But alas! my godly strict life at length fuffered interruption. I will give you a farther account of the methodists when I come to the time when I finally left their fociety..

The election for two members of parliament was frongly contested at Taunton, just as I attained my twenty-first year; and being now of age, the fix or feven months which I had to ferve of my apprentice fhip were purchased of my mistress by fome friends of two of the contending candidates: fo that I was at once fet free in the midst of a scene of riot and diffipation.

Prefent example gets within our guard,

And acts with double force, by few repell'd.

"Nor fhame, nor honour could prevail,
"To keep me thus from turning tail."

YOUNG.

As I had a vote, and was alfo poffeffed of a few ideas above those of my rank and fituation, my company was courted by fome who were in a much higher fphere; and, (probably what they partly intended) in fuch company I foon forgot my godly or methodistical connections, and ran into the oppofite extreme fo that for feveral months most of my fpare hours were devoted to the

Young-ey'd God of Wine! Parent of joys!
Frolic and full of thee, while the cold fons

Of temperance, the fools of thought and care,

Lay ftretch'd in fober flumbers. MALALT'S Eurydice.

Here I had nearly funk for ever into meanness, cbfcurity, and vice; for when the election was over, I had no longer open houfes to eat and drink in at free coft. And having refused bribes, I was nearly out of cafh.

I began the world with an unfuspecting heart, was tricked out of about three pounds (every fhilling I was poffeffed of) and part of my clothes, by fome country harpers. Having one coat and two waistcoats left, I lent my beft waistcoat to an acquaintance, who left the town and forgot to return it.,

Whate'er or fages teach, or bards reveal,
Men ftill are men, and learn but when they feel.

J. H. BROWNE.

However I did not fink quite fo low as the commonality of journeymen fhoemakers, but in general worked very hard, and fpent my money in better

company.

To know good, preferring fpecious ill,
Reafon becomes a cully to the will;

Thus men, perverfely fond to roam astray,
Hood-winks the guide affigned to fhew the way;
And in life's voyage, like the pilot fares,

Who breaks the compafs, and contemns the ftars.

FENTON.

Notwithstanding, at times, I was very uneafy, and although I had not been at any methodistical meeting during the time that I had lived this diffipated life, yet my mind was not freed entirely from the fuperftitious fears I had there imbibed; fo that whenever any perfon asked me, what would become of me (that had lived fuch a holy life) if I fliould die in the state of backfliding from the good old way?" I always acknowledged that I fhould be eternally damn'd, were that to be the cafe. But I must confefs that I was not much afraid of dying in fuch a ftate, as I was too much prepoffeffed with the methodistical notions of free-grace, that would not let me be finally loft, prefuming that I muft wait, as it were, for a fecond call to repentance, juftification, &c. which I had been taught to believe might take place inftantaneously, and put the devil to flight in a hurry, and fo matters, would be all right again. And I have known many who, having these ideas, have continued to live very profligate lives to the end of the chapter.

There is a curious paffage in the confeffions of St. Auguftin, in which he owns that in his youth he was excellively addicted to women, and that he made use of a prayer, in which he defired God to make him chafte, but not too foon.

I often privately took the Bible to bed with me, and in the long fummer mornings read for hours together in bed; but this did not in the least influence

my

my conduct. As you know great events often arife from little caufes, I am now going to relate a circumstance, trivial in itfelf, though productive of a more confiderable change in my fituation, than any I had yet experienced.

I was twenty-one years of age the 11th of September 1767, the election was over the latter end of March 1768. It was in this year that my new master's wife infifted on my purchafing milk of a milk-maid who was a customer at the fhop; which command I refused to comply with, as I had a fmart little milkmaid of my own. But as my miftrefs wore the breeches, my master was obliged, by his wife's order, to inform me, that I must comply with her mandate, or get another mafter. I left him without hesitation; and the fame afternoon went to Wellington, took leave of my father and mother, and informed them of my intention to go to Bristol. After two or three days, I returned back to Taunton, where I stayed a day or two more. In which time I became enamoured with, or infatuated by, the beautiful Nancy Trott:

-In fweet words that breath delight and joy,
She fix'd the attention of the heart-ftruck boy.
-Beauty triumphs and the joys of love !

