my Mafter, Lady Jones, and the two Miffes, fetting a lovely Example. My good Father perform'd his Part with great Applaufe, making the Refponfes as if he had been ́a practifed Parish Clerk; and giving the * xxiiid Pfalm, which confifting of but three Stanzas, we had it all; and he read the Line, and began the Tune with a Heart fo entirely affected with the Duty, that he went thro' it diftinctly, calmly, and fervently at the fame Time; fo that Lady Jones whisper'd me, that good Men were fit for all Companies, and prefent to every laudable Occafion; and Mifs Darnford faid, God *T' HE Lord is only my Support, And he that doth me feed: How can I then lack any Thing, And after leads me to the Streams, And when I find myself near loft, For both thy Rod, and Shepherd's Crook, Thou hast my Table richly spread In Prefence of my Foe, Thou haft my Head with Balm refresh'd; My Cup doth overflow. And finally, while breath doth laft, Thy Grace hall me defend: And in the House of God will I blefs blefs the dear good Man !- -You must think how I rejoiced in my Mind! I know, my dear Mother, you can say most of the fhorter Pfalms by Heart; fo I need not transcribe it, efpecially as your chief Treasure is a Bible; and a worthy Treasure it is. I know nobody makes more or better Use of it. Mr. Williams gave us an excellent Difcourfe on Liberality and Generofity, and the Bleffing attending the right Use of Riches, from the xith Chapter of Preverbs, ver. 24, 25. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that witholdeth more than is meet; but it tendeth to Poverty. The liberal Soul Jhall be made fat: And he that watereth, shall be watered also himself. And he treated the Subject in fo handfome a manner, that my Master's Delicacy, who, at firit, was afraid of fome perfonal Compliments, was not offended, he judiciously keeping to Generals and it was an elegant and fenfible Discourse, as my Mafter faid. : My Father was, as in the Clerk's Place, juft under the Defk; and Lady Jones beckon'd her Footman, and whifper'd him to beg him to favour us with another Pfalm, when the Sermon was ended, he, thinking, as he said afterwards, that the former was rather of the longest, chofe the shorteft in the Book; which, you know, is the cxviith* My Mafter thanked Mr. Williams for his excellent Difcourfe, and fo did the Ladies; as alfo I did, moft heartily, and he was pleased to take my dear Father by the Hand, as Mr. Williams alfo did, and thanked him. The Ladies alfo made him their kind Compliments; and the Servants all looked upon him with Countenances full of Refpect and Pleasure. At Dinner, do what I could, I was forced to take the upper End of the Table; and my Mafter fat at the lower End, between Mr. Williams and my Father. And he faid, Pamela, you are fo dextrous, that I think you may help the Ladies yourself; and I will help my two good Friends. I fhould have told you tho', that I dreffed myself in a flower'd Satten, that was my Lady's, and look'd quite fresh and good, and which was given me at firft by my Mafter; and the Ladies, who had not feen me out of my homefpun before, made me abundance of fine Compliments, as foon as they faw me firft. Talking of the Pfalms, juft after Dinner, my Mafter was very naughty, if I may fay fo: For he faid to my Father, Mr. Andrews, I think, in the Afternoon, as we fhall have only Prayers, we may have one longer Pfalm; and what think you of the cxxxviith -O good Sir! faid I, pray, pray, not a Word more! Say what you will, Pamela, faid he, you fhall fing it to us, according to your own Verfion, before thete good Ladies go away. My Father fmil'd, but was half concern'd for me; and faid, will it bear, and pleafe your Honour ?-O ay, faid he, never fear it ; fo long as Mrs. Jewkes is not in the Hearing. This excited all the Ladies Curiofity; and Lady Jones faid, the fhould be loth to defire to hear any Thing that would concern me; but fhould be glad I would give Leave for it. Indeed, Madam, faid I, I muft beg you won't infift upon it. I cannot bear it. -You fhall fee it indeed, Ladies, faid my Mafter; and pray, Pamela, not always as you pleafe, neither. -Then, pray Sir, faid I, not in my hearing, I hope. Sure, Pamela, return'd he, you would not write what is not fit to be heard!-But, Sir, faid I, there are particular Cafes, Times, and Occafions, that may make a Thing paffable at one Time, that would not be tolerable at another. O, faid he, let me judge of of that, as well as you, Pamela. The Ladies know a good Part of your Story; and let me tell you, what they know is more to your Credit than mine; fo that if I have no Averfenefs to reviving the Occafion, you may very well bear it. Said he, I will put you out of your pain, Pamela; I believe I put it in my Pocket on purpose. I ftood up, and faid, indeed, Sir, I cannot bear it! I hope you'll allow me to leave the Room a Minute, if you will read it. Indeed, but I won't, answered he. Lady Jones faid, pray good Sir, don't let us hear it, if Mrs. Andrews be fo unwilling. Well, Pamela, faid my Mafter, I will put it to your Choice, whether I fhall read it now, or you will fing it by-and-by. That's very hard, Sir, faid I. It must be one, I affure you, faid he. Why then, Sir, reply'd I, you muft do as you please; for I cannot fing it. Well, then, faid my Master, I find I must read it ; and yet, added he, after all, I had as well let it alone; for it is no great Reputation to myself. O then, faid Mifs Darnford, pray let us hear it to chuse. Why then, proceeded he, the Cafe was this: Pamela, I find, when she was in the Time of her Confinement, (that is, added he, when fhe was taken Prifoner, in order to make me one; for that is the Upfhot of the Matter) in the Journal fhe kept, which was intended for nobody's Perufal but her Parents, tells them, that fhe was importuned, on Sunday, by Mrs. Jewkes, to fing a Pfalm; but her Spirits not permitting, the declin'd it: But after Mrs. Jewkes was gone down, fhe fays, fhe recollected, that the cxxxviith Pfalm was applicable to her own Cafe; Mrs. Jewkes having often, on other Days; in vain, befought her to fing a Song. That thereupon the turn'd it more to her own fuppofed Cafe; and believing Mrs. Jewkes had a Defign against her Honour, and looking upon her as her Goaler, fhe thus gives her Verfion of this Pfalm. But pray, Mr. Williams, do you read onc Verfe of the common Tranflation, and I will read one of Pamela's. Then Mr. Williams pulling out his little Pocket Common-prayer Book, read the first two Stanzas. W I. HEN we did fit in Babylon, Then in Remembrance of Sion, II. We hang'd our Harps and Inftrumenta For in that Place Men, for that Use, My Mafter then read : I. WHEN fad, I fat in B――n-hall, watched round about ; And thought of every absent Friend, II. My Joys, and Hopes, all overthrown, Much more to bear a Joke. The Ladies faid, it was very pretty; and Mifs Darnford, that fomebody else had well obferv'd, that I had need to be lefs concerned than themselves. I knew, faid my Mafter, I fhould get no Credit by fhewing this. But let us read on, Mr. Williams. So Mr. Williams read; |
