my cuftom ever was, he went with his hand full of papers into his ftudy for an hour or more. I followed him-He turned haftily, and faid, "What wouldft thou have, my life?" I told him I heard the prince had received a packet from th queen, and I gueffed it was that in his hand, and I defired to know what was in it. He fmiling replied, "My love, I will immediately come to thee; pray thee go, for I am very bufy." When he came out of his clofet, I refumed my fuit; he kiffed me, and talked of other things. At fupper I would eat nothing. He, as ufual, fat by me, and drank often to me (which was his cullom) and was full of difcourfe to company that was at table. Going to bed, I fed him again, and faid, I could not believe he 1 ved me if he refused to tell me all he knew but he faid no thing, and flopped my mouth with kifes; fo we went to bed. I cried, and he went to fleep.

Next morning, very early, (as his cuftom was) he called to rife, but began to difcourfe with me firft, to which I made no reply. He rofe, came to the other fide of the bed, and kiffed me, and drew the curtain foftly, and went to court. When he came home to dinner, he prefendly came to me, and when I had him by the hand, I faid, "Thou daft not care to fee me troubled?" To which he, taking me in his arms, anfwered, "My deareft foul, nothing upon earth can afflict me like that, and when you afked me of my bufinefs, it was wholly out of my power to fatisfy thee; for my life and fortune fhall be thine, and every thought of my heart in which the truft I am in may not be revealed; but mine honour is mine own, which I canpot preferve if I communicate the prince's affairs; and, pray thee, with this anfwer reft fatisfied." So great was his reafon and goodnefs, that upon confideration, it made my folly appear to be fo vile, that from that day to the day of his death, I never thought fit to aik him any bufinefs, but what he communicated to me freely, in order to his eftate or family."

The excellent writer of thefe exquilemoirs was no lefs diftinguithed

for her ftrength of mind and courage, than for her piety and virtue. When the veffel that carried her from Ireland to Spain was attacked, the put on men's cloaths, and fought with the failors.

Soliloquy over a Dead Horfe.

THERE lies my poor Ball! cut off of life by a fit of the

in

ftaggers! and a better horfe never flood in fhafts, rot me if ever there did. Four years old laft grafs: 'twas but last week I had him new fhod; ah! little thought I then he was fo near flipping his wind: what a damned, villainous, whorefon difeafe is thefe fame ftaggers! He had the beft advice too-what then? it would not do; for, as the clerk of the parish (a mortal good poet they fay) handfomely writes, "Afflictions fore, long time he bore, phyficians were in vain Ay, phyficians or farriers, they're all the fame; only, to be fure, horfe-doctors don't feel their patient's pulfe, that I know of-there lies the difference —— What o'that? all the faculty in confultation could have done nothing for him, his time was come, there's no help for't now, and it don't fignify fretting: but, damn the ftaggers for all that, fay I; honeft Ball, they did notufe you well, nor I neither. I've lofthe beft horse I was mafter of; yes, all miss you, Ball; you were the pride of my heart, the leader of my team-ah! many a time and oft did I currycomb that fin for you, and fill your manger, till your mandibles could wag no longer; but you're gone-gone to the dogs, as the faying is; and a true faying it is that horfe-flesh of your's will be cut into bunches for 'em; and they may thank the flaggers for many a good meal's meat off that carcafe- -Food for dogs! for the curs that used to bark at your heels! it goes to my heart. Your round buttocks, I'll warrant, often made their teeth water, and now they'll fatisfy their longing-Well, fince it must be f-and yet is more than they deferve

let 'em have a bellyfull of you, 'tis what you, Ball, and all horfes, muft come to!

A defcription

A Defeription of an Effect upon the Banks of the Lake of Geneva.

THE temperature of the air, on the 26th of January, was not leis uncommon than extraordinary: to have twelve degrees of the thermometer heat, and to be aftounded by the roaring of thunder at this period of the year, is an uncommon phenomenon in a climate as naturally cold and intemperate as this. At three o'clock in the afternoon the atmosphere was almost entirely obfcured; the mountains toward the eaft were no longer perceptible; they were hidden from the view by a large mats of rolling clouds, of which a black, commixed with a bluith tint exhibited the extremity of the landfcape. Thit part of the fky that overhung the borders of Cologny, and the hills in its vici. ity, wastinged with a grey and a gloomy vapour, from which were detached from time to time romantic obnebulations of every form and every d.feription. Some had only their outlines irradiated; and this fringe partaking of a thining gold, and no lefs brilliant purple, made more exquifitely relevant the fafcinating elegance of their proportions, others appeared to glitter with referve, and icemed only as acceffaries to enhance the general reprefentation of the picture. They fufpended with majeftic progrefs their enormous maffes, but with a motion fo very infenfible, that it was with difficulty the eye could difcern their flow and uncertain direction.

A beautiful Iris, with prifmatic and varied fplendour, interrupted the monotonous fufpenfion of their colours; the bafe of which, imagination would make repofe within an inconfiderable diftance of the lak, and from thence itretch forth its ftupendous arch, which feemed to bridge the mountains of Voirons, to melt afterwards by degrees, and at length to difperfe infentibly in the

air.

