 Rule in the World capable of making such a Man as his Father (for so Mr.
Allworthy suffered himself to be called).
    Master Blifil, on the contrary, had Address enough at sixteen to recommend
himself at one and the same Time to both these Opposites. With one he was all
Religion, with the other he was all Virtue. And when both were present, he was
profoundly silent, which both interpreted in his Favour and in their own.
    Nor was Blifil contented with flattering both these Gentlemen to their
Faces; he took frequent Occasions of praising them behind their Backs to
Allworthy; before whom, when they two were alone, and his Uncle commended any
religious or virtuous Sentiment, (for many such came constantly from him) he
seldom fail'd to ascribe it to the good Instructions he had received from either
Thwackum or Square: For he knew his Uncle repeated all such Compliments to the
Persons for whose Use they were meant; and he found by Experience the great
Impressions which they made on the Philosopher, as well as on the Divine: For,
to say the Truth, there is no kind of Flattery so irresistible as this, at
second Hand.
    The young Gentleman, moreover, soon perceived how extremely grateful all
those Panegyricks on his Instructors were to Mr. Allworthy himself, as they so
loudly resounded the Praise of that singular Plan of Education which he had laid
down: For this worthy Man having observed the imperfect Institution of our
public Schools, and the many Vices which Boys were there liable to learn, had
resolved to educate his Nephew, as well as the other Lad, whom he had in a
Manner adopted, in his own House; where he thought their Morals would escape all
that Danger of being corrupted, to which they would be unavoidably exposed in
any public School or University.
    Having therefore determined to commit these Boys to the Tuition of a private
Tutor, Mr. Thwackum was recommended to him for that Office, by a very particular
Friend, of whose Understanding Mr. Allworthy had a great Opinion, and in whose
Integrity he placed much Confidence. This Thwackum was Fellow of a College,
where he almost entirely resided; and had a great Reputation for Learning,
Religion and Sobriety of Manners. And these were doubtless the Qualifications by
which Mr. Allworthy's Friend had been induced to recommend him; tho' indeed this
Friend had some Obligations to Thwackum's Family, who were the most considerable
Persons in a Borough which that Gentleman represented in Parliament.
    Thwackum, at his first Arrival, was extremely agreeable to Allworthy; and
indeed he perfectly answered
