fay, that they make a very bad and ungrateful ufe of that knowledge which we have communicated to them.

Thefe apparent errors in the doctrine of Thwackum, ferved greatly to palliate the contrary errors in that of Square, which our good man no less faw and condemned. He thought indeed that the different exuberancies of thefe gentlemen, would correct their different imperfections; and that from both, efpecially with his affiftance, the two lads would derive fufficient precepts of true religion and virtue. If the event hap-. pened contrary to his expectations, this poffibly proceeded from fome fault in the plan itself; which the reader hath my leave to difcover, if he can: for we do not pretend to introduce any infallible characters into this hiftory; where we hope nothing will be found which hath never yet been feen in human nature.

To return therefore; the reader will not, I think, wonder that the different behaviour of the two lads above commemorated, produced the different effects, of which he hath already seen fome inftance; and befides this, there was another reafon for the conduct of the philofopher and the pedagogue; but this being matter of great importance, we fhall reveal it in the next chapter.

CH A P. VI.

Containing a better reafon fill for the before-mentioned opinions.

IT is to be known then, that thofe two learned

per

fonages, who have lately made a confiderable figure on the theatre of this hiftory, had from their first arrival at Mr. Allworthy's houfe taken fo great an affection, the one to his virtue, the other to his religion, that they had meditated the clofeft alliance with him.

1

For this purpose they had caft their eyes on that fair widow, whom, though we have not for fome time made any mention of her, the reader, we truft, hath not forgot. Mrs. Blifil was indeed the object to which they both afpired.

It may feem remarkable, that of four perfons whom we have commemorated at Mr. Allworthy's house, three of them fhould fix their inclinations on a lady who was never greatly celebrated for her beauty, and who was, moreover, now a little defcended into the vale of years; but in reality bofom friends, and intimate acquaintance, have a kind of natural propenfity to particular females at the house of a friend, viz. to his grand-mother, mother, fifter, daughter, aunt, niece, or coufin, when they are rich; and to his wife, fitter, daughter, niece, coufin, miftrefs, or fervant maid, if they fhould be handfome..

We would not, however, have our reader imagine that perfons of fuch characters as were fupported by Thwackum and Square, would undertake a matter of this kind, which hath been a little cenfured by fome rigid moralifts, before they had thoroughly examined it, and confidered whether it was, (as Shakespeare phrafes it) 'Stuff o'th' confcience' or no. Thwackum was encouraged to the undertaking by reflecting, that to covet your neighbour's fifter is no where forbidden and he knew it was a rule in the construction of all law, that Expreffum facit ceffare tacitum.' The fenfe of which is, When a law-giver fets down plainly his whole meaning, we are prevented from making him mean what we please ourselves.' As fome inftances of women, therefore, are mentioned in the divine law, which forbids us to covet our neighbour's goods, and that of a fifter omitted, he concluded it to be lawful. And as to Square, who was in his perfon what is called a jolly fellow, or a widow's man, he eafily reconciled his choice to the eternal fitnefs of things.

6

Now, as both these gentlemen were induftrious in taking every opportunity of recommending themfelves to the widow, they apprehended one certain method was, by giving her fon the conftant preference to the other lad; and, as they conceived the kindness and affection which Mr. Allworthy fhewed the latter, muft be highly difagreeable to her, they doubted not but the laying hold on all occafions to degrade and vilify him, would be highly pleafing to her; who, as fhe

hated

་ །

hated the boy, muft love all those who did him any hurt. In this Thwackum had the advantage; for while Square could only fcarify the poor lad's reputation, he could flay his fkin; and, indeed, he confidered every lafh he gave him as a compliment paid to his miftrefs; fo that he could, with the utmost propriety, repeat this old flogging line, Cafligo te non quod odio habeam, fed quod AMEM.' I chaftife thee not out of hatred, but out of love.' And this, indeed, he often had in his mouth, or rather, according to the old phrase, never more properly applied, at his finger ends.

For this reafon principally, the two gentlemen concurred, as we have feen above, in their opinion concerning the two lads; this being, indeed, almoft the only inftance of their concurring on any point; for, betide the difference of their principles, they had both long ago ftrongly fufpected each other's defign, and hated one another with no little degree of inveteracy.

