A defcrip. dined with double pleasure in having the fa tisfaction of his moft agreeable company. He was a fine politician, I faid, and talked extremely well of the government and the times that I had received more true know ledge from his juft notions, than from all I had read of men and things, or from con verfing with any one. The glafs during this time was not long ftill, but in fuch toasts as I found were grateful to his Jacobite heart; drank brimmers as faft as opportunity ferved; and he pledged me and cottoned in a very diverting way. He grew very fond of me at laft, and hoped I would fpare fo much time, as to come and dine with him the next day. This honour I affured him I would do myself, and punctually be with him at his hour. He then rid off, brim full, and I walked out to confider of this affair. But before I proceed any farther in my story, I muft give a description of this man. Cock, the old lawyer and guardian, was a tion of old low man, about four feet eight inches, very lawyer. broad, and near feventy years old. He was Cock the humped behind to an enormous degree, and his belly as a vaft flafket of garbage projected monftroufly before. He had the most hanging look I have ever feen. His brows were prodigious, and frowning in a fhocking manner; his eyes very little, and above an inch within his head; his nofe hooked like a buz, zard, wide noftrils like a horse, and his mouth fparrow. In this cafe, was a mind quite cunning, in the worst fenfe of the word, acute, artful, defigning and bafe. There was not a fpark of honour or generofity in his foul. How to circumvent this able one, and deliver the two beauties from his oppreffive power, was the question, it feemed almost impoffible; but I refolved to do my best. This I told Clancy, and requested, as I was to dine with Cock the next day, that he would be there in the morning, on fome pretence or other, and let the ladies know, I offered them my fervice, without any other view than to do them good; and if they accepted it, to inform me by a note, flipt into my hand when they faw me, that if they could direct me what to do, I would execute it at any hazard, or let them hint the least particular that might have any tendency to their freedom in fome time to come, though it were three months off, and I would wait for the moment, and study to improve the fcheme. This my landlord very carefully acquainted them with, at the time I mentioned; and by two o'clock I was at Cock's house, to see these beauties, and know what they thought of the fervice offered them. The old man received me much civiler than I thought he would do when he was fober, and had, what my landlord told me was a very rare thing in his house, to wit, a good dinner that day. Juft as it was brought in, the ladies entred, (two charming creatures indeed), and made me very low courtefies, while their eyes declared the fense they had of the good I intended them. Cock faid, these are my nieces, Sir, and as foon as I had faluted them, we fat down to table. The eldest carved, and helped me to the best the board afforded, and young as they were, they both fhewed by their manner, and the little they faid, that they were women of fenfe and breeding. They retired, a few minutes after dinner, and the youngest contrived, in going off, to give me a billet in an invisible manner. I then turned to Cock intirely, heard him abuse the government in nonsense and falfhoods, as all Jacobites do; and after we had drank and talked for better than an hour, took my leave of him very willingly, to read the following note. SIR, "As you can have nothing in view but our happiness, in your moft generous of "fer of affiftance, we have not words to "exprefs our grateful fenfe of the intended "favour. "favour. What is to be done upon the oc"cafion, as yet we cannot imagine, as we "are fo confined and watched, and the "doors of the house locked and barred in "fuch a manner every night, that a cat "could not get out at any part of it. You "fhall hear from us however foon, if poffible, to fome purpofe; and in the mean "time we are, "SIR, "Your ever obliged fervants, « M. T. "A. L. What to do then I could not tell; but as I rid back I confulted with my lad O Fin, who was a very extraordinary young man, and asked him what observations he had made on the fervants and place. He faid, he had tried the depth of the water in the mote all round, and found it fordable at one angle, waist high, and about two feet broad the rock he trod on. He had ftripped, and walked it over to be fure of the thing. As to the people, he fancied there was one young man, a labourer by the year under the gardener, who would, for a reasonable reward for lofing his place, be aiding in the escape of the ladies; for he talked with pity of them, and with great severity of his mafter: that t if I pleased, he would found this man, and let me know more in relation to him: that if he would be concerned, he could very ea→ fily carry the ladies on his back across the water, as he was a tall man, and then we' might take them behind us to what place we' pleafed, or, if it was not fafe trufting this' man, for fear of his telling his master, in hopes of more money on that fide, then, he' would himself engage to bring the ladies and their cloaths over, on his own back, with wetting only their legs, if they could be at the water-fide fome hour in the night. This was not bad to be fure; but I was afraid to truft the man; for, if he fhould inform old Cock of the thing, they would be confined to their chambers, and made clofe prisoners for the time to come. It was better therefore to: rely entirely upon a Fin, if they could get. into the garden in the night. In anfwer then to another letter I had from the ladies by my landlord's daughter the next morning, in which they lamented the ap-. pearing impoffibility of an escape, I let them know immediately the state of the water, and: defired to be informed what they thought of the gardener's man; or, if he would not do, could they at any particular hour, get to that angle of the mote I named, to be brought over on my man's back, and then immediately ride off behind us on pillions, which fhould |