took offence at his want of reverence for his usher, over whom he
sometimes chose opportunities of displaying his authority, that the
boys might not misplace their veneration. Mr. Keypstick, therefore,
such as I have described him, incurred the contempt and displeasure
of this enterprising pupil, who now being in the tenth year of
his age, had capacity enough to give him abundance of vexation. He
underwent many mortifying jokes front the invention of Pickle and
his confederates; so that he began to entertain suspicion of Mr.
Jennings, who he could not help thinking had been at the bottom of
them all, and spirited up principles of rebellion in the school,
with a view of making himself independent. Possessed with this
chimera, which was void of all foundation, the German descended
so low as to tamper in private with the boys, from whom he hoped
to draw some very important discovery; but he was disappointed in
his expectations; and this mean practice reaching the ears of his
usher, he voluntarily resigned his employment. Finding interest
to obtain holy orders in a little time after, he left the kingdom,
hoping to find a settlement in some of our American plantations.

The departure of Mr. Jennings produced a great revolution in the
affairs of Keypstick, which declined from that moment, because he had
neither authority to enforce obedience, nor prudence to maintain
order among his scholars: so that the school degenerated into
anarchy and confusion, and he himself dwindled in the opinion of
his employers, who looked upon him as superannuated, and withdrew
their children front his tuition.

Peregrine seeing this dissolution of their society, and finding
himself every day deprived of some companion, began to repine at his
situation, and resolved, if possible, to procure his release from