(begging your pardon, Sir,) has juft ordered it for foup. Now, Sir, if fuch kind gentlefolks were aware, that this gravy and foup not only confume a great deal of meat, (which, to be fure, those have a right to do who can pay for it,) but that it takes away thofe coarfe pieces which the poor would buy, if they bought at all, I am fure they would not do it. For, indeed, the rich have been very kind, and I don't know what we fhould have done without them.

I thank you for the hint, Betty, faid the Doctor, and I affure you I will have no more gravy foup. My garden will fupply me with foups, that are both wholefomer and better; and I will answer for my lady at the great houfe, that fhe will do the fame. I hope this will become a general rule, and then we shall expect that butchers will favour you in the prices of the coarse pieces, if we who are rich buy nothing but the prime. In our gifts we fhall prefer, as the farmer has told you, those who keep steadily to their work: fuch as come to the veftry for a loaf, and do not come to church for the fermon, we fhall mark; and prefer those who come conftantly whether there are any gifts or not. But there is one rule from which we never will depart. Those who have been feen aiding, or abetting any riot, any on butchers, bakers, wheat-mows, mills, or millers, we will not relieve! but with the quiet, contented, hard-working man, I will share my laft morfel of bread. I fhall only add, though it has pleased God to fend us this vifitation as a punishment, yet we may convert this short trial

attack

afting bleffing, if we all turn over a new

leaf. Profperity had made most of us careless. The thoughtless profufion of fome of the rich could only be exceeded by the idleness, and bad management of fome of the poor. Let us now, at laft, adopt that good old maxim, every one mend one. And may God add his bleffing!

The people now chearfully departed with their rice, refolving, as many of them as could get milk, to put one of Mrs. White's receipts in. practice that very night; and a rare fupper they had.

I hope foon to give a good account how this parish improved in eafe and comfort, by their improvement in frugality and good management.

Z.

THE

COTTAGE COOK,

OR,.

MRS. JONES's CHEAP DISHES.

SHEWING THE WAY TO DO MUCH GOOD

WITH LITTLE MONEY,

MRS. JONES was a great merchant's lady.

Mrs.

She was liberal to the poor, in giving them money, but as fhe was too much taken up with the world, fhe did not spare fo much of her time and thoughts about doing good as fhe ought, fo that her money was often ill-beftowed. In the late troubles, Mr. Jones, who had lived in a grand manner, failed; and he took his misfortunes fo much to heart, that he fell fick and died. Jones retired, on a very narrow income, to the Imall village of Wefton, where fhe feldom went out except to church. Though a pious woman she was too apt to indulge her forrow; and though the did not neglect to read and pray, yet The gave up a great part of her time to melancholy thoughts, and crew quite inactive. She well knew how finful it would be for her to feek a cure for her grief in worldly pleasures, which is a way many people take under afflictions; but

{

fhe was not aware how wrong it was to weep away that time which might have been better spent in drying the tears of others.

It was happy for her, that Mr. Simpfon, the vicar of Wefton, was a pious man. One Sunday he happened to preach on the good Samaritan. It was a charity fermon, and there was a collection at the door. He called on Mrs. Jones after church, and found her in tears. She told him fhe had been much moved by his difcourfe, and fhe wept because she had fo little to give to the plate; for though fhe felt very keenly for the poor in thefe dear times, yet fhe could not affift them. Indeed, fir, added fhe, I never fo much regretted the lofs of my fortune, as this afternoon, when you bade us go and do likewife.-You do not, replied Mr. Simpfon, enter into the spirit of our Saviour's parable, if you think you cannot go and do likewife without being rich. In the cafe of the Samaritan, you may obferve, that charity was afforded more by kindnefs, and care, and medicine, than by money. You, madam, were as much concerned in my fermon as Sir John with his great eftate; and, to fpeak plainly, I have' been fometimes furprifed that you fhould not put yourfelf in the way of being more useful.

Sir, faid Mrs. Jones, I am grown fhy of the poor fince I have nothing to give them. Nothing! madam, replied the clergyman, do you call your time, your talents, your kind offices, nothing? I will venture to fay that you might do more good than the richest man in the parish could do by merely giving his money. Inftead of fitting here,

brooding over your misfortunes, which are paft remedy, beftir yourself to find out ways of doing much good with little money; or even without any money at all. You have lately ftudied œconomy for yourself; inftruct your poor neighbours in that important art. They want it almost as much as they want money. You have influence with the few rich perfons in the parish; exert that influence. Betty, my houfekeeper, fhall affift you in any thing in which fhe can be useful. Try this for one year, and if you then tell me that you fhould have better fhewn your love to God and man, and been a happier woman had you conti. nued gloomy and inactive, I fhall be much furprifed, and fhall confent to your refuming your prefent way of life.

The fermon and this difcourfe made fo deep an impreffion on Mrs. Jones, that she formed a new plan of life, and fet about it at once, as every body does who is in earneft. Her chief aim was the happiness of her poor neighbours in the next world; but fhe was alfo very defirous to promote their prefent comfort. The plans fhe pursued with a view to the latter object, fhall be explained in this little book. Mrs: Jones was much respected by all the rich perfons in Weston, who had known her in her profperity. Sir John was thoughtless, lavish, and indolent, The Squire was over-frugal, but active, fober, and not illnatured. Sir John loved pleasure; the Squire loved money. Sir John was one of those popu. lar fort of people who get much praise and yet do little good; who fubfcribe with equal readiness to a cricket match, or a charity school; who take