I am now entring into my One and Twentieth Year, and do not know that I had one Day’s thorough Satisfaction since I came to Years of any Reflection, till the Time they say others lose their Liberty, the Day of my Marriage.  I am Son to a Gentleman of a very great Estate, who resolv’d to keep me out of the Vices of the Age; and in order to it never let me see any Thing that he thought could give me the least Pleasure.  At ten Years old I was put to a Grammar-School, where my Master received Orders every Post to use me very severely, and have no regard to my having a great Estate.  At Fifteen I was removed to the University, where I liv’d, out of my Father’s great Discretion, in scandalous Poverty and Want, till I was big enough to be married, and I was sent for to see the Lady who sends you the Underwritten.  When we were put together, we both considered that we could not be worse than we were in taking one another, out of a Desire of Liberty entered into Wedlock.  My Father says I am now a Man, and may speak to him like another Gentleman.

  I am, SIR,

  Your most humble Servant_,

  Richard Rentfree.

  Mr.  SPEC.

I grew tall and wild at my Mother’s, who is a gay Widow, and did not care for shewing me ’till about two Years and a half ago; at which time my Guardian Uncle sent me to a Boarding-School, with Orders to contradict me in nothing, for I had been misused enough already.  I had not been there above a Month, when being in the Kitchin, I saw some Oatmeal on the Dresser; I put two or three Corns in my Mouth, liked it, stole a Handful, went into my Chamber, chewed it, and for two Months after never failed taking Toll of every Pennyworth of Oatmeal that came into the House:  But one Day playing with a Tobacco-pipe between my Teeth, it happened to break in my Mouth, and the spitting out the Pieces left such a delicious Roughness on my Tongue, that I could not be satisfied ’till I had champed up the remaining Part of the Pipe.  I forsook the Oatmeal, and stuck to the Pipes three Months, in which Time I had dispensed with thirty seven foul Pipes, all to the Boles; They belonged to an old Gentleman, Father to my Governess—­He lock’d up the clean ones.  I left off eating of Pipes, and fell to licking of Chalk.  I was soon tired of this; I then nibbled all the red Wax of our last Ball-Tickets, and three Weeks after the black Wax from the Burying-Tickets of the old Gentleman.  Two Months after this I liv’d upon Thunder-bolts, a certain long, round bluish Stone, which I found among the Gravel in our Garden.  I was wonderfully delighted with this; but Thunder-bolts growing scarce, I fasten’d Tooth and Nail upon our Garden-Wall, which I stuck to almost a Twelvemonth, and had in that time peeled and devoured half a Foot towards our Neighbour’s Yard.  I now thought my self the happiest Creature in the World, and I believe in my Conscience, I had eaten quite through, had I