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However I thought it a proper precaution to poft away a perfon privately to Mr. PRITCHARD's, that he might provide for us; and we proceeded after him. The town where Mr. PRITCHARD lives is a poor pitiful paultry place, tho' his house is in the prettiest part of it, and is a prince's palace to the reft. His parlour is of a lofty pitch, and full of pictures of the prime pencils; he hath a pompous portico, or pavillion prettily paved, leading to the parterre; from hence you have a prodigious prospect, particularly pointing towards Percilly hill, where he propagates a parcel of Portuguese and Polish poultry, The name of his houfe is Prawfenden, which puzzled me most plaguely to pronounce properly. He received us very politely, and presented us with a plentiful dinner. At the upper end of the table was a pike, with fry'd perch and plaise; at the lower end pickled pork, pease and parsnips; in the middle a pigeon pye, with puff paste; on the one fide a potatoe pudding; and on the other fide pig's pettytoes. The second courfe was a difh of pheafants, with poults and plovers, and a plate of preserved pine and pippins; another with pickled podd pepper; another with prawns; another with pargamon for a provocative; with a pyramid of pears, peaches, plumbs, pippins, philbeards, and pistachios. After dinner there was a profufion of port and punch, which proved too powerful for poor Mr. Peter the parfon of the parifh; for it pleafed his palate, and he poured it down by pints, which made him prate in a pedantick pragmatical manner. This displeased Mr. PRICE the parliament man, a profound politician; but he perfifted and made a prolix preamble, which proved his principles prejudiced and partial against the present people in power, Mr. PRICE, who is a potent party-man, call'd him a popish parson, and said, he pray'd privately in his heart for the pretender; and that he was a prefumptuous priest for preaching such stuff publickly. The parfon puft his pipe paffively for fome time, because Mr. PRICE was his patron; but at length lofing all patience, he pluckt off Mr. PRICE's perriwig and was preparing to push

it with the point of the poker into the fire; upon which Mr. PRICE, perceiving a pewter pifs-pot in the paffage, presented the parfon with the contents in his phizz, and gave him a pat on the pate, the percuffion of which prostrated him plump on the pavement, and raised a protuberance on his pericranium. This put a period to our proceedings, and patch'd up a peace; for the parfon was in a piteous plight, and had prudence enough to be prevail'd upon to cry peccavi, with a parce precor, and in a plantive posture to petition for pardon. Mr. PRICE, who was proud of his performance, pull'd him out of the puddle, and protefted, he was forry for what had pass'd in his paffion, which was partly owing to the provocation given him from fome of his prepofterous propofitions, which he pray'd him never to presume to advance again in his presence. Mr. Pugh, who practices phyfick, prescrib'd phlebotomy and a poultice to the parson, but he prefer'd wetted brown paper to any plaister, and then placed himself in a proper position, that the power of the fire might penetrate his posteriors, and dry his purple plush breeches. This pother was fucceeded by politicks, as Mr. P-LTN-Y, the patriot's patent for the peerage, the king's of Poland, Pruffia, Prague, and the Palatine, Pandours, and Partizans, Portsmouth parades, and the presumption of the privateers, who pick up prizes almoft in our very ports; and places and penfions, pains and penalties. Next came on plays and poetry, the picture of Mr. P-PE perch'd on a proftitute, and the price of the pit, pantomimes, prudes, and the pox, and the primate of Ireland, and printers, and preferments, pickpockets and pointers; and the pranks of that prig the poet-laureat's progeny, tho' his papa is the perfect pattern of paternal piety. To be brief, I prophecy you think I am prolix. We parted at laft, but had great difficulty in procuring a passage from Mr. PRITCHARD, for he had placed a padlock on the stable door on purpose to prevent us, and pretended his fervant was gone out with the Key; but finding us peremptory, the key was produced, and we permitted to go. We prick'd our

palfries

palfries a good pace, altho' it, was as dark as pitch, which put me in pain, because I was purblind, leaft we should ride plum against the pofts, which are prefix'd to keep horfe passengers from going the path that is pitch'd with pebbles.

