Foachim the Mimic. 71

correcting our faults and failings, inftead of at-
tending to your own. You are beholden to any
lad in the fchool who will do your fums, and write
your exercifes for you, and then you take upon
yourfelf to ridicule us if we cannot pronounce our
well learnt leffons to your fancy! You faucy
imp, who don’t know what labour and good
conduct are, and who have nothing to boatt of,
but the powers which a monkey poflefles to a
greater extent than yourfelf!” Fancy Joachim’s
rage! He, the admired wit! the popular boy !
nothing better thana monkey! He fprang up and
ftruck his fift into the face of his antagonift with
fuch fury, that the big boy, though evidently un-
willing to fight one lefs than himfelf, was obliged
to beftow feveral fharp blows before he could rid
himfelf of Joachim’s paffion.

At laft, however, other boys feparated them ;
but Joachim, who was quite unufed to fighting,
and who had received a very fevere fhock when
he firft fell, became fo fick and ill that he was
obliged to go home. His Mother afked what was
the matter. ‘ He had been quizzing a great big
boy who lifped, and the boy knocked him down,
and they had fought.” His Mother fighed; but
fhe faw he was too poorly for talking, fo fhe put
him to bed and nurfed him carefully.

Now, you may fay, what had this Mother been
about, not to have found out and corrected Jo-
achim’s fault before? Firft, he was very little at
home, and as owing to the help of others, his idle-