Things were in this ftate in the family we are defcribing, or rather growing worse; for idleness and vanity are never at a ftand; when these two wealthy farmers, Bragwell and Worthy met at Weyhil fair; as was faid before. After many hearty falutations had paffed between them, it was agreed that Mr. Bragwell fhould fpend the next day with his old friend, whose house was not many miles diftant. Bragwell invited himself in the following manner: "We have not had a comfortable day's "chat for years," said he, " and as I am "to look at a drove of lean beasts in your "neighbourhood, I will take a bed at your "house, and we will pafs the evening in "debating as we used to do. You know "I always loved a bit of an argument, " and am reckoned not to make the worst

figure at our club: I had not, to be “fure, fuch good learning as you had, "because your father was a parfon, and you got it for nothing; but I can bear

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my part pretty well for all that. When

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"any

any man talks to me about his learning, "I afk if it has helped him to get a good "eftate; if he says no, then I would not "give him a rush for it; for of what use "is all the learning in the world, if it "does not make a man rich? But, as I " was faying, I will come and fee you tomorrow; but now don't let your wife put herself into a fufs for me: don't ❝ alter your own plain way; for I am not "proud, I affure you, nor above my old "friends; though, I thank God, I am pretty well in the world."

To all this flourishing fpeech Mr. Worthy coolly anfwered, that certainly worldly profperity ought never to make any man proud, fince it is God who giveth strength to get riches, and without his blessing, 'tis in vain to rife up early, and to eat the bread of carefulness.

About the middle of the next day Mr. Bragwell reached Mr. Worthy's neat and pleafant dwelling. He found every thing in it the reverse of his own. It had not

fo

fo many ornaments, but it had more com forts. And when he faw his friend's good old-fashioned arm-chair in a warm corner, he gave a figh to think how his own had been banished to make room for his daughter's piano forte. Inftead of made flowers in glafs cafes, and tea-chefts and screens too fine to be used, which he faw at home, and about which he was cautioned, and scolded as often as he came near them; his daughters watching his motions with the fame anxiety as they would have watched the motions of a cat in a China fhop. Instead of this, I say, he saw fome neat shelves of good books for the fervice of the family, and a fmall medicine cheft for the benefit of the poor.

Mrs. Worthy and her daughters had prepared a plain but neat and good dinner. The tarts were fo excellent, that Bragwell. felt a fecret kind of regret that his own daughters were too genteel to do any thing very ufeful. Indeed he had been always unwilling to believe that any thing which was very proper and very neceffary, could

fo

be fo extremely vulgar and unbecoming as his daughters were always declaring it to be. And his late experience of the little comfort he found at home, inclined him now still more strongly to fufpect that things were not fo right there as he had been made to suppose. But it was in vain to speak; for his daughters constantly ftopped his mouth by a favourite faying of theirs, which equally indicated affectation and vulgarity, that it was better to be out of the world than out of the fashion.

Soon after dinner the women went out to their feveral employments, and Mr. Worthy being left alone with his guest, the following discourse took place.

Bragwell. You have a couple of fober, pretty looking girls, Worthy; but I wonder they don't tiff off a little more. Why, my girls have as much fat and flour on their heads as would half maintain my reapers in fuet pudding.

Worthy. Mr. Bragwell, in the management of my family, I don't confider what I might

I might afford only, though that is one great point; but I confider alfo what is needful and becoming in a man of my station; for there are so many useful ways of laying out money, that I feel as if it were a fin to spend one unneceffary fhilling. Having had the bleffing of a good education myself, I have been able to give the like advantage to my daughters. One of the best leffons I have taught them is, to know themselves; and one proof that they have learnt this leffon is, that they are not above any of the duties of their station. They read and write well, and when my eyes are bad, they keep my accounts in a very pretty manner. If I had put them to learn what you call genteel things, these might either have been of no use to them, and fo both time and money might have been thrown away; or they might have proved worse than nothing to them by leading them into wrong notions, and wrong company. Though we do not wish

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them