be thrown overboard without christian burial, who would have thought a month ago that I should have come to such an ignominious end? What a disgrace it will be to my poor nephew? He'll he forced to change his name, it will be the talk of all Devonshire!" His neice endeavoured to console him by observing, that no man need blush for his name, who was not ashamed of his actions, that with fresh air and exercise life was always worth having, that with good health every body had something to be thankful for, even in Botany Bay, and that after all they might have gone to worse places, as it must be a country that would afford excellent hunting, and plenty of game. "Ah dear heart," said Sir John, "what good would that do us! if there were as many hares as there must be rogues, they would be of no use to us; we should have no worthy friends to send them to, or jolly dogs to go out with us; and miserable horse-flesh I do suppose; no, no,

England

England is the only place worth living in; I warrant all the fine places abroad, that they pretend to talk about, are a parcel of dirty beggarly holes." They now arrived at the house, and found to their great joy, that Breresford had only fainted, and had quite recovered by the motion of removing, though he could not but think himself mortally wounded, and entreated those around him, not to disguise his danger from false compassion. At length, he was with some difficulty convinced that he might consider himself able to pursue his journey, and received the apologies of his adversaries with his usual goodnature. The next day, the whole town was informed of the adventure; Miss Clayton became the rage, and had the pleasure of seeing herself carricatured in every printshop, under the name of the "Fair Amazon, or Rob me if you dare."

We are fully sensible of the apology which we ought to make, for stepping out of

of the direct path of this unparalleled history, to relate Miss Clayton's vagaries; but we thought it would be an unpardonable neglect of the notoriety, that she had taken such pains to acquire, were we to leave them entirely unnoticed, and to mention them at any other time, would have diverted the attention of our readers too much from the grand, important, and interesting incidents, with which we mean speedily to present them.

CHAP.

CHAP. XXIV.

Ah me, is all our pleasure mix'd with woe!
Is there on earth no happiness sincere?
Must e'en this bitter stream of sorrow flow
From joy's domestic spring our children dear?
How oft did Thetis drop the silver tear,
When with fond eyes she view'd her darling boy,
How oft her breast heav'd with presaging fear,
Lest vice's secret canker should annoy

Fair virtue's opening bud, and all her hopes destroy.

WEST.

EDMUND anxiously sought for an opportunity of speaking to the Earl, but unfortunately his lordship had again entered into the labyrinths of politics, notwithstanding the disgust with which disappointment had formerly inspired him: and as it was not in his nature to espouse a cause, with only lukewarm zeal, particularly one so important in his eyes, as

the

the welfare of his country, he devoted his time with such unremitted attention to public affairs, that he was seldom seen even by his own family, until late in the evening, when he endeavoured in social cheerfulness, to unbend his mind from the ardent and busy thought of the day.

Edmund sensible of this, was extremely unwilling to obtrude a subject on him, which would inevitably embitter the short time, that he allowed himself for recreation, and add new cares to a brow already clouded with anxieties not his own.

But on the other hand, he considered the danger of Mary's situation, and the temptation of Henry's; he felt himself accessary to her ruin, in delaying the prevention of it, and he accused himself of negligence in the cause of virtue, whilst he suffered selfish motives to interfere with his endeavours to promote it. In this doubtful and trying situation, his spirits forsook him, and his altered countenance proclaimed a mind disturbed.

The