 for the
honour of the church of which he was a member, having been many years in holy
orders, tho' he did not then exercise any function of the priesthood. Indeed,
Mr. Jolter's zeal was so exceedingly fervent, as, on some occasions, to get the
better of his discretion: for, being an high-churchman, and of consequence a
malecontent, his resentment was habituated into an insurmountable prejudice
against the present disposition of affairs, which, by confounding the nation
with the ministry, sometimes led him into erroneous, not to say absurd
calculations; otherwise, a man of good morals, well versed in mathematicks and
school-divinity, studies which had not at all contributed to sweeten and unbend
the natural sourness and severity of his complexion.
    This gentleman being destined to the charge of superintending Perry's
education, every thing was prepared for their departure; and Tom Pipes, in
consequence of his own petition, put into livery, and appointented footman to
the young squire. But, before they set out, the commodore paid the compliment of
communicating his design to Mr. Pickle, who approved of the plan, tho' he durst
not venture to see the boy; so much was he intimidated by the remonstrances of
his wife, whose aversion to her first-born became every day more inveterate and
unaccountable. This unnatural caprice seemed to be supported by a consideration
which (one would imagine) might have rather vanquished her disgust. Her second
son Gam, who was now in the fourth year of his age, had been ricketty from the
cradle, and as remarkably unpromising in appearance as Perry was agreeable in
his person. As the deformity increased, the mothers fondness was augmented, and
the virulence of her hate against the other son seemed to prevail in the same
proportion.
    Far from allowing Perry to enjoy the common privileges of a child, she would
not suffer him to approach his father's house, expressed uneasiness whenever his
name happened to be mentioned, sickened at his praise, and in all respects
behaved like a most rancorous stepmother. Tho' she no longer retained that
ridiculous notion of his being an impostor, she still continued to abhor him, as
if she really believed him to be such; and when any person desired to know the
cause of her surprising dislike, she always lost her temper, and peevishly
replied, that she had reasons of her own, which she was not obliged to declare:
nay, so much was she infected by this vicious partiality, that she broke off all
commerce with her sister-in-law and the commodore
