.

and thefe difficulties added to the lazy and unthinking habit I had fo long indulged, made me at length forbear going any

more to hear him.

I have already hinted that my mother's circumstances were too narrow for the expence I had already put her to, and my father was still more unable to give her any affistance in it, though he was not a little pleased at the great progrefs he was told I had made for my years. Her hopes and mine were, indeed, that I might by that means introduce myself as a tutor into fome good family, and fave her all farther charges. But I had been fo far neglected in the other parts of my education, had fo little addrefs or politenefs, and knew fo little of the world, that I could not look upon myself as fit for fuch an em-. ployment among perfons above the common rank, and my pride would not let me aim at any thing below it; fo that inftead of trying as I might, and ought to have done, I was rather become carelefs and indifferent about it, and I was indeed both too young and too naturally unfit for it. Notwithstanding which, fome of my acquaintance, unknown or undefired, got me into a middling family, where I was upon somewhat better terms than with my old counsellor.'

In this new ftation, however, he was not more fortunate than during his refidence in the colleges. His pupil was averfe to all literary improvement, and it was foon found that Mr. **** was of no use in the family; fo that he was very civilly difmiffed.

He then got into another family, in which he had the care of two young gentlemen; with whom he was not a jot more fuccefsful. Here the lady of the manfion formed defigns upon his virtue, which he tells us he had vanity, not virtue, enough to oppofe and fruftrate. The confequence was a difmiffion from this fecond employment.

He now repaired to Avignon; where his poverty, added to other mortifications, induced him to have recourse to his old ftratagem of cloathing himself with fome falfe merit for want of a great one,'-his own words-and of pretending to be a fufferer for Religion, and accufing his father of having ufed him feverely on that account: all which was too eafily liften'd to by his acquaintance, especially among the friars, who bestowed on him fo much of their pity and admiration as foothed his vanity, but did not answer the main end propofed,-an introduction into fome new family as a tutor.

From Avignon he went to the fair at Baucaire, a city in Languedoc on the Rhine; where he endeavoured to borrow money of fome merchants, his acquaintance, but was refused,

This

was.

This made him determine to return home, to his mother; tho' he was too bare both of money and cloaths to undertake so long a journey. In this dilemma he found means to procure a país or certificate, at a proper office, fignifying that he was a young ftudent in theology, of Irish extraction, that he had left the country for the fake of religion, and was then going on a pilgrimage to Rome. His method to equip himself in a pilgrim's garb was fingular enough, and fhews what a fine bold youth he This garb confifted in a long ftaff, handfomely turned, and a fhort leathern or oil-cloth cloak; and fuch an equipage he had obferved, fet up in a neigbouring chapel, as a monument, by fome wandering pilgrim, come to the end of his journey. This chapel being dedicated to a miraculous faint, was never without a number of devotees, who prayed and burnt tapers before the image of the faint; but this did not deter our adventurer from openly going in, and taking away both staff and cloak, at noon day. Away marched he with his prize into a private corner, where he threw the cloak over his shoulders, and with a fanctified gravity, walked off, with the staff in his hand, till he got out of the city.

Being thus accoutred, and furnished with a pafs to my mind, I began at all places to beg my way in a fluent Latin; accofting only clergymen, or perfons of figure, by whom I could be understood, and was most likely to be relieved; and I found them moftly fo generous and credulous, that had I had the leaft propenfity to provide for hereafter, I might easily have faved a good deal of money, and put myself into a much more creditable garb, before I had gone through a score or two of miles; but fuch was my vanity and extravagance, that as foon as I had got what I thought a fufficient viaticum, I begged no more, but viewed every thing worth feeing, then retired to fome inn, where I spent my money as freely as I got it, not without fome fuch aukward tokens of generofity, as better fuited with my vanity than my prefent circumstances. The nearer I drew to my native place, the more irrefolute I grew, whether I fhould pay a vifit to my mother, or continue my journey to Rome; the concern I knew she must be in about me, ftrongly inclined me to the former, but my uncommon mean garb, which was become only more fcandalous by the length of my journey, made me fo ashamed to be feen either by her, or any of my friends, that I fully refolved on the latter. Í had, in order to it, wheeled about to the left, to leave the place at fome twenty or thirty miles diftance, and was got into a small town, where I little expected to be known, when venturing on the Sunday into the church, at the time of high mafs, I was furprised to fee fome perfons, efpecially two or three gentlewomen, whofe chief refidence was at my native city,

but

but who it feems were fpending part of the fummer at that place, and who, in fpight of my being thus tranfmogrified, did easily recall me to mind, and gave me to understand they did. I was fo fhocked at it, that I left the church at the most folemn part of the fervice, when they were most intent on their devotions, not caring to ftand an examen from them, and made the best of my way through private paths, to avoid being caught if pursued. Whether I was fo I know not, but the fight of them made fuch a ftrong impreffion on my mind, and raised fuch an earnest defire in me of feeing once more that beloved city, especially confidering that it was now impofible to conceal either my way of travelling, or mean appearance from my friends, that as foon as I thought myself out of the reach of a pursuit, I took the direct road homeward, with an intent to go and fatisfy my poor anxious mother, before fhe got the intelligence from other hands, and confult with her, whether I fhould purfue my journey to Rome, or get into any other way he liked better. And I only took care to enter the city in the dufk of the evening, and got to her house unperceived by any but those of the family.

