the breach of the first and second commandments; let us proceed to the third.

Bragwell. That is about swearing, is it not?

Mr. Worthy, who had observed Bragwell guilty of much profaneness in using the name of his Maker, (though all such offensive words have been avoided in writing this history,) now told him that he had been waiting the whole day for an opportunity to reprove him for his frequent breach of the third commandment.

"Good L-d! I break the third commandment!" said Bragwell; "no, indeed, hardly ever. I once used to swear a little to be sure, but I vow I never do it now, except now and then, when I happen to be in a passion : and in such a case, why, by G-d, you know the sin is with those who provoke me, and not with me; but, upon my soul, I don't think I have sworn an oath these three months; no, not I, faith, as I hope to be saved." Worthy. And yet you have broken this holy law no less than five or six times in the last speech you have made.

Good heavens, Mr.

Bragwell. Lord, bless me! sure you mistake. Worthy, I call G-d to witness, I have neither cursed nor swore since I have been in the house.

Worthy. Mr. Bragwell, this is the way in which many who call themselves very good sort of people deceive themselves. What! is it no profanation of the name of your Maker to use it lightly, irreverently, and familiarly, as you have done? Our Saviour has not only told us not to swear by the immediate name of God, but he has said, "Swear not at all, neither by heaven, nor by the earth;" and in order to kinder our inventing any other irreligious exclamations or expressions, he has even added, "but let your communication be yea, yea, and nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than this simple affirmation and denial, cometh of evil." Nay, more, so greatly do I reverence that high and holy name, that I think even some good people have it too frequently in their mouths, and that they might convey the idea without the word.

Bragwell. Well, well, I must take a little more care, I believe; I vow to Heaven I did not know there had been so much harm in it; but my daughters seldom speak without using some of these words, and yet they wanted to make me believe the other day that it was monstrous vulgar to

swear.

Worthy. Women, even gentlewomen, who ought to correct this evil habit in their fathers, and husbands, and children, are too apt to encourage it by their own practice. And, indeed, they betray the profaneness of their own minds also by it; for none who truly venerate the holy name of God, can either profane it in this manner themselves, or hear others do so without being exceedingly pained at it.

Bragwell. Well, since you are so hard upon me, I believe I must e'en give up this point;-so let us pass on to the next, and here I tread upon sure ground; for, as sharp as you are upon me, you can't accuse me of being a sabbath-breaker, since I go to church every Sunday of my life, unless on some very extraordinary occasion.

Worthy. For those occasions the gospel allows, by saying, "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath;" our own sickness, or attending on the sickness of others, are lawful impediments.

Bragwell. Yes, and I am now and then obliged to look at a drove of beasts, or to go a journey, or take some medicine, or perhaps some friend may call upon me, or it may be very cold, or very hot, or very rainy.

Worthy. Poor excuses! Mr. Bragwell. Do you call these lawful impediments? I am afraid they will not pass for such on the day of judgment. But how is the rest of your Sunday spent?

Bragwell. Oh, why, I assure you I often go to church in the afternoon also, and even if I am ever so sleepy.

Worthy. And so you finish your nap at church, I suppose?

Bragwell. Why, as to that, to be sure we do contrive to have something a little nicer than common for dinner on a Sunday; in consequence of which, one eats, you know, a little more than ordinary; and having nothing to do on that day, one has more leisure to take a cheerful glass and all these things will make one a little heavy, you know.

Worthy. And don't you take a little ride in the morning, and look at your sheep when the weather is good; and so fill your mind just before you go to church with thoughts of them? and when the weather is bad, don't you settle an account? or write a few letters of business after church? Bragwell. I can't say but I do; but that is nothing to any body, so long as I set a good example by keeping to my church.

Worthy. And how do you pass your Sunday-evenings?

Bragwell. My wife and daughters go a visiting Sunday-afternoons. My daughters are glad to get out at any rate; and as to my wife, she says, that, being ready dressed, it is a pity to lose the opportunity; besides, it saves her time on a week day so then you see I have it all my own way, and when I have got rid of the ladies, who are ready to faint at the smell of tobacco, I can venture to smoke a pipe, and drink a sober glass of punch with half a dozen friends.

Worthy. Which punch being made of smuggled brandy, and drunk on the Lord's day, in very vain as well as profane and worldly company, you are enabled to break both the law of God and that of your country at a stroke and I suppose, when you are got together, you speak of your cattle, or of your crops, after which perhaps you talk over a few of your neighbours' faults, and then you brag a little of your own wealth, or your own achievements.

