296
THE GUARDIAN .
N° 50.
utmoſtcivility to fleſh and blood , until they were oppreſſed by the morning air. If I do not receive
his account with a very ſerious and believing countenance , he ventures to laugh at me as a moſt ridiculous infidel. The moſt unaccountable
pleaſure I take is with a fine white young owl, which ſtrayed one night in at my window , and
which I was reſolved to make a priſoner, but withal to give all the indulgence that its confine ment could poſſibly admit of. I fo far inſinuated
myſelf into his favour, by preſents of freſh pro viſions, that we could be very good company to gether. There is fomething in the eye ofthat creature, of ſuch merry luſtre, ſomething of ſuch human cunning in the turn of his viſage, that I found vaſt delight in the ſurvey of it. One ob jection indeed I at firſt ſaw , that this bird being the bird of Pallas, the choice of this favourite
might afford curious matter of raillery to the in
genious, eſpecially when it ſhall be known, that I am as much delighted with a cat as ever Mon taigne was. But notwithſtanding this, I am ſo far from being aſhamed of this particular hu mour, that I eſteem myſelf very happy in having
my odd taſte of pleaſure provided for, upon fuch reaſonable terms. What heightened all the plea
ſures I have ſpoke of, was the agreeable freedom with which the gentleman of the houſe enter tained us ; every one of us came into, or left the
company, as he thought fit; dined in his cham ber or the parlour, as a fit of ſpleen or ſtudy di rected him ; nay, ſometimes every man rode or walked a different way, ſo that we never were
1
