He was one Evening sitting alone in his Study, weighing and turning this Doubt every Way in his Mind; and, after an Hour and a half’s serious Deliberation upon the Affair, and running over _Trim_’s Behaviour throughout,—he was just saying to himself, _It must be so;_—when a sudden Rap at the Door put an End to his Soliloquy,—and, in a few Minutes, to his Doubts too; for a Labourer in the Town, who deem’d himself past his fifty-second Year, had been returned by the Constable in the Militia-List,—and he had come, with a Groat in his Hand, to search the Parish Register for his Age.—The Parson bid the poor Fellow put the Groat into his Pocket, and go into the Kitchen:—Then shutting the Study Door, and taking down the Parish Register,—_Who knows_, says he, _but I may find something here about this self-same Watch-Coat?_—He had scarce unclasped the Book, in saying this, when he popp’d upon the very Thing he wanted, fairly wrote on the first Page, pasted to the Inside of one of the Covers, whereon was a Memorandum about the very Thing in Question, in these express Words: MEMORANDUM. The great Watch-Coat was purchased and given above two hundred years ago, by the Lord of the Manor, to this Parish-Church, to the sole use and Behoof of the poor sextons thereof, and their Sucessors, for ever, to be Worn by them respectively in wintery cold Nights, in ringing Complines, Passing-Bells, &c. which the said Lord of the manor had done, in Piety, to keep the poor Wretches warm, and for the Good of his own Soul, for Which they were directed to pray, &c. &c. &c. &c. _Just Heaven!_ said the Parson to himself, looking upwards, _What an Escape have I had! Give this for an Under-Petticoat to Trim’s Wife! I would not have consented to such a Desecration to be Primate of all England; nay, I would not have disturb’d a single Button of it for half my Tythes!_ Scarce were the Words out of his Mouth, when in pops _Trim_ with the whole Subject of the Exclamation under both his Arms.—I say, under both his Arms;—for he had actually got it ripp’d and cut out ready, his own Jerkin under one Arm, and the Petticoat under the other, in order to be carried to the Taylor to be made up,—and had just stepp’d in, in high Spirits, to shew the Parson how cleverly it had held out.