fake of the Name. Mr. Ambrofe knew nothing of it till he came to Lizard-Hall on the Saturday Night, faw the Young Lady at Dinner the next Day, and was marry'd by Order of his Father Sir Ambrofe, between Eleven and Twelve the Tuesday following. Some Years after, when my Friend came to be Sir Ambrofe himself, and finding upon Proof of her, that he had lighted upon a good Wife, he gave the Curate who join'd their Hands the Parfonage of Welt, not far off Wellinborough. My Friend was married in the Year 62, and every Year following, for eighteen Years together, I left the College, (except that Year wherein I was chofen Fellow of Lincoln) and fojourned at Sir Ambrofe's for the Months of June, July, and Auguft. I remember very. well, that it was on the 4th of July, in the Year 1674, that I was reading in an Arbour to my Friend, and ftopt of a fudden, observing he did not attend. Lay by your Book, faid he, and let us take a Turn in the Grass-walk, for I have fomething to say to you. After a Silence for above forty Yards, walking both of us with our Eyes downward, one big to hear, t'other to speak a matter of great Importance, Sir Ambrofe expreffed himself to this effect: My good Friend, faid he, you may have obferved that from the first Moment I was in your Company at Mr. Willis's Chambers at Univerfity-College, I ever after fought and courted you: That Inclination towards you has improved from Similitude

you

I

of Manners, if I may fo fay, when I tell have not obferved in any Man a greater Candour and Simplicity of Mind than in yourself. You are a Man that are not inclined to lanch into the World, but prefer Security and Eafe in a Collegiate or fingle Life, to going into the Cares which neceffarily attend a publick Character, or that of a Master of a Family. You fee within my Son Marmaduke, my only Child; I have a thousand Anxieties upon me concerning him, the greater Part of which I would transfer to you, and when I do fo, I would make it in plain English worth your while. He would not let me fpeak, but proceeded to inform me, that he had laid the whole Scheme of his Affairs upon that Foundation. As foon as we went into the House, he gave me a Bill upon his Goldfmith in London, of Two Thousand Pounds, and told me with that he had purchafed me, with all the Talents I was Mafter of, to be of his Family, to educate his Son, and to do all that should ever lie in my Power for the Service of him and his to my Life's End, according to fuch Powers, Trufts, and Inftructions as I fhould hereafter receive.

THE Reader will here make many Speeches for me, and without doubt fuppofe I told my Friend he had retained me with a Fortune to do that which I fhould have thought myself obliged to by Friendship: But, as he was a prudent Man, and acted upon Rules of Life, which were leaft liable to the Variation of Hu

mour,

mour, Time or Seafon, I was contented to be obliged by him his own way; and believed I fhould never enter into any Alliance which fhould divert me from purfuing the Interests of his Family, of which I should hereafter understand myself a Member. Sir Ambrofe told me he fhould lay no Injunction upon me, which fhould be inconfiftent with any Inclination I might have hereafter to change my Condition. All he meant was in general to enfure his Family from that Peft of great Eftates, the Mercenary Men of Business who act for them, and in a few Years become Creditors to their Masters in greater Sums than half the Income of their Lands amounts to, tho' it is vifible all which gave rife to their Wealth was a flight Salary, for turning all the reft, both Estate and Credit of that Eftate, to the Ufe of their Principals. To this Purpose we had a very long Conference that Evening, the chief Point of which was, that his only Child Marmaduke was from that Hour under my Care, and I was engaged to turn all my Thoughts to the Service of the Child in particular, and all the Concerns of the Family in general. My most excellent Friend was fo well fatisfied with my Behaviour, that he made me his Executor, and Guardian to his Son. My own Conduct during that time, and my manner of Educating his Son Marmaduke to Manhood, and the Interest I had in him to the time of his Death alfo, with my present Conduct towards the nume

rous Defcendants of my old Friend, will make, poffibly, a Series of Hiftory of Common Life, as ufeful as the Relations of the more pompous Paffages in the Lives of Princes and Statesmen. The Widow of Sir Ambrofe, and the no lefs worthy Relict of Sir Marmaduke, are both living at this time.

I AM to let the Reader know, that his chief Entertainment will arife from what paffes at the Tea-Table of my Lady Lizard. That Lady is now in the Forty-fixth Year of her Age, was married in the Beginning of her fixteenth, is bleffed with a numerous Offspring of each Sex, no less than four Sons and five Daughters. She was the Mother of this large Family before the arriv'd at her thirtieth Year: About which time the loft her Husband Sir Marmaduke Lizard, a Gentleman of great Virtue and Generofity: He left behind him an improved Paternal Eftate of fix thoufand Pounds a Year to his eldest Son, and one Year's Revenue in ready Money as a Portion to each younger Child. My Lady's Chriftian Name is Afpafia, and as it may give a certain Dignity to our Stile to mention her by that Name, we beg leave at Difcretion to fay Lady Lizard or Afpafia, according to the Matter we fhall treat of: When the fhall be confulting about her Cash, her Rents, her Houfhold-Affairs, we will ufe the more familiar Name; and when fhe is employed in the forming the Minds and Sentiments of her Children, exerting herself in

the

the Acts of Charity, or fpeaking of Matters of Religion or Piety, for the Elevation of Stile we will use the Word Afpafia. Afpafia is a Lady of a great Understanding and noble Spirit. She has paffed feveral Years in Widowhood with that Abftinent Enjoyment of Life, which has done Honour to her Deceafed Husband, and devolved Reputation upon her Children. As fhe has both Sons and Daughters marriageable, fhe is vifited by many on that Account, but by many more for her own Merit. As there is no Circumftance in human Life, which may not directly or indirectly concern a Woman thus related, there will be abundant Matter offer it felf from Paflages in this Family, to fupply my Readers with diverting, and perhaps useful Notices for their Conduct in all the Incidents of human Life. Placing Money on Mortgages, in the Funds, upon Bottomery, and almost all other ways of improving the Fortune of a Family, are practifed by my Lady Lizard with the best Skill and Advice.

THE Members of this Family, their Cares, Paffions, Interefts and Diverfions shall be represented from time to time, as News from the Tea-Table of fo accomplished a Woman as the intelligent and difcreet Lady Lizard.