himself. But that which was intended to be of very great fervice to him and his family,` eventually proved extremely unfortunate to himself and them; for, as foon as he found he was more at eafe in his circumftances, he contracted a fatal habit of drinking, and of courfe his bufinefs was neglected; fo that after feveral fruitless attempts of my grandfather to keep him in trade, he was, partly by a very large family, but more by his habitual drunkennefs, reduced to his old ftate of a journeyman fhoemaker: Yet fo infatuated was he with the love of liquor, that the endearing ties of hufband and father could not refrain him by which baneful habit himself and family were involved in the extremeft poverty.

"To mortal men great loads allotted be;
"But of all packs, no pack like poverty."

HERRICK.

So that neither myfelf, my Brothers, or Sifters, are indebted to a Father scarcely for any thing that can endear his memory, or cause us to reflect on him with pleasure.

"Children,

"Children, the blind effects of love and chance
"Bear from their birth the impreffion of a Slave.

DRYDEN.

My father and mother might have faid with Middleton,

"How adverse runs the destiny of fome creatures!
"Some only can get riches and no children,

"We only can get children and no riches;

"Then 'tis the prudent part to check our will,

And, till our ftate rife, make our blood ftand ftill."

But to our mother we are indebted for every thing. "She was a woman take her for all in all, I fhall not look upon her like again." Never did I know or hear of a woman who worked and lived fo hard as she did to support Eleven children: and were I to relate the particulars, it would not gain credit. I fhall only obferve, that for many years together, the worked generally nineteen or twenty hours out of every twenty-four; even when very near her time, fometimes at one hour she was feen walking backwards and forwards. by her Spinning-wheel, and her midwife fent for the next. Whenever he was afked

to

to drink a half pint of ale, at any shop where she had been laying out a trifling fum, fhe always asked leave to take it home to her husband, who was always fo mean and selfish as to drink it.

Out of love to her family fhe totally abftained from every kind of Liquor, water excepted, her food was chiefly broth, (little better than water and oatmeal) turnips, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, &c. her children fared fomething better, but not much, as you may well fuppofe. When I reflect on the astonishing hardships and fufferings of so worthy a woman, and her helpless infants, I find myfelf ready to curfe the husband and father that could thus involve them in fuch a deplorable scene of mifery and diftrefs. It is dreadful to add, that his habitual drunkenness shortened his days nearly one half, and that about twenty years fince he died, unregretted by his own children; nay more, while nature shed tears over his grave, reason was thankful:

"A parting tear to nature must be paid,
"Nature in spite of us, will be obey'd,"

Thankful

Thankful that the caufe of their poverty and

mifery was taken out of the

way.

"The pious tear the fons and daughters fhed;

"Thus they, whom long he wrong'd, bewail'd him dead: "With rev'rence they perform his obfequies,

"And bear their forrows as befeems the wife.

COOKE.

Read this, ye inhuman parents, and shudder! Was a law made to banifh all fuch fathers, 'would it not be a juft, nay even a mild law? I have my doubts whether children should 'not be taught to defpife and deteft an unna'tural brutal parent, as much as they are to 'love and revere a good one.

Here, fir, permit me to drop fo gloomy a subject, and relate an uncommon circumftance that happened about this time.

Mr. James Knowland, who for many years kept the fign of the Eight Bells in Wellington, had a fon that appeared weakly and infirm; when he was about nine years old, he was taken very ill, and (to all appearance) died; he had laid in the coffin five days,

when

when in bringing him down stairs in order to bury him, they thought that fomething moved in the coffin, and on opening it, they found him alive, and his eyes open. About two years after this, the boy was again taken ill, and in a day or two after, was to all appearance dead; but his father refolved not to have him interred, until he became offenfive; he laid in this ftate fix days, and again came to life.

I am, Sir,

Yours.

LETTER