were always out of humour, and frequently changing; and the tradefmen who brought their bills, were paid only by a wrangle, or a draught on fome tenant who owed no rent. There was not a neighbour very near, except the parfon of the parish, and alderman Grub, a rich citizen, who had purchased a confiderable part of it from Sir Harry. With these they lived in a state of perpetual hoftilities: they quarrelled with the alderman for prefuming to buy an eftate which they wanted to fell; and the parfon quarrelled with them, because he was in poffeffion of the only living in the gift of Sir Harry, and the alderman had a much better to difpofe of. By the encouragement of thefe good neighbours, and their own ill conduct, confifting of a strange mixture of infolence and avarice, of meanness and magnificence, they were defpifed, perfecuted and affronted by all around them. Their pigs were worried, their poultry murdered, their dogs poifoned, their game destroy'd, their hedges broke, and their hay-stacks fet on fire. They were hiffed and hooted at; and now and then a great pair. of horns were fixed on their gates; an infult at which they were highly enraged, but the meaning of which neither Sir Harry, nor my lady, not even with the affiftance of the colonel, could ever guefs at.

I

I SOON grew weary of this land of contention and uneafinefs; and having recourse to the old excuse of urgent business, I took my leave, and went poft to town; reflecting all the way with surprise on the ingenuity of mankind, to render themselves at once miserable and ridiculous; and lamenting that the happiness and innocence of rural life are now scarce any where to be found.

THE

A

FREE INQUIRY

INTO THE

NATURE and ORIGIN

O F

E VI L.

In SIX LETTERS to

The FIFTH EDITION.

With an additional Preface, and fome explanatory Notes.