This mutual animofity was a good deal increafed by their alternate fucceffes: for Mrs. Bilfil knew what they would be at long before they imagined it: or, indeed, intended fhe fhould: for they proceeded with great caution, left the fhould be offended, and acquaint Mr. Allworthy. But they had no reason for any fuch fear; fhe was well enough pleafed with a paffion, of which fhe intended none fhould have any fruits but herself. And the only fruit fhe defigned for herself, were flattery and courtship; for which purpose, fhe foothed them by turns, and a long time equally. She was, indeed, rather inclined to favour the parfon's principles; but Square's perfon was more agreeable to her eye, for he was a comely man; whereas the pedagogue did in countenance very nearly resemble that gentleman, who, in the Harlot's Progress, is seen correcting the ladies in Bridewell.

Whether Mrs. Blifil had been furfeited with the fweets of marriage, or difgufted by its bitters, or from what other cause it proceeded, I will not determine; but she could never be brought to liften to any fecond proposals. However, fhe at laft converfed with Square with fuch a degree of intimacy, that malicious tongues

began

began to whisper things of her, to which, as well for the fake of the lady, as that they were highly disagreeable to the rule of right, and the fitness of things, we will give no credit, and therefore shall not blot our paper with them. The pedagogue, 'tis certain, whipt on, without getting a step nearer to his journey's end. Indeed he had committed a great error, and that Square difcovered much fooner than himfelf. Mrs. Blifil (as, perhaps, the reader may have formerly gueffed) was not over and above pleafed with the behaviour of her husband; nay, to be honeft, fhe abfolutely hated him, till his death, at laft, a little reconciled him to her affections. It will not be therefore greatly wondered at, if she had not the most violent regard to the offspring fhe had by him. And, in fact, he had fo little of this regard, that in his infancy fhe feldom faw her fon, or took any notice of him; and hence the acquiefced, after a little reluctance, in all the favours which Mr. Allworthy fhowered on the foundling; whom the good man called his own boy, and in all things put on an entire equality with Mafter Blifil. This acquiefcence in Mrs. Blifil was confidered by the neighbours, and by the family, as a mark of her condefcenfion to her brother's humor, and fhe was imagined by all others, as well as Thwackum and Square, to hate the foundling in her heart nay, the more civility fhe fhewed him, the more they conceived the detefted him, and the furer fchemes fhe was laying for his ruin: for as they thought it her intereft to hate him, it was very difficult for her to perfuade them fhe did not.

Thwackum was the more confirmed in his opinion, as fhe had more than once flily caufed him to whip Tom Jones, when Mr. Allworthy, who was an enemy to this exercife, was abroad; whereas he had never given any fuch orders concerning young Blifil. And this had likewife impofed upon Square. In reality, though the certainly hated her own fon; of which, however monstrous it appears, I am affured fhe is not a fingular inftance, fhe appeared, notwithstanding all her outward compliance, to be in her heart fufficiently difpleafed with all the favour fhewn by Mr. Allworthy

to

to the foundling. She frequently complained of this behind her brother's back, and very fharply cenfured him for it, both to Thwackum and Square; nay, fle would throw it in the teeth of Allworthy himself, when a little quarrel, or miff, as it is vulgarly called, arofe

between them.

However, when Tom grew up, and gave tokens of that gallantry of temper which greatly recommends men to women, this difinclination which the had difcovered to him when a child, by degrees abated, and at laft fhe fo evidently demonstrated her affection to him to be much stronger than what the bore her own fon, that it was impoffible to mistake her any longer. She was fo defirous of often feeing him, and difcovered fuch fatisfaction and delight in his company, that before he was eighteen years old, he was become a rival to both Square and Thwack

; and what is worfe, the whole country began to talk as loudly of her inclination to Tom, as they had before done of that which he had fhewn to Square; on which account the philofopher conceived the most implacable hatred for our poor hero.

In which the Author himself makes his appearance on the flage.

THOUGH Mr. Allworthy was not of himself hafty to fee things in a difadvantageous light, and was a ftranger to the public voice, which feldom reaches to a brother or a husband, though it rings in the ears of all the neighbourhood; yet was this affection of Mrs. Blifil to Tom, and the preference which the too vifibly gave him to her own fon, of the utmoft difadvantage to that youth.

For fuch was the compaffion which inhabited Mr. Allworthy's mind, that nothing but the fteel of juftice could ever fubdue it. To be unfortunate in any refpect was fufficient, if there was no demerit to counterpoife it, to turn the fcale of that good man's pity, and to engage his friendship and his benefaction.

When