"But," continued Evelyn, "there must also be yet something inherent in both parties for the success of the enterprize; something like wit, or at least some personal, or seemingly personal superiority in the quizzer, and some pre-disposition, or rather pre-adaption in the quizzee, to allow that he is quizzed."

"I admire your precision," said Tremaine.

"Well then," proceeded Evelyn, "what if the quizzee (wrapt in his virtue and a good surtout) not only deny to himself the assumed superiority of the quizzer, but feel himself the superior of the . two??

"Give me an illustration," said Tremaine. A "The gay courtier in King Charles the First's time," answered Evelyn; "he who piqued himself so much upon his fine clothes; and because he had a better tailor, thought himself a better man than Oliver Cromwell."

"You mean Sir Philip Warwick,” said Tremaine, “ and I remember the passage: but what has it to do with quizzing?"

"A great deal," replied Evelyn; "for, in the place I allude to, he was the quizzer, and Oliver the quizzee. We courtiers,' he says, ' valued ourselves much upon our good clothes; and when I first saw Oliver, he seemed a gentleman very ordinarily clad, in a plain suit, made, as it should seem,

by an ill country tailor; his linen not very clean, his hat without a hatband, and his sword stuck on awkwardly. Sir Philip says of himself, that he then vainly thought himself a courtly young gentleman, and was here evidently quizzing the man who afterwards became his master; for I remember he goes on to say, And yet I lived to see this very person (having had a better tailor), and when I was his prisoner at Whitehall, appear in my eyes of a very comely presence.' Notwithstanding this quiz of him, Oliver, according to the quizzer himself, was very much hearkened to, and, as I humbly conceive, did not care one pinch of snuff for the sneers of Sir Philip at his country tailor."

"You have a strange way of bringing in your reading!" said Tremaine. But I should like to have something still more practical. You were going to tell me how you felt when you thought yourself quizzed. Come, let us have the time, place, and parties. As to the fairness of the account, that I think I can depend on."

"I have no interest in giving any other," said Evelyn. "As to time, then, it was twenty years ago; as to place, the very spot we have just been talking of; and the parties were the very people you quote as so redoubtable.”

"Well! your feelings? for at five-and-twenty, I do not apprehend they were the same as now."

To tell you the truth, my first impulse was to knock them down."

"Excellent!" said Tremaine; "you see in the world and out of it, are very different. And how did you get the better of this impulse ?"

"Why at first, by a very simple process. It occurred to me that, as there were half-a-dozen of them, it was not improbable I should be knocked down myself. After this, I fortunately asked myself rather a necessary question; namely, whether, in point of fact, they were really laughing at any body, much less at me ?"

"That certainly was prudent; but I thought you had proof!"

"No other than that they were in the act of laughing, and that their eyes looked at me, as I passed by."

"Rather slight," said Tremaine.

"So slight, that after I had swallowed my impulse, I began to laugh too, for being as great a fool as Scrub in the play; who said, I am sure they were talking of me, for they laughed consumedly.' My next question was, what I could have about my

person, manner, or character, to be laughed at? and finding nothing, I laughed more at myself than I am sure they did, even supposing I had been their object."

"I'm afraid," said Tremaine, "this, after all, does not apply. But suppose you had really been quizzed?"

Why had it been made manifest by rudeness, I should have been forced, in my own defence, on my first impulse."

"But suppose," continued Tremaine, "it had been a mere mental quizzing, not manifest enough to be resented, yet evidently existing has that ever been your situation?"?

"It has," returned Evelyn, " but it was put down at once.'

"As how?" asked Tremaine.

66

Why by the very simple act of passing themselves in review in my own mind, as they were doing by me in theirs; and finding some of them to be fools, some knaves, and all of them profligates, I became the quizzer in my turn."

"Surely," said Tremaine, "you do not treat the matter fairly; you cannot mean that all the young men of fashion are of this character?'

"Certainly not, and neither are all men of fashion quizzers; we are talking of the few, and I should the refuse of them; for such, in my day, were

say,

those who indulged in the license we are discussing. All of them were gamblers, and therefore profligate; most of them silly, and therefore contemptible; and some of them guilty of crimes for which they ought to have been hanged.”

"What can you mean?" said Tremaine.

"Adulteries, and seductions," answered Evelyn. "Mere gallantry, they would have phrased it," returned Tremaine.

"Gallantry!" exclaimed Evelyn; how many crimes of the most fatal, as well as the most atrocious dye, are encouraged, and indeed permitted, under this horrible miscalling of names? But observe, I mean not simple gallantry, which is, however, bad enough in itself-I mean the most aggravated cases of deliberate destruction to the honour and peace of families. These are to be found daily among the quizzers whom you bid me fear. Rather paint them in truer colours, and say they are themselves objects of pity, even should the world they have injured be able to forgive and forget them."

There was an impressiveness in Evelyn's tone and manner as he said this, which inspired Tremaine with the truest veneration for his friend; and during the pause which ensued, they reached the bridge over the little river which divides Woodington from Evelyn Hall, and took leave of each other.