to give his son lessons
in boxing, which he says he considers a fine manly English art, and a
great defence against Popery--notwithstanding that only a month ago, when
he considered me a down pin, he was in the habit of railing against it as
a blackguard practice, and against me as a blackguard for following it;
so I am going to commence with young hopeful to-morrow."

"I really cannot help congratulating you on your good fortune," said I.

"That a'n't all," said the landlord. "This very morning the folks of our
parish made me churchwarden, which they would no more have done a month
ago, when they considered me a down pin, than they--"

"Mercy upon us!" said I, "if fortune pours in upon you in this manner,
who knows but that within a year they may make you a justice of the
peace?"

"Who knows, indeed!" said the landlord. "Well, I will prove myself
worthy of my good luck by showing the grateful mind--not to those who
would be kind to me now, but to those who were, when the days were rather
gloomy. My customers shall have abundance of rough language, but I'll
knock any one down who says anything against the clergyman who lent me
the fifty pounds, or against the Church of England, of which he is parson
and I am churchwarden. I am also ready to do anything in reason for him
who paid me for the ale he drank, when I shouldn't have had the heart to
collar him for the money had he refused to pay; who never jeered or
flouted me like the rest of my customers when I was a down pin--and
though he refused to fight cross _for_ me was never cross _with_ me, but
listened to all I had to say, and gave me all kinds of good advice. Now
who do you think I mean by this last? why, who but yourself--who on earth
but yourself? The parson is a good man and a great preacher, and I'll
knock anybody down who says to the contrary; and I mention him first,
because why; he's a gentleman, and you a tinker. But I am by no means
sure you are not the best friend of the two; for I doubt, do you see,
whether I should have had the fifty pounds but for you. You persuaded me
to give up that silly drink they call sherry, and drink ale; and what was
it but drinking ale which gave me courage to knock down that fellow
Hunter--and knocking him down was, I verily believe, the turning point of
my disorder. God don't love them who won't strike out for themselves;
and as far as I can calculate with respect to time, it was just the
moment after I had knocke