with pleasure on
the excellent dinner before him, and enjoyed the good account to
which he should turn it, heard their praises with delight, and cast
an eye on Worthy, as much as to say Who is the wise man now? Having
a mind, for his own credit, to make his friend talk, he turned to
him saying, "Mr. Worthy, I believe no people in the world enjoy life
more than men of our class. We have money and power, we live on the
fat of the land, and have as good right to gentility as the best."

"As to gentility, Mr. Bragwell," replied Worthy, "I am not sure that
this is among the wisest of our pretensions. But I will say, that
ours is a creditable and respectable business. In ancient times,
farming was the employment of princes and patriarchs; and,
now-a-days, an honest, humane, sensible, English yeoman, I will be
bold to say, is not only a very useful, but an honorable character.
But then, he must not merely think of _enjoying life_ as you call
it, but he must think of living up to the great ends for which he
was sent into the world. A wealthy farmer not only has it in his
power to live well, but to do much good. He is not only the father
of his own family, but his workmen, his dependants, and the poor at
large, especially in these hard times. He has in his power to raise
into credit all the parish offices which have fallen into disrepute
by getting into bad hands; and he can convert, what have been
falsely thought mean offices, into very important ones, by his just
and Christian-like manner of filling them. An upright juryman, a
conscientious constable, a humane overseer, an independent elector,
an active superintendent of a work-house, a just arbitrator in
public disputes, a kind counselor in private troubles; such a one, I
say, fills up a station in society no less necessary, and, as far as
it reaches, scarcely less important than that of a magistrate, a
sheriff of a county, or even a member of parliament. That can never
be a slight or degrading office, on which the happiness of a whole
parish may depend."

Bragwell, who thought the good sense of his friend reflected credit
on himself, encouraged Worthy to go on, but he did it in his own
vain way. "Ay, very true, Mr. Worthy," said he, "you are right; a
leading man in our class ought to be looked up to as an example, as
you say; in order to which, he should do things handsomely and
liberally, and not grudge himself, or his friends, any thing;"
casting an eye of complacency