as a minister of peace, and a well wisher to the good order of fociety. The monstrous exceffes and grofs enormities of a contested election are seriously to be deplor'd, and every worthy means for preventing them have my = hearty concurrence; how then can I withhold my approbation from the means now proposed, which, having for their object a perfon fo worthy, cannot fail to be worthy in themselves? It has been my happiness to live in the clofeft intimacy with my friend here present for many years, and, if Heaven fees fit to add others to them, I pray that it may continue to me that bleffing alfo; I can boast therefore that I know him well; but what of that? you know him also, as your prefent application testifies, and know him pre-eminently deferving of the ho nours you would fain confer upon him; I therefore join my humble fuit to your's, that he would be pleased to accept them; and this I do, not unconfcious of the facrifice he must make of many comforts, nor even indifferent to the lofs which I myself must suffer by his abfence, because I cannot bring myself to put the facrifice of any one man's peace, leaft of all the facrifice of my own, into the balance against the peace of many."

The

The reverend speaker ceased, and Sir Roger had no more to do but to fignify his affent, and take up his burthen with the best grace he could. The victory was complete, and the glafs began to circulate to the health of the Baronet; Captain Cary was in the chair, and the very foul of good fellowship; the wine was excellent, the company in high good humour, and Sir Roger's courage began to rally; he had now his joke at his nephew Jack, and a whisper for Henry at his elbow, which intimated to him, that his prediction about Fanny was in a fair course to be made good; in fhort, there was no one present who did not feem to fympathise in the festivity of the moment.

When the gentlemen negotiators were three - parts tipsey, and their fervants entirely fo, they set out, at the risque of their necks, towards their respective homes. Henry and the Captain joined the ladies in the drawing-room, whilst Sir Ro ger, according to cuftom, exercised himself with a walk up and down the great hall with his friend Claypole: though a man in general of few words, he was just now in a talking vein, and having gently tapped the parfon on the fhoulder as if to befpeak attention, he began as follows:

σε

Well, my good friend, these gentlemen have carried their point, with your affiftance, and I am in a fair train to find myself, where I never expected to be found, a mute member in the British senate, and the unworthy reprefentative of this great country. Pr'ythee, Claypole, what do'it think that I can do in that place? a pretty figure I fhall make; a mere country putt, amongst wits, lawyers, orators and politicians. I may perhaps be able to say aye or no, but good chance if I do not say it, like SirFrancis Wronghead, fometimes in the wrong place."

"No fear of that," quoth Claypole; "if all were speakers that fit in parliament, our House of Commons would be a mere club of fpouters. The affent or diffent of an honest and right-judging country gentleman will never be a matter of indifference."

Why, truly," faid the Baronet, "fpeechmaking has not been in vogue with my family for many years paft; not but there have been thofe heretofore who could do it, and roundly too; we have a record of my ancestor Sir Thomas Manstock, in 1566, making a flaming fpeech in the Commons to constrain Queen Befs to marry or appoint a fucceffor; VOL. II.

M

he

he was a bold man, and call'd her a faint hearted woman in the face of the House, for which, by the way, fhe tweak'd his nofe in the face of the Court, and call'd him cuckold. It was fcurvy treatment, and, I am apt to think, gave the orator a furfeit, that has run in the blood ever fince; for all our generations in defcent from Sir Thomas have been as mute as fishes to the present day."

"Well, Sir Roger," faid Claypole," there have been times fince thofe of Elizabeth, when taciturnity was a good family qualification, and that fame royal tweak of the nose may have been the means of keeping fome heads upon their fhoulders: after all, it must be own'd, it was a rough way her Majefty took of fnubbing the good man Sir Thomas, and what few old maids in the like cafe wou'd have done; but match-making for crown'd heads is a ticklish business,"-"For any heads," added, Sir Roger;" and tho' a matter of that fort may, for aught I know, be going on at this very moment under our nofes, I fhall keep mine at leaft out of danger, as I fhou'd be loth to have it tweak'd, even by the fair fingers of Fanny Claypole."

This was a hit that Claypole had not quite

given

given his friend credit for, and it was at least a proof to him that h's own remarks had not been fingular; for he argued rightly enough, that if Sir Roger had fpied it out, nobody could have overlooked it; he thought it best therefore to treat it in the same strain, between jeft and earnest, and observed in reply, that Fanny was a free-hearted girl, and her own mistress."She is out of my hands," faid he; "fo fhou'd not I be out of her's with a whole skin, if I was to play the part of Sir Thomas Manstock, and dictate to her on the fubject of matrimony. Henry is a fine fellow, it must be confefs'd, and it is no impeachment to her taste that the likes him; if, therefore, fhe is refolv'd to make him a present of fifteen thousand pounds and her fair perfon, much good may it do him; I can't gainfay it."-" And if it was to come to that," faid Sir Roger, " it might not, perhaps, be the very worst thing fhe could do: I have a very high opinion of Henry, and tho' we are in the dark about his p rents, I would rifque a wager that my niece Crowbery knows him to' be a very honeft man's fon, and one for whofe memory she has a great regard; and as a proof of it, friend Claypole, I can tell you in confidence, that Henry will be well provided for at M 2

her