entered the apartment of her miftrefs, than fhe be. gan to relate in the following manner :

La Ma'am, what doth your la'fhip think? the girl that your la'fhip faw at church on Sunday, whom you thought fo handfome; though you would not have thought her fo handfome neither, if you had feen her nearer; but to be fure fhe hath been carried before the Juftice for being big with child. She seemed to me to look like a confident flut; and to be fure fhe hath laid the child to young Mr. Jones. And all the parish fays Mr. Allworthy is fo angry with young Mr. Jones, that he won't fee him. To be fure, one can't help pitying the poor young man, and yet he doth not deferve much pity neither, for demeaning himself with fuch kind of trumpery. Yet he is fo pretty a gentleman, I fhould be forry to have him turned out of doors. I dares to fwear the wench was as willing as he; for fhe was always a forward kind of body. And when wenches are fo coming, young men are not fo much to be blamed neither, for to be fure they do no more than what is natural. Indeed it is beneath them to meddle with fuch dirty draggle tails: and what✦ ever happens to them, it is good enough for them. And yet to be fure the vile baggages are most in fault. I wishes, with all my heart, they were well to be whipped at the cart's tail; for it is pity they fhould be the ruin of a pretty young gentleman; and nobody can deny but that Mr. Jones is one of the moft handfomeft young men that ever-

She was running on thus, when Sophia, with a more peevish voice than fhe had ever spoken to her in before, cried, Prithee, why do'st thou trouble me with all this ftuff? What concern have I in what Mr. Jones doth? I fuppose you are all alike. And you seem to me to be angry it was not your own cafe.' I, Ma'am ! answered Mrs. Honour, . I am forry your ladyfhip fhould have fuch an opinion of I am fure no body can fay any fuch thing of All the fellows in the world may go to the devil for me. Becaufe I faid he was a handfone man! Every body fays it well as I-To be fure,

me.

me.

young

I never

I never thought as it was any harm to fay a young .6 man was handsome; but to be fure I fhall never think ;. him fo any more now; for handfome is that hand• fome does. A beggar wench !——

་

Stop thy torrent of impertinence,' cries Sophia, and fee whether my father wants me at breakfast.' Mrs Honour then flung out of the room muttering much to herself, of which-—— Marry come up, I affure you,' was all that could be plainly dif tinguifhed.

Whether Mrs. Honour really deferved that fufpicion, of which her miftrefs gave her a hint, is a matter which we cannot indulge our reader's curiofity by refolving. We will however make him amends in difclofing what paffed in the mind of Sophia.

The reader will be pleased to recollect, that a fecret affection for Mr. Jones had infenfibly ftolen into the bofom of this young lady. That it had there grown to a pretty great height before the herfelf had dif covered it. When the firft began to perceive its fymptoms, the fenfations were so sweet and pleafing, that he had not refolution fufficient to check or repel them; and thus fhe went on cherishing a paffion of which fhe never once confidered the confe quences.

This incident relating to Molly firft opened her eyes. She now firft perceived the weakness of which The had been guilty; and though it caufed the utmost peturbation in her mind, yet it had the effect of other naufeous phyfic, and for the time expelled her distemper. Its operation indeed was moft wonderfully quick; and in the fhort interval, while her maid was abfent, fo entirely removed all fymptoms, that when Mrs. Honour returned with a fummons from her father, fhe was become perfectly eafy, and had brought herself to a thorough indifference for Mr. Jones.

The difeafes of the mind do in almost every particular imitate thofe of the body. For which reafon, we hope, that learned faculty, for whom we have fo profound a refpect, will pardon us the violent hands we have been neceffitated to lay on seve

ral

ral words and phrafes which of right belong to them, and without which our descriptions muft have been often unintelligible.

Now there is no one circumftance in which the diftempers of the mind bear a more exact analogy to thofe which are called bodily, than that aptnefs which both have to a relapfe. This is plain, in the violent difeafes of ambition and avarice. I have known ambition, when cured at court by frequent disappointments (which are the only phyfic for it,) to break out again in a conteft for foreman of the grand jury at an aflizes; and have heard of a man who had fo far conquered avarice, as to give away many a fix-pence, that comforted himself, at last, on his death-bed, by making a crafty and advantageous bargain concerning his enfuing funeral, with an undertaker who had married. his only child.

