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ciples were very different from his own. Agreftis had very just notions of right and wrong, by which he regulated his conduct without any regard to the opinion of others: his integrity was univerfal and inflexible, and his temper ardent and open; he abhorred whatever had the appearance of difingenuity, he was extremely jealous of his authority, and there was a rough fimplicity in his manner which many circumstances of his life had contributed to produce. His father left him a fortune of two hundred thousand pounds; but as the parfimony which enabled him to amafs it, extended to the education of his fon by whom it was to be poffeffed, he had been taught neither politeness nor literature. He married a lady, whofe influence would have polished the rough diamond by degrees; but he died within the first year of her marriage, leaving him a daughter to whom he gave her name Amelia, and transferred all his affection: he, therefore, continued to live in great privacy; and being used to have only fervants and dependants about him, he indulged the peculiarities of his humour without that complaifance which becomes infenfibly habitual to thofe, who mix in the company of perfons whom it is their apparent intereft to please, and whose presence is a perpetual restraint upon fuch irregular starts of temper as would incur contempt by arrogating a fuperiority which none would acknowledge. To this difpofition his daughter accommodated herself as fhe grew up, from motives both of affection and duty as he knew and regretted the defect of his own education, he fpared no coft to complete her's; and the is indeed the most accomplished character I ever knew her obedience is cheerful and implicit, her affection tender and without parade; her looks exprefs

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the utmost sweetness and fenfibility, and yet there is a dignity in her manner which commands refpect.

The intimacy between the father of Eugenio and Agreftis produced a tender friendship between his fifter and Amelia, which began in their infancy, and increased with their years.

Such characters as Amelia and Eugenio, could not be long familiarly known to each other, without exciting mutual esteem: the transition from esteem to love, between perfons of different fexes, is often imperceptible even to themselves; and, perhaps, was not difcovered till long after it had happened, either by Eugenio or Amelia. When he returned from the university, fhe was about eighteen! as her ftature and her beauty were greatly increased during this interval, their first effect upon Eugenio was proportionably greater; and he perceived from whatever cause, a more fenfible emotion in her. He had too much difcernment not to difcover that she loved him; and too much generofity not to conceal his love of her, because he was fo much her inferior in fortune: fometimes he reflected upon her partiality with pleasure, and fometimes with regret; but while they were thus mutually confcious to defires which they mutually fuppreffed, the late rebellion broke out, and Eugenio was commanded into Scotland. In this expedition he distinguished himself equally by his courage and humanity: and though he had not much money, and therefore could but feldom. difplay his bounty; yet his concern for the real intereft of his men was fo apparent, as well in fuch acts of kindness as were in his power, as in the strict discipline which he maintained among them, that his perfonal influence was very powerful and extenfive. During this

abfence,

abfence, though he felt his paffion for Amelia increase, notwithstanding all his attempts to fupprefs it; yet he never wrote to her, but contented himself with mentioning her in general terms, and including her in his remembrance of other friends, when he wrote to his father and his fifter.

When he returned, as his fifter's intimacy with Amelia ftill continued, his opportunities to fee her were equally frequent: but the pleasure of those interviews were become yet more tumultuous and confused; and the lovers were both confcious, that their fentiments were every moment involuntarily difcovered to each other.

Amelia had difmiffed many fuitors, who were not less distinguished by their merit than their rank, because she still hoped to enrich Eugenio with her fortune; and Eugenio perfifted in a conduct by which this hope was disappointed, because he would not degrade Amelia by an alliance with dependence and poverty. The objections of duty might, indeed, have been removed by obtaining the consent of Agreftis; but those of honour would still have remained: he was not, however, abfolutely without hope; for though he had lost his uncle's fortune by obedience to his father, yet as he had greatly recommended himself to his commanding officer, who was of the highest rank, he believed it possible that he might be advanced to a poft in the army, which would justify his pretenfions to Amelia, and remove all his difficulties at once.

Agreftis wondered at the conduct of his daughter,. but neither asked nor suspected her motives! for he had always declared, that as he believed fhe would never

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No. LXIV. fidered him as my example: our friendship increased every day; and I believe he had conceived a defign to follow me into orders. But when he had continued at college about two years, he received a command from his father to come immediately to town: for that his earneft defire to place him in the army was now accomplished, and he had procured him a captain's commiffion. By the fame poft he received a letter from his uncle, in which he was ftrongly urged to continue at college, with premises of fucceeding to his whole eftate; his father's project was zealously condemned, and his neglect of a brother's concurrence refented. Eugenio, though it was greatly his defire to continue at college, and his interest to oblige his uncle, yet obeyed his father without the least hesitation.

When he came to town, he difcovered that a warm altercation had been carried on between his uncle and his father upon this fubject: his uncle, not being able to produce any effect upon the father, as a laft effort had written to the fon; and being equally offended with both, when his application to both had been equally ineffectual, he reproached him with folly and ingratitude; and dying foon after by a fall from his horfe, it appeared, that in the height of his refentment, he had left his whole fortune to a diftant relation, in Ireland, whom he had never feen.

Under this misfortune Eugenio comforted himself by reflecting, that he had incurred it by obedience to his father; and though it precluded hopes that were dear er than life, yet he never expreffed his difpleasure e ther by invective or complaint.

Orgilio had very early in life contracted an intimac with Agreftis, a gentleman whose character and pris

ciples were very different from his own. Agreftis had very juft notions of right and wrong, by which he regulated his conduct without any regard to the opinion of others: his integrity was univerfal and inflexible, and his temper ardent and open; he abhorred whatever had the appearance of difingenuity, he was extremely jealous of his authority, and there was a rough fimplicity in his manner which many circumstances of his life had contributed to produce. His father left him a fortune of two hundred thousand pounds; but as the parfimony which enabled him to amafs it, extended to the education of his fon by whom it was to be poffeffed, he had been taught neither politeness nor literature. He married a lady, whofe influence would have polished the rough diamond by degrees; but he died within the first year of her marriage, leaving him a daughter to whom he gave her name Amelia, and transferred all his affection: he, therefore, continued to live in great privacy; and being used to have only fervants and dependants about him, he indulged the peculiarities of his humour without that complaifance which becomes infenfibly habitual to thofe, who mix in the company of perfons whom it is their apparent intereft to please, and whose presence is a perpetual restraint upon fuch irregular starts of temper as would incur contempt by arrogating a fuperiority which none would acknowledge. To this difpofition his daughter accommodated herfelf as fhe grew up, from motives both of affection and duty: as he knew and regretted the defect of his own education, he fpared no coft to complete her's; and the is indeed the most accomplished character I ever knew her obedience is cheerful and implicit, her affection tender and without parade; her looks express

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