THE

HISTORY OF AN INN-KEEPER

IN NORMANDY.

Quanquam animus meminiffe horret.

VIRG.

WHE

HEN a man narrowly fcrutinifes into his own heart, how little fatisfaction arifes from fuch an infpection! His goodnefs many times extends no further than to languid and impotent refolutions; whence he hath the mortification to fee, that his virtue is daily perishing in its bloffoms; while vice deeply roots itself in the corruption of his nature, derives additional ftrength from the luxuriance of the foil, and is hourly making bold advances to maturity. At the fame time that prepoffeffions and prejudices enthral his mind, they likewife enervate the powers of exertion, and thereby preclude to the captive all profpect of enlargement. Paffions are clamorous, temptations are numerous, and reason too frequently is of infufficient force to filence the

former,

former, and to repel the latter. Thus his breaft refembles a chaos, where difcord, darkness, and confufion maintain their empire, and triumph over the boasted authority of man. Difappointed and displeased with the picture which his own bofom exhibits of himself, he is naturally led to enquire into the cause of this involuntary deformity. Some writers have endeavoured to folve all difficulties, by affirming, that the creation of fuch a ftrange compound as man was neceflary, to preserve a due scale and gradation of beings. Others afcribe all our errors and defects to the Fall, and thereby impute to the firft parents of mankind the moral evil discoverable in the species. without entering upon a difcuffion of thefe fubjects, I would observe, that the human mind, in its present state, wears the appearance of an ancient fuperb ftructure, which hath formerly been injured and defaced by hoftile injury. There ftill remain ftrong marks of its primitive grandeur, although feveral of its nobleft apartments are fo miferably maimed and neglected, that they are now become, as it were, " an heritage for "the dragons of the wildernefs."

But,

It is a common obfervation, that neither the best of men are exempted from faults and follies, nor the worst altogether deftitute of worth and virtue; but fometimes there is fuch a mixture of VOL. II.

good

good and bad qualities, fo great a contrariety both of fentiment and conduct in the fame individual, that when we ourselves fit upon the trial of fuch a character, we are even constrained to fufpend our fentence; and our judgment is not only embarraffed by the interfperfion of flighter crimes, but it is also frequently perplexed and obftructed in its decifions, when actions of the blackest turpitude have been perpetrated by men whose general behaviour hath corresponded to the ftricteft rules of virtue and benevolence. Hiftory, facred and profane, furnishes us with ftriking inftances of the brighteft excellencies, and the fouleft blemishes, concentered in the fame perfon. Oftentimes that predominant paffion, which constitutes the very heroism of goodness, fhall aggravate every feature of vice, if once it be enlisted under the banner of wickednefs. That natural warmth of St. Peter's temper, which rendered his zeal for his injured mafter fo confpicuous, betrayed him into the moft horrid oaths and execrations. But there is no neceffity of a recourse to such distant examples; we fhall find fufficient fcope for reflection upon topics of this nature amidst the occurrences of our own times. Nor will the fubfequent ftory be a bad comment upon the hints already advanced, or too faint an illustration of the deplorable confequences which now and

then

then follow upon an unlimited indulgence even of the beft of human paffions.

An inn-keeper, at a town in Normandy, had eight children His wife, whom he loved with the utmost tendernefs, died of a fever, after fourteen years cohabitation. He was inconfolable for a while; but at length he emerged from his grief, and transferred all his affection to the fruits of his marriage-bed. The income arifing from. the profits of his bufinefs was an incompetent maintenance for his family. Hence feveral of his fons and daughters, when they had attained to proper age, quitted their father's house, and entered into fervitude. So ftrong was the Inn-holder's attachment to his children, that he regarded their departure in the light of a temporary banishment. However, there yet remained at home his eldest and his youngest fon, who practised every filial duty, to fupply the deficiency of his abfent comforts. Prior to this period, commenced a war between France and Great Britain; in the progrefs whereof the French compelled into their service a multitude of young fellows, who were averfe to the profeffion of arms. It unhappily fell out, that the Inn-keeper's youngest boy, a lad about fixteen years of age, was feized upon by a recruiting party, and hurried into Flanders.

The diftrefs

of the poor Inn-keeper at this melancholy incident, would probably have been infupportable, if his brother, who was the minifter of the parish, had. not used every argument, which reafon and religion fuggested, to alleviate the pangs of the bereaved parent. But although a courfe of time had affuaged the feverity of his fufferings, yet his forrows were occafionally quickened by the piteous tales the youth tranfmitted to him, of the many hardships he underwent abroad; by repeated applications of this neceffitous fon for money, and by the inability of the father to gratify the preffing requests of a ftarving child.

After fome years were elapfed, there rode an officer into the yard of the inn, who, alighting from his horfe, called aloud for the Landlord. The mafter of the house, obferving that his gueft, by his apparel, was a man of rank, approached him with deference; at which time the Officer, fixing his eyes fteadfastly upon his hoft, acquainted him, that he was just then arrived from Tournay, and had been defired to inform him of his fon's health. The Landlord's fond heart bounded at the mention of a person so exceedingly dear to him, and he was urgent with the gentleman to perpetuate his converfation upon this engaging theme. But the Soldier replied, that he was neceffitated to pay a few vifits in the town, and would take a more favourable