THE VICAR of WAKEFIELD. СНАР. І. The defcription of the family of Wakefield; in which a kindred likeness prevails as well of minds as of perfons. I WAS ever of opinion, that the honeft man who married and brought up a large family, did more fervice than he who continued fingle, and only talked of population. From this motive, I had fcarce taken orders a year, before I began to think seriously of matrimony, and chofe my wife as fhe did her wedding-gown, not for a fine gloffy surface, but such qualities as would wear well. To do her juftice, fhe was a good-natured notable woman; and as for breeding, there were few country ladies who could fhew more. She could read any English book without much spelling; but for pickling, preferving, and cookery, none could excel her. She prided herself also upon being an excellent contriver in houfe-keeping; though 1 could never find that we grew richer with all her contrivances. However, we loved each other tenderly, and our fondness increased as we grew old. There was in fact nothing that could make us angry with the world, or each other. We had an elegant house, situated in a fine country, and a good neighbourhood. The year was spent in a moral or rural amusement; in vifiting B Our our rich neighbours, and relieving fuch as were poor. We had no revolutions to fear, nor fatigues to undergo; all our adventures were by the fire-fide, and all our migrations from the blue bed to the brown. As we lived near the road, we often had the traveller or ftranger vifit us to taste our goofeberry-wine, for which we had great reputation; and I profefs with the veracity of an hiftorian, that I never knew one of them find fault with it. Our coufins too, even to the fortieth remove, all remembered their affinity, without any help from the heralds' office, and came very frequently to fee us. Some of them did us no great honour by these claims of kindred; as we had the blind, the maimed, and the halt amongit the number. However, my wife always infifted that as they were the fame flesh and blood, they fhould fit with us at the fame table. So that if we had not very rich, we generally had very happy friends about us; for this remark will hold good through life, and the poorer the gueft, the better pleafed he ever is with being treated; and as fome men gaze with admiration at the colours of a tulip, or the wing of a butterfly, fo I was by nature an admirer of happy human faces. However, when any one of our relations was found to be a perfon of a very bad character, a troublesome guest, or one we defired to get rid of, upon his leaving my house I ever took care to lend him a riding coat, or a pair of boots, or fometimes an horfe of small value, and I always had the fatisfaction of finding he never came back to return them. By this the house was cleared of fuch as we did not like; but never was the family of Wakefield known to turn the traveller or the poor dependant out of doors. Thus we lived several years in a state of much hap pinefs, not but that we fometimes had thofe little rubs which Providence fends to enhance the value of its favours. My orchard was often robbed by school-boys, and my wife's cuftards plundered by the cats or the children. The 'Squire would fometimes fall asleep in the most pathetic parts of my fermon, or his lady re turn turn my wife's civilities at church with a mutilated curtefy. But we foon got over the uneafinefs caused by fuch accidents, and ufually in three or four days began to wonder how they vexed us. My children, the offspring of temperance, as they were educated without foftnefs, fo they were at once well formed and healthy; my fons hardy and active, my daughters beautiful and blooming. When I ftood in the midst of the little circle, which promised to be the fupports of my declining age, I could not avoid repeating the famous ftory of Count Abensberg, who, in Henry II.'s progrefs through Germany, while other courtiers came with their treasures, brought his thirtytwo children, and prefented them to his fovereign as the most valuable offering he had to bestow. In this manner, though I had but fix, I confidered them as a very valuable prefent made to my country, and confequently looked upon it as my debtor. Our eldest fon was named George, after his uncle, who left us ten thousand pounds. Our fecond child, a girl, I intended to call after her aunt Griffel; but my wife, who during her pregnancy had been reading romances, infifted upon her being called Olivia. In less than another year we had another daughter, and now I was determined that Griffel fhould be her name; but a rich relation taking a fancy to ftand godmother, the girl was, by her directions, called Sophia; fo that we had two romantic names in the family; but I folemnly protest I had no hand in it. Mofes was our next, and after an interval of twelve years, we had two fons more. It would be fruitless to deny my exultation when I faw my little ones about me; but the vanity and the fatisfaction of my wife were even greater than mine. When our visitors would fay, Well, upon my word, Mrs. Primrose, you have the finest children in the whole country' Ay, neighbour,' fhe would anfwer, they are as heaven made them, handsome enough, if they be good enough; for handfome is that handsome does. And then the would bid the girls hold up their heads; who, to conceal nothing, were certainly very handfome. Mere outfide is fo very trifling a circumftance with me, that I should fcarce have remembered to mention it, had it not been a general topic of converfation in the country. Olivia, now about eighteen, had that luxuriancy of beauty with which painters generally draw Hebe; open, fprightly, and commanding. Sophia's features were not fo ftriking at firft; but often did more certain execution for they were foft, modeft, and alluring. The one vanquished by a fingle blow, the other by efforts fuccefsfully repeated. The temper of a woman is generally formed from the turn of her features, at least it was fo with my daughters. Olivia wifhed for many lovers, Sophia to fecure one. Olivia was often affected from too great a defire to pleafe. Sophia even repreft excellence, from her fears to offend. The one entertained me with her vivacity when I was gay; the other with her fense when I was ferious. But thefe qualities were never carried to excefs in either, and I have often feen them exchange characters for a whole day together. A fuit of mourning has transformed my coquet into a prude, and a new fet of ribands has given her youngest fifter more than natural vivacity. My eldeft fon George was bred at Oxford, as I intended him for one of the learned profeffions. My fecond boy Mofes, whom I defigned for business, received a fort of miscellaneous education at home. But it is needless to attempt defcribing the particular characters of young people that had feen but very little of the world. In short, a family likenefs prevailed through all, and properly fpeaking, they had but one character, that of being all equally generous, credulous, fimple, and inoffenfive. СНАР. CHAP. II. Family misfortunes. The lofs of fortunes only ferrues to increase the pride of the worthy. THE HE temporal concerns of our family were chiefly committed to my wife's management; as to the spiritual, I took them entirely under my own direction. The profits of my living, which amounted to but thirty-five pounds a year, I made over to the orphans and widows of the clergy of our diocefe; for having a fufficient fortune of my own, I was careless of temporalities, and felt a fecret pleafure in doing my duty without reward. I alfo fet a refolution of keeping no curate, and of being acquainted with every man in the parish, exhorting the married men to temperance, and the bachelors to matrimony; fc that in a few years it was a common faying, that there were three ftrange wants at Wakefield, a parfon wanting pride, young men wanting wives, and alehoufes wanting customers. Matrimony was always one of my favourite topics, and I wrote feveral fermons to prove its happiness: but there was a peculiar tenet which I made a point of fupporting; for I maintained with Whifton, that it was unlawful for a prieft of the church of England, after the death of his first wife, to take a fecond, or to exprefs it in one word, I valued myfelf upon being a Atrict monogamit. I was early initiated into this important difpute, on which fo many laborious volumes have been written. I published fome tracts upon the fubject myself, which, as they never fold, I have the confolation of thinking are read only by the happy Few. Some of my friends called this my weak fide; but, alas! they had not like me made it the fubject of long contemplation. The more I reflected upon it, the more important it appeared. I even went aftep beyond Whifton in difplaying my principles: as he had engraven upon his B 3 wife's |