added he, "if you please, Mr Melfort, as the "fignal is given, we may clear the decks, and "form the line of battle."

The Captain's joke was applauded with a loud laugh; during which honest Umphraville, whofe face is no hypocrite, caft to my fide of the table a look of difpleasure and contempt, which I was at no lofs to interpret. Meantime the fervants removed one half of the table, that we might fit fociably, as Mr Mel fort termed it, round the other which was immediately furnished with a fet of fresh glasfes, and cleared of every incumbrance that might retard the circulation of the bottle.

Our friends who had been fo filent during the prefence of the ladies, now began to take their revenge, and enlarge their fhare of the converfation in proportion to the number of bumpers they fwallowed: they vied with each other in the number of their ftories and their jokes; aH of which feemed to be equally relifhed; and not the lefs fo, that they now became fomewhat loose and licentious.

Mr Melville had at firft endeavoured, tho' in a very eafy and polite manner, to give fomewhat of a genteeler turn to the converfation; but his endeavours, though fupported

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by a good deal of wit and vivacity, could not long withstand the general difpofition of the company. He now found himself as little able to relish their merriment as Mr Umphraville, next whom he was feated; and they had begun to enter into converfation of a very different kind, when Umphraville received a flap on the shoulder from one of the company, who at the fame time reminded him that he was hunted.

My friend was at first startled with a familiarity to which he was little accustomed; having recovered his compofure, however, he thanked the gentleman, though with an air rather formal and reserved, for his attention, and drank off his bumper. But having, it feems, left a little more than was proper in the bottom of his glafs, he was faluted with a call of "No heeltops!" from another corner of the table. This enigmatical advice being explained to him, he complied with it alfo, faying, however, with his natural firmness of tone and manner, "That it was his rule to "fill and drink his glafs when and how he "pleased; and that, as he had already gone

greater lengths than ufual, Mr Melfort muft "excufe him if he did not depart from it."

I faw that Mr Umphraville was now heartily tired of the company, and was not forry when, a little after this incident, both he and Mr Melville withdrew. Having remained longenough to witnefs fome jocular remarks to which this gave occafion, I followed them to the drawing-room, where I found they were much more agreeably employed in drinking coffee with Mrs Melfort, while one of her daughters obliged my old friend, by playing fome Scots airs upon the harpficord, which the other accompanied with a voice equally fweet and expreffive.

The converfation which fucceeded was fupported, in an eafy agreeable manner, by Mr Melville and the ladies, with that mixture of ferious remark which made it not unpleafing to Mr Umphraville; nor did he fuffer in their opinion by the part he occafionally took in it. The filent approbation of his countenance, during the performance of the young ladies, and the obfervations which it gave him an opportunity of making on the character of our native mufic, had already made the old gentleman a favourite; nor were the reft of the company difpleafed with the turn of his fentiments, when he complained, that the drawing

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ing-rooms where, in his younger days, the ladies and gentlemen were accustomed to the company of each other, were now almost totally deferted; and that, as far as he could obferve, amidst the boasted refinement of modern manners, the gentlemen paid less attention to the ladies, both in public places and in private fociety, than they had done fifty years ago.

After fome time paffed in this manner, the noife of laughter and of vociferation on the ftairs announced the approach of Mr Melfort and his company. The phyfician, and one of the lawyers, were indeed the only members of it who had chofen to attend him to the drawing-room; both of whom were prodigioufly fluftered; and yet, to my aftonishment, they contrived to put a decent face upon it, and fell into fewer improprieties than could have been expected. A drawing-room, however, was not their element; and, after fwallowing a little coffee, they withdrew, leaving honeft Melfort fast asleep in a corner of the fettee.

Mr Umphraville and I took our leave. We were fcarce out of the house when he exclaimed,

"O rus quando ego te afpiciam ?"

And, after a little pause, "Good God!" faid he, "Charles, can fuch fcenes be com"mon at poor Melfort's? To what a degree "must he have loft all respect for himself, "and all taste for true happiness, who, for "fuch fociety as we have this day witneffed, "can forego the agreeable converfation of his

own family, or who can allow the elegance "of their amufements to be difturbed by the "intrufion of his loofe and riotous compa"nions?

"

I reprefented to my friend, that he faw the matter in too strong a light. I obferved, that the excefs, on this occafion, had probably been greater than ufual; Mr Melfort was nowife fingular in the manner of entertaining his friends; that, in this country, the general opinion justified the obfervation of the poet, "Fecundi calices quem non fecere difertum;" that wine was fuppofed neceffary to remove the natural referve of our manner, and give a proper degree of ease and fpirit to our converfation. As to the appearance of Melfort and his friends in the drawing-room, I observed, that a little habit made the occafional intrufion

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