"He therefore fails, because nothing short "of a lively faith can ever outweigh a

strong present temptation, and lead a "man to prefer the joys of conquest to the 66 pleasures of indulgence."

BB 2

BETTY BROWN,

THE

ST. GILES's ORANGE GIRL:

WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF

MRS. SPONGE, THE MONEY-LENDER.

BETTY

ETTY BROWN, the Orange Girl, was born nobody knows where, and bred nobody knows how. No girl in all the streets of London could drive a barrow more nimbly, avoid pufhing against passengers more dextrously, or cry her fine China Oranges' in a fhriller voice. But then she could neither few, nor fpin, nor knit, nor wash, nor iron, nor read, nor fpell. Betty had not been always in fo good a fituation as that in which

we

we now defcribe her. She came into the world before fo many good gentlemen and ladies began to concern themfelves fo kindly that the poor might have a little learning. There was no charitable fociety then, as there is now, to pick up poor friendless children in the streets *, and put them into a good houfe, and give them meat, and drink, and lodging, and learning, and teach them to get their bread in an honest way, into the bargain. Whereas, this now is often the cafe in London; bleffed be God who has ordered the bounds of our habitation, and caft our lot in fuch a country!

The longest thing that Betty can remember is, that she used to crawl up out of a night cellar, ftroll about the streets, and pick cinders from the fcavengers' carts. Among the ashes fhe fometimes found fome ragged gauze and dirty ribbons; with these she used to dizen herself out, and join the merry bands on the first of May. This

* The Philanthropic.

BB 3

was

L

was not however quite fair, as fhe did not lawfully belong either to the female dancers, who foot it gaily round the garland, or to' the footy tribe, who, on this happy holiday, forget their whole year's toil in Portman fquare, cheered by the tender bounty of her whofe wit has long enlivened the most learned, and whose taste and talents long adorned the moft polifhed focieties. Betty, however, often got a few scraps, by appearing to belong to both parties. But as she grew bigger, and was not an idle girl, she always put herself in the way of doing fomething. She would run of errands for the footmen, or fweep the door for the maid of any house where fhe was known; fhe would run and fetch fome porter, and never was once known either to fip a drop by the way, or steal the pot. Her quickness and fidelity in doing little jobs, got her into favour with a lazy cook-maid, who was too apt to give away her master's cold meat and beer, not to those who were moft in want, but to thofe who waited upon

her,

her, and did the little things for her which The ought to have done herself.

The cook, who found Betty a dextrous girl, foon employed her to fell ends of candles, pieces of meat and cheese, and lumps of butter, or any thing else she could crib from the house. These were all carried to her friend Mrs. Sponge, who kept a little fhop, and a kind of eating-house for poor working people, not far from the Seven Dials. She also bought, as well as fold, many kinds of fecond hand things, and was not scrupulous to know whether. what he bought was honeftly come by, provided fhe could get it for a fixth part of what it was worth. But if the owner prefumed to ask for its real value, then she had fudden qualms of conscience, instantly fufpected the things were ftolen, and gave herfelf airs of honesty, which often took in poor filly people, and gave her a fort of half reputation among the needy and the ignorant, whofe friend the hypocritically pretended to be,