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This affair perplexed me prodigiously; and the more so, as Tom was at that time on the point of marrying a young lady of great fortune. It happened however, that a journeyman in the fame houfe with me had just received a legacy. To him I apply'd for the money, who was fo generous as to advance it on our joint bond, and discharged the action. Tom after this thought proper to go to France, only for a trip, as he call'd it, where he made another feau peau, and was obliged to apply to my father, who made a mortgage to fupport his extravagance, and then alter'd his will, and to maintain the dignity of the family, as he term'd it, deducted feven thousand pounds, the fum my brother had fquander'd, out of the legacy he had bequeath'd me, and foon after died, leaving me, who had never done any thing to difoblige him, only 300l. and my brother Tom a good four thoufand pounds a year. Strange inequality! Soon after my brother had taken possession of the estate, application was made to him for the discharge of the five hundred pound bond, which he abfolutely refufed to pay, tho' without giving any reason for it. My friend, who at that time really wanted the money, applied to me; and what could I do, knowing his neceffity, but difcharge a just and honourable debt; a fum lent to serve my own brother, at my own request; and for which I had joined in the fecurity? In fine, I paid the money, and advis'd my brother of it; but receiving no anfwer to fevera! letters which I wrote exprefsly on that fubject, I at laft went to him about it myself, but not without previously advifing him of my intended vifit and my business. Juft at the entrance of the door I was met by his valet, who inform'd me that it was his mafter's defire I fhould walk into the fervants-hall till he had leifure to fpeak to me, for at that time he was bufy with his dancing-mafter. This indig nity I put up with, and feated myfelf by the fire, where I was complimented with the whispers, fneers, and impertipences of the fervants, each of whom thought his fituation

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better than mine. The cook however, who did not know me, and who appeared to have more good fenfe than the rest and more humanity than his master, made up to me with a plate of victuals in his hand, Come, honeft man, fays he, eat a bit. I'm fure you must be hungry after your ride, and I think one may as well give a bit of offal victuals to a poor tradesman, as to gormandize fo many dogs as my mafter keeps, tho' he thinks nothing too good for them, and every thing too good for his fellow-creatures, But here he comes: 'tis as much as my place is worth, should be fee me give you this meat; therefore, pray honest friend, put it into your pocket, do, or under your great coat till he is gone by. At this instant seeing him go by the door, I made after him in order to get my business settled, when that moment up came Sir William who prevented me; and my brother, obferving me at a distance, and fearing I might come fo near as to discover myself and difgrace his fine clothes, calls out, Hark ye friend, step into the room there, and fray till I have time to speak to you, d'ye hear. I was willing to fee how far the man's pride and illnature would carry him, and therefore stept back to my former station. Here I fat till he had din'd, and the victuals came down to the fervants, when one of 'em ftepping up to me said, Sir, my mafter would have you fit down and eat a bit with us, and by that time you've din'd, he fays, he'll send you a line. Thank ye, friend, faid I; as I think you have abundantly more manners than your mafter, it would be more agreeable to me to dine with you than him, provided I wanted a dinner; but at this time I have half a crown in my pocket, and therefore have no occafion to be troublesome to him. The moment I had done fpeaking, my brother's brother's valet entered with a letter, of which the following is a faithful copy, and was tranfcrib'd and witnefs'd by my foreman Richard Trufly, and therefore you need not be afraid to publish it,

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SIR,

"It neither fuits my convenience or inclination to pay: you the 500 1. I am now about to offer myself a candi- ' "date for the county, and probably shall have occafion for "all the ready money I have; but this is not the only rea"fon; and that you may not expect the money and be dif"appointed, as you have hitherto been, I must inform

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you, that as I was under age at the time of signing the "bond, fo I am not obliged, by the law, to pay it; and am "therefore determined not to pay a farthing on that acThis you might have pleaded in discharge of the "bond yourself, if you had not been a fool; for you was a "minor as well as me. I have but one word more to add, " and that is, while you ferve me with goods cheap, and behave as other tradefmen do, you may expect to share

my

cuftom in common with Mr. ****, whom I fhall "think it my intereft to deal with, as his bills may be a "check upon yours; for I'll have no extraordinary charges "made on account of the 500l. I affure you. Yours,