At the time in which it glowed with its brighteft effulgence, a crowd of birds was, in idea, feen to wing their vapoury flight from the bofom of the column, and which thone like moving fars; fo confpicuoully were they feen

to affimilate with the atmosphere and the clouds, and fo much did they appear like blue and brilliant fpecks upon the dark ground which the heavens prefented: and fo much did the continual corrufcations of their wings imitate the etincillation of the planets when the weather is ferene and clear.

The fcenes which the hills and dedivities prefented were of a fpecies of beauty entirely different, ut fingularly original and picturefque. Between two immenfe bodies of inadow, deep and gloomy, the re burft forth a ray of light, which extended itfelf, as it wer, from Ruth to the extremity of Cologny, over the gentle rifing of Boify, and the luftre of which was extinguithed in the filvery waters of the lake. We were ftill more agreeably furprifed at the fudden tranfition that fucceeded this unexpected fplendour, which was alrea ly perceived: and the different appearances of the fields, the meadows, the vineyards, and the habitations promifcuoufly fcattered over the face of the country, with the tops of the houfes brilliantly and eminently irradiated, and the tower, ficcple, and the village fires gave additional intereft to the vapoury profpect.

Aftonifhed, charmed, extatized by this multiplicity of picture fque and ontertaining objects, my head was fuddenly depreffed by an intuitive act of adoration. My imagination found new fource to fuliain my curiosity, and to awaken my enthufiain, at the Very place, and at the very time, when I was only anxious to foothe my ardour, and to repair its declining force. The town which fpread itfelf before my window, afforded, in itfelf, a re-union of every charm that the molt romantice imagination can prefent to felf as interelling: the fun feemed as if it took delight to illuminate its verdant limits with all its fires; and the dews profule and glittening, by which it was refrened, appeared to diffufe the file of contentment, of feftivity, and fublime delight. The foft gradations of varying greens which characterize cur di ret hurt, woe ten to glow with all their lure, a the colours of which were fo di nated and relevant, that every

fpecies might be known by the individuality of its form and texture.

The penfile branches of the Acafia, the fupple branches of the rofe-bufh, the elegant branches of the weeping willow, the ftrait and flexible twigs of the Spanifh-broom, the prickly indentification of the holly, with the immortal vigour of the pine, all confpired to fix my attention, which would willingly have feparated each, to enjoy its charms, without a faftidious rejection of any fingle one, however different to the others in beauty. The herbs and flowers which covered, like a variegated carpet, the majestic terrace which grew, in unmolefled vegetation; every obtrufive and folitary plant; the tender apples of the plane-tree, the delicate bodies of the Yoke-elm; the fhining afh; the luscious woodbine ;— all thefe objects had taken another appearance, and gave an effential variety to the general compofition and tone of the picture.

I was now willing to review the great objects which had not yet entirely receded. My attention was inftantly arrefted by furprife, when my eyes were turned upon the wood of fruit trees which bordered our poffeffions. The tufted clumps of the chefnut were fo umbrageous in themfelves as almoft to imitate a foreft. My regard was at length directed to a contemplation of the horizontal plains of the Leman lake, but in vain effayed to explore the oppofite banks; more intervention of light, more variety of clouds, more refulgence of colour: a curtain of mift immediately intercepted, and uniformly obfcured, the delicious landscape. A general verdure fucceeded the fe curious and fantaflic varieties. I began to confider them with more minute obfervation; they foon effaced the light of the heavens, and the fweet impreffion of an agreeable dream was only left upon my mind, accompanied by fatigue, languor and agitation.

Hiftories of the Tête-à-Tête annexed; or Memoirs of the Conquering General and the Fanquished Delia.

MONG the Rights of Man, fo h the topic of converfation with

all ranks of people, that of taking to himself a wife is not of the leaft importance; and if he does not treat her with that affection, politenefs, and regard, which the thinks herself entitled to, fhe is feldom very fcrupulous about exercifing the rights of woman.

Delia, the heroine of our tale, obtained a husband in the carly part of her life, with whom the lived tolerably happy till fhe approached her fortieth year, when Death thought proper to divorce the loving pair. When this circumftance happened, the gentleman had attained the age of fixty years, upwards of forty of which had been induftriously and fuccefsfully employed in a very lucrative branch of bufinefs. Had he left a very numerous offspring behind him, he could have given each of them a handfome fortune, after having made a comfortable provifion for the widow; but, dying without iffue, he bequeathed the whole to his beloved relict, with this fpecial injunction, that the fhould never enter a fecond time into the holy ftate of matrimony. Should fuch an event take place, the whole amount of the bequeft was to be forfeited, and placed in the hands of truftees for the purpofe of erecting and establishing an hofpital for idiots.

Though our heroine thought herfelf in a very comfortable fituation, poffeffed as he was of more than feventy thoufand pounds, the found it inconvenient and difagreeable to be deprived of other conforts which he had been accuftomed to, and for which the need not long have waited, having fo many thoufands of the molt powerful attractions.

She wifhed to be virtuous, and again become a lawful wife; but the recollected that virtue, as well as gold, might be bought too dear. Marriage, the admitted, was honourable, but it infal libly opened a door to her destruction

-it robbed her of her all. A verbal contract with an agreeable friend, with-out thofe folemn ceremonies, against which her deceafed lord had iffued his prohibition, could not, the faid, be criminal in her fituation: it was indeed a neceffary ftep, all circumftances confidered-This is a fort of obedience to

the