Page:True humanity usefully exerted.pdf/23

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with a great part of his ready caſh. Many of his debtors were dead, many more diſperſed in the priſons abroad.—But his creditors were ready enough to make their appearance: they had heard that his treaty of marriage was broken off; they had heard alſo on what occaſion. The consequence was, that they all fell upon him at once, and sized both his person and his remaining affects. Happily, in this exigence, he recollected the man he had once been generous to; he thought on Curio: him he went for immediately, gave him full power to act for him, and beſought him to endeavour at bringing his affairs to a compoſition. This grateful man engaged himſelf without heſitation for the whole, relieved his friend, took him home, called in his debts, and made up the remainder of the payment out of his own fortune. Nor did he ſtop here, but taking him aſide one day, "My dear Claudian" ſaid he, "there was a time in which you were ſo generous as to offer me a partnerſhip I had no right to expect. My buſineſs is now as valuable as yours was then; but whereas you owed me nothing, I cannot but remember, I owe every thing to you: my gratitude therefore prompts me to make the ſame kind of offer at this day, as your generoſity urged you then to do.—Accept therefore freely, and without ſcruple, an equal ſhare of all that your goodneſs has enabled me to procured."