crufts upon us for mutton, and at last kicked us out of doors; must we be in his fafbions, with a pox! a rafcal, befides, that all the street cries out againft. Having thus kindled and inflamed himself as high as poffible, and by confequence in a delicate temper for beginning a reformation, he fet about the work immediately, and in three minutes made more difpatch than Martin had done in as many hours. For, courteous reader, you are given to understand, that zeal is never fo highly obliged, as when you set it a tearing; and Jack, who doted on that quality in himself, allowed it at this time its full fwing. Thus it happened, that ftripping down a parcel of gold lace, a little too haftily, he rent the main body of his coat from top to bottom; and whereas his talent was not of the happieft in taking up a ftitch, he knew no better way, than to darn it again with pack-thread and a skewer. But the matter was yet infinitely worse (I record it with tears) when he proceeded to the embroidery : For, being clumfy by nature, and of temper impatient; withal, beholding millions of stitches that required the niceft hand, and fedateft conftitution, to extricate; in a great rage he tore off the whole piece, cloth and all, and flung it into the kennel, and furioufly thus continued his career: Ah, good brother Martin, faid he, do as I do, for the love of God; ftrip, tear, pull, rend, flay off all, that we may appear as unlike the rogue Peter as it is poffible. I would not, for an hundred pounds, carry the leaft mark about me, that might give ocea

fron to the neighbours, of fufpecting I was related to fuch a rafcal. But Martin, who at this time happened to be extremely flegmatic and fedate, begged his brother, of all love, not to damage his coat by any means; for he never would get fuch another : Defired him to confider, that it was not their bufinefs to form their actions by any reflection upon Peter, but by observing the rules prescribed in their father's will: That he should remember, Peter was fill their brother, whatever faults or injuries he had committed; and therefore they should by all means avoid fuch a thought, as that of taking measures for good and evil, from no other rule than of oppofition to him: That it was true, the teftament of their good father was very exact in what related to the wearing of their coats; yet was it no less penal and ftrict in preferibing agreement, and friendship, and affection between them; and therefore, if straining a point were at all difpenfable, it would certainly be fo, rather to the advance of unity, than increase of

contradiction.

Martin had still proceeded as gravely as he began; and doubtlefs would have delivered an admirable lecture of morality, which might have exceedingly contributed to my reader's repose, both of body and mind, the true ultimate end of ethics; but Jack was already gone a flight-fhot beyond his patience. And as, in fcholaftic difputes, nothing ferves to roufe the spleen of him that opposes, fo much as a kind of pedantic affected calmnefs in the refpondent; difputants being for

the

the most part like unequal fcales, where the gravity of one fide advances the lightness of the other, and causes it to fly up, and kick the beam: So it happened here, that the weight of Martin's arguments exalted Jack's levity, and made him fly out and spurn againft his brother's moderation. In fhort, Martin's patience put Jack in a rage. But that which moft afflicted him, was, to obferve his brother's coat fo well reduced into the state of innocence; while his own was either wholly rent to his fhirt; or thofe places, which had efcaped his cruel clutches, were ftill in Peter's livery: So that he looked like a drunken beau, half rifled by bullies; or like a fresh tenant in Newgate, when he has refused the payment of garnish; or like a difcovered fhop-lifter, left to the mercy of Exchange women ; or like a bawd in her old velvet petticoat, refigned into the fecular hands of the mobile. Like any, or like all of thefe, a medley of rags and lace, and rents and fringes, unfortunate Jack did now appear. He would have been extremely glad to fee his coat in the condition of Martin's, but infinitely gladder to find that of Martin in the fame predicament with his. How

*

ever,

* The galleries over the piazzas in the Royal Exchange, were formerly filled with fhops, kept chiefly by women. The fame ufe was made of a building called the New Exchange in the . Strand. This edifice has been pulled down; the shopkeepers have removed from the Royal Exchange into Cornhill, and the adjacent streets; and there are now no remains of Exchange women,, but in Exeter 'change, and they are no longer deemed the first minifters of fashion. Hawkef.

ever, fince neither of these was likely to come to pafs, he thought fit to lend the whole business another turn, and to drefs up neceffity into a virtue. Therefore, after as many of the fox's arguments * as he could mufter up, for bringing Martin to reason, as he called it, or, as he meant it, into his own ragged, bob-tailed condition; and observing he said all to little purpose; what, alas! was left for the forlorn Jack to do, but, after a million of fcurrilities againft his brother, to run mad with fpleen, and spite, and contradiction? To be short, here began a mortal breach between thefe two. Jack went immediately to new lodgings, and in a few days it was for certain reported, that he had run out of his wits. In a fhort time after, he appeared abroad, and confirmed the report by falling into the oddeft whimsies that ever a fick brain conceived.

And now the little boys in the ftreets began to falute him with feveral names. Sometimes they would call him, Jack the Bald+; fometimes, Jack with the lantern ; fometimes, Dutch Jack §; fometimes, French Hugh ; fometimes, Tom the Beggar,

The fox in the fable, who having been caught in a trap, and loft his tail, ufed many arguments to perfuade the rest to cut off theirs; that the fingularity of his deformity might not expofe him to derifion.

Hawkef.

That is, Calvin; from calvus, bald.

All those who pretend to inward light.

$ Jack of Leyden, who gave rife to the Anabaptists.

The Hugonots.

Beggar *; and fometimes, Knocking Jack of the North +. And it was under one, or some, or all of these appellations, which I leave the learned reader to determine, that he hath given rife to the moft illuftrious and epidemic fect of Æolifts, who, with honourable commemoration, do ftill acknowledge the renowned JACK for their author and founder. Of whofe original, as well as principles, I am now advancing to gratify the world with a very particular account.

-Melleo contingens cuncta lepore.

0

much oftner seen a nut-shell in an Iliad. There is no doubt that human life has received most wonderful advantages from both; but to which of the two the world is chiefly indebted, I fhall leave among the curious, as a problem worthy of their utmoft inquiry. For the invention of the latter, I think the commonwealth of learning is chiefly obliged

* The Guenfes, by which name fome Proteftants in Flanders were called.

† John Knox the reformer of Scotland.