362 The Journal of a Wiltshire Curate. 



"Wednesday. — Mj' wife bought a petticoat for herself and shoes for her 

 two daughters, but unluckily, in coming home, dropped half-a-guinea through 

 a hole, which she had never before perceived in her pocket, and reduced all 

 our cash in the world to half-a-crown. — Item, chid my poor woman for being 

 afflicted at the misfortune, and tenderly advised ber to depend upon the 

 goodness of God. 



" Thursday. Keceived a note from the alehouse the' top of the hill, in- 

 forming me that a gentleman begged to speak to me on pressing business. 

 Went and found it was an unfortunate member of a strolling company of 

 players, who was pledged for seven-pence-halfpenny ; in a struggle what to 

 do. — The Baker, though we had paid him but on Tuesday, quarrelled with 

 us to avoid giving any credit in future, and George Greasy, the butcher, sent 

 us word that he heard it whispered how the Hector intended to take a curate, 

 who would do the parish duty at an inferior price, and therefore, though he 

 would do anj'thing to serve me, advised me to deal with Peter Paunch, at 

 the upper end of the town. Mortifying reflections these!— But a want of 

 humanity is, in uiy opinion, a want of justice. — The Father of the universe 

 lends His blessings to us, with a view that we should relieve a brother in 

 distress, and we constantly do no more than pay a debt, when we perform 

 an act of benevolence ; paid the stranger's reckoning out of the shilling in 

 my pocket, and gave him theremainder of the money to prosecute his journey. 



" Friday, a very scanty dinner, and pretended therefore to be ill, that by 

 avoiding to eat I might leave something like enough for my poor wife and 

 the children. — I told n)y wife what I had done with the shilling ; the excellent 

 creature, instead of blaming me for the action, blessed the goodness of my 

 heart, and burst into tears. — Mem. — Never to contradict her as long as I live 

 — for the mind that can argue like hers, though it may deviate from the more 

 rigid sentiments of prudence, is even ainiiable for its indiscretion, and in 

 every lapse from the severity of economy, peiforms an act of virtue, superior 

 to the value of a kingdom. 



" Saturday. — Wrote a sermon, which on 



" Sunday — I preached at four different parish churches, and came home 

 excessively wearied, and excessively hungry ; no more money than two-pence 

 half-penny in the house: but see the goodness of God 1 The strolling player 

 whom I had relieved was a man of fortune, who accidentally heard that I 

 was as humane as I was indigent, and from a generous eccentricity of temper, 

 wanted to do me an essential piece of service : I had not been an hour at 

 home when he came in, and declaring himself my friend, put a fifty pound 

 note into my hand, and the next day presented me with a living of three 

 hundred pounds a year." 



From the British Magazine, vii. 623-4 ; 8th Dec, 1766. 

 It will be observed that in the foregoing slight sketch the only 

 surnames given are those of the disagreeable and ill-mannered 

 Rector, Dr. Snarl, Cabbage the tailor, and Greasy and Patcnch the 



' Sic. 



