Mr.Berrif fort's kind of me. True, most excellent fage. Rectitude and Benevolence are the perfection of rational nature, and when by philosophy, we acquire a temper, difpofition and action, that are conformable to the truth of things, and continually display ftrict juftice and univerfal charity, we offer the nobleft facrifice to heaven, and are confimilated with the Deity. By this divine affection, for order and goodness, we manifeft a continual ufe and employment of ourselves for the glory of the fupreme virtue, and may by this means, expect to obtain the infinite mercy of God; when flaughtered Hecatombs are defpifed; and the creeds of incomprehenfible myfteries, and the external modes and forms of churchifm, may be confidered only as the weakness and blindnefs of reverend heads. Thousands of rams, and ten thousand rivers of oil; fpeculative faith, rites and ceremonies, are nothing, abstracted from that temper and affection, which unites us to the Deity, and to the whole system of rationals. Virtue and charity is religion. 88. This paffage and reflexion pronounced reception very loud, with an enthusiasm that feizes me when I take a claffic in my hand, added greatly to the aftonishment of finding me in the clofet, and for fome time the gentleman was not able to speak, or come forward; but at 1 at laft, moving towards me, as I did to him, the moment I faw him, he faid, by what ftrange chance have I the favour of seeing you here? Inform me, I beseech you, in the name of friendship, what furprifing accident has thrown you on this folitude; without horfe or fervant-and how did you get over the broad moat of water, as the two garden gates were locked? Mr. Berrisfort (I answered), you may well wonder at feeing me in this remote and filent part of the world, and efpecially at my being in your study, without either horfe or attendant in waiting, that you could find, on coming home; but the thing was all natural, in the common courfe of events, as you fhall hear. Three weeks after you left me at Whitehaven, I fet out from that place for Brugh under Stanemore, and went from thence up the northern mountains, in fearch of a gentleman I had fome business with, who lives but a few miles beyond you, and on my return. from his house, as the road lay very high on the fide of yonder vaft hill, I quitted my horfe out of curiofity, to climb up to the top of the mountain, and fee what kind of country lay on the other fide of this long range of high hills. It was with great difficulty I got up to the pike, and few, perhaps, but myself, would attempt it I was rewarded however by the Ff3 fine fine profpect, and seeing the descent on this fide eafy, and a house and large gardens before me, I could not refrain from going down to the bottom. I marched on to take a view of the manfion and improvements, and as I faw fome very fine things in the gardens, and no fign of any living creature; the gates fhut, and every place to appearance faftened, I leaped the moat with this pole, and after I had wandered about the ground, by accident came to the fhady enclofure, in which I found the defcending ftairs from the garden; and feeing the lamps burning in the paffage, could not avoid going down, and proceeded till I arrived at this fine library. My admiration was great, you may be fure, and the books too ftrong a temptation for me not to mind them. With great pleafure I looked into many of them, and at laft opened the Greek writer I was reading out, when you came to the door of your study, Such were the causes that brought me where you find me. (Mr. Berrisfort replied): Sir, I am glad there was any thing in the force and operation of cafualties, that could bring you to my houfe, and I affure you upon my word, that you are moft heartily welcome. As I lay in my cabbin on ship-board, I conceived a great regard for you, on account of many things I heard you fay, and particularly, for your lively arguments with Dr. Whaley, before the form began, in defence of the divine Unity, and against that miferable theolo gv which the monks have invented, and continue to fupport, tho' it militates with the revealed truths of God, and the reafon and fitness of things. I was greatly pleased with your different definitions of churchism and religion, and honoured you not a little for what you faid in oppofition to unintelligible mystery, and the glare of ceremony; at the fame time, that you contended for the worhip of the univerfal Father, and that fober, righteous, and godly life, which springs from the love of truth, virtue, and moral rectitude. Once more then I affure Sir, I am moft heartily glad to fee I fhall take it as a great favour if you will pafs the fummer with me in this wild country place. Every thing shall be made as agreeable as poflible, and, exclufive of this clofet of books, which you shall poffefs while you ftay here, we will hunt, and fet, and fhoot, and enjoy all the pleasures of the field but in the mean time, as it is now ten o'clock, we ought to think of breakfast, and he defired his fifter, a most charming creature, to call for it immediately, and I foon faw feveral fervants bring in every thing that was elegant and excellent. He told me I need Ff 4 you, you, and Manner of living at YeoverinGreen. Characters Berrisfort, his fifter, and Mils Fox. I need be under no uneafinefs about my mare and horses, for there was a steep narrow way for them to come down to his ftables, about half a mile from the place I left them, and he would immediately fend one of his fervants to bring them. This was vaftly civil and affectionate, and I told Mr. Berrisfort, that I was under great obligations to him for his goodness, which I fhould ever have an extreme fenfe of, but I was obliged to go on upon bufinefs: a few days however I would enjoy the happiness he offered me, and we paffed them in a very lightful manner. de 89. Early in the morning we went out with the hounds, and for half a dozen hours, had the dogs in full cry before us. We had hawks and pointers in the afternoon, and enjoyed abroad all the sports of the field. Within, when our labours were over, we had the most elegant dinners and fuppers; every thing of meat and drink, that the best taste could defire and the converfation was excellent after the repafts. 90. Mr. Berrisfort was a man of letters of Mr. and breeding; and the ladies had fenfe, and were no strangers to the beft English books. They understood no other language than their mother tongue, but the choicest authors of every kind that our country has produced, they had read with great care. The |