of the magiftrate, that Blachford, having uttered one horrid yell as his heels flew from under him, inftantly paid his compliments to the muddy naiads of the brook.

The George and Dragon alehouse, where the party was caroufing, who had performed the ceremony of the gibbet, was fo near to the scene of action, that Blachford's yell was most distinctly heard by the perfons there affembled, who immediately turned out upon the alarm. Amongst the first of thefe was John Jenkins the hangman, who found Larry O'Rourke employed in dragging the justice out of the water, for he had now, though fomewhat of the lateft, discovered a small mistake as to heads, but in point of execution no fault could be found with his work, which feemed to be effectually done, as the blow had taken place juft above the temple, and the bludgeon was loaded with lead. John Jenkins being fomewhat more than elevated with his evening's feftivity, was for leaving the juftice to his fate, making use of the trite proverb, that the man who was born to be hanged, was in no danger of being drowned; but the foberer part of the company, who F 2

faw

72177

faw further into the cafe than John did, lent their hands to the work, and affisted in dragging Blachford out of the brook, who during the whole operation obferved a perfect filence, which we are far from imputing to any fullenness on the part of that gentleman, he being at that time from home upon a temporary trip to the regions of insensibility.

One of the company had been dispatched for a candle and lantern, and by the light of this the body of Juftice Blachford, stretched upon the ground and motionlefs, exhibited a moft ghaftly fpectacle; his temple streaming with blood, his eyes fixed, and no fymptom of life appearing. Upon the fight of this, Larry O'Rourke set up a moft dolorous howl in the true Connaught key and cadence, crying out." Ullaloo! Master, why wou'd you die? Had'nt you horfes and cows and cattle in abundance, with plenty of strong drink in your vaults, and ftore of money in your lockers, and why wou'd you leave poor Larry to lament and cry over you at such a rate, when you might have been eafy and quiet at home, and no harm done? Ah! was'nt it a foul ftep of your's to thrust your head in the

way

way of my cudgel, when you knew well enough, aye and wou'd witnefs it too, if the grace of God was'nt juft now out of your memory, that if every one had his own, that big knock on the head you have got is another man's property, only he chanc'd to be out of the way when I gave it to him."

"Seize the murderer," cried one of the troop, upon which John Jenkins and the rest laid hold of him." What is it you are upon, ye pagans," exclaimed Larry, "to be feizing me? Let the dead man speak for himself, and mark if he don't tell you another story about the matter, whereby it was no murder, only a fmall mistake, and if that's a hanging matter, woe betide my countrymen! Ask him now, ye fparrow-hawks, if it was'nt at his own defire that I kill'd him, and how fhou'd I know one man from another in the dark, when I cou'd fee neither?”

Somebody now cried out to hold him fast, for it was confeffedly a plot between master and man to have affaffinated Henry." To be fure it was," faid O'Rourke; "Do you think I'm fuch a graceless teif as to kill my own mafter? Huh! you are a cunning one, are you not, to find out that?"

Three or four of them now began to hale the Irishman away with them, whilst others fetched a blanket from the alehouse, on which they laid the body of Blachford, and in this manner carried him to his own house.

1

END OF BOOK THE FOURTH,

BOOK

BOOK THE FIFΤΗ,

CHAPTER. I.

Afhort Treatife upon Love, antient and modern.

LOVE, as a deity, was invefted, by those

who made him fuch, with the moft contradictory attributes: they feigned him blind, yet called him an unerring markfman; gaye him wings, yet allowed that constancy was his beft qualification; defcribed him as an infant, yet were not to learn that infancy alone is exempted from his power.

These are contrarieties, which none but the initiated can reconcile. They justify his blindnefs, when hurried on by the impetuofity of paffion they efpy no danger in the precipice before them; they acknowledge he is swift of wing, when the minutes they devote to his enjoyments fly fo quickly, and they cannot but regard him as an infant, when one short honeymoon begins and terminates his date of life.

A thousand ingenious devices have been formed to fuit the various properties of this faF 4 bulous