felf-love, regulated by prudence, and reftrained by principle, produced peaceable fubjects and good citizens; while in Fantom a boundless selfishness and inordinate vanity converted a discontented trader into a turbulent politician.

There was, however, one member of the Cat and Bagpipes whofe fociety he could not refolve to give up, though they feldom agreed, as indeed no two men in the fame class and habits of life could lefs resemble each other. Mr. Trueman was an honeft, plain, fimple-hearted tradesman of the good old cut, who feared God and followed his bufinefs; he went to church twice on Sundays, and minded his shop all the week, spent frugally, gave liberally, and faved moderately. He loft, however, fome ground in Mr. Fantom's efteem, because he paid his taxes without difputing, and read his Bible without doubting.

Mr. Fantom now began to be tired of every thing in trade except the profits of it; for the more the word benevolence

was

was in his mouth, the more did selfishness gain dominion in his heart. He, however, refolved to retire for a while into the country, and devote his time to his new plans, schemes, theories, and projects for the public good. A life of talking, and reading, and writing, and difputing, and teaching, and profelyting now ftruck him as the only life; fo he foon fet out for the country with his family; for unhappily Mr. Fantom had been the husband of a very worthy woman many years before the new philofophy had discovered that marriage was a fhameful infringement on human liberty, and an abridgment of the rights of man. To this family was now added his new footman, William Wilson, whom he had taken with a good character out of a fober family. Mr. Fantom was no fooner fettled than he wrote to invite Mr. Trueman to come and pay him a visit, for he would have burst if he could not have got fome one to whom he might difplay his new knowledge; he knew that if

on

on the one hand Trueman was no fcholar, yet on the other he was no fool; and though he defpifed his prejudices, yet he thought he might be made a good decoy duck; for if he could once bring Trueman over, the whole club at the Cat and Bagpipes might be brought to follow his example; and thus he might fee himself at the head of a fociety of his own profelytes; the fupreme object of a philofopher's ambition. Trueman came accordingly. He foon found that however he might be fhocked at the impious doctrines his friend maintained, yet that an important leffon might be learned even from the worst enemies of truth; namely, an ever wakeful attention to their grand object. If they fet out with talking of trade or politics, of private news or public affairs, still Mr. Fantom was ever on the watch to hitch in his darling doctrines; whatever he began with, he was fure to end with a pert squib at the Bible, a vapid jeft on the clergy, the miseries of fuperftition, and the bleff

ings of philofophy.

"Oh!" faid True

man to himself, "when fhall I fee "Chriftians half fo much in earneft?

"Why is it that almost all zeal is on the wrong fide?"

"Well, Mr. Fantom," faid Trueman one day at breakfast, "I am afraid you "are leading but an idle fort of life here."

"Idle, fir!” faid Fantom; "I now first "begin to live to fome purpose; I have "indeed loft too much time, and wasted 66 my talents on a little retail trade, in "which one is of no note; one can't 66 diftinguish one's felf."-" So much the "better," faid Trueman; "I had rather "not distinguish myself, unless it was by

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leading a better life than my neighbours. "There is nothing I fhould dread more "than being talked about. I dare fay "now heaven is in a good measure filled "with people whofe names were never "heard out of their own street and village. "So I beg leave not to diftinguish myself." "Yes, but one may, if it is only by

"figning one's name to an effay or para"graph in a newspaper," faid Fantom. "Heaven keep John Trueman's name out "of a newspaper," interrupted he in a fright; "for if it be there, it must either "be found in the Old Bailey or the Bankrupt Lift, unless indeed I were to remove fhop, or fell off my old ftock. Well, but, "Mr. Fantom, you, I suppose, are now as

happy as the day is long?"-" O yes," replied Fantom with a gloomy figh, which gave the lie to his words, " perfectly happy! "I wonder you do not give up do not give up all your for. "did employments, and turn philofopher!" -"Sordid indeed!" faid Trueman; "do "not call names, Mr. Fantom; I fhall never be ashamed of my trade. What

is it has made this country fo great? a "country whofe merchants are princes? "It is trade, Mr. Fantom, trade. I can"not fay indeed, as well as I love bufi"nefs, but now and then, when I am over-worked, I wish I had a little more. "time to look after my foul; but the fear

"that