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ning and the protection of friends to her designs; and then, according to his own sense of virtue and vice, apply the epithets of excellent or vile.

"For he never travelled on a Sunday without such a rea"son as he might be able to produce at the day of judg"ment." For though the SHEPHERD OF SALISBURY "PLAIN' was so low in the world, this gentleman was not "above entering very closely into his character, of which "he thought he should be able to form a better judgment, "by seeing whether his practice at home kept pace with his "professions abroad: for it is not so much by observing "how people talk, as how they live, that we ought to judge "of their character." P. 33, 34, vol. 5.

There are frailties and peccadillos, alas in all human characters; but the heart that is capable of devising a plot, and attempting to reduce to infamy and want the Curate of Blagdon, a gentleman of refined feelings and attic ideas, as the writer believes, and of strict and scrupulous integrity, whose soul would shudder at the thought of doing so base an act to any other person, united to an amiable partner by mutual affection and esteem; that heart, I say, has more of the flagitious. female depicted in tragedy, than the amiable one on which H. More has surreptitiously seized and appropriated to herself. In short, she is a bookmaker, and a methodistical preacher: preachers do not always practise, and authors, whose business it is only to write, think not themselves bound to act the character of their heroes.

"But the great gift, the mighty bribe,
"Which satan pours amid the tribe,
"Which millions seize with eager haste,
" And all desire at least to taste,

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"Is-plodding reader! What d'ye think?
"Alas! 'tis money-money-chink!

In allegories, Mrs. More is by no means happy. The object is, however, apparently good, and criticism therefore loseth her sting. It is her conduct, her "secret malicious deeds," I would most severely censure; but these will all be reviewed at the GRAND ASSIZES, and "private malice," as well as private stealing, and "secret vanity of "mind," shall be punished by the Supreme Judge, at whose tribunal no culprit shall be favoured.

In this volume are some other stories and poor allegories, of little value. In the Two SHOEMAKERS, the pious one is made to prosper in his worldly affairs, as she makes all the converted uniformly to get forwards, proving godliness, at least in this world, to be great gain; and the other, who was wicked, dies as he lived, unhappy.

The good shoemaker, James Stock, is, on a certain occasion, taught to say, "I must not pre"tend to call myself a christian, if I do not requite " evil with good." Amiable H. More! so! the Curate of Blagdon admitted you to have a footing in his parish, and in obedience to this rule, you endeavoured he should foot it out of the parish, and you and your disciple take "his office!" Ergo, you are a non-descript christian! This is being Yorkshire indeed!

A long dialogue is carried on between the shoemaker Stock, and his man Will, in which Will, though not learned, displays his morality and christian belief; yet Stock tells him (vol. 5,

p. 194, 195) it is not enough, it is not being a christian, something is declared to be wanting; they reason long in a circle, to prove christianity is something not described; it is not morality, nor virtue, nor doing good, and the dialogue ends, Will being still in the dark, as to what "vital, "genuine christianity" is.

Songs, thought harmless, are here forbidden.

66

Bring the flask, the music bring,

"Joy shall quickly find us,

“Drink and dance, and laugh and sing,

"And cast dull care behind us.'

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are "sensual and devilish," and inconsistent with the austerity of her system. I really think this song may be very innocently sung, much more so, than even mentioning "the famous ode of Horace." But Mrs. H. More is much more extensively read in obscenity than I am, for I never heard nor read the song she here mentions, as "Which is the "best day to drink-Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday?"

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“Drink and drive care away,
"Drink and be merry;

"You will ne'er go the sooner

"To the stygian ferry."

And-" A plague on those musty old lubbers, "Who teach us to fast and to think."

I have heard once or twice; but as my religion is "love," and "charity," so I like best a "love

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song;" and Lady Mac Sarcasm tells me, she is not so fond of the " song of songs," as she hears Mrs. More is! Now, my lady says, Hannah is too

particular! She thinks her strange & non-descript; not that she understands or knows any thing about the "ode of Horace," but she likes a psalm tune at church, an Irish jig, a country dance, or a reel at home, and believes it all affectation in her. Last night we sung and played in the evening; called in the servants to prayers twenty minutes before supper, after which the carpet was removed, when a gentleman playing on his cremona some favourite reels, my girls (they are bonny lasses) danced like fairies! We all agreed (for Mrs. Hannah has lately, and not to her credit, been in every body's mouth) that our mirth was innocent, and protested we should scorn to be guilty of "secret ac"cusations" against any honest man, which we neither durst nor could substantiate.

Mr. Stock, the shoemaker, asks Will-" Will, "what would you think of any one who should "sit down and write a book or a song to abuse "the clergy?" I ask Mrs. H. More, what would she think of a man and woman, who should put their wicked heads together, to rob a parson of his good name and property, with a view to send him a begging?

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TOM WHITE THE POSTBOY's history, comes next. Tom was originally good, then wicked, and became good again. This is, in her usual manner, pious and good." It was written in the time of the late dearth, one of the causes of which was the wrath of God for our wickedness, in being so much addicted to wars. The white loaf, rice milk, rice pudding, are particularly no

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ticed, to display the author's skill in cooking; but she betrays a total ignorance of that art, whatever she may be in that of "secret accusa"tions" and calumny. In confirmation of this remark, see her receipt, p. 275, vol. 5, to" dine "well eight men, for seven-pence." Take half a pound of rice, two ounces of sugar, and boil in two quarts of skim milk! This would not be too much for one man. This is what her love of war

and non-descriptism would reduce the labouring people to!

"Up to her godly garret after seven,

"There starve and pray, for that's the way to heaven."

We are now arrived at the famous HESTER WILMOT, being the 2d part of the SUNDAY SCHOOL. John Wilmot, a cottager, was a goodnatured, ignorant, illiterate man, without any fixed principles, whose home was often uncomfortable by the noisy scolding temper of his wife Rebecca, an industrious, but over neat person. Hester was fourteen years old before she knew a letter; but being coaxed by little bribes to the Sunday school, just established, she soon learned to read the scriptures, and became a pious, religious girl. Having no comfort at home, poor Hester sought it at church, at school, and in her bible, and "God "revealed himself to her," as a God of infinite goodness, power, justice, and holiness. The promise of "renouncing the Devil and all his works, "the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and "all the sinful lusts of the flesh," distressed her, till she met with these words in her bible, "My

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