towards rebuilding their cottage; and farther engaged, that if they would promife to bring up the child in the fear of God, he would stand godfather.

This exercife of Chriftian charity had given fuch a cheerful flow to Mr. Trueman's fpirits, that long before he got home he bad loft every trace of ill-humour. "Well, Mr. Fantom," faid he gaily, as he opened the door, "now do tell "me how you could poffibly refuse going "to help me to put out the fire at poor Jenkins's?"-"Becaufe," faid Fantom, "I was engaged, Sir, in a far nobler pro

ject than putting out a fire in a little "thatched cottage. Sir, I was contriving "to put out a fire too; a conflagration "of a far more dreadful kind,—a fire, «Sir, in the extinction of which universal "man is concerned :-I was contriving a "scheme to extinguifh the fires of the inquifition."-"Why, man, they don't "blaze that I know of," returned Trueman. "I own, that of all the abominable « engines

cr

engines which the devil ever invented "to difgrace religion and plague man"kind, that inquifition was the very worst. "But I do not believe popery has ven"tured at these diabolical tricks fince the "earthquake at Lisbon. So that a bucket "of real water, carried to the real fire of "Jenkins's cottage, would have done more "good than a wild plan to put out an imaginary flame which no longer burns. "And let me tell you, Sir, dreadful as "that evil was, God can fend his judg*ments on other fins befides fuperftition: "fo it behoves us to take heed of the "other extreme, or we may have our "earthquakes too. The hand of God is

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"not fhortened,' Sir, that it cannot destroy, any more than that it cannot save." "In the meantime, I must repeat it; you " and I are rather called upon to serve a "neighbour from perifhing in the flames "of his house, just under our own win"dow, than to write about the fires of "the inquifition; which, if fear, or shame,

"or the restoration of common fenfe had "not already put out, would have hardly "received a check from fuch poor hands " as you and I."

"Sir," faid Fantom, "Jenkins is an "impertinent fellow; and I owe him a grudge, because he fays he had rather "forfeit the favour of the best mafter in

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England, than work in my garden on a "Sunday. And when I ordered him to "read the Age of Reafon, instead of "going to church, he refused to work for "me at all, with fome impertinent hint "about God and Mammon."

"Oh, did he fo?" faid Mr. Trueman. "Now I will stand godfather to his child, "and make him a handfome present into "the bargain. Indeed, Mr. Fanton, a "man must be a philofopher with a vengeવ ance, if when he fees a houfe on fire, he ftays to confider whether the owner "has offended him. Oh, Mr. Fantom, "I will forgive you still, if you will produce me, out of all your philosophy,

"fuch

"fuch a sentence as, 'Love your enemy→ "do good to them that hate you-if thine

enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, "give him drink;' I will give up the bleff"ed Gofpel for the Age of Reafon, if you "will only bring me one fentiment equiva"lent to this."

Next day Mr. Trueman was obliged to go to London on business, but returned foon; as the time he had allotted to spend with Mr. Fantom was not yet elapfed. He came down the fooner indeed, that he might bring a fmall fum of money which the gentlemen at the Cat and Bagpipes had cheerfully fubfcribed for Jenkins. Trueman did not forget to defire his wife to make up alfo a quantity of cloathing for this poor family, to which he did not neglect to add a parcel of good books, which indeed always made a part of his charities; as he used to say, there was fomething cruel in that kindness which was anxious to relieve the bodies of men, but was negligent of their fouls. He stood

in person to the new-born child, and obferved with much pleasure, that Jenkins and his wife thought a chriftening, not a season for merry-making, but a folemn act of religion. And they dedicated their infant to his Maker with becoming ferioufnefs.

Trueman left the cottage, and got back to Mr. Fantom's juft as the family were going to fit down to dinner, as he had promised.

When they fat down, Mr. Fantom was not a little out of humour to fee his table in fome diforder. William was alfo rather more negligent than ufual. If the company called for bread, he gave them beer, and he took away the clean plates, and gave them dirty ones, Mr. Fantom foon discovered that his fervant was very drunk; he flew into a violent paffion, and ordered him out of the room, charging that he fhould not appear in his prefence in that condition. William obeyed; but having slept an hour or two, and got about half

fober,