Page:The history of Tom Jones (1749 Volume 2).pdf/92

 Sir,’ aid he, ‘to own I have been deceived as well as yourelf. I could not, I confes, help being pleaed with what I acribed to the Motive of Friendhip, thought it was carried to an Exces, and all Exces is faulty, and vicious; but in this I made Allowance for Youth. Little did I supect that the Sacrifice of Truth, which we both imagined to have been made to Friendhip, was, in reality, a Protitution of it to a depraved and debauched Appetite. You now plainly ee whence all the eeming Generoity of this young Man to the Family of the Game-keeper proceeded. He upported the Father in order to corrupt the Daughter, and preerved the Family from tarving, to bring one of them to Shame and Ruin. This is Friendhip! this is Generoity! As Sir Richard Steele ays, Gluttons who give high Prices for Delicacies, are very worthy to be called generous. In hort, I am reolved, from this Intance, never to give Way to the Weaknes of Human Nature more, nor to think any thing Virtue which doth not exactly quadrate with the unerring Rule of Right.’

The Goodnes of Allworthy had prevented thoe Coniderations from occuring to him-