and Tranquillity in fome Breasts, yet Signs of Horror and Regret will fometimes break forth from them, whether they give Way to it or no. Can there be a more horrible Situation, than to labour under this civil Impediment, and to refle& that you are cut off from the Race of Mankind, as a Destroyer of your Neighbour's Property, and as it were buried quick from all Remembrance ! Dreadful Thought! which can be equalled by none but those of the remorfeless Creditor, who under the Sanction of Laws, too much abused, fhall daily, hourly, become the Tortures of fome unhappy honest Family, whofe Misfortunes only have rendered them insolvent: Yet fuch there are, who, in our Church Service every Day still repeat, Forgive us our Debts, as we forgive our Debtors. Blafphemous Impiety! execrable Murderers! wifely has the Legiflature, from Time to Time, relieved, at certain Periods, the fuffering guiltless Creature from thefe merciless Bonds!

In the Fleet, I found Perfons of all Ranks, all Profeffions, and almost all Religions, and there can be no Lofs of agreeable Companions for Men of every Taste. Some have taken Shelter here to fave the Fortunes for themselves or their Heirs, which ought to be given up to the ruined Creditors; numberlefs Families fuffering by fuch Villainies Others have been caught, and fixed here, after a Train of fuccefsful Rogueries, bringing in the Spoils of Hundreds; but the greatest Number are those unhappy Ones I hinted at before, whofe Cafe is greatly, fincerely to be pitied. The honeft Man here droops and pines, Despair and Death are feen in his Face, and he deplores his Misfortunes! The others lofe in a Round of Drinking, Riot, and Debauchery, all Senfe of Shame and all Compunction for their Crimes, and make their Prison a veritable Hell to those about them, more ferious, more composed.

Juf

Just Heaven! when will the blifsful Time arrive, that Man, thy Subftitute below, fhall cease to tear and rend his Fellow-creature! fhall ceafe to be defigning, cruel, bafe, and act in every Thing confiftent with his Nature and his Make! Lions, their Fellow-lions ne'er devour, and Tigers love their Kind! Each Savage, prouling thro' the howling Defart, with fiery Eyes and baneful Glare, in Search of needful Prey, ftill fpares his Likenefs, wars not on his Brother; but Man, ungrateful for the every Bleffing thou haft on him bestowed, with ruthlefs Ravages deforms his Soul, and triumphs in his Neighbour's Wretchednefs; nor feels the pitying Thought, nor fheds the melting Tear, for other's Woes!

When Dinner time arrived, Sir William accofted me upon the Bare, acquainting me, there was a very good Ordinary in the Cellar, at which himfelf, with fome other very fociable Gentlemen, ufually dined, and hoped, that I would let them have the Pleafure of my Company to Dinner. I, for my Part, had neither Thought of Eating or Drinking yet, and was taken up in many melancholy Reflections upon my forlorn Eftate, and the Unhappiness and the Succeffion of Misfortunes that feemed to attend me, at every Step in Life; but this Invitation awaked me from my Reverie, and made me perceive the Calls of Nature were strongly ftruggling within me, and I attended him to a Room in the Cellar, where our Meal was elegant and cheap, and the Company really deferved Encomium; fave that Wit had here unbounded Licence, and fhook off all the Restraints of Modefty and Decency. However, I was not difpofed to be very Cynical, and promised to dine there every Day, fo long as the fame good Company frequented it.

CHA P.

CHH P. XXXVIII. •

Gets another Apartment. -Meets Speculift.-Becomes extravagant. -Lofes Money at Fives. is quarrelled with at the Dragon-Club.Fights his Antagontft upon the Bare, and beats bim-Is in great Diftrefs.Makes away with bis Clothes by Degrees.

