This duty being performed, my fon and I went to pursue our ufual industry abroad, while my wife and daughters employed themselves in providing breakfast, which was always ready at a certain time. I allowed half an hour for this meal, and an hour for dinner; which time was taken up in innocent mirth between my wife and daughters, and in philofophical arguments between my fon and me.

As we rofe with the fun, fo we never purfued our labour after it was gone down, but returned home to the expecting family; where fmiling looks, a neat hearth, and pleasant fire, were prepared for our reception. Nor were we without guests: fometimes farmer Flamborough, our talkative neighbour, and often the blind piper, would pay us a vifit, and taste our gooseberry wine; for the making of which we had loft neither the receipt nor the reputation. These harmless people had several ways of being good company; while one played, the other would fing

fome

fome foothing ballad, Johnny Armstrong's laft good night, or the cruelty of Barbara Allen. The night was concluded in the manner we began the morning, my youngest boys being appointed to read the leffons of the day, and he that read loudeft, diftinctest, and best, was to have an halfpenny on Sunday to put in the poor's box.

When Sunday came, it was indeed a day of finery, which all my fumptuary edicts could not reftrain. How well foever I fancied my lectures against pride had conquered the vanity of my daughters; yet I ftill found them fecretly attached to all their former finery: they ftill loved laces, ribbands, bugles and catgut; my wife herself retained a paffion for her crimson paduasoy, because I formerly happened to say it became her.

The first Sunday in particular their behaviour ferved to mortify me: I had de

fired

fired my girls the preceding night to be dreft early the next day; for I always loved to be at church a good while before the reft of the congregation. They punctually obeyed my directions; but when we were to assemble in the morning at breakfaft, down came my wife and daughters, dreft out in all their former fplendour: their hair plaistered up with pomatum, their faces patched to tafte, their trains bundled up into an heap behind, and ruftling at every motion. I could not help fmiling at their vanity, particularly that of my wife, from whom I expected more difcretion. In this exigence, therefore, my only resource was to order my fon, with an important air, to call our coach. The girls were amazed at the command; but I repeated it with more folemnity than before. Surely, my dear, you jeft,' cried my wife, we can walk ' it perfectly well: we want no coach to "carry us now.' You mistake, child,’ returned I, we do want a coach; for

- 3

• if

6

if we walk to church in this trim, the ⚫ very children in the parish will hoot after us'—— Indeed,' replied my wife, I always imagined that my Charles was fond of feeing his children neat and handfome about him.'- You may be • as neat as you pleafe,' interrupted I, and I fhall love you the better for it; but all this is not neatness, but frippery. These rufflings, and pinkings, and patchings, will only make us hated by all the wives of our neighbours. No, my children,' continued I, more those gowns may be altered • into something of a plainer cut; for finery is very unbecoming in us, who want the means of decency. I do not know whether fuch flouncing and fhredding is becoming even in the rich, if we confider upon a moderate calculation, that the nakedness of the indigent world may be cloathed from the trimmings of the vain.'

gravely,

This

This remonftrance had the proper effect; they went with great compofure, that very instant, to change their dress; and the next day I had the fatisfaction of finding my daughters, at their own request, employed in cutting up their trains into Sunday waistcoats for Dick and Bill, the two little ones, and what was still more fatisfactory, the gowns feemed improved by this curtailing.

CHAP.