Mr. PRICE, who was our pilot, had a very providential escape, for his pad fell a prancing, and would not país one step farther; which provoked him much, for he picques himself on his horfemanship. I propos'd to him to difmount, which he did, and peeping and peering about, found he was on the point of a perpendicular precipice, from which he might probably have fallen, had not his horse plunged in that particular manner. This put us all into a palpitation, and we plodded on the reft of the progreffion, pian piano, as the Italians fay, or pazz a pazz, as the French phrase has it. I fhall poftpone feveral other particulars, till I have the pleasure of paffing a day with you at Putney, which shall be as foon as poffible.

To Mr. Peter Pettiward at Putney.

I am, Sir,

Your most humble fervant,

Penny poft paid.

PLITO CICER.

A Copy of an ANECDOTE written by Bishop ATTERBURY in a spare leaf before Sir NATH. BRETT's tranflation of Father PAUL'S History of the Council of TRENT.

In the poffeffion of Dr. RAWLINSON.

WHEN

HEN Dr. DUNCOMB was fick at Venice, Father FULGENTIO, with whom he was in the ftricteft intimacy, vifited him, and finding him under great uneasiness of mind as well as body, preffed him to difclofe the reafon of it, asking him, amongst other things, whether any nobleman

under

under his care had mifcarried, er his bills of return had failed him, offering him in this latter cafe, what credit he pleased at Venice: After many fuch questions and negative answers, Dr. DUNCOMB was at laft prevailed with to own his uneafiness and give this true account of it to the Father. He faid, he had often bug'd of God, that he might end his life where he might have opportunity of receiving the bleffed Sacrament according to the rites and ufages of the Church of England; that confidering he spent his life in travelling, chiefly through Popish countries, this was a happiness he could never reasonably promise himself, and that his prefent despair of it in the dangerous condition he was in, was the true occafion of that dejection, which Father FULGENTIO obferved in him. Upon this the Father bid him be of good cheer, told him he had an Italian tranflation of the English Liturgy, and would come the next day with one or two more of his convent and admifter it to him in both kinds, and exactly according to the English ufage. And what he promised he performed. The next day Dr. DUNCOMB received it from his hands, who outliving his distemper and returning into England told this ftory often to my Lord HATTON (Captain HATTON's father) about the years 1660, 61, 62. This I had from Captain HATTON's mouth in the year 1699.

Oct. 11, 1701.

FR. ATTERBURY.

In March 1708-9, I met Capt. HATTON again, and put him in mind of this story, which I defired him to repeat, and he did it without varying in any circumftance but one only, viz. that FULGENTIO did not actually adminifter the Sacrament to Dr. DUNCOME, the Doctor refufing to accept a kindness of that dangerous nature, which might involve FULGENTIO in trouble, unless he was in the utmost neceffity, but recovering from that time he made no ufe of FULGENTIO'S proffer. He added, that Father told Dr. DUNCOMB, that there were still in the convent seven or eight of Father PAUL'S difciples, who met fometimes privately to receive the Sacrament in both kinds.

A new SYSTEM of CASTLE-BUILDING.

CHAP.

I

In which the author shews his taste a-la-mode, and fays more of himself than of the subject.

N

Otwithstanding I have promised in my introduction to prefent my readers with a copy of my countenance at the close of this work, yet I can't help being better than my word, and giving a small sketch of myself in order to be beforehand with my friend HAYMAN, who perhaps will not make me altogether fo handfome as I fhall chufe. In the first place then, my ftature is fo very low, that it has excited the jealousy of a Dutchman lately come over for a fhow from Holland, and who, likë fome perfons I don't care to mention, expects to become a great man by no other merit than his diftinguifh'd littleness. My eyes, which are extremely small and hollow, may truly be ftyl'd of the amorous kind, for they are always looking at one another. In the rest of my person there is nothing very fingular, faving that when I take the air, having neither horfe nor vehicle, I am obliged to do it upon a pair of bandy legs. As for the description of my inward man, that is more the province of the hiftorian than the painter; fo fhall leave that to be collected from this work by pofterity; and pofterity generally fpeaks well of the dead, which is in a great measure owing to that goodness and generofity inherent in human nature, ever prompting us to bestow our favours on those objects that are the moft fenfible of them, and therefore the most affected by them. All these matters being premised, I will take leave of foreign affairs, and for form's fake speak a word or two to the fubject.

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It has been objected to my work,That it wants novelty,That it is a drug, -That it cannot poffibly be Numb. VII. I i attended

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