My poor mother was glad to fee me, though forry to behold the mean garb I was in, and failed not, though with her usual tenderness, to chide me, for having made fo bad an use of the opportunities, the fuppofed I had had, of pushing my fortune, which, fhe knew as well as I, was but too much owing to my indolence. Much more reason would he have had to chide me, had the known how much of my time I had trifled away during the last year and a half I had been abfent from her; but that I concealed from her, and the good woman was fometimes inclined to think, that my too great eagerness after my ftudies had made me neglect every thing elfe. But I was greatly furprised at the end of two or three days, during which I had kept as much from fight as I could, to hear her propofe to me, fince I had found out fo cheap, fafe, and eafy a way of travelling, to go and pay a visit to my father, who then lived fome hundreds of miles from her, and try what I could get him to do for me; and I had the more reason to wonder at her propofal, because she knew, as well as I, that a tradefman of our town, who had been with him about two or three years before, had brought us a very indifferent account of his circumftances. This made me fufpect that a coufin of mine, and a great favourite of hers, whofe fortune was in no wife fuitable to his high fpirit, had put that ftrange project in her head, that I might be far enough out of the way of obstructing her kindness to him. Whether there was any real foundation for my fufpicion, I cannot fay, but the furprize the obferved me to be in at her propofal, made fuch an impreffion upon her, that the forgot nothing that could affure me

of

of her maternal and unalterable tendernefs, alledging that the only wanted to be better satisfied of the condition my father was in, than she was from the report of the tradesman above men¬ tioned, and adding, that in case I found it not to my liking, and him as tender as I might expect, the charged me exprefsiy to leave him, and come back to her as foon as poffible, and by no means to stay longer than a year from her, unless I could convince her that it was very much to my advantage.

Being thus far fatisfied of her maternal affection, I eafily confented to take the journey, having by that time contracted, an inclination to ramble and fee new countries, and as it was a long and dangerous one, we thought it improper to alter my drefs, the meannefs of which would rather be a fafeguard; however, the thought fit to few up a fmall quantity of gold to my cloaths, which, fhe faid, would ferve to buy me fome better. ones, when I came near the end of my journey. My ftaff and cloak, with the addition of a long loofe gown, made of a light kind of black buckram to cover the reft from duft, were fent by: a man to a place on the road, about four miles off; and very early in the morning I took a forrowful leave of my mother, and she of me, and the repeated her charge to me to return to her, if I did not find things to my fatisfaction. When I came to the place where my pilgrim's drefs waited for me, I put it on, and went on not without a heavy heart, though without the leaft. doubt of my mother's conftant affection. My direct rout was through the first great univerfity where I had began to study. theology, fo that I was forced to wheel about to avoid it, for fear of being known. All the reft of the way I was an utter ftranger to, and I met frequently with fome objects that made me fhrink, though it was a confiderable high road; now and then at fome lonely place lay the carcafe of a man rotting and ftinking on the ground by the way fide, with a rope about his' neck, which was faftened to a poft about two or three yards diftance, and thefe were the bodies of highwaymen, or rather of foldiers, failors, mariners, or even galley-flaves, difbanded after the peace of Refwick, who, having neither home nor occupa-' tion, used to infeft the roads in troops, plunder towns and vil-' lages, and when taken were hanged at the county-town by dozers, or even fcores fometimes, after which their bodies were thus expofed along the highway in terrorem. At other places one met with crofles, either of wood or ftone, the highest notabove two or three feet, with infcriptions to this purport; 66 pray for the foul of A. B. or of a ftranger that was found mur-' dered on this fpot." Thefe deterring objects made me willing to affociate myself to fome fellow-travellers whom I met on the fame road; but fuch was my vanity, that I never renewed the

pilgrim's

pilgrim's trade of begging whilft any of my money lafted, but was rather lavish of it on fome of them, though I knew not how foon I might feel the want of it; and I had not refumed it long before I met with fuch a mortification as made me heartily repent of my folly. I was to go through the celebrated city of Lyons, abounding with the fineft buildings and other curiofities, which I was very defirous to fee; and when I came to one of the gates, was afked by an officer, in a livery like our beadles, whether I wanted a viaticum? Not knowing the confequence of his question, I anfwered in the affirmative, and was bid immediately to follow him. I was furprised at the length of the way he led me, and obferved feveral fine churches, palaces, fquares, &c. which I ftood still to admire, but was not fuffered to do fo long; and at length, after about an hour and half's good walking, was told, that that was the oppofite gate at which I was to go out and purfue my journey; he then clapped a couple of pence into my hand, and told me, that I must not venture back into the city under fome fevere punishment, and left me quite aftonished and unable to reply. As foon as I had recovered myself, I began to reflect on my extravagance and disappointment in a moft lively manner, but thought it beft, however, to follow his advice, rather than expofe myself to fome fhameful treatment, if I attempted to return. What increased my concern was, the fear of finding the fame method obferved in every great city I came to, but, happily for me, it proved otherwife, and I not only went through them all without moleftation, but staid in fome of them long enough to view every thing worth feeing, and to converse with men of learning and piety, from whom I received fome tokens of their generosity.

The misfortune was, that my rafhness and vanity would not fuffer me to keep within due bounds, but I must set myself off to the higheft advantage, by pretending to greater merit and learning than was confiftent even with common prudence, as it expofed me to the continual danger of a fhameful discovery. I took notice heretofore how little progrefs I had made in the Greek tongue, rather through the ignorance and neglect of fome of my teachers, than want of capacity or application, but now I pretended to be not only master of it, but likewife in some meafure of the Hebrew, though I knew not a fingle letter of the latter, and had only feen fome Hebrew books belonging to the Jews of Avignon, by which I juft could diftinguish that from other characters; the truth is, that neither that nor any of the oriental tongues, nor even the Greek, were much studied by the clergy; so I was not under any great danger on that account, though I own I have been fometimes foiled at the latter, because I commonly addreffed myfelf to the priests, among whom I met,

now