign foes, whilst his own tenants were in a very tumultuous state. The Steward's abilities and exertions were by no means adequate to these emergencies, and the tenants, and most of the Lord's household, at length became so hostile to him, that he was obliged to give up his Stewardship, and was succeeded by one Cradleham. Quirke, who had always sided with the party in opposition to the Lord, again urged the depriving him of mince pies; but it he gan to be shrewdly expected, that he either had been, or wished to be, bought off, as, in the same breath, he proposed that the tenantry should discharge a new arrear of debt incurred by the Lord's household to a very considerable amount. -Bravo! This was saving pence with

one hand, and giving away pounds with the other! But

"Canst thou think

Timoleon would not shudder at corruption?" Yes, yes-he shuddered more at honest poverty. He had gained-he was likely to gain-nothing by mouthing for the public good: he thought it high time to begin to work for his own particular ends. Patriot sounds well on the ear; but still it is an empty sound. Place and Pension! Aye-The critical Dr. Samuel Johnson found both weight and measure in those sounds. They even made him perceive sense, where he saw only folly before:

"How low the slaves will stoop to gorge their lusts, When aptly baited: even the tongue of patriots, Those sons of clamour oft relax the nerve

Within the warmth of favour."

Quirke soon after became suddenly rich from being very poor; but ashamed of his apostacy, he lingered a little before he became the Stew-. ard's shadow.

Very soon afterwards, Bogland, another of the dependencies of the Manor, wished to take advantage of the distraction of the times, and

to follow the example of Thirteen Acres, by asserting their independence of the laws of the manor, and the Lord was obliged to give way. At length Cradleham died, and was succeeded by one Limeburne. Farmer Gildrig's affairs now began to assume rather a brighter prospect, as one of his chieftains, named Rodwell, gave a complete overthrow to one of Farmer Lewis's leaders. The lord of Graveairs, too, was very severely handled, and then the whole confederacy began to think of compromising matters. A peace ensued, by which Farmer Gildrig maintained his position against all his antagonists, except the tenants of Thirteen Acres, which he was obliged to allow independent of the manor.

Mr. Limeburne, however, soon found some thorns amidst his 'bed of roses,' and two rogues, who could never before agree in any one thing, except that each other deserved a halter, now agreed to join their strength to drive him off his Bench

"Like dogs that snarl about a bone,

And play together when they've done!" When the terms of the peace were discussed in

the Common Hall, Boreas and Brush persuaded a majority of the delegates, to find fault with them as being more disadvantageous, than Freeland had a right to expect. Limeburne, dis gusted at his insolence and ingratitude, retired from his Bench, on which one Carryland took his seat, and Boreas and Brush were made his principal clerks.

The tenants, at first, only laughed at this bare-faced and roguish coalition for power; but their mirth was soon changed into apprehen-sion, when the new household attempted to bring about a measure, which threatened to root up some of the standing privileges of the manor. The new household had even the address to deceive the Lord to sanction the measure of which he could not fathom the depth; but, when it was explained to him, he ordered the innovators to be turned off the Bench.

A youth of great promise, named BILLY VORTEX, was appointed to the stewardship; and Brush from that moment became his most inveterate opponent. For a while, Brush defeated all his measures, but the tenants, at length, declared their fullest approbation of the

Lord's choice. New brooms sweep clean;'True; but, they soon get like the old ones. Notwithstanding that Billy had declared, soon after taking possession of the Bench, that the tenantry should be no more called upon for arrears of the Lord's household; yet within a year he broke his promise:

"Art thou a statesman, and canst not be a hypocrite ? Impossible! Do not distrust thy virtue."

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