senger to solicit Mr. Bromley's return to the school; who was unanimously chosen by the feoffees.

I will not attempt to vindicate this conduct in a minister of the Gospel, who certainly ought to practise as well as recommend the pattern of the humble Jesus to our imitation, but leave it to those who may be inclined to think him less reprehensible. What tended to give it a still more haughty appearance was the social and agreeable temper of Mr. Bromley and Mr. Adams, whom I have already mentioned. I shall not, however, be thought to do this part of Mr. Budworth's character full justice, without giving his own account of it to those few friends with whom he was intimate. "Because," says he, "I do not associate with every common person, people think that I am very proud." To which must be added, that, among his acquaintance, there could not be a more cheerful or a more pleasing companion, nor, to his servants a better master.

One of his reproofs deserves to be remembered, on account of the good effect it produced, and perhaps might still produce, if it was more generally known. I must just premise the not very decent custom. of country people standing with their faces to the wall before they go into church, and for which the angular parts and buttresses are but too well adapted. As Mr. Budworth was going to prayers, he observed a tradesman in that attitude, whom he stopped with "Pray, Sir, if that was a Nobleman's seat, would you have taken such liberties?" Poor Mr. was too much engaged to walk off; the question admitted of no reply; he used afterwards to say, that he never, in all his life, was so greatly ashamed.

However familiar or pleasant he sometimes was, he would never permit a boy to use any kind of quickness to him in replies. "I would not suffer it,” says he to a young gentleman, "even if I was in the wrong, no, not to the first Nobleman's son in the kingdom."-This was expressed so feelingly, that the young gentleman could not help shedding tears.

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M. N.

No. IV.

HENRY FIELDING,

AN Author of great eminence in writings of wit and humour, was born at Sharpham, near Glastonbury in Somersetshire, April 22, 1707. His father, Edmund, was the third son of John Fielding, Doctor in Divinity, and Canon of Salisbury, who was the fifth son of George Earl of Desmond, and brother to William third earl of Denbigh, nephew to Basil, the second Earl, and grandson to William, who was first raised to that peerage. Edmund Fielding served in the wars under the Duke of Marlborough, and died Lieutenant-general of his Majesty's forces, at London, in the year 1740, having had four wives. His first wife was Sarah, daughter of Sir Henry Gould, Knight, one of the Judges of the Court of King's Bench, and aunt to the late Sir Henry Gould, successively a Baron of the Exchequer, and a Justice in the Court of Common Pleas By this lady, Lieutenant-general Fielding had two sons, Henry and Edmund, the last of whom, who was an officer in the marine service, departed this life without issue; and four daughters, Catharine, Ursula, Sarah, and Beatrix, who all died unmarried. The General, by his second wife, had six sons, George, James, Charles, John, Basil, and William. Of these, John, who in due course of time was raised to the honour of knighthood, was well known to the world as an active magistrate, and head of the Public Office in Bow-street, Covent-garden. It is greatly to the honour of Sir John Fielding's memory that he was a distinguished promoter of the Magdalen-house for penitent prostitutes, the Asylum for

deserted

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deserted young girls, and the Marine Society for fitting out indigent boys for the sea-service*.

Henry Fielding, the subject of the present article, received the first rudiments of his grammatical education at home, under the care of the Rev. Mr. Oliver, who was so far from gaining the affections of his pupil, that he is said to have been the original from which the humorous and striking portrait of parson Trulliber is drawn, in the Adventures of Joseph Andrews. From the tuition of Mr. Oliver, our author was removed to Eton-school, where he had the advantage of being early known to several young gentlemen, who afterwards ranked among the first people of the kingdom. These were Mr. Lyttelton, Mr. Fox, Mr. Pitt, Mr. Hanbury Williams, Mr. Winnington, and others, whose subsequent preferments and titles we need not specify. At this great seminary of education, Mr. Fielding gave distinguishing proofs of strong and peculiar parts; and, when he quitted the place, he was said to be uncommonly versed both in the Greek and Latin Classics; his acquaintance with, and his admiration of which, he retained through his whole life. From Eton he went to the University of Leyden, where he continued to shew an ardent thirst for knowledge. Here he studied the Civilians, with a remarkable application, for two years; but remittances failing him, he was obliged to return to London, when he was not 21 years of age. The fact was, that General Fielding, having a large family to provide for, found it impracticable to supply his eldest son in the manner that could be wished. Nominally his appointment was about 200l. a year; but, as he himself used to say, any body might pay it that would." At the same time, he was sensible that his father's limited income could not afford very con

*Collins's Peerage, vol. III. pp. 212-215. Beatson's Political Index, vol. I. pp. 410. 418. 422. And Mr. Murphy's Essay on the Life and Genius of Henry Fielding, esq. prefixed to his Works, vol. I. pp. 6, 7, edit. 1783.

siderable