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of our parish, and ufed to ftuff his fermons with Greek and Hebrew, in fuch a manner as to make the poor people ftare at the depth of his knowledge. In truth he was a moft profound linguift; a complete walking vocabulary;—but of every virtue that dilates the heart, of every science that expands the foul, while it enlarges the understanding, he was completely ignorant. The higheft idea he could form of the efforts of human intellect, was confined to an accurate knowledge of nouns, verbs, cafes, and tenses; and, to commit these to the memory of his pupils, was the chief object of his folicitude. Unqualified to fix the generous principle in the ductile bofom, he attended not to the developement of mind, but on the contrary, extoled as marks of genius, the early whims and caprices of his pupil, which were, in reality, the ebullitions of an unregulated imagination.

"It is, perhaps, to this want of judgment in the tutor, that the extraordinary degree of ardour and unfteadiness, which has diftinguished the Baronet, may, in fome degree, be attributed. A recital of the various and oppofite purfuits, in which he has been at different times engaged, will be the beft illuftration I can give you of his character, which is fuch

an one, as I fuppofe, your Eastern world has never produced. He is, however, by no means, an unique in this part of the world; where the liberty of committing. every folly that fuggefts itself to the fancy, is confidered as the moft glorious privilege.

"The ardour of Sir Caprice's mind," continued my friend, "was, for the first two year's after his father's death, expended upon running horfes; at length, finding himself taken in by his compeers of the turf, cheated by his grooms, and moft frequently diftanced at the poft, he fold his racers, and forefwore Newmarket for ever."

Here I was obliged to beg an explanation from the philofopher, and found, that it is cuftomary for the great men in this kingdom, in their exertion of the privilege hinted at above, to expend immenfe fums of money on a very beauti ful, though useless, fpecies of horses. Thefe animals are, however doomed to experience the effects of the capricious humours of their mafters. At one time, they are confidered as the dearest friends, and moft loved companions of their lords, who are never fo happy, as when in the apartments of their four-legged favourites. While this fit of fondness lafts, they are attended by numerous fervants,

who, taking confequence from the dignity of their employment, are at once the most infolent, and moft rapacious of the domeftic tribe. Some of these are employed in rubbing the fkins of the horfes into a beautiful polish, while others ferve them with the choiceft food. Nay, fo far does their care extend, that, as if the clothing of nature were not fufficient, they provide them with woollen garments which completely cover their whole bodies. Will not Maandaara think that the truth hath forfaken his friend, when I fay, that the tormenting of thefe unfortunate favourites, forms one of the chief amufements of the English nobility? But, fo it is;-at certain appointed periods, they are brought out in the midft of a concourfe of fpectators, ftripped of their fine clothing, and forced to gallop round a certain piece of ground full fpeed, while for the amusement of their cruel mafters they are whipped, and even goaded by fharp inftruments of steel, until the blood flows in ftreams, from their lacerated bodies, and this is called fport!-But, to return. to Sir Caprice Ardent. If I rightly remember, the next purfuit upon which, according to Doctor Severan's account, he employed the vigour of his mind, was Hunting. Here are no Jungles in

which to purfue the ferocious tyrants of the foreft. Here, courage is not called forth in the attack of the wild Elephant, or the roaring Lion. Nor is activity and watchfulness neceffary, to guard. against the fudden fpring of the carnageloving Tyger. The purfuit of a fmall animal called a Fox, employs the vigour of the English hunters. The mifchief, which the philofopher informed me, was done by Sir Caprice, and his friends, in purfuit of this little animal, I confefs, appeared to me altogether unaccountable. He mentioned their having spoiled fifteen farms, by breaking down the fences, and that a young wood, of great extent, which had been planted by his father, was by the advice of one of the companions of Sir Caprice, in order to give free fcope to the magnanimous purfuers of the red fugitive, burned to the ground. Another confequence of this diverfion, was, to me, equally incomprehenfible. Notwithstanding the coldness of the climate, it feems to be productive of the most aftonishing degree of thirft. The fum of money, which according to the calculation of Doctor Severan, was expended by Sir Caprice, on the wine gulped down by his companions of the chace, would, if it had been employed in im

proving the uncultivated parts of his eftate, have been fufficient to have made the barren wilderness, a garden of delights.

"Next to hunting," faid Doctor Severan, "fucceeded the love of equipage, and fine clothes. It was now the ambition of the Baronet's heart, to attract the attention of the Ladies. His ambition was, perhaps, in no other pursuit of his life, fo fully gratified. Wherever he appeared, his exquifite tafte was the object of unbounded admiration.

"To have a wife, whofe beauty would juftify the opinion entertained of his tafte, and who would likewife give him a new opportunity of difplaying it, in the choice of female ornaments, now engroffed his cäres. Such a one, he foon met with. You have feen his Lady. She is what is commonly called, one of the best of wo

men.

To an evennefs of temper, flowing from infenfibility, the adds a ftrict obfervance of all the rules of politenefs and good breeding, taught by that fort of education given at modern boardingfchools; which being directed to uneffential forms, and ufelefs accomplishments, renders the character cold and artificial. Though incapable of generous friendship, or heart warming affection, he is never deficient in the

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