est

32. The Conclusion

CHAPTER 1

The description of the family of Wakefield; in which a kindred likeness
prevails as well of minds as of persons

I was ever of opinion, that the honest man who married and brought up
a large family, did more service than he who continued single, and only
talked of population. From this motive, I had scarce taken orders a year
before I began to think seriously of matrimony, and chose my wife as she
did her wedding gown, not for a fine glossy surfaces but such qualities
as would wear well. To do her justice, she was a good-natured notable
woman; and as for breeding, there were few country ladies who could shew
more. She could read any English book without much spelling, but for
pickling, preserving, and cookery, none could excel her. She prided
herself also upon being an excellent contriver in house-keeping; tho' I
could never find that we grew richer with all her contrivances. However,
we loved each other tenderly, and our fondness encreased as we grew old.
There was in fact nothing that could make us angry with the world or
each other. We had an elegant house, situated in a fine country, and a
good neighbourhood. The year was spent in moral or rural amusements; in
visiting our rich neighbours, and relieving such as were poor. We had no
revolutions to fear, nor fatigues to undergo; all our adventures were by
the fire-side, and all our migrations from the blue bed to the brown.

As we lived near the road, we often had the traveller or stranger visit
us to taste our gooseberry wine, for which we had great reputation; and
I profess with the veracity of an historian, that I never knew one of
them find fault with it. Our cousins too, even to the fortieth remove,
all remembered their affinity, without any help from the Herald's
office, and came very frequently to see us. Some of them did us no great
honour by these claims of kindred; as we had the blind, the maimed, and
the halt amongst the number. However, my wife always insisted that as
they were the same flesh and blood, they should sit with us at the same
table. So that if we had not, very rich, we generally had very happy
friends about us; for this remark will hold good thro' life, that the
poorer the guest, the better pleased he ever is with being treated: and
as some men gaze with admiration at the colours of a tulip, or the wing
of a butterfly, so I was by nature an admirer of happy human faces.
However, when any one