82 



NARRATIVE OF AN 



CHAP. virtue will meet with friends. Your manly fenfibility 

 ^ " foi" that deferving young woman and her child muft 

 " claim the efteem of all rational perfons, in fpite of ma- 

 " lice and folly : and fo much has this a6tion recom- 

 " mended you to my attention in particular, that I Ihould 

 " think myfelf culpable in not patronizing your lauda- 

 " ble intentions. Permit me then to participate in your 

 " happinefs, and in the future profpe6t of the virtuous 

 " Joanna and her little boy, by requefting your accept- 

 " ance of the fum of tzvo thoufand florins^ or any fum 

 " you ftand in need of ; with which money go imme- 

 " diately, Stedman, go and redeem innocence, good 

 " fenfe, and beauty from the jaws of tyranny^ oppref- 

 *• lion, and infult." 



Seeing me thunder-ftruck, and gazing upon her in a 

 ftate of ftupefadlion, without the power of fpeaking, Ihe 

 continued, with a divine benignity : 



" Let not your delicacy, my friend, take the alarm^ 

 " and interfere in this bufinefs : foldiers and failors 



ought ever to be the men of feweft compliments ; 

 " and all I expedl from you is, that you fay not one 

 " word more on the fubje6t." — As foon as I recovered 

 ' I replied, " that I was at a lofs how to exprefs my ad~ 



miration of fuch benevolence." I faid, that Joanna, 



who had fo frequently preferved my life, had cer- 

 " tainly merited my eternal affe6lion ; but that my grar- 

 " titude could not be lefs to one who had fo generoufly 



put me in the way of redeeming that mvaluable wo- 

 8 " man 



