VI.
SIR WILFRID LAWSON.
"And though that he was witty he was wise,
And of his port as meke as is a mayde:
He never yet no vilanie ne sayde
In alle his lif, unto no manere wight—
He was a veray parfit gentil knight."
I BELIEVE with all sound Christian people, our mendicant archbishops and bishops included, that it is as impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven as for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. My experience has likewise agreed with that of the pagan Fronto, who, Marcus Antoninus says, told him "that the so-called high-born are for the most part heartless." But, as is generally admitted, there are exceptions to all rules, and Sir Wilfrid Lawson is an exceptional man. He is a baronet, and so wealthy that I am almost afraid to particularize with regard to his income. Having never suffered the least inconvenience from the deceitfulness of riches myself, I prefer to speak of matter more within the scope of my knowledge^ With respect to Sir Wilfrid Lawson, however, I am sure of two things. In spite of his baronetcy he is a "jolly good fellow;" and in spite of his riches he may reasonably hope to enter in at the celestial gates, unless they are barred by John Calvin himself,—a contingency which there is less and less reason to apprehend.
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