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writer's elbow, to execute any of his purposes; and the moreextraordinary the invention was, the greater was the surprize anddelight of the credulous reader. Those writers could with greater easehave conveyed a heroe from one country to another, nay from one worldto another, and have brought him back again, than a poor circumscribedmodern can deliver him from a jail.The Arabians and Persians had an equal advantage in writing theirtales from the genii and fairies, which they believe in as an articleof their faith, upon the authority of the Koran itself. But we havenone of these helps. To natural means alone we are confined; let ustry therefore what, by these means, may be done for poor Jones; thoughto confess the truth, something whispers me in the ear that he dothnot yet know the worst of his fortune; and that a more shocking pieceof news than any he hath yet heard remains for him in the unopenedleaves of fate.Chapter ii.The generous and grateful behaviour of Mrs Miller.Mr Allworthy and Mrs Miller were just sat down to breakfast, whenBlifil, who had gone out very early that morning, returned to make oneof the company.He had not been long seated before he began as follows: "Good Lord! mydear uncle, what do you think hath happened? I vow I am afraid oftelling it you, for fear of shocking you with the remembrance of everhaving shewn any kindness to such a villain." "What is the matter,child?" said the uncle. "I fear I have shewn kindness in my life tothe unworthy more than once. But charity doth not adopt the vices ofits objects." "O, sir!" returned Blifil, "it is not without the secretdirection of Providence that you mention the word adoption. Youradopted son, sir, that Jones, that wretch whom you nourished in yourbosom, hath proved one of the greatest villains upon earth." "By allthat's sacred 'tis false," cries Mrs Miller. "Mr Jones is no villain.He is one of the worthiest creatures breathing; and if any otherperson had called him villain, I would have thrown all this boilingwater in his face." Mr Allworthy looked very much amazed at thisbehaviour. But she did not give him leave to speak, before, turning tohim, she cried, "I hope you will not be angry with me; I would notoffend you, sir, for the world; but, indeed, I could not bear to hearhim called so." "I must own, madam," said Allworthy, very gravely, "Iam a little surprized to hear you so warmly defend a fellow you do notknow." "O! I do know him, Mr Allworthy," said she, "indeed I do; Ishould be the most ungrateful of all wretches if I denied it. O! hehath preserved me and my little family; we have all reason to blesshim while we live.--And I pray Heaven to bless him, and turn thehearts of his malicious enemies. I know, I find, I see, he hath such.""You surprize me, madam, still more," said Allworthy; "sure you mustmean some other. It is impossible you should have any such obligationsto the man my nephew mentions." "Too surely," answered she, "I haveobligations to him of the greatest and tenderest kind. He hath beenthe preserver of me and mine. Believe me, sir, he hath been abused,grossly abused to you; I know he hath, or you, whom I know to be allgoodness and honour, would not, after the many kind and tender thingsI have heard you say of this poor helpless child, have so disdainfully