riding all on one side of right principle at the time she eat the apple, and thus, mounted on the wrong side of right principle, dragged poor Adam after her to the confines of this world; where the said human faculty, styled correct principle, has been ever since feeding upon the imperfect pastures, as those of ignorance, bigotry, chicanery, and rottenness of this world, in common with all other hobby-horses. Now, how was it possible for Ardent, a young man about twenty-five years of age, to have a competent knowledge of the said defects, imperfections, deceits, treacheries, and other inconsistencies in human action, called human principles, but which are, in fact, anything but principles, although in a hobby-horse patronized by the clergy themselves, and fed and pampered in the stalls of their cathedrals, until it can scarcely be said to have one hair left in its tail or mane that can be properly considered to belong to the said steed-called the true hobby-horse, or human principle as it existed with our first parents in Paradise?-for it is now become so sorry a jade of a hack as to admit depraved persons of all ranks upon its back, one after another -some climbing up by the tail; others, being of

more importance, lay hold of the mane; and the former dignitaries of the earth seated themselves, one at a time, it is presumed, or altogether, between the ears of the said animal, which they had a very just right to do, as the most emiment should, no doubt, sit in the loftiest places.

Now, gentle reader, how was Ardent, with only perhaps fifty books in his library, to come to the knowledge of all this? It would be the acquirement of a lifetime, and, perhaps, require the consulting not of fifty books alone, but of fifty times fifty, or twenty-five hundred volumes at least, to get at a true knowledge of human things, to distinguish them properly from those that are divine. Now, it is not insisted upon at the present day that Ardent's knowledge of human life is superior to others; only a stronger impression has been made upon his mind in those departments he himself has trod; including his mounting the great hobby-horse of antiquity called human and divine principles, changed, as it is now become, into a sorry jade. The same horse threw many eminent men both before and since, and even the great whore of Babylon herself, when she attempted to mount it, and fairly kicked the same

profligate and abandoned reprobate out of these dominions, and placed her again on the seven hills; where she is now said to reside, with all the host of cardinals worshipping her and kissing her toes.

These loose hints are only thrown out, by the way, to excuse the simplicity of our fellow-traveller, Ardent, in his peregrinations through Windsor Forest, a royal domain, and the seat of our most august monarch, the father and defender of his people.

This great horse, called human principle, was, as before observed, founded upon divine origin, but so shamefully abused as nearly to resemble another great horse, also of ancient origin and coeval with man himself, called evil principles, or sin but the less said upon such a being the better, only observing, by the way, the present race of human principles appear to have been the produce of the two great horses celebrated in all antiquity, and known in those days by the name of good and bad principles, or, in other words, good and evil, or sin and godliness-the one originating, by all the information Ardent could ever learn, through the agency of the devil, as its sire, and

the other had its origin from God the Father Almighty, maker of the Heavens and the earth. Now, upon the first horse, or sin itself, was mounted 'Squire Rapine, with the lady and her son. But the rencontre of these singular characters, thus mounted on their several hobbyhorses, must be reserved for another chapter; suffice it to say, it required the research of twenty years to learn that there were any such horses in existence, but now it is indisputable,-in fact, nothing can again prevent Ardent believing to the contrary.

This allegory is only made use of as some extenuation or apology for the great blunder our hero made, about this time, by calling the lady of his former affections by too true a name; but such is the respect of the clergy of these dominions for even the frailties of the fair and softer sex, that they, unknown to our hero at that time, still covered them with their mantle and sacerdotal robe; which would be more excusable in the military character, but certainly less defensible, as the author conceives, in the priesthood of the Protestant Church of England, as by law established.

CHAPTER VI.

ARDENT used to be compared, by his former mistress, to an eel, so slippery she used to say he was; however this may be, she caught her eel at last, as she did at first, by opposite principles, indeed, but equally effectual. The former entanglements of his affections have been freely discussed, communicated, and narrated, in the manner they actually occurred. His last entanglement in her snare of revenge, for his breach of her confidence, is now to be related. It was accomplished in the following manner :-Ardent pondered and reflected with himself repeatedly, as to the possibility of young Mr. Freelove being fully acquainted with his mother's proceedings, and the strong intimacy said to be subsisting between herself and Lawyer Rapine, as well as of the consequences likely to follow, should his mother be defeated in the next action, which probability was the greater, as the cause was delayed and brought nearer to their own habi