Amelia -- Volume 3

he doctor, the young clergyman,

oung clergyman, in whose mind the injurious treatment he had received the even

d he to the doctor," that the lowest clergyman in England is in real dignity superior to the highest nobleman. What then can be so shocking as to see that gown, which ought to entitle us to the veneration of

look to themselves; for He who sent us is able to exact mo

tance to infuse terror into wicked minds. The government ought to interfere with its immediate censures. Fines an

r; "then I am afraid men are very

old gentleman. "Indeed, I am af

ty, treating our holy religion as a mere imposture, nay, sometimes as a mere je

ssness with regard to these matters; but the whole blame doth not lie there; some

give any encouragement to such books? Do they not, on the contrary, cry loudly out against the suffering them? T

, such is the innocence and virtue which it exacts to entitle us to its glorious rewards and to screen us from its dreadful punishments, that he must be a very good man indeed who lives up to it. Thus then these persons argue. This man is educated in a perfect knowledge of religion, is learned in its laws, and is by his profession obliged, in a manner, to have them always before his eyes. The rewards which it promises to the obedience of these laws are so great, and the punishments threatened on disobedience so dreadful, that it is impossible but all men must fearfully fly from the one, and as eagerly pursue the other. If, therefore, such a person lives in direct opposition to, and in a constant breach of, these laws, the infer

e old gentleman; "wha

ergyman is a man as well as another; a

xcessive candour to imagine that a man who so visibly sets his whole heart, not only on this world, but on one of the most worthless things in it (for so is money, without regard to its uses), should be, at the same time, laying up his treasure in heaven. Ambition is a second vice of this sort: we are told we cannot serve God and Mammon. I might have applied this to avarice; but I chose rather to mention it here. When we see a man sneaking about in courts and levees, and doing the dirty work of great men, from the

ch exults in every little eventual pre-eminence over other men: such are the ordinary gifts of nature, and the paultry presents of fortune, wit, knowledge, birth, strength, beauty, riches, titles, and rank. That passion which is ever aspiring, like a silly child, to look over the heads of all about them; which, while it servilely adheres to the great, flies from the poor, as if afraid of contamination; devouring greedily every murmur of applause and every look of admiration; pleased and ela

eed, my good friend, no one retires from you without carrying away some good instruction

al of excellent truth; and, without a compliment to him, I was alway

ribuens dederim

t up with an affront any more than another man,

liable to be affronted as a clergyman; and I do assure you, if I had known your

doctor, when a servant delivered the latter a note from Amelia, which

g hath happened since

I beg the favour of

advise with

iged and duti

IA B

. "I must go," says he, "to the lady who was with us last night; for I am afraid, by her letter, some bad accident hath happened to her. Come, young gentleman, I spo

he hoped he should always think, and act too, with the dignity becoming his cloth

your perverseness, all that I have been doing? Why will you not learn to study mankind with the attention which I have employed

y to give up my sentiments to every one. It is true, indeed, he put together a se

in private life; for I question whether he is worth L100 in the world, more than his annual income. He hath given away above half his fortune to the Lord knows who. I believe I have had above L200 of him, first and last; and would

ty is superior to a bachelor of arts, and so far I am ready to allow his superiority; but I understand

f thee. If thou art wise, thou wilt think every man thy superior of whom thou canst get anything; at least

for your opinion. It is the common failing of old men to attribute all wisdom to themselves. Nestor did it long

edification. In truth, if the old gentleman's fondness had not in a great measure blinded him to the imperfections of his son, he would have soon per

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