not so much as to give out a common psalm in

tune.

John contented himself by giving a plain answer to every article that Trim had laid to his charge, and appealed to his neighbors, who remembered the whole affair-and, as he knew there was never any thing to be got by wrestling with a chimneysweeper, he was going to take his leave of Trim for ever. But hold the mob by this time had got round them, and their high mightinesses insisted upon having Trim tried upon the spot.

Trim was accordingly tried, and, after a full hearing, was convicted a second time, and handled more roughly by one or more of them than even at the parson's.

Trim, says one, are you not ashamed of yourself, to make all this rout and disturbance in the town, and set neighbors together by the ears, about an old

worn-out- -pair of cast-breeches, not worth half a crown? Is there a cast coat, or a place in the whole town, that will bring you in a shilling, but what you have snapped up like a greedy hound. as you are?.

In the first place, are you not sexton and dogwhipper, worth three pounds a year? Then you begged the churchwardens to let your wife have the washing and darning of the church linen,

which brings you in thirteen shillings and four pence; and then you will have six shillings and eight pence for oiling and winding up the clock, both paid you at Easter-the pounder's place, which is worth forty shillings a-year you have got that tooare the bailiff, which the late parson got you, which brings you in forty shillings more..

you

Besides all this, you have six pounds a year, paid you quarterly, for being mole-catcher to the parish.. Aye, says the luckless wight above-mentioned, (who was standing close by him with the plush breeches> on) you are not only mole-catcher, Trim, but you catch STRAY CONIES too in the dark, and you

pretend a licence for it, which, I trow, will be looked into at the next quarter-sessions." I maintain it, I have a licence, says Trim, blushing as red as scarlet- -I have a licence, and, as I farm a warren in the next parish, I will catch conies every hour of the night. You catch conies! says a toothless old woman just passing by.

This set the mob a laughing, and sent every man home in perfect good humor, except Trim, who waddled very slowly off with that kind of inflexible gravity, only to be equalled by one animal in the creation, and surpassed by none.

I am,

Sir, yours, &c. &c.

I

POST SCRIPT.

HAVE broke open my letter to inform you, that I missed the opportunity of sending it by the messenger, who I expected would have called upon me in his return through this village to York; so it has lain a week or ten days by me -I am not sorry for the disappointment, because something has since happened, in continuation of this af fair, which I am thereby enabled to transmit to you, all under one trouble.

When I finished the above account, I thought (as did every soul in the parish) Trim had met with so thorough a rebuff from John the parish-clerk, and the townsfolks, who all took against him, that Trim would be glad to be quiet, and let the mat

ter rest.

But, it seems, it is not half an hour ago since Trim sallied forth again, and having borrowed a sow-gelder's horn, with hard blowing he got the

whole town round him, and endeavored to raise a disturbance, and fight the whole battle over again— alledged that he had been used in the last fray worse than a dog, not by John the parish-clerk, for I should not, quoth Trim, have valued him a rush, single hands but all the town sided with him, and twelve men in buckram set upon me, all at once, and kept me in play at sword's point for three hours together.

Besides, quoth Trim, there were two misbegotten knaves in Kendal-green, who lay all the while in ambush in John's own house, and they all sixteen came upon my back, and let drive at me altogether -a plague, says Trim, of all cowards!

Trim repeated this story above a dozen times, which made some of the neighbors pity him, thinking the poor fellow crack-brained, and that he actually believed what he said.

After this, Trim dropped the affair of the reading desk, which I told you had occasioned some small dispute between the late parson and John some years ago.- -This reading-desk, as you will observe, was but an episode wove into the main story, by the bye; for the main affair was "the battle of the breeches and the great coat.'

However, Trim, being at last driven out of these two citadels-he has seized hold, in his retreat, of this reading-desk, with a view, as it seems, to take shelter behind it.

I cannot say but the man has fought it out obstinately enough; and had his cause been good, I should have really pitied him. For, when he was driven out of the great watch-coat, you see he did not run away;-no, he retreated behind the breeches, and when he could make nothing of it behind the breeches, he got behind the reading-desk. To what other hold Trim will next retreat, the politicians of this village are not agreed. Some think his next move will be towards the rear of the parson's boot; but, as it is thought he cannot make a

long stand there, others are of opinion, that Trim will once more in his life get hold of the parson's horse, and charge upon him, or perhaps behind him; but, as the horse is not easy to be caught, the more general opinion is, that when he is driven out of the reading-desk, he will make his last retreat in such a manner, as, if possible, to gain the close-stool, and defend himself behind it to the very last drop.

If Trim should make this movement, by my advice, he should be left, beside his citadel, in full possession of the field of battle, where 'tis certain he will keep every body a league off, and may hop by himself till he is weary. Besides, as Trim seems bent upon purging himself, and may have abundance of foul humors to work off, I think he cannot be better placed.

But this is all matter of speculation-Let me carry you back to matter of fact, and tell you what kind of stand Trim has actually made behind the said desk: "Neighbors and townsmen all, I will be 66 sworn before my Lord Mayor, that John and his "nineteen men in buckram have abused me worse "than a dog; for they told you that I played fast " and go loose with the late parson and him in that "old dispute of theirs about the reading-desk, and "that I made matters worse between them and not "better."

Of this charge, Trim declared he was innocent as the child that was unborn-that he would be book-sworn he had no hand in it.

He produced a strong witness, and moreover insinuated, that John himself, instead of being angry for what he had done in it, had actually thanked him -Aye, Trim, says the wight in the plush breeches, but that was, Trim, the day before John found thee out. Besides, Trim, there is nothing in that; for the very year that you was made town's pounder, thou knowest well, that I both thanked thee myself, and moreover gave thee a good warm supper, for turning John Lund's cows and horses out of my hard

corn close, which, if thou hadst not done, (as thou told'st me), I should have lost my whole crop ; whereas John Lund and Thomas Patt, who are both here to testify, and are both willing to take their oaths on't, that thou thyself was the very man who set the gate open-and after all, it was not thee, Trim, 'twas the blacksmith's poor lad who turned them out-so that a man may be thanked, and rewarded too, for a good turn which he never did, nor never did intend.

Trim could not sustain this unexpected strokeso Trim marched off the field without colors flying, or his horn sounding, or any other ensigns of honor whatever.-Whether, after this, Trim intends to rally a second time-or whether he may not take it into his head to claim the victory-none but Trim himself can inform you.

However, the general opinion, upon the whole, is this, that in three several pitched battles, Trim has been so trimm'd, as never disastrous hero was trimmed before.

END OF VOL. IV.