MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 



933 



*' amends for my long silence. 

 *' Laugh at me as much as you 

 " pleast', and be assured that you 

 *' cannot do so mors than I have 

 " done at myself. 



" ^ly attachment to my old 

 *' friend Thompson, at Henninij- 

 " stone, and my extreme partiality 

 " to the plain, but the heartfelt 

 *' enjoyments his house affords, are 

 " well known to you. His estate 

 " is situated near the town, and the 

 " various beautiful scenes which 

 " bis upper windows command, his 

 " neat farm-yard, well stored with 

 " al! kinds of poultry, the various 

 *' implements of ruslic labour, and 

 " his lowing, well-fed cattle, are 

 *' objects which I always greatly 

 " admire ; but what pleases m.e 

 " most of ail, is the domestic hap- 

 " piness my friend enjoys, the 

 " smile of content that is painted 

 " on every countenance, and his and 

 " his wife's industry and hospitality, 

 " the latter of which would always 

 " tempt mc to think myself at home 

 " at their house, if their polite at- 

 " tentions, and constant study to 

 " oblige, did Jiot frequently make 

 '■'■ me feel myself both tlieir guest 

 " and debtor. I, therefore, when- 

 " ever my affairs will permit, with 

 *' pleasure accept of Thompson's 

 " annual invitation, and usuall^y 

 " spend a week at his house every 

 " spring and summer. 



" My journey, the day before 

 " yesterday, was as agreeable as a 

 " fine day, good roads, and a con- 

 " tented mind ccjuld make it. I 

 " arrived at llenFilngstone without 

 " meetina: any accident, and ^\as 

 " received by my friend and Ins 

 " wife with their usual cordiality. 

 " The evening was spent in inte- 

 *' resting enquiries, pleasing rela- 

 " tions, and reciprocal assurances 



' of the satisfaction of the expec- 



' tation of spending a Avhole week 



' as happily as that evening, gave 



' us ; but, as Thompson says, 



' ' tares will spring up with the 



' finest wheat.' He certainly is 



' in the right, arid I was in the 



' V, rong to expect a week of un- 



' ruffled felicity. 



*' Yesterday morning the duke's 



' private secretary came with a 



' message from his highness to my 



' friend ; and, as soon as his busi- 



' ness was over, Thompson brought 



' him into the parlour, where his 



' wife and I were sitting, and in- 



' troduced me to him. As soon as 



' the stranger heard my name and 



' place of abode mentioned, he en- 



' quired if he had the honour of 



' speaking with the author of se- 



' veral moral treatises, and a book 



•• of devotion, which he named ? 



' and, on my replying in the affir- 



' mative, he politely commondetl 



' my works, said the duke had 



• read them, and that they met 

 ' with his entire approbation. 



" The conversation then became 



' general, till he went away, and 



' when he took leave, he assured 



' me, with great volubility, that he 



' esteemed liimsclf very fortunate 



' in having made such a valnablo 



' acquaintance that morning ; and 



' that, if it was ever in his power to 



' be any ways useful to me, he 



' begged I would command his 



' services without reserve. I re- 



' garded his profession of friejid- 



• ship as words of course, and for- 

 ' got both them and him as soon as 

 ' he was out of sight. 



" But, to ray no small surprise, a 



' note from n\y now friend was 



' brought to me, whilst I was at 



' dinner, in which he informed me 



' that he had told the duke of my 



3 3 " bein-i 



