and chance happens to all; and the most affluent may be stript of all, and find his worldly comforts like fo many withered leaves dropping from him.

SERM. XLI. P. 209.

THE

DEAD A S S.

ND this, faid he, putting the remains of a

AND

cruft into his wallet

and this fhould

have been thy portion, faid he, hadft thou been alive to have fhared it with me. I thought by the accent, it had been an apostrophe to his child; but 'twas to his afs, and to the very afs we had seen dead in the road, which had occafioned La Fleur's mifadventure. The man feemed to lament it much; and it inftantly brought into my mind Sancho's lamentation for his; but he did it with more true touches of

nature..

The mourner was fitting upon a stone-bench at the door, with the afs's pannel and its bridle on one fide, which he took up from time to time-then laid them down-look'd at them—

and

and thook his head. He then took his cruft of bread out of his wallet again, as if to eat it? held it fome time in his hand-then laid it upon the bit of his afs's bridle-look'd wiftfully at the little arrangement he had made—and then gave a sigh.

The fimplicity of his grief drew numbers about him, and La Fleur amongst the rest, whilst the horses were getting ready; as I continued fitting in the post-chaise, I could see and hear over their heads.

-He said he had come last from Spain, where he had been from the furtheft borders of Franconia; and had got so far on his return home, when his afs died. Every one feem'd defirous to know what bufinefs could have taken fo old and poor a man so far a journey from his

own home.

It had pleased heaven, he faid, to blefs him with three fons, the finest lads in all Germany; but having in one week loft two of them by the fmall-pox, and the youngest falling ill of the fame diftemper, he was afraid of being bereft of them all; and made a vow, if heaven would not take

him from him alfo, he would go in gratitude to St. Jago in Spain,

When the mourner got thus far on his ftory, he stopp'd to pay nature her tribute-and wept bitterly.

He faid heaven had accepted the conditions, and that he had fet out from his cottage with this poor creature, who had been a patient partner of his journey that it had eat the fame bread with him all the way, and was unto him as a friend.

Every body who ftood about heard the poor fellow with concern-La Fleur offered him money-The mourner faid he did not want it --it was not the value of the afs-but the lofs of him. The afs, he faid, he was affured, loved him-and upon this told them a long story of a mifchance upon their paffage over the Pyrenean mountains which had separated them from each other three days; during which time the afs had fought him as much as he had fought the afs, and that they had neither scarce eat or drank till they met.

Thou hast one comfort, friend, faid I, at leaft in the lofs of thy poor beaft; I'm fure thou haft been a merciful master to him,-Alas! faid the mourner, I thought fo, when he was alive -but now he is dead I think otherwise.-I fear the weight of myself and my afflictions together have been too much for him-they have fhortened the poor creature's days, and I fear I have them to answer for.-Shame on the world! faid I to myself-Did we love each other as this poor foul but lov'd his afs-'twould be fomething.

SEN. JOURNEY, P. 74.

HUMOURING IMMORAL APPETITES.

THE humouring of certain appetites, where morality is not concerned, feems to be the means by which the Author of nature intended to fweeten this journey of life, and bear us up under the many shocks and hard jostlings, which we are fure to meet with in our way. And a man might, with as much reason, muffle up himfelf against funshine and fair weather, and at othertimes expofe himself naked to the incle

mencies

mencies of cold and rain, as debar himself of the innocent delights of his nature, for affected referve and melancholy.

It is true, on the other hand, our paffions are apt to grow upon us by indulgence, and become exorbitant, if they are not kept under exact difcipline, that by way of caution and prevention 'twere better, at certain times, to affect fome degree of needlefs referve, than hazard any ill confequences from the other extreme.

SERMON, XXXVII. P. 13.

UNIT Y.

LOOK into private life,-behold how good and pleasant a thing it is to live together in unity; it is like the precious ointinent poured upon the head of Aaron, that run down to his fkirts;-importing that this balm of life is felt and enjoyed, not only by governors of kingdoms, but is derived down to the lowest rank of life, and tafted in the most private receffes;-all, from the king to the peafant, are refreshed with its bleffings, without which we can find no comN 2 fort