was washed, his haircombed, he was clothed afresh, and appeared a very smart active lad.His business was, to help in the stable, to water the horses, to cleanshoes, to perform errands, and to do all the jobs of the family; andin the discharge of these services, he soon gave universalsatisfaction. He was indefatigable in doing what he was ordered, nevergrumbled, nor appeared out of temper, and seemed so quiet andinoffensive in his manners, that every body wondered how he hadacquired the character of being quarrelsome. In a short time he becameboth the favourite and the drudge of the whole family; for, speak butkindly him, and call him a little soldier, and Jack was at every one'sdisposal. This was Jack's particular foible and vanity: at his leisurehours he would divert himself by the hour together, in poizing adung-fork, charging with a broom-stick, and standing sentry at thestable door. Another propensity of Jack's, which now discovereditself, was an immoderate love of horses. The instant he wasintroduced into the stable, he attached himself so strongly to theseanimals, that you would have taken him for one of the same species, orat least a near relation. Jack was never tired with rubbing them downand currying them; the coachman had scarcely any business but to siton the box; all the operations of the stable were entrusted to LittleJack, nor was it ever known that he neglected a single particular.But what give him more pleasure than all the rest, was sometimes toaccompany his mistress upon a little horse, which he managed withgreat dexterity.
Jack discovered too a great disposition for all the useful andmechanic arts. He had served an apprenticeship already to themanufacture of iron, and of this he was almost as vain as of being asoldier. As he began to extend his knowledge of the world, he saw thatnothing could be done without iron. "How would you plough the ground,"said Jack; "how would you dig your garden; how would you even light afire, dress a dinner, shoe a horse, or do the least thing in theworld, if we workman at the forge did not take the trouble ofpreparing it for you?" Thus Jack would sometimes talk upon the dignityand importance of his own profession, to the great admiration of allthe other servants.
These ideas naturally give Jack a great esteem for the profession ofa blacksmith, and in his occasional visits to the forge with thehorses, he learnt to make and fix a shoe as neatly as any artist inthe country.
Nor were Jack's talents confined to the manufacture of iron; his loveof horses, and his interest in every thing that related to them, wasso great, that it was not long before he acquired a very competentknowledge in the art of sadlery.
Jack would also sometimes observe the carpenters when they were met atwork, and sometimes by stealth attempt the management of their tools;in which he succeeded as well as in every thing else; so that he waslooked upon by every body as a very active, ingenious boy.
There was in the family where he now lived, a young gentleman, thenephew of his mistress, who had lost his parents, and was thereforebrought up by his aunt. As Master Willets was something younger thanJack, and a very good-natured boy, he soon began to take notice ofhim, and be much diverted with his company. Jack, indeed, was notundeserving this attention; for although he could not boast any greatadvantages of education, his conduct was entirely free from all thevices to which some of the lower class of people are subject. Jack wasnever heard to swear, or express himself with any indecency. He wascivil and respectful in his manners to all his superiors, anduniformly good-natured to his equals. In respect to the animalsentrusted to his care, he not only refrained from using them ill, butwas never tired with doing them good offices. Added to this, he wassober, temperate, hardy, active, and ingenious, and despised a lie asmuch as any of his betters. Master Willets now began to be muchpleased with playing at cricket and trap-ball with Jack, who excelledat both these games. Master Willets had a little horse which Jacklooked after; and, not contented with looking after him in the bestmanner, he used to ride him at his leisure hours with so much care andaddress, that in a short time he made him the most gentle and docilelittle animal in the country. Jack had acquired this knowledge, partlyfrom his own experience, and partly from paying particular attentionto a traveling riding-master that had lately exhibited various featsin that neighbourhood. Jack attended him so closely, and made so goodan use of his time, that he learned to imitate almost every thing hesaw, and used to divert the servants and his young master, with actingthe taylor's riding to Brentford.