THOMAS

This was a cut indeed!- -This! and from my own brother, almoft depriv'd me of my reafon !I was all amazement !infenfible as a stone !-Grief and furprize had lock'd up every faculty of my foul !At laft, fome friendly tears reliev'd me, and gave birth to fome reflections which I may by and by fend you.In the mean time, if you can tell me how to reclaim my loft brother, you'll infinite oblige,

Your friend and fervant,

W. B.

WE pity this poor gentleman most heartily, and wifh we could put him in a way to reform his brother. But perhaps he was never good, and we know how difficult it is to

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thake a peach from a pear-tree. We can't help obferving however, that he has now a favourable opportunity of getting his money, if he'll but make a bold push for it before the clection; for every candidate at this time muft wear the face of honesty.

HUMAN LIFE Compared to the MASQUERADE.

OETS and philofophers, both ancient and modern, have compared this world to the theatre, and confidered human life as the grand drama thereof. As this is a fubject that has employ'd the wit and genius of the greatest men of all ages, juft and noble reflections have been the result of this comparison; from whence have been deduced very excellent and useful morals. But as mankind in general feem to act the impoftor, I think we may with equal propriety compare human life to our modern masquerade. If we look abroad in the world, and take a close survey of the human fpecies, confider the different ends they have in view, and the means by which they purfue them, we shall find that the greatest part of their actions tend to fallacy and disguise: which is the very part of an actor at our masquerade affemblies; where a town-mifs fhall pafs for a lady of quality, and a peer for a footman; the obfequious courtier for an honeft ruftick, and the loofe debauchee for an auftere priest. I have but a narrow infight into human nature: that is a boundless field to expatiate in, and tho' a man may make fome confiderable progress in it, yet he can never hope to arrive at his journey's end: but as far as my observations extend, I hardly ever yet met with a perfon, but what might in fome respect or other be fairly ranked under this denomination.

The good man often conceals his virtue, the wicked man his vice. The ill-natured and morofe feigns a countenance full of pleasantry and good-nature; the impudent and profane an air of bashfulness and morality. The hypocrite puts on a religious face, and the villain a fhew of honefty. Thẹ

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fpendthrift affects frugality, the intemperate fobriety. The rich man conceals his wealth, and the indigent appears for a man of fortune. The learned man ftudioufly keeps his knowledge in fecret, and the ignorant oftentatiously boasts of his learning.

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The fame obfervations hold good in every scene of life. If would view aright the ecclefiaftick or the courtier, the phyfician or the lawyer, from the first minifter of state even to him that poffeffes the loweft ftation in the fcale of human profeffions, you must first take off the masque with which he deceives the gazing, but giddy and unthinking multitude,

Detrahere & pellem, nitidus quâ quifque per ora
Cederet

HOR.

But I fhall dare to advance a step further, and to affert, that ALL NATURE wears a mafque: and to unmafque her, bic labor, hoc opus eft. This is the important business of all mankind; and a task it is, difficult to be performed. This it was that employed a Pythagoras and an Ariftotle, a Newton and a Locke. Noble advances, indeed, have these exalted geniuses made towards the compleating this arduous task but perhaps it fhall never be fully accomplished, till time fhall be no more. This lets us fee the reafon, why the vulgar have fuch different notions and conceptions of things, than what they have, who have improved their minds by study and enquiry; who have cmployed their time and pains in drawing this deceitful vizard from off the face of nature. Talk but with a man of this fort concerning fome of our modern improvements in natural philofophy, and you will foon be convinced, that no part of nature ever appeared to him without her mafque. Difcourfe with him of the distance and magnitude of the fun, moon and ftars; of the earth and its appendages; of its fize, figure and motion; of the air, winds and water; and you will immediately perceive

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