any
questions concerning the situation of her affairs in the lower world;
most of which I answered to her entire satisfaction. At last, with
a kind of forced smile, she said, "I suppose the pill and drop go on
swimmingly?" I told her they were reported to have done great cures.
She replied she could apprehend no danger from any person who was not
of regular practice; "for, however simple mankind are," said she, "or
however afraid they are of death, they prefer dying in a regular manner
to being cured by a nostrum." She then expressed great pleasure at the
account I gave her of the beau monde. She said she had herself removed
the hundreds of Drury to the hundreds of Charing-cross, and was very
much delighted to find they had spread into St. James's; that she
imputed this chiefly to several of her dear and worthy friends, who had
lately published their excellent works, endeavoring to extirpate all
notions of religion and virtue; and particularly to the deserving author
of the Bachelor's Estimate; "to whom," said she, "if I had not reason to
think he was a surgeon, and had therefore written from mercenary views,
I could never sufficiently own my obligations." She spoke likewise
greatly in approbation of the method, so generally used by parents, of
marrying children very young, and without the least affection between
the parties; and concluded by saying that, if these fashions continued
to spread, she doubted not but she should shortly be the only disease
who would ever receive a visit from any person of considerable rank.

While we were discoursing her three daughters entered the room. They
were all called by hard names; the eldest was named Lepra, the second
Chaeras, and the third Scorbutia. [8] They were all genteel, but ugly.
I could not help observing the little respect they paid their parent,
which the old lady remarking in my countenance, as soon as they quitted
the room, which soon happened, acquainted me with her unhappiness in her
offspring, every one of which had the confidence to deny themselves to
be her children, though she said she had been a very indulgent mother
and had plentifully provided for them all. As family complaints
generally as much tire the hearer as they relieve him who makes them,
when I found her launching farther into this subject I resolved to put
an end to my visit, and, taking my leave with many thanks for the
favor she had done me, I returned to the inn, where I found my
fellow-travelers