Page:Antidote to superstition, or, A cure for those weak minds which are troubled with the fear of, ghosts and witches (NLS104184264).pdf/22

( 22 ) queſtion I propoſed. And, in fact, this was the caſe; for, when we came to have a private converſation, I told him the only thing about which I meant to conſult him, was the fate of a young gentleman, a relation of mine, who was abroad with the Britiſh troops in Germany, and from whom I had not heard for ſome time paſt. At firſt he begged to be informed of his age; that I told him, I had forgot: then he enquired of what rank he was in the army: that, I ſaid, was one of the principal things I wanted to learn from him. In a word, Sir, he aſked me ſo many queſtions about his family, fortune, learning, intereſt and connexions, that, had I anſwered them all, I ſhould have left nothing for him to do, but to draw ſome plain concluſion, which any man of common ſenſe night have done as well as himſelf. But finding that he could extort nothing from me, and being aſhamed to acknowledge the imperfection of his art, he ventured to make a bold puſh: contracting his brows, therefore, into a moſt gloomy frown, and looking with a great deal of gravity and grimace, he continued for ſome time in a thoughtful poſture: then ſtarting, as it were, from a trance, "Now, ſays he, I have it: your friend has nobly diſtinguiſhed himſelf in that 66 glorious battle which was fought between the Britiſh and French armies on the plains of Minden, and for his courage and