The young gentleman had a master who used to come three times a weekto teach him accounts, and writing, and geography. Jack used to besometimes in the room while the lessons were given, and listenedaccording to custom with so much attention to all that passed, that hereceived very considerable advantage for his own improvement. He hadnow a little money, and he laid some of it out to purchase pens, andpaper, and a slate, with which at night he used to imitate every thinghe had heard and seen in the day; and his little master, who began tolove him very sincerely, when he saw him so desirous of improvement,contrived, under one pretence or another, to have him generally in theroom while he was receiving instruction himself.
In this manner, Jack went on for some years, leading a life veryagreeable to himself, and discharging his duty very much to thesatisfaction of his mistress. An unlucky accident at length happenedto interrupt his tranquillity. A young gentleman came down to visitMaster Willets, who, having been educated in France, and among genteelpeople in London, had a very great taste for finery, and a supremecontempt for all the vulgar. His dress too was a little particular,as well as his manners, for he spent half his time in adjusting hishead; he wore a high, well stiffened cravat, which kept his head andneck in one position, as if he were in the pillory. His pantaloonswere of the cossack fashion, wide enough to admit his body, andpuckered from top to bottom; while his hessian boots were in thehighest style, and polished in the most accurate manner. He usuallycarried several snuff-boxes; some of which might indeed be calledsnuff-chests, for they were too large to enter any but his coatpockets; and he ornamented many of his fingers with ponderous goldrings. Thus affectedly dressed out, he would sometimes strut aboutbefore a looking-glass for an hour together. This young man had asupreme contempt for all the vulgar, which he did not attempt toconceal; and when he had heard the story of Jack's birth andeducation, he could scarcely bear to be in the same room with him.Jack soon perceived the aversion which the stranger entertained forhim, and at first endeavoured to remove it, by every civility in hispower; but when he found that he gained nothing by all his humility,his temper, naturally haughty, took fire, and as far as he dared, heplainly showed the resentment which he felt.
It happened one day, after Jack had received some very mortifyingusage from this young gentleman, that as he was walking along theroad, he met with a show-man, who was returning from a neighbouringfair with some wild beasts in a cart. Among the rest was amiddle-sized monkey, who was not under cover like the rest, and playedso many antic tricks, and made so many grimaces, as engaged all Jack'sattention, and delighted him very much, for he always had a propensityfor every species of drollery. After a variety of questions andconversation, the show-man, who probably wanted to get rid of hismonkey, proposed to Jack to purchase him for half-a-crown. Jack couldnot resist the temptation of being master of such a droll divertinganimal, and therefore agreed to the bargain. But when he was leftalone with his purchase, which he led along by a chain, he soon beganto repent his haste, and knew not how to dispose of him. As there was,however, no remedy, Jack brought him carefully home, and confined himsafe in an out-house, which was not applied to any use. In thissituation he kept him several days, without accident, and frequentlyvisited him at his leisure hours, with apples, nuts, and such otherpresents as he could procure. Among the other tricks which the monkeyhad been taught to perform, he would rise upon his hind legs at theword of command, and bow with the greatest politeness to the company.Jack, who had found out these accomplishments in his friend, could notresist the impulse of making them serve the purposes of hisresentment. He, therefore, one day dressed out his monkey in the mostlaughable manner: he tied a piece of stiff pasteboard about his neck;put up
on him a pair of loose canvas bags, as trowsers; and covered thelower parts of his legs and his feet with oil and lampblack, inimitation of boots. Jack then put into his hands a huge tobacco-box,which he taught him to use as a snuff-box; and stuck upon his fingersseveral curtain-rings; and, thus accoutred, led him about withinfinite satisfaction, calling him Sir, and jabbering such brokenFrench as he had picked up from the conversation of the visitor. Ithappened very unluckily, at this very instant, that the younggentleman himself passed by, and instantly saw at one glance theintended copy of himself, and all the malice of little Jack, who wasleading him along, and calling to him to hold up his head, and looklike a person of fashion. Rage instantly took possession of his mind;he seized a stone which lay near at hand, knocked the poor monkey uponthe head, and laid him dead upon the ground. What more he might havedone, is uncertain; for Jack, who was not of a temper to see