Rape of HELEN.

And although I faw the impropriety of the meafure, yet I could not refift the fair temper, who prevailed with me to permit her to accompany me in my journey.

Reafon was given to curb our head-ftrong will,
And yet but fhews a weak physician's kill;
Gives nothing while the raging fit does laft,
But ftays to cure it when the worst is past.
Reafon's a staff for age, when Nature's gone;
But youth is strong enough to walk alone.

DRYDEN'S Con. of Gran.

Another Poet has given us the fame idea in half the number of lines:

Then comes thought-cold confideration-
Lame after-thought, with endless fcruples fraught;
Benumb'd with fears to damp the goodly blaze.

A Fit of Spleen.

We rested a week in Bridgewater, where I worked hard and got money to convey us to Exbridge, feventeen miles on this fide Bristol; and there I faw my conduct in fuch a point of view as made me refolve to leave her.

In well-feign'd.accents, now they hail my ear,
My life,, my love, my charmer, or my dear,

As if thefe founds, thefe joyless founds could prove
The fmalleft particle of genuine love.

O! purchas'd love, retail'd through half the town,
Where each maf fhare on paying half-a-crown;
Where every air of tenderness is art,

And not one word the language of the heart;
Where all is mockery of Cupid's reign,
End in remorfe, in wretchedness, and pain.

Art of Living in LONDON.

My finances amounted to three fhillings and one penny, out of which I gave her half a-crown, and with the remaining feven-pence, without informing her of my purpose, I fet off for Bristol.

Phillips fays,

Happy the man, who void of care and strife,
In filken or in leathern purfe, retains

A fplendid fhilling.

My feven-pence did full as well, for having left half-a crown with my poor girl, I tripped on with a light heart, and in a few hours arrived at that bustling city, and got work the fame evening.

A few days after I went to the inn where the Taunton carrier put up to enquire after Mifs Trott, as I wanted to know if he had returned fafe to Taunton. I was informed that fhe was in Bristol nearly as foon as I was. Knowing but little of the world, and ftill lefs of women of her defcription, I was quite unhappy on her account, for fear that being in a strange place fhe might be in want and distress; which thought induced me to offer to several of my countrymen five fhilling to the first who fhould bring me an account where I might find her; but I did not fee her until feveral weeks after that.

Some foe to his upright intent,
Finds out his weaker part,

Virtue engages his affent,

But pleasure wins the heart. 'Tis here the folly of the wife,

Through all his arts we view,

And while his tongue the charge denies,
His confcience owns it true.

COWPER.

The contents of this
It informed me that

The Taunton carrier gave me a letter from my good Miftrefs Bowden (who, by marrying again, had changed her name to Dingle). latter very much furprised me. a day or two before I fell out with my last mistress which was the trifling caufe of my leaving Taunton) Betty Tucker, a common lafs, had fworn a child to me; that the parish officers had been at my master's hop within an hour after I had left it to go to Wellington, and that they had been at Wellington just as I had left that place, and afterwards hearing that I was in Bridgewater, they had purfued me thither. the morning on which they arrived, I had fet off for Exbridge; and believing that I had intentionally fled before them, they had given over this chafe for the present.

"'Tis easy to defcend into the fiare,

By the pernicious conduct of the fair :
"But fafely to return from their abode,
"Requires the wit, the prudence of a God."

But

Reflecting on this affair, although my conduct was very far from entitling me to entertain fuch a fuppofition, yet I was then weak enough to imagine, that being a particular favourite of heaven, a kind of miracle had been wrought to fave me from a prifon, or from marrying a woman I could not bear the idea of living with a fingle week; and as I had not any knowledge of her being with child (not having feen her for three months before) I had not taken any measure to avoid the confequence, but put myself in the way of the officers: for, as I have just told you, after I had taken leave of my father and mother, I went back to Taunton, and walked about publicly one whole day, and part of another.

This girl was delivered about two months afterward's of a ftill-born child, fo that I was never trou. bled for expences.

E 3

But