"away my money at the gaming-table, or my "health at any table, or my affections upon har"lots, or my time upon hounds and horfes, or "employ either money, health, affections, or "time, in any other pleasures or pursuits, than "these, which I now perceive will lead me to "folid happiness in this life, and fecure a good "chance for what may befal me hereafter !"

N° LXII.

Pudore et liberalitate liberos

Retinere fatius effe credo, quam metu.

Better far

(TERENT.) ·

To bind your children to you by the ties

Of gentleness and modefty than fear.

G

(COLMAN.)

EMINUS and Gemellus were twin-fons

of a country gentleman of fortune, whom I fhall call Euphorion; when they were of age to begin their grammar learning, Euphorion found himself exceedingly puzzled to decide upon the beft mode of education; he had read several treatises on the fubject, which inftead of clearing up his difficulties had encreased them;

he

he had confulted the opinions of his friends and neighbours, and he found thefe fo equally divided, and fo much to be faid on both fides, that he could determine upon neither; unfortunately for Euphorion he had no partialities of his own, for the good gentleman had had little or no education himfelf: The clergyman of the parish preached up the moral advantages of private tuition, the lawyer, his near neighbour, dazzled his imagination with the connections and knowledge of the world to be gained in a public school. Euphorion perceiving himself in a ftreight between two roads, and not knowing which to prefer, cut the difficulty by taking both; fo that Geminus was put under private tuition of the clergyman above mentioned, and Gemellus was taken up to town by the lawyer to be entered at Weftminster school.

Euphorion having thus put the two systems fairly to flue waited the event, but every time that Gemellus came home at the breaking-up, the private fyftem rofe and the public funk on the comparison in the father's mind, for Gemellus's appearance no longer kept pace with his brother's; wild and ragged as a colt, battered and bruifed and difhevelled he hardly feemed of the fame fpecies with the fpruce little mafter in the parlour; Euphorion was fhocked to find that his

manners

manners were no less altered than his person, for he herded with the fervants in the ftable, was for ever under the horfes' heels, and foremost in all games and sports with the idle boys of the parish; this was a fore offence in Euphorion's eyes, for he abhorred low company, and being the first gentleman of his family feemed determined to keep up to the title: Misfortunes multiplied upon poor Gemellus, and every thing conspired to put him in complete difgrace, for he began to corrupt his brother, and was detected in debauching him to a game at cricket, from which Geminus was brought home with a bruise on the fhin, that made a week's work for the furgeon; and what was ftill worse, there was conviction of the blow being given by a ball from Gemellus's batt; this brought on a fevere interdiction of all further fellowship between the brothers, and they were effectually kept apart for the future.

A fufpicion now took place in the father's mind, that Gemellus had made as little progress in his books, as he had in his manners; but as this was a discovery he could not venture upon in perfon, he fubftituted his proxy for the undertaking. Gemellus had fo many evafions and alibis in resource, that it was long before the clergyman could bring the cafe to a hearing, and

the report was not very favourable in any fenfe to the unlucky fchool-boy, for Gemellus had been feized with a violent fit of fneezing in the crifis of examination, to the great annoyance of the worthy preceptor, who was forced to break. up the conference re infectâ and in some disorder, for amongst other damages, which had accrued to his perfon and apparel, he prefented himself. to the wondering eyes of Euphorion with a huge black bush wig ftuck full of paper darts, and as thickly fpiked as the back of a porcupine. The culprit was inftantly fummoned and made no other defence, than that they flipt out of his hand, and he did not go to do it. "Are these your "Westminster tricks, firrah?" cried the angry father, and aiming a blow at his fcull with his crutch, brought the wrong perfon to the ground; for the nimble culprit had flipt out of the way, and Euphorion, being weak and gouty, literally followed the blow and was laid fprawling on the floor: Gemellus flew to his affistance, and jointly with the parfon got him on his legs, but his anger was now fo enflamed, that Gemellus was ordered out of the room under fentence of immediate difmiffion to school; Euphorion declared he was fo totally fpoilt, that he would not be troubled with him any longer in his family, elfe he would inftantly have reverfed his education;

it was now too late, (he obferved to the parfon, whilst he was drawing the paper darts from his wig,) and therefore he should return to the place from whence he came, and order was given for paffing him off by the stage next morning.

A question was asked about his holiday-task, but Geminus, who had now entered his father's chamber, in a mild and pacifying tone affured Euphorion that his brother was provided in that respect, for that he himself had done the task for him: This was pouring oil upon flame, and the idle culprit was once more called to the bar to receive a most severe reprimand for his meanness in imposing on his brother's good-nature, with many dunces and blockheads caft in his teeth, for not being able to do his own bufinefs. Gemellus was nettled with these reproaches, but more than all with his brother for betraying him, and drawing the talk out of his pocket, rolled it in his hand and threw it towards the author, faying "he was a fhabby fellow; and for his part "he fcorned to be obliged to any body, that "would do a favour and then boaft of it."-Recollecting himself in a moment afterwards, he furned towards his father, and begged his pardon for all offences; "he hoped he was not fuch a "blockhead, but he could do his task, if he "pleased, and he would inftantly fet about it

" and