TEXT Morning, the Chamberlain, eager to

NEX

handle the Half-piece I had offered him, helped me to an airy and commodious Room fronting the Bare, where I gave a little Treat to Sir William, the Doctor, and two or three other Members of the Ordinary. I was going up to it in the Afternoon, when I met, at the End of the Gallery, Speculift, full-butt, who made a Stand, and burst out into an immoderate Fit of Laughter, crying out Mr. Thomp/on, whoever thought of feeing you at College! Come, my Friend, let us facrifice all our old Animofities, and, fince Fortune has put us into the fame Situation, let's live as fociable as we can, and endeavour to do one another all the little Services that are requifite in this Place. I was not Proof against the good Humour with which he uttered this, and gave him my Hand; for I thought it in vain to ftand out, as every Minute would fling us in one another's Way, and I was ever an Enemy to an implacable Temper; tho' I filently refolved in myself to keep as great a Distance as I well could, and to converfe with him in the most cautious Manner. So I went with him to his Room, which was on the fame Floor, after he had visited mine, which I found to be one of the best in the House, and fuperbly furnished. Here I drank a Dram with him,

and

and parted. I foon found I had got into a Set of Company that made it impoffible for me to live frugally, and, tho' our Eating daily was fo reafonable, yet the Want of fomething else to employ Time, and the vivacious Mirth of the Table, generally kept us over the Bottle or Bowl till pretty late, and I foon got an Habit of going to the Clubs that were held almost in every Part of the Prison, where I feldom came off for less than Half a Crown at a Sitting, and fometimes not for double the Money. I engaged alfo at Fives, very frequently, which fleeced me of a good deal of Money, having generally my Mafters in the Game to deal with; fo that my fmall Stock in less than fix Weeks Time was pretty much exhausted, and I began to fear it would not laft me fo long as was needful; which gave me the bitterest Pangs, as I faw daily Inftances of the exceffive Milery of Poverty in this Prison, where Money, and Money only, engages Respect, and the Services and Civilities of your Fellow-prifoners. I admitted of no Vifits, but Brifk's, who I made promise not to let his Mafter know where I was till he came to Town; and as to my Father and Mr. Diaper, I wrote to them as ufual, fo that they had no Sufpicion of what had happened. I was here in a conftant Round of Company and Diverfions, of one Sort or another, which I eagerly purfued, fearing the Return of my Griefs and melancholy Defpondency, if I indulged in the least my Reflections on my dearest Louifa, who ftill was uppermoft, when I did not use Art to ftifle my Remembrance of her. Things were in this Situation, when one Evening, at the Dragonclub in the Cellar, I had a Difpute with Captain Bully, late an Officer in a marching Reigment, who attacked me very uncivilly, for having faid, that Swearing in common Conversation was a very ungentle

The Captain was

ungentleman-like Behaviour. a Brute and a Blockhead; but had reigned Conqueror in all the Athletic Trials of Skill he had been engaged in, fo that he was the Terror, and, at the fame Time, the May-game of all his Fellow-prifoners. Damn you, Sir, fays he, who made you a Reformer here? I will fwear, Sir, and I am a Gentleman, that my Commiffion will declare. Captain, I replied, I meant nothing perfonal, but ftill I must infift on what I faid before, and am forry to fee there is any body fo ftupid as to contradict me. Stupid! G-d d--n me, what do you mean by that? No more ftupid, than yourfelf; I believe I have had as good Education too, and will read Greek with you, or any Thing else, for what you dare; at this the whole Company fell into a Laugh, which encouraged me to lay him a Wager that he could not read English. A Book was brought, and he attempted to read, but the Wager was given against him; and, upon my faying fomewhat further, he took up a Glafs, and flung it full at me, which, by ducking my Head, avoided, and challenged me out upon the Bare. I had no Mind for this porterly Exercife, but, as amongst School-boys, fo here I was fenfible a Man would be piffed upon by every one that refused fuch a Challenge; fo, being heartened by all prefent, I ftripped, and went to the Field of Action, where my Antagonist was gone before me. Speculift, upon this Occafion, behaved exceeding well, and infifted upon being my Second. A Ring was formed, and now, being stripped in Buff, we stood for fome Time lowering Defiance at each other, like two furious Bulls contending for the Mastership of the Pasture. At length we advance with more than mortal Fury, and the refounding Blows thunder upon our Breafts with repeated Force. My Antagonist I foon

found