In the affair. of love, which out of ftrict conformity with the ftoic philofophy we fhall here treat as a disease, this pronenefs to relapfe is no lefs confpicuous. Thus it happened to poor Sophia; upon whom, the very next time the faw young Jones, all the former fymptoms returned, and from that time cold and hot fits alternately feized her heart.

She

The fituation of this young lady was now very different from what it had ever been before. That paffion, which had formerly been fo exquifitely delicious, became now a fcorpion in her bofom. refifted it therefore with her utmost force, and fummoned every argument her reafon (which was furprifingly ftrong for her age) could fuggeft, to fubdue and expel it. In this the fo far fucceeded, that the began to hope from time and absence a perfect cure.. She refolved therefore to avoid Tom Jones as much as poffible; for which purpose she began to conceive a defigu of visiting her aunt, to which the made no donbt. of obtaining her father's confent.

But fortune, who had other deligus in her head, put an immediate ftop to any fuch proceeding, by introducing an accident, which will be related in the next chapter.

CHAP.

CHA P. XIII.

A dreadful accident which befell Sophia. The gallant behaviour of Jones, and the more dreadful confequence of that behaviour to the young lady; with a fort digreffion in favour of the female fex.

MR. Western grew every day fonder and fonder

of Sophia, infomuch that his beloved dogs themfelves almoft gave place to her in his affections; but as he could not prevail on himself to abandon thefe, he contrived very cunningly to enjoy their company, together with that of his daughter, by infifting on her riding a hunting with him.

Sophia, in whom her father's word was a law, readily complied with his defires, though fhe had not the leaft delight in a fport, which was of too rough and mafculine a nature to fuit with her difpofition. She had, however, another motive, befide her obedience, to accompany the old gentleman in the chace; for by her prefence the hoped in fome measure to reftrain his impetuofity, and to prevent him from fo frequently expofing his neck to the utmoft hazard.

The ftrongeft objection was that which would have formerly been an inducement to her, namely, the frequent meeting with young Jones, whom he had determined to avoid; but as the end of the hunting feafon now approached, the hoped, by a fhort abfence with her aunt, to reafon herfelf entirely out of her unfortunate paffion; and had not any doubt of being able to meet him in the field the fubfequent season without the leaft danger.

On the fecond day of her hunting, as fhe was returning from the chace, and was arrived within a little distance from Mr. Western's house, her horfe, whofe mettlefome fpirit required a better rider, fell fuddenly to prancing and capering in fuch a manner, that he was in the moft imminent peril of falling. Tom Jones, who was at a little distance behind, faw this, and immediately galloped up to her affiftance. As foon as he came up, he leapt from his own horse,

and

and caught hold of her's by the bridle. The unruly beaft presently reared himself an end on his hind legs, and threw his lovely burthen from his back, and Jones caught her in his arms.

She was fo affected with the fright, that he was not immediately able to fatisfy Jones, who was very folicitous to know whether he had received any hurt. She foon after, however, recovered her fpirits, affured him fhe was fafe, and thanked him for the care he had taken of her. Jones anfwered, • if I have preferved you, madam, I am fufficiently repaid; for I promise you, I would have secured you from the leaft harm, at the expence of a much greater misfortune to myself, than I have fuffered on this • occafion.'

What misfortune,' replies Sophia, eagerly, I hope have come to no mifchief?"

you

Be not concerned, madam, answered Jones, Heaven be praised, you have efcaped fo well, con. fidering the danger you were in. If I have broke my arm, I confider it as a trifle; in comparison of what I feared upon your account.'

Sophia then fcreamed out, Broke your arm! hea ven forbid.'

L

I am afraid I have, madam,' fays Jones, but I beg you will fuffer me firit to take care of you. have a right-hand yet at your fervice, to help you • into the next field, whence we have but a very little walk to your father's house.'

Sophia feeing his left arm dangling by his fide, while. he was ufing the other to lead her, no longer doubted. of the truth. She now grew much paler than her fears for herself had made her before. All her limbs were feized with a trembling, infomuch that Jones could scarce fupport her; and as her thoughts were in. no lefs agitation, fhe could not refrain from giving Jones a look fo full of tenderness, that it almoft argued a ftronger sensation in her mind, than even gratitude. and pity united can raife in the gentleft female bofom, without the affiftance of a third more powerful paffion.

Mr.