THE Bell to Dinner interrupted our Conversation. We were entertained very politely by Atticus and his Lady, and returned home in the Evening.

On our way home, Eugenio laying hold of my Arm; Whom, faid he, impatiently, in the Name of Wonder, have we been seeing? Where has she been living all her Life? Where bred? Let me know all her History? With whom? He would have gone on in this manner I do not know how long, had I not laughed in his Face, and afked him, Pray, Eugenio, why all this Impatience? Whence this huge Curiofity? Are you really caught and at firft fight? Is the Rover then fixed, the univerfal Gallant become all at once a real and paffionate Lover? Indeed, I did not expect this from your Philofophy.

PERHAPS, faid he, I am not fo far gone as you imagine; but why wonder that one Philofopher enquires fomewhat eagerly about another? But I shall check myself, till you are better disposed to give me Satisfaction.

DIALOGUE

174

DIALOGUE VIII.

IN

N a Family where I lately spent some Days on a Visit, I observed a very remarkable Instance of the untoward Management of two Children. Young Mafter is a Boy of strong ungovernable Paffions, of no mean Capacity, and an open, liberal Temper; add to this, the Disadvantage that he is brought up to the Profpect of a great Eftate. The Girl is of furprizing natural Parts, but pettish, fullen, and haughty; though not without a confiderable Fund of native Goodnefs. Both of them are exceffively indulged by their Parents. The Father, who jumped into the Estate by means of his Relation to a wealthy Citizen, is a strange, ignorant, unpolished Creature; and having had no Education himself, has little Notion of the Importance of one, and is neither anxious about their's, nor meddles in it, but leaves them to the Chances of Life and the ordinary Track of training up Children. The Mother, a Woman of great Goodness and Humanity, but who never had any of the Improvements of Education, is, you may well believe, but little versed in the Arts of forming young Minds; yet fhe thinks herself qualified by her natural Sagacity, of which, indeed, fhe has a confiderable Share, for directing and managing the Education of her own Children. But though the were better qualified than the is, her im moderate Fondness would baffle the nicest Management. Her Son is her Favourite, in whom the fees no Faults; or if they are too glaring to be hid,

fhe

fhe winks at them; and if any of the Family or Friends complain of them to her, she endeavours to put the fairest Colouring on them,, and is ready to afcribe the Complaints to fome unreasonable Partiality or Prejudice against her darling Boy. The young Gentleman finding himself fo fecure of Mamma's Favour, takes all Advantages, and ftretches his Prerogatives to the utmost. The Servants of the Family he disciplines with all the Force his Fifts and Feet are mafters of; and ufes Strangers, who come to visit the Family, with the most indecent Familiarities. Some he calls Names, others he falutes with a Slap, or pulls off their Wigs, or treads on their Toes, with many fuch Instances of rough Courtesy. He is indulged, and, if I may ufe the Expreffion, trained in the Love of Money. It is made the Reward of doing his Task, and the End of all his Labours. His Pockets are generally full; at least, Money is never denied him, when he either coaxes or cries for it. And indeed, I have seen him do both with great dexterity. He is allowed to play as much as he pleases, at Cards, Draughts, or any other Game, and it is always for Money. I have been diverted to fee how the Chances of the Game have roufed all his little Paffions. If he won, he triumphed over his Adversary with immenfe Eagerness and Joy; if he loft, he cried and ftormed, and bullied, like a petty Tyrant, and parted with his Money with infinite Regret. If the Mother was provoked at any time to take notice of his Irregularities, fhe did it with fo little Judgement, and fo much Heat, that it had little or no Influence. Perhaps the

frowned

frowned and fired, and made a thundering Noise for a while; but this was foon over, and Mafter's Tears or fullen Silence brought on a perfect Reconciliation. She fhewed no cool and fteady Indignation, fuch as would have been fufficient to produce a lafting Effect, nor were her Rebukes seconded with any fubftantial Marks of Displeasure, fo as to make a deep Impreffion on fuch a perverse Child.

THE young Lady's Temper is a little fofter, but not lefs imperious. She is brought up with a high Opinion of the Dignity of her Rank, and Contempt of the Vulgar. Therefore the little Thing imagines herself already a very confiderable Perfonage, takes State upon her in all Companies, fwells with Rage at every little imaginary Affront, and never thinks fhe is treated with Refpect enough. The Servants must pay her uncommon Homage; she must be helped at Table before Strangers of an ordinary Rank. Her pretty Features must not be discomposed by croffing her; in fhort, humoured she must be in every thing, and when her Ladyship is dreft out in all her Finery, fhe is admired, careffed, and exalted into a little Queen. This makes her vain and infolent to a degree of Extravagance. She and her Brother have pretty nearly the fame Tasks set them. They read, write, dance, and play together; but will only read or write, or do just as much as pleases their little Honours. They go to learn, as to fome terrible Tafk, are restless and impatient till it is over, and mind their Tutor almoft as much as the Maid that puts them to bed. For his Authority not being duly fupported

ported by their Parents, has no weight. In fine, they are fo much humoured, fo little restrained and kept under Government, that he must have more than the Patience of a Man, who can bear their Infolence; and almost the Capacity of an Angel, to shape and improve them into any tolerable Figure: though, with the Genius and Temper they have, they might be taught any thing, or moulded into any Form, were they under the Influence of proper Difcipline and Authority. Upon the whole, I could not help thinking them an unhappy Instance of the indiscreet Conduct of Parents in the Management of their Children, whom, by an illjudged Frugality, they rob of Treafures much more valuable, and expofe to irretrievable Calamities. At the fame time, my Acquaintance in this Family convinced me, how unfortunate it is for People to come to the Poffeffion of an Estate, who have no Capacity to enjoy it with Discretion or Dignity.

WHILE I reflect on this, and many other Inftances of wrong Conduct in the Education of Youth, I frequently doubt, whether we are to afcribe it to thefe and the like Errors in Education,

That Mankind are so much over-run with Prejudices and falfe Opinions, that their Paffions are fo often mifapplied, and their Manners debauched, -or what other Caufes of this are to be affigned. Why do we find fo many ridiculous, or wicked Characters in Life? Does Nature itfelf tincture the Mind with Prejudice, Error, Folly? Or do we owe them to Inftruction, to the Ignorance or Mifmanagement of Parents, Nuries, Teachers? Do our Paffions, of themselves, lead us aftray, or are they

N