.« And indeed so he might, for he had now
discovered the Place whence the poor Girl had, at the Beginning of the Fray,
stolen away, upon as many Feet as a Hare generally uses in travelling.
    Sophia now desired her Father to return home; saying, she found herself very
faint, and apprehended a Relapse. The Squire immediately complied with his
Daughter's Request (for he was the fondest of Parents). He earnestly endeavoured
to prevail with the whole Company to go and sup with him; but Blifil and
Thwackum absolutely refused; the former saying, There were more Reasons than he
could then mention, why he must decline this Honour; and the latter declaring
(perhaps rightly) that it was not proper for a Person of his Function to be seen
at any Place in his present Condition.
    Jones was incapable of refusing the Pleasure of being with his Sophia. So on
he marched with Squire Western and his Ladies, the Parson bringing up the Rear.
This had, indeed, offered to tarry with his Brother Thwackum, professing, his
Regard for the Cloth would not permit him to depart; but Thwackum would not
accept the Favour, and, with no great Civility, pushed him after Mr. Western.
    Thus ended this bloody Fray; and thus shall end the fifth Book of this
History.
 

                                    Book VI

                         Containing about three Weeks.
 

                                   Chapter I

                                    Of Love.
 
In our last Book we have been obliged to deal pretty much with the Passion of
Love; and, in our succeeding Book, shall be forced to handle this Subject still
more largely. It may not, therefore, in this Place, be improper to apply
ourselves to the Examination of that modern Doctrine, by which certain
Philosophers, among many other wonderful Discoveries, pretend to have found out,
that there is no such Passion in the human Breast.
    Whether these Philosophers be the same with that surprizing Sect, who are
honourably mentioned by the late Dr. Swift; as having, by the mere Force of
Genius alone, without the least Assistance of any Kind of Learning, or even
Reading, discovered that profound and invaluable Secret, That there is no G-: or
whether they are not rather the same with those who, some Years since, very much
alarmed the World, by shewing that there were no such things as Virtue or
Goodness really existing in Human Nature, and who deduced our best Actions from
Pride, I will not here presume to determine. In reality, I am inclined to
suspect, that all these several Finders of Truth are the very identical Men, who
are by others called
