up) died in a few Days after the Birth of her Daughter.
His Affliction would have been insupportable, had not
he been comforted by the daily Visits and Conversations
of his Friend. As they were one Day talking together
with their usual Intimacy, Leontine, considering
how incapable he was of giving his Daughter a proper
education in his own House, and Eudoxus reflecting
on the ordinary Behaviour of a Son who knows himself
to be the Heir of a great Estate, they both agreed
upon an Exchange of Children, namely that the Boy
should be bred up with Leontine as his Son,
and that the Girl should live with Eudoxus
as his Daughter, till they were each of them arrived
at Years of Discretion. The Wife of Eudoxus,
knowing that her Son could not be so advantageously
brought up as under the Care of Leontine, and
considering at the same time that he would be perpetually
under her own Eye, was by degrees prevailed upon to
fall in with the Project. She therefore took
Leonilla, for that was the Name of the Girl,
and educated her as her own Daughter. The two
Friends on each side had wrought themselves to such
an habitual Tenderness for the Children who were under
their Direction, that each of them had the real Passion
of a Father, where the Title was but imaginary. Florio,
the Name of the young Heir that lived with Leontine,
though he had all the Duty and Affection imaginable
for his supposed Parent, was taught to rejoice at
the Sight of Eudoxus, who visited his Friend
very frequently, and was dictated by his natural Affection,
as well as by the Rules of Prudence, to make himself
esteemed and beloved by Florio. The Boy
was now old enough to know his supposed Father’s
Circumstances, and that therefore he was to make his
way in the World by his own Industry. This Consideration
grew stronger in him every Day, and produced so good
an Effect, that he applied himself with more than ordinary
Attention to the Pursuit of every thing which Leontine
recommended to him. His natural Abilities, which
were very good, assisted by the Directions of so excellent
a Counsellor, enabled him to make a quicker Progress
than ordinary through all the Parts of his Education.
Before he was twenty Years of Age, having finished
his Studies and Exercises with great Applause, he
was removed from the University to the Inns of Court,
where there are very few that make themselves considerable
Proficients in the Studies of the Place, who know
they shall arrive at great Estates without them.
This was not Florio’s Case; he found that
three hundred a Year was but a poor Estate for Leontine
and himself to live upon, so that he Studied without
Intermission till he gained a very good Insight into
the Constitution and Laws of his Country.