avoidable result of their previous habits, former connexions, and present situation. He continued, however, his predilection in favour of Craven; and went thither regularly three times every year. It was his intention to bring up my brother to the Church; and when he was of proper age, to endeavour to get him presented to the living of Catterick, which he meant to resign in his favour, and to retire once more with his family, among his favourite mountains. In all this there was surely nothing reprehensible or visionary; yet the providence of God saw fit to make another and a very different arrangement. And here I would pause for a moment, to reflect that had these events taken place, every circumstance in the life of the writer of this Memoir had been totally altered. She had neither formed the same connexions, been subject to the same influences, or suffered the same deprivations. And if it be the fact, as she firmly believes, that every one of these deprivations have had their important use, what abundant cause has she not in all things, whether apparently prosperous or adverse, to rejoice, and to give thanks.

C 3

CHAPTER 3.

Hints for the use of parents... Importance of their own example....Mischiefs of injudicious praise....Lasting effects resulting from accidental circumstances....From incidental conversations....Value and importance of early religious impressions.

IT being one of my objects, as already mentioned, to throw some light, for the benefit of others, on what passes in the infant mind, as far as I can do it, by instances adduced from my own recollection, I will here put down, as faithfully as it is in my power, the effects which I remember to have been produced, whether by something original in my own disposition, or by very early associations arising from peculiar situations, from accidental occurrences, or from incidental conversations.

In respect of the first, as far back as I can recollect, there was in my natural disposition a great desire of being noticed, and an ardent love of praise; not unaccompanied, perhaps, by a considerable portion of ambition and pride. It may partly account for this, that I was held up at Long Preston and honourably distinguished there, by the wives and daughters of the Statesmen,as "Miss of the Vicarage;" which, together with what I continually heard of the splendour of my mother's connexions, might, at the same time, generate very early the desire, and encourage the expectation, of becoming hereafter a person of some consequence; and I can remember a number of little stratagems, when I was yet very

young, which had for their object the ambition of being thus considered. Soon after we removed to Catterick, Sir Conyers D'Arcy, a very old man, the uncle of Lord Holderness, and a character at that time much esteemed in the neighbourhood, called upon my father, who happening to be from home, and my mother being confined to her room by indisposition, I was deputed to make her apology. Charmed with the commission, I recollect determining, as I went down stairs, that I would hold up my head, and behave so well, that he should say, he never saw so fine a little girl; and I believe the wish was accomplished, by what I afterwards heard accidentally that he had said to my father.-Another instance I shall mention of the same temperament, which led afterwards to considerable finesse, and which might have been extremely pernicious to the future character, if the propensity had not been checked by the immediate operation of other principles, more favourable to truth and virtue. Being taken to Harrogate when I was eight years old, by a neighbouring gentleman and lady, who had no family of their own, and with whom I was a great favourite, and having already observed the respect which is usually paid to station and power, the thought struck me one evening, as I was walking on the common with some strangers, in the absence of my friends, that I would give the company a high idea of my father's consequence, and I asked accordingly, if they knew such and such persons, who were

my father's curates, mentioning first the gentleman who filled that office at Long Preston, and afterwards the two others, who were appointed under Catterick, to different chapels of ease. The reply was in the negative; but the remark upon it, fully gratified my wishes. "Your papa surely must have great preferment!" Afterwards, however, when I reflected upon what I had done, I was extremely unhappy; I had purposely led the company to imagine that my father had four livings, whereas I knew that he had no other than Catterick and Long Preston, for he had resigned Skipton, when he removed to Catterick; and I dreaded exceedingly, lest by some accident, he should hear what I had said, and discover my disingenuousness.

I would here remark, that I was set right on this occasion, not so much by any particular precept I had been expressly taught, as by the just opinion which I had formed of the integrity and honour of my parents. If I had ever seen them on any occasion practise artifice or dissimulation, (and children are extremely quick-sighted in discovering the faults of those who have any authority over them) whatever they might have said to me on the subject, I should not have felt the same salutary sorrow and remorse. An instance of the effect of the contrary conduct on the part of a parent, in the neighbourhood of Bedale, which I shall here relate, occurs to my recollection at this moment.

A lady, whom I well knew, regretting to a friend, who came to dine accidentally, that the

dinner was not such as she wished, and choosing to say, that had she come the day before she could have treated her with several varieties, enumerating at the same time whatever at the moment occurred to her, a little boy, who had listened very attentively, said to the visitor"Miss B. do lend me some pins !"-"What can you want with pins, my dear ?"-" Oh, I only want to stick one in the table-cloth for every lie my mamma tells, for I do assure you, we had not one of the things yesterday to-dinner, which my mamma says."

This unfortunate child, who certainly at that time, discovered considerable quickness, and no predilection for falsehood, became afterwards a very unprincipled, dissolute character, for which the foundation was doubtless thus early laid. He was brought up to the Church, and, through family interest, obtained a good living in the south. I heard of him again, a few years ago, as being lately dead in great poverty, unrespected and unlamented, with the additional circumstance, that he would have been wholly destitute of attendance in his last illness, had not a poor girl, an illegitimate child, whom he had deserted, and who was brought up by charity, heard of his situation, and nursed him with the greatest tenderness.

A very judicious friend,* to whom I was mentioning my own little stratagem for applause, at

* The Rev. W. Turner of Newcastle.