eir chance among country
dealers; and provided they will give him a son-in-law, whose estate is
free from incumbrances, who pays his debts, lives within his income,
does not rack his tenants, never drinks claret, hates the French, and
loves field sports, he will ask no more questions."

I could not but observe how preferable the father's conduct, with all
its faults, was to that of the rest of the family. "I had imagined,"
said I, "that this coarse character was quite out of print. Though it is
religiously bad, and of course morally defective, yet it is so
politically valuable that I should not be sorry to see a new edition of
these obsolete squires, somewhat corrected, and better lettered."

"All his good qualities," said Mr. Stanley, "for want of religion have a
flaw in them. His good nature is so little directed by judgment, that
while it serves the individual, it injures the public. As a brother
magistrate, I am obliged to act in almost constant opposition to him,
and his indiscretions do more mischief by being of a nature to increase
his popularity. He is fully persuaded that occasional intoxication is
the best reward for habitual industry; and insists that it is good old
English kindness to make the church ringers periodically tipsy at the
holidays, though their families starve for it the whole week. He and I
have a regular contest at the annual village fairs, because he insists
that my refusing to let them begin on a Sunday is abridging their few
rights, and robbing them of a day which they might add to their pleasure
without injury to their profit. He allows all the strolling players,
mountebanks, and jugglers to exhibit, because, he says, it is a charity.
His charity, however, is so short-sighted that he does not see that
while these vagabonds are supplying the wants of the day, their
improvident habits suffer them to look no further; that his own workmen
are spending their hard-earned money in these illegal diversions, while
the expense is the least mischief which their daughters incur."

Our next visit was to Mr. Carlton, whom I had found, in one or two
previous interviews, to be a man of excellent sense, and a perfect
gentleman. Sir John renewed with pleasure his acquaintance with the
husband, while Lady Belfield was charmed to be introduced to the wife,
with whose character she was so enamored, and whose gentle manners were
calculated to confirm the affection which her little history had
inspired.