He  attempted  it  again  and  again,  but
ialways  without  fuccefs.  You  may  have
obferved  that,  though  many  other  v/ords
■would  explain  his  meaning  equally  well,
you  may  as  foon  make  a  Saint  change  his
religion,^  as  prevail  on  a  Stutterer  to  accept
of  another  word  in  place  of  that  at  which
he  has  ftumbled.  He  adheres  to  his  firft
word  to  the  lafl,  and  will  fooner  expire
with  it  in  his  throat,  than  give  it  up  for
any  other  you  may  offer.  Harlequin,  on
the  prefent  occafion,  prefented  his  friend
with  a  dozen ;  but  he  rcjeded  them  all
with  difdain,  and  perfifted  in  his  unfuccefs-
ful  attempts  on  that  which  had  firfl  come
in  his  way.  At  length,  making  a  def-
perate  effort,  when  all  the  fpedators  were
gaping  in  expectation  of  his  fafe  delivery,
the  cruel  word  came  up  with  its  broad
fide  foremoft,  and  ftuck  diredly  acrofs
the  unhappy  man's  wind-pipe.  He  gaped,
and  panted,  and  croaked  ;  his  face  fluQied,
S  a  and


26o        VIEW   OF   SOCIETY   AND

and  his  eyes  feemed  ready  to  ftart  from
his  head.  Harlequin  unbuttoned  the  Stut-
terer's waiflcoat,  and  the  neck  of  his  fhirt ;
he  fanned  his  face  with  his  cap,  and  held
a  bottle  of  hartfhorn  to  his  nofe.  At
length,  fearing  his  patient  would  expire,
before  he  could  give  the  defired  intelli-
gence, in  a  fit  of  defpair  he  pitched  his
head  full  in  the  dying  man's  ftomach,  and
the  word  bolted  out  of  his  mouth  to  the
moft  diftant  part  of  the  houfe.
