 of my rival, who did not seem to relish my
mirth; but began to be very serious: Upon which I endeavoured to appease him, by
giving him my word and honour, that so far from prejudicing his addresses to the
lady, I would represent him to her in the most favourable light I could, with
any regard to truth; but he must not be surprized if she should remain blind to
his deserts, for nothing was more capricious than a woman's mind, and the
affection of that sex was seldom purchased with virtue alone. - That my
declaration might have the better effect, I took notice of his dishabille, and
professing sorrow at seeing a gentleman reduced, slipt two guineas into his
hand, at the sight of which, he threw away his pistols, and hugging me in his
arms, cried, »Arrah, by Jesus, now, you are the best friend I have met with
these seven long years.« - When I had suffered some minutes in his embrace, he
quitted me, and picking up his rusty arms, wished the devil might burn him if
ever he should give me any further trouble about woman-kind.
    The quarrel being thus amicably composed, I begged leave to look at his
pistols, which I found so crazy and so foul, that, I believe, it was happy for
him neither of them was discharged, for one of them would certainly have split
in the going off, and he would, in all probability, have lost his hand in the
explosion; but what gave me a lively idea of the man's character, was to find,
upon examination, that one of them had been loaded without being primed, and the
other primed without a charge.
    While we walked homeward together, I expressed a desire of knowing my new
friend's history; and he informed me of his having served in the German army as
a volunteer against the Turks; that for his behaviour at the siege of Belgrade,
he had been honoured with an ensign's commission, and afterwards promoted to the
rank of lieutenant, in which station, it was his misfortune to affront his
captain, who challenged him to the field, and was killed in the duel, upon which
he was obliged to retreat; - that he had been in England some years solliciting
his friends for provision in the British army; but being hitherto unsuccessful,
he was desired by Mr. Gaghagan to turn his thoughts to matrimony, and make his
fortune by an advantageous match; in consequence of which advice, he had made up
to Melinda, and
