cle; who fays, I fhall have good luck if I pass through life without being obliged to make many more compofitions of the fame kind. The old gentleman told me last night, with great good humour that betwixt the age of twenty and forty, he had been obliged to provide for nine bastards, fworn to him by women whom he never faw - Mr. Bramble's character, which feems to intereft you greatly, opens and improves upon me every day. His fingularities afford a rich mine of entertainment: his understanding, fo far as I can judge, is well cultivated: his obfervations on life are equally just, pertinent, and uncommon. He affects mifanthrophy, in order to conceal the fenfibility of a heart, which is tender, even to a degree of weakness. This delicacy of feeling, or foreness of the mind, makes him timorous and fearful; but then he is afraid of nothing fo much as of difhonour; and although he is exceedingly cautious of giving of fence, he will fire at the leaft hint of infolence or ill breeding Refpectable as he is, upon the whole, I can't help being fometimes diverted by his little diftreffes; which provoke him to let fly the fhafts of his fatire, keen and penetrating as the arrows of Teucer Our aunt Tabitha, acts upon him as a perpetual grind-ftone She is, in all refpect, a striking contraft to her brother-But I referve her portrait for another occafion.

Three days ago we came hither from the Hot Well, and took poffeffion of the firft floor of a lodging-houfe, on the South Parade; a fituation which my uncle chofe, for its being near the Bath, and remote from the noife of carriages. He was fcarce warm in the lodgings when he called for his night cap, his wide fhoes and flannel; and declared himself invefted with the gout in his right foot; though, I believe, it had as yet reached no farther than his imagination. It was not long before he

had

had reafon to repent his premature declaration; for our aunt Tabitha found means to make fuch a clamour and confufion, before the flannels could be produced from the trunk, that one would have imagined the houfe was on fire. All this time, uncle fat boiling with impatience, biting his fingers, throwing up his eyes, and muttering ejaculations; at length he burst into a kind of convulfive laugh, after whih he hummed a fong; and when the hurricane was over, exclaimed, "Bleffed be God "for all things!" This, however, was but the beginning of his troubles. Mrs. Tabitha's favourite dog Chowder, having paid his complimens to a female turn-fpit, of his own fpecies, in the kitchen, involved himself in a quarrel with no fewer than five rivals, who fet upon him at once, and drove him up ftairs to the dining-room door, with hideous noife: there our aunt and her woman, taking arms in his defence, joined the concert; which became truly diabolical. This fray being with difficulty fuppreffed, by the intervention of our own foot-man and the cook-maid of the house the 'fquire had juft opened his mouth to expoftulate with Tabby, when the town-waits, in the paffage below, ftruck up their mufick, (if mufick it maybe called) with fuch a fudden burst of found, ast made him ftart and ftare, with marks of indignation and difquiet. He had recollection enough to fend his fervant with fome money to filence thofe noify intruders; and they were immediately difmiffed, though not without fome oppofition on the part of Tabitha, who thought it but reasonable that he should have more mufick for his money. Scarce had he fettled this knotty point, when a ftrange kind of thumping and bouncing was heard right over-head, in the fecond story, fo loud and violent as to shake the whole building. I own I was exceedingly provoked at this new alarm; and before

my

my uncle had time to exprefs himself on the subject, I ran up ftairs, to see what was the matter. Finding the room-door open, I entered without ceremony, and perceived an object, which I cannot now recollect without laughing to excess-It was a dancing mafter, with his fcholar, in the act of teaching. The master was blind of one eye, and lame of one foot, and led about the room his pupil, who feemed to be about the age of three-score, ftooped mortally, was tall, raw-boned, hard-favoured, with a woollen night cap on his head; and he had ftript off his coat, that he might be more nimble in his motions---Finding himfelf intruded upon, by a perfon he did not know, he forthwith girded himself with a long iron fword, and advancing to me, with a peremptory air, pronounced, in a true Hibernian, accent, "Mifter What d'ye cal

