1 Clack. Indeed they had no bad intentions they only wanted to afk your reverence's advice, and meant to leave a fmall fum in your hands O'Don. Sum? do you main to infult me? Don't you know, woman, that we must never touch money? Clack. To beftow upon poor objects that want it; but, if fo be your reverence is forbidden to to touch it, why, to be fure, we won't dare to-· O'Don. Why, look'ee, miftrefs; to handle money is against the rules of our order, which we dare not break through: If, indeed, it was put into a purfe, why, there would be no occafion, d'ye fee, for me to touch it. Clack. Brother Minnikin, have you ever a purse? Mrs. Min. Here, here is mine, fifter Clack. O'Don. Why, as you faam to be well-difpofed people, and only want a little wholefome advice; why, that, d'ye fee, may alter the cafe. Mrs. Min. Nothing elfe, indeed, reverend Sir. O'Don. Why, d'ye mind me, it would not be dacent for me to ftir in this matter; becaafe why, as we are monks, you know, it is our duty to bring over and pervert as many fhouls as we can. Mrs. Min. True, reverend Sir; but there is nothing of that in the matter; the girl, Heaven knows, has no more mind to be preverted than any of us. O'Don. How! more fhame for her! but may I belave you? Mrs. Min. All a pretence, nothing else; she is run away with an idle 'prentice of ours, to avoid that young man there before you. O'Don. Have you brought with you no letters of recommendation to any ftrangers of your ac quaintance, that live in this town? Mrs. Min. We know no mortal; we have not been landed an hour. O'Don. Becaafe a little intereft in this cafe would go a great way; not but there are fome of our own country folks that live here in great credit: Perhaps you may have known them at home. Mrs. Min. Does your reverence remember their names? O'Don. There is Mr. Mac-Rappum, that lives in the Square, one of the best-natured craturs alive: He got the jail-diftemper, by attending his own trial at the Old-Bailey. Mrs. Min. Poor gentleman! O'Don. So the judge advifed him to try for fe ven years the air of America. Mrs. Min. And did he reap any benefit? O'Don. I don't know; they talk that that place is all in combuftion at prefent; fo being a paceable man, he chofe to be fet down here in his way. Mrs. Min. Doft know him, Matthew? Min. Not I. O'Don. Then there is one 'Squire Copywell, that is but lately come over; a very falatious, humourfome man: He laid a bet with a friend of his, out of fun, that he would draw a bill in the hand-writing of Sir Timothy Tradewell, fo like, that the banker fhould pay it without hefitation. Mrs. Min. And did he? O'Don. You may fay that: But, when they come to find out the mistake, the banker, being a crufty dull fellow, and not understanding a joke, talked of going to law with the 'fquire. Mrs. Min. Lord blefs us! how could they O'Don. Nay, I don't know, my fhoul; them there English have fome ftrange maxims amongst them; fo the 'fquire, not caring to throw away his money to lawyers, chofe to come and live here, rather than make any more words of the matter. Clack. I'd have done the very fame thing, had I been the 'fquire. O'Don. Nay, for the matter of that, you have no more manners than morality among you in England. Mrs. Min. How, reverend Sir! I thought we was remarkable for- O'Din. Pace, woman, and hold your pallaver! Was there ever fuch ill breeding as Lord Conftant's to Sir Henry Hornbeam, that lives hard by here at Ardres. Clack. Indeed, I never heard nothing about it. O'Don. My lord was obligated to go about his affairs into the North for a month, and left his difconfolate lady behind him in London. Mrs. Min. Poor gentlewoman! O'Don. Upon which, his friend Sir Henry ufed to go and ftay there all the day, to amufe and divert her. Mrs. Min. How good-natured that was in Sir Henry ! C4 O'Don. O'Don. Nay, he carried his friendship much further than that; for my lady, as there was many highwaymen and footpads about, was afraid that fome of them would break into the houfe, and fo defired Sir Henry to lie there every night. Mrs. Min. Good foul! and he did, I dare say? O'Don. To be fure: There is not a more politer man in the world. So, hearing in the middle of the night a little noife below ftairs, he runn'd down to fee what was the matter; finding all fafe, in coming up again, he chanced to make a little mistake. Mrs. Min. How fo? O'Don. Instead of going to his own bed, he stepped into my lady's.. Clack. That might happen very well, in the dark. O'Don. And there falling asleep, never once found out his mistake till the maid came up in the morning, Clack. He must have been vaftly furprized, to be fure. Mrs. Min. And, I warrant me, fo was my lady. O'Don. Without doubt. But now comes the upfhot of all: I reckon, you fuppofe my lord thought himself much obliged to Sir Henry? Clack. To be fure. O'Don. Not he, by my fhoul! Nay, more worfer than that, he had the ill manners to bring an action against him, Clack. What, after Sir Harry had told him the ftory? O'Pan. Ay, and my lady likewife; so it must be be true, as you know, becaafe why, they could not both be mistaken. Clack. There was no danger of that. O'Don. So, Sir Harry, not chufing to live any longer amongst fuch under-bred people, has fettled here for his life. Clack. Why, as there is fo much good company, it must be vaft agreeable living here, I fhould think. O'Don. You may fay that; and indeed this place is so pleasant, that every day one ingenus parfon or other comes over to live. Upon my Thoul, among ourselves, I belave the folks on your fide the water begin to grow a little jealous. Clack. No wonder. O'Don. Infomuch, that they have made application to the magiftrates here to fend fome of them forcibly back. Mrs. Min. But I dare fay the French were more politer than that, O'Don. To be fure. Indeed, out of compaffion, they have compelled three or four that were poor to return; becaafe why, it cou'dn't be very agreeable to them, you know, to live here without money. Mrs. Min. To be fure. O'Don. And then, the English are indulged in the free exercise of their religion. Mrs. Min. Oh, then they go to church! O'Don. No, no; if they find 'em preaching or praying, they hang up the minifter, and fend the congregation all to the gallies, Mrs. Min. Doft hear that, Matthew Minnikin? O'Don. So, now, as I was a-telling, if you can get |