"the whole body is fo exquifitely sensible, "that the slightest touch gives pain: what "fome have thus fuffered in their per fons, this gentleman felt in his mind. The flighteft diftrefs, whether real or fictitious, touched him to the quick, and "his foul laboured under a fickly fenfibility of the miseries of others. Thus dif པ posed to relieve, it will be easily conjectured, he found numbers difposed to solicit his profufions began to impair his fortune, but not his good-nature; that, indeed, was feen to encrease as the other "feemed to decay: he grew improvident as he grew poor; and though he talked "like a man of sense, his actions were those "of a fool. Still, however, being fur"rounded with importunity, and no lon ger able to fatisfy every request that was "made him, instead of money he gave pro mifes. They were all he had to bestow, and he had not refolution enough to give any man pain by a denial. By this means he drew round him crowds of de"pendants, C 2 pendants, whom he was fure to disappoint; yet wished to relieve. These hung 66 upon him for a time, and left him with "merited reproaches and contempt. But "in proportion as he became contemptible "to others, he became despicable to himfelf. His mind had leaned upon their "adulation, and that fupport taken away, 66 he could find no pleasure in the applause of his heart, which he had never learnt to reverence itself. The world now began to wear a different afpect; the flattery of his friends began to dwindle into fimple approbation, that foon took the more friendly form of advice, and ad"vice when rejected ever begets reproaches. "He now found that fuch friends as bene"fits had gathered round him, were by no 66 means the most estimable: it was now "found that a man's own heart must be "I ever given to gain that of another. I now found, that—but I forget "what I was going to obferve: in fhort, fir, he refolved to respect him'felf, felf, and laid down a plan of restoring "his fhattered fortune. For this purpose, in his own whimsical manner he travelled through Europe on foot, and before he attained the age of thirty, his circumstances were more afflu66 ent than ever. At prefent, therefore, "his bounties are more rational and mo derate than before; but ftill he preferves "the character of an humourist, and most pleasure in eccentric "finds My attention was fo much taken up by Mr. Burchell's account, that I scarce looked forward as we went along, till we were alarmed by the cries of my family, when turning, I perceived my youngeft daughter in the midst of a rapid ftream, thrown from her horfe, and struggling with the torrent. She had funk twice, nor was it in my power to difengage myself in time to bring her relief, My fenfations were even too violent to permit C 3 permit my attempting her refcue: she would have certainly perished had not my companion, percieving her danger, inftantly plunged in to her relief, and, with fome difficulty, brought her in fafety to the oppofite fhore. By taking the current a little farther up, the rest of the family got fafely over; where we had an opportunity of joining our acknowledgments to her's. Her gratitude may be more readily imagined 'than described: fhe thanked her deliverer more with looks than words, and continued to lean upon his arm, as if still willing to receive assistance. My wife also hoped one day to have the pleasure of returning his kindness at her own house. Thus, after we were all refreshed at the next inn, and had dined together, as he was going to a different part of the country, he took leave; and we pursued our journey. My wife obferving as we went, that she liked Mr. Burchell extremely, and protesting, that if he had birth and fortune to entitle him to match into fuch a family as our's, she knew no no man fhe would fooner fix upon. I could not but fmile to hear her talk in this ftrain: one almoft at the verge of beggary thus to affume language of the moft infulting affluence, might excite the ridicule of ill-nature; but I was never much displeased with those innocent delufions that tend to make us more happy. |