lum, by my fhoul and confcience, I am very "glad to fea you, if you are after coming in the "" way of friendship; and indeed, and indeed now, "I believe you are my friend fure enough, gra; "though I never had the honour to fea your face "before, my dear; for because you come like a "friend, without any ceremony at all, at all---" I told him the nature of my vifit would not admit of ceremony; that I was come to defire he would make lefs noise, as there was a fick gentleman below whom he had no right to disturb with fuch prepofterous doings. "Why, look-ye now, young gen"tleman, (replied this original) perhaps, upon an"other occafion, I might fhivilly request you to "explain the maining of that hard word, prepafbut there's a time for all things, ho"ney---", So faying, he paffed me with great agility, and, running down ftairs, found our footman at the dining-room door, of whom he demanded admittance, to pay his refpects to the stranger. As the fellow did not think proper to refuse the

"terous:

requeft

a

request of such a formidable figure, he was immediately introduced, and addreffed himself to my uncle in these words: Your humble fervant, "good fir- I'm not fo prepafterons, as your fon calls it, but I know the rules of fhivility- I'm a poor knight of Ireland, my name is Sir Ulic Mackilligut, of the county of Galway; being your fellow-lodger, I'm come to pay my, refpects, and to welcome you to the South Parade, and to offer my best services to you, and your good lady, and your pretty daughter; and even to the young gentleman your fon, though he thinks me a prepafterous fellow You must know I am to have the honour to open a ball next door to-morrow with lady Mac Manus; and being rufted in my dancing, I was refreshing my memory with little exercife; but if I had "known there was a fick perfon, below, by Chrift! "I would have fooner danced a hornpipe upon my own head, than walk the fofteft minute over "yours."- My uncle, who was not a little startled at his first appearance, received his compliment with great complacency, infifted upon his being feated, thanked him for the honour of his vifit and reprimanded me for my abrupt expoftulation with a gentleman of his rank and character. Thus tutored, I asked pardon of the knight, who forthwith ftarting up,embraced me fo clofe, that I could; hardly breathe; and affured me, he loved me as: his own foul. At length, recollecting his night-cap, he pulled it off in fome confufion; and with his bald-pate uncovered, made a thoufaud apologies to the ladies, as he retired At that inftant, the Abbey: bells began to ring fo loud, that we could not hear one another speak; and this peal, as we afterwards: learned, was for the honour of Mr Bullock, an eminent cow-keeper of Tottenham, who sad just arrived at Bath to drink the waters for indigeftion. Mr.

Bramble

Bramble had not time to make his remarks upon the agreeable nature of this ferenade, before his ears were faluted with another concert that interested him more nearly. Two negroes belonging to a Creole gentleman, who lodged in the fame houfe, taking their ftation at a window in the ftair-cafe, about ten feet from our dining-room door, began to practice upon the french-horn; and being in the very first rudiments of execution, produced fuch difcordant founds, as might have difcompofed the organs of an afs You may guess what effect they had upon the irritable nerves of uncle; who with the moft admirable expreffion of fplenetic furprize in his countenance, fent his man to filence thofe dreadful blafts, and defire the musicians to practice in fome other place, as they had no right to ftand there and difturb all the lodgers in the houfe. Thofe fable performers, far from taking the hint and withdrawing, treated the messenger with great infolence; bidding him carry his compliments to their mafter, colonel Rigworm, who would give him a proper answer, and a good drubbing into the bargain; in the mean time they continued their noife, and even endeavoured to make it more difagreeable; laughing between whiles, at the thoughts of being able to torment their betters with impunity. Our 'fquire, incenfed at the additional infult, immediately difpatched the fervant with his compli ments to colonel Rigworm, requesting that he would order his blacks to be quiet, as the noise they made was altogether intolerable-to this meffage, the Creole colonel replied, that his horns had a right to found on a common stair cafe; that there they fhould play for his diverfion; and that thofe who did not like the noife, might look for lodgings elfewhere. Mr Bramble no fooner received this reply, than his eyes began to gliften, his face grew pale, and his teeth chattered. After a moment's pause,

he