lings to obferve the approach of a drove of pigs, which at length advanced upon her so fast as to prevent the poffibility of retreat. She was fur rounded on all fides in a moment. The obftreperous and unmanageable animals, not contented with terrifying her by their fnorting and grunting, (a fpecies of mufic very little in unifon with the tender feelings) pufhed her about from fide to fide in a most ungentle manner. She, however, contrived for fome time to keep her ground, calling out to the pig-drivers for affiftance. Alas! the pig-drivers were no lefs deaf to her fupplications than were the pigs they drove. Both feemed wickedly to enjoy her diftrefs; nor was the grunting of the one fpecies of brutes more unpleasant to her ears, than the loud laugh which was fer up by the other. At length a violent pufh from a huge untoward beaft laid her proftrate on the ground, and completed the climax of her misfortune. The pig-drivers now came to her relief, and quickly raised her from the ground. She had happily received no bodily injury from her fall, but was not a little mentally hurt by the grin which was vifible in the countenance of her deliverers. Are ye not afhamed,' cried fhe, with great warmth, to rejoice in an accident which has be-. fallen a fellow-mortal by your negligence? Mif-' erable and unhappy wretches! Ye have indeed the shape of men, but ye want all the more noble diftinguishing characteristics of the fpecies. As far as relates to any intellectual improvement, ye might as well have been born in Otaheite.' The answer of the pig drivers would have impelled Bridgetina to an immediate retreat, but that one of the men had still hold of an umbrella which he had dropped in her fall, and with which he refused to part without fome compenfa tion. "Make her gi' ye a buss for it," said one of the fellows, laughing. An't were a pretty lafs,' faid the other, that a would; but a bufs from fuch a little, ugly, ricketty witch, a'nt worth taking.' Not all the philofophy of Bridgetina could fupport her any longer. Indignantly turning from the unenlightened ruftic, fhe burst into tears, nor could fhe reprefs her fobs on the appearance of Mr. Myope and Mr. Glib, who had returned in fearch of her, and came up while she was still in conference with the pig-drivers, of whose behaviour fhe immediately began bitterly to complain. "It was furely very rude to drive your pigs upon a lady," faid Mr. Myope to the men. Did not fhe fee un?' returned one of the fellows. The pigs were goying peaceably along the way, when the run her nofe into the very midft o'em. Gin a had been as blind as a buzzard, a might ha' heard un fqueak.' Mr. Myope perceiving how little was to be. gained by expoftulation, gave the fellow a fixpence for the umbrella, and taking Bridgetina under his protection, conducted her in fafety to her mother's door. CHAP. 2 CHAP. XXIII. "With fenfe refin'd, "Learning digefted well, exalted faith, THOMSON. IN the course of the enfuing fortnight, Bridgetina had the happiness of enjoying frequent opportunities of meeting with the object of her tender hopes. For thefe opportunities the fo indefatigably watched, that not one vifit did Henry pay to the invalids at the farm, without his having the pleasure of being either accompanied, or followed, or met on his return by the love-infpired maiden; who took fo little pains to conceal her paffion, that he must have been very ftupid indeed, if he remained ignorant of her partiality. For all the multiplied proofs of tenderness which he every day received, we are forry to confefs that Henry was exceedingly ungrateful. So little did he know how to estimate the value of the metaphyfical harangues with which Bridgetina always came prepared, that though previous to her entrance he had been only chatting on indifferent topics with Harriet Orwell, he feemed to regard her appearance as a very undefirable interruption. Happy for Bridgetina her perception was not very acute! Having determined in her own mind that Henry should be her lover, the interpreted every part of his conduct in her own favour; and perfifted in believing, that noth withitanding his faying fo little in favour of the new philofophy, its profound principles had made a fuificient im15. preffion preffion upon his mind, which he was only deterred from acknowledging by the circumstances of his prefent fituation; could that fituation be fortunately changed, fhe had no doubt that he would gladly throw off the yoke of prejudice, and would in the philofophical galaxy become a ftar of the first magnitude. For this emancipation, the intended expedition to the coaft of Africa would furnish him with a moft favourable opportunity, which he would doubtlefs be happy to embrace. No longer bound in the adamantine chain with which the opinions of fociety cruelly fetters its unhappy flaves, his mind would then expand in all the energy of affection, and give a loose to the foul-touching tenderness of love. She had not as yet thought proper to drop any hint of the proposed emigration; but by extrava gant encomiums on the Hottentots, fhe fedulously prepared the way; and having prevailed on Henry to perufe the travels of Vaillant, fhe confidered his praises of the work as a fufficient teftimony of the impreffion it had made upon his mind. The great plan, whofe extenfive confequences embraced no lefs an object than that of new modelling the human race, was now confiderably advanced. Vallaton, who, after a few days confinement at the farm, returned to Mr. Glib's, entered into it with warmth. His fuperior activity entitled him to take the lead, and after a faint refufal, he was prevailed on to affume the conduct of the enterprize; to receive the money that fhould be raised for carrying it into execution, and to manage this common fund for the general benefit. Mr. Myope, in quality of fecretary, wrote a circular letter to the enlightened, of which the following is a faithful copy. "To "Who is there deferving of the title of philofopher, that does not feel the aggravated evils which the prefent odious inftitutions of society impofe on its wretched victim? Who is there among the enlightened, the men without a God, that does not wish to efcape from this world of mifery,' where the prejudices of mankind are ever preparing for him the bitter draught of obloquy and contempt? Are not all our energies wafted in the fruitless lamentation of irremediable evils; and our powers blunted, and rendered obtufe, by the obftacles which the unjust inftitutions of fociety throw in the way of perfectibility? "Who is there among us, whom the unequal diftribution of property does not fill with envy, refentment, and defpair? Who is there among us, that cannot recollect the time when he fecretly called in queftion the arbitrary divifion of property establish ed in fociety, and felt inclined to appropriate to his own ufe many things, the possession of which appeared to him defirable ?* And yet for thefe noble and natural fentiments, (when reduced to action) the unjuft and arbitrary inftitutions of fociety have prepared prifons and fetters! The odious fyftem of coercion is exerted to impofe the most injurious restraints on these falutary flights of genius; and property is thus hemmed in on every fide. "Nor is the endeavour to get rid of the encumbrances by which we are weighed down, lefs abortive, or attended with confequences lefs deplorable. "Has any of us, in the ferment of youthful paffion, bound himself by marriage? In vain does he ftruggle to throw off the yoke; he is bound by * Pol. Juf. vol. i. 4to. edit. p. 89. the |