4. Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast, Not such his evening who, with shining face, And bored with elbow-points through both his sides, 5 O Winter, ruler of the inverted year, I love thee, all unlovely as thou seem'st And dreaded as thou art. Thou hold'st the sun WILLIAM COWPER. DEFINITIONS.-2. Ăm'or oŭs, inclined to love. Re sponʼsive, answering. 3. Wranglers, disputants. 4. In ē'bri āte, to intoxicate. Rănt'Ing, noisy. 94. THE MAN IN BLACK. OLIVER GOLDSMITH was born at the village of Pallas, in the county of Longford, Ireland, November 10, 1728. He spent some time at Trinity College, Dublin. His first work of any note was his Chinese Letters, which appeared in the Public Ledger in 1760, afterward published with the title of The Citizen of the World. He was the author of various other works, poetical, historical, dramatic, and imaginative. Some of his bestknown productions are his Vicar of Wakefield, She Stoops to Conquer, Roman History, and The Deserted Village. He wrote one of the finest poems, one of the most charming novels, and one of the most delightful comedies of his time. For grace and simplicity, his style is matchless. He died April 4, 1774. 1. THOUGH fond of many acquaintances, I desire an intimacy only with a few. The Man in Black, whom I have often mentioned, is one whose friendship I could wish to acquire, because he possesses my esteem. His manners, it is true, are tinctured with some strange inconsistencies, and he may be justly termed a humorist in a nation of humorists. Though he is generous even to profusion, he affects to be thought a prodigy of parsimony and prudence; though his conversation be replete with the most sordid and selfish maxims, his heart is dilated with the most unbounded love. I have known him profess himself a man-hater while his cheek was glowing with compassion, and while his looks were softened into pity I have heard him use the language of the most unbounded ill-nature. 2. Some affect humanity and tenderness, others boast of having such dispositions from nature; but he is the only man I ever knew who seemed ashamed of his natural benevolence. He takes as much pains to hide his feelings as any hypocrite would to conceal his indifference; but on every unguarded moment the mask drops off, and reveals him to the most superficial observer. 3. In one of our late excursions into the country, hap pening to discourse upon the provision that was made for the poor in England, he seemed amazed how any of his countrymen could be so foolishly weak as to relieve occasional objects of charity, when the laws had made such ample provision for their support. "In every parishhouse," says he, "the poor are supplied with food, clothes, fire, and a bed to lie on; they want no more: I desire no more myself; yet still they seem discontented. I am surprised at the inactivity of our magistrates in not taking up such vagrants, who are only a weight upon the industrious. I am surprised that the people are found to relieve them, when they must be at the same time sensible that it in some measure encourages idleness, extravagance, and imposture. Were I to advise any man for whom I had the least regard, I would caution him by all means not to be imposed upon by their false pretenses. Let me assure you, sir, they are impostors, every one of them, and rather merit a prison than relief." 4. He was proceeding in this strain earnestly to dissuade me from an imprudence of which I am seldom guilty, when an old man who still had about him the remnants of tattered finery implored our compassion. He assured us that he was no common beggar, but forced into the shameful profession to support a dying wife and five hungry children. Being prepossessed against such falsehoods, his story had not the least influence upon me; but it was quite otherwise with the Man in Black. I could see it visibly operate upon his countenance and effectually interrupt his harangue. I could easily perceive that his heart burned to relieve the five starving children, but he seemed ashamed to discover his weakness to me. While he thus hesitated between compassion and pride, I pretended to look another way; and he seized this opportunity of giving the poor petitioner a piece of silver, bidding him at the same time, in order that I should not hear, go work for his bread, and not tease passengers with such impertinent falsehoods for the future. 5. As he had fancied himself quite unperceived, he continued, as we proceeded, to rail against beggars with as much animosity as before. He threw in some episodes on his own amazing prudence and economy, with his profound skill in discovering impostors; he explained the manner in which he would deal with beggars were he a magistrate, hinted at enlarging some of the prisons for their reception, and told two stories of ladies that were robbed by beggarmen. He was beginning a third to the same purpose, when a sailor with a wooden leg once more crossed our walks, desiring our pity and blessing our limbs. I was for going on without taking any notice; but my friend, looking wistfully upon the poor petitioner, bid me stop and he would show me with how much ease he could at any time detect an impostor. 6. He now, therefore, assumed a look of importance, and in an angry tone began to examine the sailor, demanding in what engagement he was thus disabled and rendered unfit for service. The sailor replied in a tone as angrily as he, that he had been an officer on board a private ship-ofwar, and that he had lost his leg abroad in defense of those who did nothing at home. At this reply, all my friend's importance vanished in a moment; he had not a single questjon more to ask: he now only studied what method he should take to relieve him unobserved. He had, however, no easy part to act, as he was obliged to preserve the appearance of ill-nature before me, and yet relieve himself by relieving the sailor. Casting, therefore, a furious look upon some bundles of chips which the fellow carried in a string at his back, my friend demanded how he sold his matches; but, not waiting for a reply, desired in a surly tone to have a shilling's worth. The sailor seemed at first surprised at his demand, but soon recollected himself; and, presenting his whole bundle, "Here, master," says he, "take all my cargo, and a blessing into the bargain." 7. It is impossible to describe with what an air of triumph my friend marched off with his new purchase. He assured me that he was firmly of opinion that those fellows must have stolen their goods who could thus afford to sell them for half value. He informed me of several different uses to which those chips might be applied; he expatiated largely upon the savings that would result from lighting candles with a match, instead of thrusting them into the fire; he averred that he would as soon have parted with a tooth as his money to those vagabonds, unless for some valuable consideration. I cannot tell how long this panegyric upon frugality and matches might have continued, had not his attention been called off by another object, more distressful than either of the former. 8. A woman in rags, with one child in her arms and another on her back, was attempting to sing ballads, but with such a mournful voice that it was difficult to determine whether she was singing or crying. A wretch who in the deepest distress still aimed at good-humor was an object my friend was by no means capable of withstanding : his vivacity and his discourse were instantly interrupted. Upon this occasion, his very dissimulation had forsaken him. Even in my presence he applied his hands to his pockets, in order to relieve her; but guess his confusion when he found he had already given away all the money he carried about him to former objects. The misery painted on the woman's visage was not half so strongly |