THE place of our retreat was in a little neighborhood, consisting of farmers, who tilled their own grounds, and were equal
strangers to opulence and poverty. As they had almost all the conveniences of life within themselves, they seldom visited towns
or cities in search of superfluities. Remote from the polite, they still retained the primeval simplicity of manners; and frugal by
habit, they scarcely knew that temperance was a virtue. They wrought with cheerfulness on days of labor; but observed
festivals as intervals of idleness and pleasure. They kept up the Christmas carol, sent true-love knots on Valentine morning, ate
pancakes on Shrove-tide, showed their wit on the first of April, and religiously cracked nuts on Michaelmas-eve. Being
apprized of our approach, the whole neighborhood came out to meet their minister, dressed in their finest clothes, and
preceded by a pipe and tabor; a feast was also provided for our reception, at which we sat cheerfully down; and what the
conversation wanted in wit was made up in laughter.

   Our little habitation was situated at the foot of a sloping hill, sheltered with a beautiful underwood behind, and a prattling river
before; on one side a meadow, on the other a green. My farm consisted of about twenty acres of excellent land, I having given
a hundred pounds for my predecessor's good-will. Nothing could exceed the neatness of my little enclosures; the elms and
hedge-rows appearing with inexpressible beauty. My house consisted of but one story, and was covered with thatch, which
gave it an air of great snugness; the walls >

Transfer interrupted!

   The little republic to which I gave laws, was regulated in the following manner: by sunrise we all assembled in our own
common apartment; the fire being previously kindled by the servant. After we had saluted each other with proper ceremony, for
I always thought fit to keep up some mechanical forms of good-breeding,

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without which freedom ever destroys friendship, we all bent in gratitude to that Being who gave us another day. This duty being
performed, my son and I went to pursue our usual industry abroad, while my wife and daughters employed themselves in
providing breakfast, which was always ready at a certain time. I allowed half an hour for this meal, and an hour for dinner;
which time was taken up in innocent mirth between my wife and daughters, and in philosophical arguments between my son and
me.

   As we rose with the sun, so we never pursued our labors after it was gone down, but returned home to the expecting family;
where smiling looks, a neat hearth, and pleasant fire were prepared for our reception. Nor were we without guests; sometimes
farmer Flamborough, our talkative neighbor, and often the blind piper, would pay us a visit, and taste our gooseberry wine; for
the making of which we had lost neither the receipt nor the reputation. These harmless people had several ways of being good
company; while one played, the other would sing some soothing ballad,-Johnny Armstrong's Last Good-night, or The Cruelty
of Barbara Allen. The night was concluded in the manner we began the morning, my youngest boys being appointed to read the
lessons of the day, and he that read loudest, distinctest, and best, was to have a halfpenny on Sunday to put into the poor's
box.

   When Sunday came, it was indeed a day of finery,

which all my sumptuary edicts could not restrain. How well soever I fancied my lectures against pride had conquered the vanity
of my daughters, yet I found them still secretly attached to all their former finery; they still loved laces, ribands, bugles, and
catgut; my wife herself retained a passion for her crimson paduasoy, because I formerly happened to say it became her.

   The first Sunday, in particular, their behavior served to mortify me: I had desired my girls the preceding night to be dressed
early the next day; for I always loved to be at church a good while before the rest of the congregation. They punctually obeyed
my directions; but when we were to assemble in the morning at breakfast, down came my wife and daughters dressed out in all
their former splendor: their hair plastered up with pomatum, their faces patched to taste, their trains bundled up in a heap
behind, and rustling at every motion. I could not help smiling at their vanity, particularly that of my wife, from whom I expected
more discretion. In this exigence, therefore, my only resource was to order our son, with an important air, to call our coach.
The girls were amazed at the command; but I repeated it with more solemnity than before.-"Surely, my dear, you jest," cried
my wife; "we can walk it perfectly well: we want no coach to carry us now."-"You mistake, child," returned I, "we do want a
coach; for if we walk to church in this trim, the very children in the parish will hoot

after us.-"Indeed," replied my wife, "I always imagined that my Charles was fond of seeing his children neat and handsome
about him."-" You may be as neat as you please," interrupted I, "and I shall love you the better for it; but all this is not neatness,
but frippery. These rufflings, and pinkings, and patchings will only make us hated by the wives of all our neighbors. No, my
children," continued I, more gravely, "those gowns may be altered into something of a plainer cut; for finery is very unbecoming
in us who want the means of decency. I do not know whether such flouncing and shredding is becoming even in the rich, if we
consider, upon a moderate calculation, that the nakedness of the indigent world may be clothed from the trimmings of the vain."

   This remonstrance had the proper effect; they went with great composure that very instant to change their dress, and the next
day I had the satisfaction of finding my daughters, at their own request, employed in cutting up their trains into Sunday
waistcoats for Dick and Bill, the two little ones, and, what was still more satisfactory, the gowns seemed improved by this
curtailing.