I will tear thy soul from thy body.' At which words he laid violent hands on the collar of poor Partridge, and shook him more heartily than an ague fit, or his own fears had ever done before.

Partridge fell trembling on his knees, and begged for mercy, vowing he had meant no harm; when Jones, after staring wildly on him for a moment, quitted his hold, and discharged a rage on himself, that, had it fallen on the other, would certainly have put an end to his being, which indeed the very apprehension of it had almost effected.

- We would bestow some pains here in minutely describing all the mad pranks which Jones played on this occasion, could we be well assured that the reader would take the same pains in perusing them; but as we are apprehensive that, after all the labour which we should employ in painting this scene, the said reader would be very apt to skip it entirely over, we have saved ourselves that trouble. To say the truth, we have, from this reason alone, often done great violence to the luxuriance of our genius, and have left many excellent descriptions out of our work, which would otherwise have been in it. And this suspicion, to be honest, arises, as is generally the case, from our own wicked heart; for we have, ourselves, been very often most horridly given to jumping, as we have run through the pages of voluminous historians.

Suffice it then simply to say, that Jones, after having played the part of a madman for many minutes, came, by degrees, to himself; which no sooner hap pened, than, turning to Partridge, he very earnestly begged his pardon for the attack he had made on him in the violence of his passion; but concluded, by desiring him never to mention his return again; for he was resolved never to see that country any

more.

Partridge easily forgave, and faithfully promised to obey the injunction now laid upon him. And then Jones very briskly cried out; Since it is ab

solutely impossible for me to pursue any farther the steps of my angel, I will pursue those of glory. Come on, my brave lad, now for the army:It is a glorious cause, and I would willingly sacrifice my life in it, even though it was worth my preserving.' And so saying, he immediately struck into the dif ferent road from that which the 'squire had taken, and, by mere chance, pursued the very same through which Sophia had before passed.

Our travellers now marched a full mile, without speaking a syllable to each other, though Jones, indeed, muttered many things to himself. As to Partridge, he was profoundly silent; for he was not, perhaps, perfectly recovered from his former fright; besides, he had apprehensions of provoking his friend to a second fit of wrath, especially as he now began to entertain a conceit, which may not, perhaps, create any great wonder in the reader. In short, he began now to suspect that Jones was absolutely out of his senses.

At length Jones, being weary of soliloquy, addressed himself to his companion, and blamed him for his taciturnity; for which the poor man very honestly accounted, from his fear of giving offence. And now this fear being pretty well removed, by the most absolute promises of indemnity, Partridge again took the bridle from his tongue; which, per. haps, rejoiced no less at regaining its liberty, than a young colt, when the bridle is slipt from his neck, and he is turned loose into the pastures.

As Partridge was inhibited from that topic which would have first suggested itself, he fell upon that. which was next uppermost in his mind, namely, the Man of the Hill. ، Certainly, sir, says he, that could never be a man, who dresses himself and lives after such a strange manner, and so unlike other folks. Besides, his diet, as the old woman told me, is chiefly upon herbs, which is a fitter food for a horse than a Christian; nay, landlord at Upton says, that the neighbours thereabouts have very

fearful notions about him. It runs strangely in my head, that it must have been some spirit, wiro, perhaps, might be sent to forewarn us: and who knows, but all that matter which he told us, of his going to fight, and of his being taken prisoner, and of the great danger he was in of being hanged, might be intended as a warning to us, considering what we were going about: besides, I dreamt of nothing all last night, but of fighting; and methought the blood ran out of my nose, as the liquor out of a tap. Indeed, sir, infandum, regina, jubes reno vare dolorem.'

Thy story, Partridge,' answered Jones, 'is almost as ill applied as thy Latin. Nothing can be more likely to happen than death, to men who go into battle. Perhaps we shall both fall in it,and what then? What then!' replied Partridge; why then there is an end of us, is there not? When I am gone, all is over with me. What matters the cause to me, or who gets the victory, if I am killed? I shall never enjoy any advantage from it. What are all the ringing of bells and bonfires, to one that is six feet under ground? There will be an end of poor Partridge. Aud an end of poor Partridge,' eries Jones, there must be, one time or other. If you love Latin, I will repeat you some fine lines out of Horace, which would inspire courage in a coward:

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.
Mors et fugacem persequitur virum
Nec parcit imbellis juventæ
Poplitibus, timidoque tergo.

"I wish you would construe them,' cries Partridge; for Horace is a hard author, and I cannot understand as you repeat them.'

I will repeat you a bad imitation, or rather paraphrase of my own,' said Jones; for I am but an indifferent poet:

Who would not die in his dear country's cause?
Since, if base fear his dastard step withdraws,
From death he cannot fly-One common grave
Receives, at last, the coward and the brave.'

"That's very certain,' cries Partridge. 'Ay sure, Mors omnibus communis: but there is a great difference between dying in one's bed a great many years hence, like a good Christian, with all our friends crying about us, and being shot to-day or to-morrow, like a mad dog; or, perhaps, hacked in twenty pieces with a sword, and that too before we have repented of all our sins. O Lord, have mercy upon us! to be sure, the soldiers are a wicked kind of people. I never loved to have any thing to do with them. I could hardly bring myself ever to look upon them as Christians. There is nothing but cursing and swearing among them. I wish your honour would repent: I heartily wish you would repent, before it is too late; and not think of going among them.Evil communication corrupts good manners. That is my principal reason. For as for that matter, I am no more afraid than another man, not I; as to matter of that. I know all human flesh must die; but yet a man may live many years for all that. Why, I am a middle-aged man now, and yet I may live a great number of years. I have read of several who have lived to be above a hundred, and some a great deal above a hundred. Not that I hope, I mean that I promise myself, to live to any such age as that, neither. But if it be only to eighty or ninety, Heaven be praised, that is a great ways off yet; and I am not afraid of dying then, no more than another man: but, surely, to tempt death before a man's time is come, seems to me downright wickedness and presumption. Besides, if it was to do any good indeed; but let the cause be what it will, what mighty matter of good can two people do? And, for my part, I under

stand nothing of it. I never fired off a gun above ten times in my life; and then it was not charged with bullets. And for the sword, I never learned to fence, and know nothing of the matter. And then there are those cannons, which certainly it must be thought the highest presumption to go in the way of; and nobody but a madman--I ask pardon; upon my soul, I meant no harm; I beg I may not throw your honour into another passion.'

Be under no apprehensions, Partridge,' cries Jones; I am now so well convinced of thy cowardice, that thou couldst not provoke me on any account. Your honour,' answered he, may call me coward, or any thing else you please. If loving to sleep in a whole skin makes a man a coward, non immunes ab illis malis sumus. I never read in my grammar, that a man can't be a good man without fighting. Vir bonus est quist Qui consulta patrum, qui leges juraque servat. Not a word of fighting; and I am sure the Scripture is so much against it, that a man shall never persuade me he is a good Christian, while he sheds Christian blood.'

CHAP. IV.

JUST as Partridge had uttered that good and

pious doctrine, with which the last chapter concluded, they arrived at another cross-way, when a lame fellow in rags asked them for alms; upon which Partridge gave him a severe rebuke, saying, • Every parish ought to keep their own poor.' Jones then fell a laughing, and asked Partridge, if he was not ashamed, with so much charity in his mouth, to have no charity in his heart. Your religion,' says he, serves you only for an excuse for your faults, but is no incentive to your virtue.