would by no means have Mr. Allworthy take any Reſolution either to the Prejudice of the Child or its Father, before he was ſatisfied that the latter was guilty: For tho’ he had privately ſatisfied himſelf of this from one of Partridge’s Neighbours, yet he was too generous to give any ſuch Evidence to Mr. Allworthy.
CHAP. VI.
The Trial of Partridge, the Schoolmaſter, for Incontinency; The Evidence of his Wife; A ſhort Reflection on the Wiſdom of our Law; with other grave Matters, which thoſe will like beſt who underſtand them moſt.
It may be wondered that a Story ſo well known, and which had furniſhed ſo much Matter of Converſation, ſhould never have been mentioned to Mr. Allworthy himſelf, who was perhaps the only Perſon in that Country who had never heard of it.
To account in ſome meaſure for this to the Reader, I think proper to inform him that there was no one in the Kingdom leſs intereſted in oppoſing that Doctrine con- cerning
