For instance, what reader but knows that Mr Allworthy
felt, at first, for the loss of his friend, those
emotions of grief, which on such occasions enter into
all men whose hearts are not composed of flint, or
their heads of as solid materials? Again, what
reader doth not know that philosophy and religion
in time moderated, and at last extinguished, this
grief? The former of these teaching the folly
and vanity of it, and the latter correcting it as
unlawful, and at the same time assuaging it, by raising
future hopes and assurances, which enable a strong
and religious mind to take leave of a friend, on his
deathbed, with little less indifference than if he
was preparing for a long journey; and, indeed, with
little less hope of seeing him again.
Nor can the judicious reader be at a greater loss
on account of Mrs Bridget Blifil, who, he may be assured,
conducted herself through the whole season in which
grief is to make its appearance on the outside of
the body, with the strictest regard to all the rules
of custom and decency, suiting the alterations of
her countenance to the several alterations of her
habit: for as this changed from weeds to black,
from black to grey, from grey to white, so did her
countenance change from dismal to sorrowful, from
sorrowful to sad, and from sad to serious, till the
day came in which she was allowed to return to her
former serenity.
We have mentioned these two, as examples only of the
task which may be imposed on readers of the lowest
class. Much higher and harder exercises of judgment
and penetration may reasonably be expected from the
upper graduates in criticism. Many notable discoveries
will, I doubt not, be made by such, of the transactions
which happened in the family of our worthy man, during
all the years which we have thought proper to pass
over: for though nothing worthy of a place in
this history occurred within that period, yet did
several incidents happen of equal importance with
those reported by the daily and weekly historians
of the age; in reading which great numbers of persons
consume a considerable part of their time, very little,
I am afraid, to their emolument. Now, in the
conjectures here proposed, some of the most excellent
faculties of the mind may be employed to much advantage,
since it is a more useful capacity to be able to foretel
the actions of men, in any circumstance, from their
characters, than to judge of their characters from
their actions. The former, I own, requires the
greater penetration; but may be accomplished by true
sagacity with no less certainty than the latter.
As we are sensible that much the greatest part of
our readers are very eminently possessed of this quality,
we have left them a space of twelve years to exert
it in; and shall now bring forth our heroe, at about
fourteen years of age, not questioning that many have
been long impatient to be introduced to his acquaintance.
