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After the prayers were ended, the Minister gave an exhortation to his auditors; and now, by the quaintnefs of fome of his expreffions, rendered that hilarity which his be-plaistered countenance had first excited in my companion's mind, ungovernable. In the course of his oration, he took occafion to introduce the fall of our first parents. When addreffing himself to the female part of his congregation, who, as I have already faid, were fish-women, he exclaimed, with a much stronger tincture of the Hibernian brogue than even fome of our prefent preachers, "Your mother Eve fold her immortal foul, and " with it all mankind, for an apple; but fuch is your depravity, ye wretches, that you would fell your "fouls for an oyfter; nay, even for a cockle."

Though my fair friend had been hitherto able to keep her rifible faculties within tolerable bounds, an expreffion fo replete with low humour-fo truly ludicrous-was not to be withftood; fhe burst into a loud and violent fit of laughter, and hurrying out of the ruftic chapel, left me to encounter the rage of the offended priest and his enthusiastic auditory.

It was happy for me, that I had even then obtained the reputation of being a devotee, as the clergyman instantly put a stop to his exhortation, and addressed himself particularly to me. He told me that if he were not well affured, from the general

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tenor of my behaviour, and the character I bore, that I was incapable of countenancing fuch a flagrant affront to the Deity, he would cause me to be expelled from the mother church; but as he hoped that that was not the cafe, he would forgive my bringing with me a perfon, who, having no devotion herself, had dared to disturb those who had, if I would inform him of her name. In order to appease the offended prieft, I gave him my word that I would fend to him; and the fervice concluded without any farther interruption.

As to Mrs. Madden, she prudently mounted her horse, and returned with all speed to my lodgings; she otherwife would have stood a chance of being in the fame predicament as poor Orpheus was; the common people of that country being no lefs revengeful, when their religious rights are fuppofed to be contemned, than the Thracian dames could be for the indifference fhewn to their sex by the fon of Apollo.

Agreeable to my promife to the priest, I fent to him foon after; not, indeed, to acquaint him with the name of my imprudent companion, but to endeavour to palliate her offence. Fortunately, Mr. Crump was his penitent, by whofe means the affair was at length made up. And this interference was the only part of his conduct, with regard to myself, that I ever was pleased with. THE

THE SOCIAL ATTACHMENT

OF

ANIMALS.

HERE is a wonderful fpirit of fociality in the

THE

brute creation, independent of sexual attachment: the congregating of gregarious birds in the winter is a remarkable instance.

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Many horfes, though quiet with company, will not stay one minute in a field by themselves; the strongest fences cannot restrain them. My neighbour's horse will not only not stay by himself abroad, but he will not bear to be left alone in a strange ftable without difcovering the utmost impatience, and endeavouring to break the rack and manger with his fore feet. He has been known to leap out at a stable window, through which dung was thrown, after company; and yet, in other refpects, is remarkably quiet. Oxen and cows will not fatten by themselves, but will neglect the finest pasture that It would be need

is not recommended by fociety.

lefs to instance in fheep, which conftantly flock together. But this propenfity feems not to be confined to animals of the fame fpecies; for we know a doe,

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ftill alive, that was brought up from a little fawn with a dairy of cows, with them it goes a-field, and with them it returns to the yard. The dogs of the houfe take no notice of this deer, being used to her; but, if ftrange dogs come by, a chace enfues; while the master smiles to fee his favourite fecurely leading her purfuers over hedge, or gate, or stile, still she returns to the cows, who, with fierce lowings and menacing horns, drive the affailants quite out of the pafture. Even great disparity of kind and fize does not always prevent focial advances and mutual fellowship. For a very intelligent and obfervant person has affured me that, in the former part of his life, keeping but one horse, he happened alfo on a time to have but one folitary hen. These two incongruous animals spent much of their time together in a lonely orchard, where they faw no creature but each other. By degrees an apparent regard began to take place between these two fequeftered individuals. The fowl would approach the quadruped, with notes of complacency, rubbing herfelf gently against his legs; while the horse would look down with fatisfaction, and move with the greatest caution and circumfpection, left he fhould trample on his diminutive companion. Thus, by mutual good offices, each feemed to confole the vacant hours of the other; fo that Milton, when he puts the follow

ing fentiment in the mouth of Adam, seems to be fomewhat mistaken:

Much less can bird with beast, or fish with fowl,
So well converse, nor with the ox the ape.

WE have remarked in a former letter how much incongruous animals, in a lonely ftate, may be attached to each other from a spirit of fociality; in this it may not be amifs to recount a different motive, which has been known to create as ftrange a fondness.

How

My friend had a little helpless leveret brought to him, which the fervants fed with milk in a spoon, and about the fame time his cat kittened, and the young were dispatched and buried. The hare was foon loft, and fuppofed to be gone the way of most fondlings, to be killed by some dog or cat. ever, in about a fortnight, as the master was fitting. in his garden in the dusk of the evening, he observed his cat, with tail erect, trotting towards him, and calling with little short inward notes of complacency fuch as they use towards their kittens, and something gambolling after, which proved to be the leveret that the cat had supported with her milk, and continued to support with great affection.

Thus

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