Bragwell. Why, you seem to know us so well, that any one would think you had been sitting behind the curtain: and yet you are a little mistaken too; for I think we have hardly said a word for several of our last Sundays on any thing but politics.

Worthy. And do you find that you much improve your Christian charity by that subject?

Bragwell. Why, to be sure, we do quarrel till we are very near fighting, that is the worst on't.

Worthy. And then you call names, and swear a little, I suppose?

Bragwell. Why, when one is contradicted, and put in a passion, you know, and when people, especially if they are one's inferiors, won't adopt all one's opinions, flesh and blood can't bear it.

Worthy. And when all your friends are gone home, what becomes of the rest of the evening?

Bragwell. That is just as it happens: sometimes I read the news

bo

paper; and, as one is generally most tired on the days one does nothing, I to bed earlier on Sundays than on any other days, that I go more fit to get up to my business the next morning.

may

Worthy. So you shorten Sunday as much as you can, by cutting off a bit at both ends, I suppose; for I take it for granted, you lie a little later in the morning.

Bragwell. Come, come. We shan't get through the whole ten to-night, if you stand snubbing one at this rate. You may pass over the fifth; for my father and mother have been dead ever since I was a boy; so I am clear of that scrape.

Worthy. There are, however, many relative duties included in that commandment; unkindness to all kindred is forbidden.

Bragwell. Oh, if you mean my turning off my nephew Tom, the ploughboy, you must not blame me for that, it was all my wife's fault. He was as good a lad as ever lived, to be sure, and my own brother's son; but my wife could not bear that a boy in a carter's frock should be about the house, calling her aunt. We quarrelled like dog and cat about it; and when he was turned away, she and I did not speak for a week.

Worthy. Which was a fresh breach of the commandment; a worthy nephew turned out of doors, and a wife not spoken to for a week, are no very convincing proofs of your observance of the fifth commandment. Bragwell. Well, I long to come to the sixth; for you don't think I commit murder, I hope?

Worthy. I am not sure of that.

Bragwell. Murder! What, I kill anybody?

Worthy. Why, the laws of the land indeed, and the disgrace attending it, are almost enough to keep any man from actual murder; let me ask, however, do you never give way to unjust anger, and passion, and revenge? as, for instance, do you never feel your resentment kindle against some of the politicians who contradict you on a Sunday night? and do you never push your animosity against somebody that has affronted you, further than the occasion can justify?

Bragwell. Hark'ee, Mr. Worthy, I am a man of substance, and no man shall offend me without my being even with him. So, as to injuring a man, if he affronts me first, there's nothing but good reason in that.

Worthy. Very well! only bear in mind that you wilfully break this commandment, whether you abuse your servant, are angry at your wife, watch for a moment to revenge an injury on your neighbour, or even wreak your passion on a harmless beast; for you have then the seeds of murder working in your breast; and if there were no law, no gibbet to check you, and no fear of disgrace neither, I am not sure where you would stop.

Bragwell. Why, Mr. Worthy, you have a strange way of explaining the commandments: so you set me down for a murderer, merely because I bear hatred to a man who has done me a hurt, and am glad to do him a like injury in my turn.—I am sure I should want spirit if I did not.

Worthy. I go by the Scripture rule, which says, "He that hateth his brother is a murderer;" and again, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you." Besides, Mr. Bragwell, you make it a part of your boast that you said the

Lord's prayer every day, wherein you pray to God to forgive you your trespasses as you forgive them that trespass against you. If therefore you do not forgive them that trespass against you, in that case you pray daily that your own trespasses may never be forgiven. Now, own the truth: Did you last night lie down in a spirit of forgiveness and charity with the whole world?

Bragwell. Yes, I am in charity with the world in general; because the greater part of it has never done me any harm. But I won't forgive old Giles, who broke down my new hedge yesterday for firing-Giles, who used to be so honest!

Worthy. And yet you expect that God will forgive you who have broken down his sacred laws, and have so often robbed him of his right: you have robbed him of the honour due unto his name; you have robbed him of his holy day, by doing your own work, and seeking your own pleasure in it; you have robbed his poor, particularly in the instance of Giles, by withholding from them, as overseer, such assistance as should prevent their being driven to the sin of stealing.

