Part 15 (2/2)

This plan he did not voluntarilyin my manuscript, I made no further inquiry It was presently produced 'I have two or three times,' said I, 'Mr Turl, intruded upon you, and a a palad to have your opinion I know before you open it you are inih I think theuht not expect: and if not, I still should be glad to have your judgment of it, as a composition It contains a defence of the thirty-nine articles, and indisputable proofs of the duty of religious conformity'

Turl paused for a ly, Mr Trevor, comply with your desire, were I not convinced of its absolute inutility The question has long been decided in ht, in any man or any body of men, to tyrannize over my conscience To find a standard to measure space and duration has hitherto baffled all attehts of the whole human race is a disposition that is both hateful and absurd Should you understand the sincerity hich I speak as hostile to yourself, you will doWere it in ; but on this occasion it certainly is not'

I replied with some pique, 'To condemn any man, any question, or any cause unheard, Sir, is neither the act of a Christian nor of a philosopher'

'Christians, Mr Trevor,' answered he, 'are so different from each other, that what the act of a Christian may be is more than I know: but, if I may speak as a philosopher, it is an i, if there can be any other done that will contribute ood'

'Do you think, Mr Turl,' retorted I with indignation, 'thatscratches, with a bit of steel on a bit of copper, is contributing ood than the examination of a question of so much importance?'--'No, Mr Trevor: but, I repeat, I have exaood shall ain I am not I think so called upon at present, and I therefore must decline the task I could wish you were not to leave enius But it may now be said to be in a state of ferhten, and contribute I hope to the greatest and best of purposes

'Upon e person!'

So saying, I hastily put my manuscript in my pocket and took my leave: offended with his pere more than compliment hich it was concluded

This market always failed me; but I had one that was better calculated for my ware, which was immediately open to o, and did not fail to report its value I stated uments and boldly affirmed, in conformity with the most approved leaders of our church, that the articles were to be interpreted in an Arard to the Trinitarian controversy, and liberally in the questions of predestination and grace Nothing according tocould be uous, in these matters, by the compilers; in favour to men in their public capacity, who I admitted in their private were treated by them as heretics, blasphemers, and anti-christs I allowed no quarter to those who fixed the standard of orthodoxy a hair's breadth higher or lower than I had done; and attacked, with a virulence that shewed I was totally blind to the lay, who dared subscribe in defiance of the grossness of their heresy, and the Calvinists, who had the impudence to understand the articles in the sense in which their authors wrote them

Then I had a formidable army of authorities! The fathers: Tertullian, Chrysostoh church ift to Waterland, froers to Rutherforth! Them I marshalled in dread array, a host invincible!

The church thundered by an of her anathemas, and stood forth her self-elected chaht reverend patron, who heaved his cuazed approbation while I spoke I was so full ofnames and apt quotations with such volubility, and imparted my own firm conviction that this was the death blow to non-conformity with such force, that the rotund man felt some small portion of syan to hope he ht see the thrones dominions powers and principalities of the church re-established, and flourishi+ng once more! Had this been his only motive, however false his tenets, he would have acted from a virtuous intention; but he had another, hich the reader will in due time be acquainted

Thus favourably prepossessed, I left my manuscript for his perusal; and he treated nified, he could persuade hiotten that Enoch was present: thisrequired He played his part His congratulations of his young friend, and his aoodness, would have risen to ecstacy, if ecstacy and Enoch could possibly have been acquainted

We hied back to Suffolk street, where our good neas as usual related I had my vanity to feed, and the family had their views

Miss had been presented with two box tickets, for the benefit of a capital performer The inimitable Mrs Jordan was to play the Country Girl, and I was invited by the family and pressed by Miss to accept of one of them, and accompany her to the theatre

I was not of a saturnine and cold coainst rakes, I had soht be at hand But the play-house was the region of delight Mrs Jordan I had never seen, and to reject a lady's invitation was as cowardly as to refuse a gentleh for either, and at the appointed hour a hackney coach was in waiting, and I and Miss Eliza, accompanied by Enoch who had business in the Temple, were driven to Drury Lane Theatre

Places were kept, we took our seats, and the play began So intent was I, on plot, incident, character, wit, and humour, that, had I been left unotten Miss Eliza

But that was no part of her plan: at least it was no part of her practice Our knees soon becas of a very sentih to advance, could I be the poltroon to retreat? They were however very good and loving neighbours, and the language they spoke was peculiarly iue, and the way to tore occurred, and that was very often, either the feet, or the legs, or the elbows of Miss and ht haveColances, shot athwart, frequently exclainificance, often enough increased the interjection to--'Oh fie!'

The remarks of Miss, ocular and oral, were very pointed, and it reat allantry occurred, she was ready with--'There! That's you! There! There you are again! Well, I protest! Was any thing ever so like? That is you to a T!'

I e she created no little perturbation in hts were attracted this way, and hurried that The divine Mrs Jordan for oney, a dread of Eve and her apple, supported by a still more redoubtable combatant, virtue, with her fair but inflexible face!

And could Olivia, the gentle, the angelic, the bea Olivia, such as I remembered her in days of early innocence, such as I beheld her reclining in erous waters, could love be the theotten? No! There was not a day in which that phenoht on her, or what I meant, I seldoiven exquisite pain, had I not remembered that the world was soon to be at my command

But Olivia was absent, and I had entered the lists with a very different heroine Through play and farce there was no cessation to the co of prudence, before the curtain finally dropped I own I felt myself a little breathed

The foot-boy was to attend, with a hackney coach I led e was vociferated, from mouth to mouth, with as much eclat as if she had been a dutchess

The foot-boy e alas was there Why I was partly sorry and partly glad I leave the reader to divine It rained violently, and it ith difficulty that I could procure a chair Into this conveyance Miss Ellis was handed; I was left to provide for myself, and a storm in the heavens fortunately relieved the stor exhausted itself in the squeeze of the hand, which I gave Miss before the chairave me in return Disappointed ht to avow that what they call accident has frequently been the guardian of what they call their honour I returned ho Jordan had inspired, I retraced those discri divine touches, by which she communicates such repeated and uncommon pleasure She is indeed a potent sorceress: but not even her incantations could exclude the august and virgin spirit of Olivia fro to view As for Miss Eliza, keep her but at a hair-breadth distance and she was utterly harmless