to their congregation, no doubt accuse themselves, and tell him all their faults; for which he reprimands them most severely.

The thoughts of being introduced into a company of philosophers and learned men (for such 1 conceived them) gave me no small pleasure; I expected our entertainment would resemble those sentimental banquets so finely described by Xenophon and Plato; Iwas hoping some Socrates would be brought in from the door, in order to harangue upon divine love, but as for eating and drinking I had prepared myself to be disappointed in that particular. I was apprized that fasting and temperance were tenets strongly recommended to the professors of Christianity; and I had seen the frugality and mortification of the priests of the East: so that I expected an entertainmeet where we should have much reasoning, and little meat.

Upon being introduced, I confess I found no great signs of mortification in the faces or persons of the company. However, I imputed their florid looks to temperance, and their corpulency to a sedentary way of living. I saw several preparations indeed for dinner, but none for philosophy. The company seemed to gaze upon the table with silent expectation; but this I easily excused. Men of wisdom, thought I, are ever slow of speech; they deliver nothing unadvisedly. Silence, says Confucius, is a friend that will never betray. They are now probably inventing maxims or hard sayings for their mutual instruction, when some one shall think proper to begin.

My curiosity was now wrought up to the highest pitch; I impatiently looked round to see if any were going to interrupt the mighty pause; when at last one of the company declared, that there was a sow in his neighbourhood that farrowed fifteen pigs at a litter.

litter. This I thought a very preposterous beginning: but just as another was going to second the remark, dinner was served, which interrupted the conversation for that time.

The appearance of dinner, which consisted of a variety of dishes, seemed to diffuse new chearfulness upon every face; so that I now expected the philosophical conversation to begin, as they improved in good humour. The principal priest however, opened his mouth with only observing, that the venison had not been kept enough, though he had given strict orders for having it killed ten days before. I fear, continued he, it will be found to want the true heathy flavour; you will find nothing of the original wildness in it. A priest, who sat next him, having smelt it and wiped his nose: "Ah,'

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my good lord," cries he, "you are too modest, "it is perfectly fine; every body knows that nobody understands keeping venison with your lordship." Ay, and partridges too," interrupted another; "I never find them right any where else." His lordship was going to reply, when a third took off the attention of the company, by recommending the pig as inimitable. "I fancy, my lord," continues he," it has been smothered in its own blood." "If it has been smothered in its bood," cried a facetious member, helping himself, "we'll now smo"ther it in egg-sauce." This poignant piece of hu mour produced a long loud laugh, which the facetious brother observing, and now that he was in luck, willing to second his blow, assured the company he would tell them a good story about that: "As good a story," cries he, bursting into a violent fit of laughter himself, " as ever you heard in ❝ your lives. There was a farmer of my parish who "used to sup upon wild ducks and flummery; so "this farmer"-Doctor Marrowfat, cries his lord

1

But in eating, after Nature is once satisfied, ditional morsel brings stupidity and distemn it, and as one of their own poets ex

Il,

soul subsides, and wickedly inclines

seem but mortal, e'en in sound divines. me suppose, after such a meal as this I have scribing, while all the company are sitting argic silence round the table, grunting under of soup, pig, pork, and bacon; let me sup. say, some hungry beggar with looks of eeping through one of the windows, and dressing the assembly: Prithee, pluck those s from your chins; after Nature is satisfied all su eat extraordinary is my property, and I it as mine. It was given you in order to rene, and not to oppress yourselves. How can comfort or instruct others who can scarcely feel own existence, except from the unsavoury returns ill-digested meal. But though neither you nor ushions you sit upon will hear me, yet the world rds the excesses of its teachers with a prying eye, notes their conduct with double severity. I know ther answer any one of the company could make ach an expostulation but this: Friend, you talk our losing a character, and being disliked by the orld; well, and supposing all this to be true, vhat then! who cares for the world? We'll reach for the world, and the world shall pay is for preaching, whether we like each other or not."

LETTER