ught
with him a canister of tea, despatched with so true a generosity, as
well as politeness, that if our voyage had been as long again we should
have incurred no danger of being brought to a short allowance in this
most important article. At the very same instant likewise arrived
William the footman with our own tea-chest. It had been, indeed, left in
the hoy, when the other goods were re-landed, as William, when he first
heard it was missing, had suspected; and whence, had not the owner of
the hoy been unluckily out of the way, he had retrieved it soon enough
to have prevented our giving the lady an opportunity of displaying
some part of her goodness. To search the hoy was, indeed, too natural a
suggestion to have escaped any one, nor did it escape being mentioned
by many of us; but we were dissuaded from it by my wife's maid, who
perfectly well remembered she had left the chest in the bed-chamber; for
that she had never given it out of her hand in her way to or from the
hoy; but William perhaps knew the maid better, and best understood how
far she was to be believed; for otherwise he would hardly of his own
accord, after hearing her declaration, have hunted out the hoy-man, with
much pains and difficulty. Thus ended this scene, which began with such
appearance of distress, and ended with becoming the subject of mirth and
laughter. Nothing now remained but to pay our taxes, which were indeed
laid with inconceivable severity. Lodging was raised sixpence, fire in
the same proportion, and even candles, which had hitherto escaped, were
charged with a wantonness of imposition, from the beginning, and placed
under the style of oversight. We were raised a whole pound, whereas
we had only burned ten, in five nights, and the pound consisted of
twenty-four.

Lastly, an attempt was made which almost as far exceeds human credulity
to believe as it did human patience to submit to. This was to make us
pay as much for existing an hour or two as for existing a whole day; and
dressing dinner was introduced as an article, though we left the
house before either pot or spit had approached the fire. Here I own
my patience failed me, and I became an example of the truth of the
observation, "That all tyranny and oppression may be carried too far,
and that a yoke may be made too intolerable for the neck of the tamest
slave." When I remonstrated, with some warmth, against this grievance,
Mrs. Francis gave me a look, and left the room without