Bragwell. Why you are now charging me with other men's sins as well

as my own.

Worthy. Perhaps the sins which we cause other men to commit through injustice, inconsideration, and evil example, may dreadfully swell the sum of our responsibility in the great day of account.

Bragwell. Well, come, let us make haste, and get through these commandments. The next is, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Thank God neither I nor my family can be said to break the seventh commandment.

Worthy. Here again, remember how Christ himself hath said, "Whoso looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart." These are no far-fetched expressions of mine, Mr. Bragwell; they are the words of Jesus Christ. I hope you will not charge him with having carried things too far; for if you do, you charge him with being mistaken in the religion he taught; and this can only be accounted for by supposing him an impostor.

Bragwell. Why, upon my word, Mr. Worthy, I don't like these sayings of his which you quote upon me so often, and that is the truth of it, and I can't say I feel much disposed to believe them.

Worthy. I hope you believe in Jesus Christ. I hope you believe that creed of yours, which you also boasted of repeating so regularly.

Bragwell. Well, well. I'll believe anything you say, rather than stand quarrelling with you.

Worthy. I hope, then, you will allow, that since it is committing adultery to look at a woman with even an irregular thought, it follows from the same rule, that all immodest dress in your daughters, or indecent jests and double meanings in yourself; all loose songs or novels; and all diversions also which have a like tendency-are forbidden by the seventh commandment; for it is most plain from what Christ has said, that it takes in not only the act, but the inclination, the desire, the indulged imagination; the act is only the last and highest degree of any sin; the topmost round, as it were, of a ladder, to which all the lower rounds are only as so many steps and stages.

Bragwell. Strict, indeed! Mr. Worthy: but let us go on to the next ; you won't pretend to say I steal. Mr. Bragwell, I trust, was never known to rob on the highway, to break open his neighbour's house, or to use false weights or measures.

Worthy. No, nor have you ever been under any temptation to do it ; and yet there are a thousand ways of breaking the eighth commandment, besides actual stealing. For instance, Do you never hide the faults of the goods you sell, and heighten the faults of those you buy? Do you never take advantage of an ignorant dealer, and ask more for a thing than it is worth? Do you never turn the distressed circumstances of a man, who has something to sell, to your own unfair benefit; and thus act as unjustly by him as if you had stolen? Do you never cut off a shilling from a workman's wages, under a pretence which your conscience can't justify? Do you never pass off an unsound horse for a sound one? Do you never conceal the real rent of your estate from the overseers, and thereby rob the poor-rates of their legal due?

Bragwell. Pooh! these things are done every day. I shan't go to set up for being better than my neighbours in these sort of things; these little matters will pass muster. I don't set up for a reformer. If I am as good as the rest of my neighbours, no man can call me to account; I'm not worse, I trust, and I don't pretend to be better.

Worthy. You must be tried hereafter at the bar of God, and not by a jury of your fellow-creatures; and the Scriptures are given us, in order to show by what rule we shall be judged. How many or how few do as you do, is quite aside from the question; Jesus Christ has even told us to strive to enter in at the strait gate; so that we ought rather to take fright, from our being like the common run of people, than to take comfort from our being so.

Bragwell. Come, I don't like all this close work, it makes a man feel I don't know how-I don't find myself so happy as I did—I don't like this fishing in troubled waters-I'm as merry as the day is long when I let these things alone. I'm glad we are got to the ninth. But I suppose I shall be lugged in there too, head and shoulders. Any one now who did not know me, would really think I was a great sinner, by your way of putting things: I don't bear false witness, however.

Worthy. You mean, I suppose, you would not swear away a man's life falsely before a magistrate; but do you take equal care not to slander or backbite him? Do you never represent a good action of a man you have quarrelled with, as if it were a bad one? or do you never make a bad one worse than it is, by your manner of telling it? Even when you invent no false circumstances, do you never give such a colour to those you relate, as to leave a false impression on the mind of the hearers? you never twist a story so as to make it tell a little better for yourself, and a little worse for your neighbour, than truth and justice warrant ? Bragwell. Why, as to that matter, all this is only natural.

Do

Worthy. Ay, much too natural to be right, I doubt. Well, now we are got to the last of the commandments.

Bragwell. Yes, I have run the gauntlet finely through them all; you will bring me in guilty here, I suppose, for the pleasure of going through with it; for you condemn without judge or jury, master Worthy.