Alexis was foon able to walk, and began to think of commencing his journey. Seeing himself well recovered, he ordered his effects to be brought, and wished to pay the doctor.It is ufelefs, faid the latter; I am paid. Paid! and who has paid you -That I muft not tell, fir; I promised to keep that fecret. It was a fruitless attempt of Alexis to plague his memory to remind himself of the perfon who had rendered him this fervice;-he fuppofed it to be Sciocco; nevertheless,remember ing the treachery of which he accused him, he was refolved to let out without either fpeaking to him, or even fuffer ing him to be admitted in his fence. pre He would not take poft at Mar feilles, for fear Sciocco fhould find out by enquiries what road he had taken. The conduct of this friend hung fo hear vy upon him, that he walked quite drooping, and with a world of pain; tears even gufhed from his eyes... "Am not I the mot unfortunate of men! faid he to himself,-— whom can I truft? -to whom can I have recourse ?" could be ?-The receiver is as inno- Sciocco dropt many a tear; Alexis feeing him proftrate at his feet, began to reflect, and accufed none but himfelf of what had happened Carlo asked him, with the moft genuine fimplicity, My dear patron, won't what bufinefs you had with the damfel at fuch an hour?-What leffon had you to give her? Alexis looked at Sciocco, and held out his hand to him, which the Italian kiffed with heartfelt transports, exclaiming, Do you pardon me, dear Alexis? I think I ought, if you tell me the truth-Alas! I fee all the fault lies on me! Yes, it does indeed! and on that good-natured receiver, who miftook you for his rival, and who infifted upon paying the expences of your phyfician! Did he pay my phyfician? He did, fir. He was abforbed in the moft profound melancholy, when Sciocco, who had watched for him, threw himfelf at his feethe embraced, and bedewed them with his tears. Alexis started, and trove to avoid him, but the other hindered him, by exclaiming with a moft woeful and contrite tone of voice, Oh, Alexis embraced him, and recounted my dear patron! hear me forgive me! his fecret converfation with Sophia. What doft thou want, wretch? Sciocco fhewed him plainly how much How dareft thou fhew thyfelf to me the fought to enthral him and Alexis, after what you have been guilty of?ftung with remorie, could har lly for Thofe blows you mean!-Oh! did give himself. They both pursued their you but know how often I curled my road, and longed to fee Paris, where felf for them!I did not think I was Alexis hoped to hear of his tatter and ftriking my good mafter; indeed, I did Dumont. Traitor, can you be fo impu dent! By heaven, I did not know you! Who elfe did you think it not Hib. Mag. Oct. 1792. Since his departure from the cottage he had gone through fo many adventures, and fuftained fuch hardships as Rr had too. had scarce left him time to think on prefervation, generous ftrangers! deign his dear Clara. Sometimes, however, to keep me for this night; to-morrow, he would shed tears at the remembrance when my rival fhall be gone, I will go of his parting from this dear object of his love his imagination reprefented Sciocco was very willing to befriend her, as it were, in a state of forlorns the ftranger; but Alexis, afraid, per nefs; he heard her complaints, her res haps not without reafon, of all the bad proaches, and this moving picture quite confequences which might have refulted wrung his foul.libus er batted from harbouring a man he had found We fhall only stop with our travellers hidden in his room, would by no means at Vienne, where they happened to have accede to his requeft. In vain Sciocco a very fingular adventure owing to the attempted to prove that it was in the mistrustful temper of Alexis. .. order of things, and of predeftination; In the dusk of the evening, our two in vain the ftranger has recourse to in travellers, who might have gone a few treaties and tears. Alexis, who had fo leagues farther before night, found often been put upon, fufpects fome themselves fo much fpent with the fat fraud in the bufinefs, opens the door, tigue of their journey, as to enter an and calls the landlord. inn, with an intent to spend the even ing, but not to fleep there all night They were conducted to an apartment, and fate down to converfe with one another fuddenly they hear a ftrange noife in the room; their door was fhut, they were alone, and yet they heard fomebody breathe near them, and a low reftrained coughing.There is fomebody in our room, cried Sciocco. -Yes, replied Alexis, there is fome body hidden... ་་་ This faid, they fearch on all fides they open a cupboard, and find a man lying on the floor, and trembling like a leaf. What bufinefs have you here? faid our two travellers, putting them felves at the fame time upon the defenfive. Ah! gentlemen, don't undo me! anfwered the franger; I am a wretch pursued by the juft vengeance of a man whom I have inhumanly facrificed; he is now in this inh: I faw him come in, and quickly hid myself in this apartment, the door of which I found open. You have other defigns, vil lain! I tell thee, leave this room! Ah! by all that is dear to you, fave me, extricate me! I am no villain; and if I am guilty of a crime, it is dove only that made me commit it. Oh, fuffer me to fpend the night with you! you fhall know who I amyou thall have an account of the whole affair -What, thould we fuffer a stranger? -If you turn me out, you undo me! -if my enemy difcovers me here, my fe is loft! Alas! let me owe you my J At the noise he made, the ftranger attempted to escape; but another ap peared before the door of the apartment, who ftopped him, and cried, Hah! have I found the object of my fury and im mediately thruft his fword in his bofom. What became of Alexis and his friend at this spectacle of Horror They dee the unhappy victim fall, and impute his death to none but themfelves; →thé houfe refounded with the cries and complaints of the people, who came in crowds. Alexis and Sciocco, fearing to be compromifed in that: cruel affair, leave the inn, and pass through the crowds that had gathered round the houfe, and take, with the utmost pres cipitancy, the road to Lyons. Having marched to the diftance of about three leagues, they are overtaken by two men on horfeback. One of them alighted; and addreffed them in a moft furious tone, So, you have been the accomplices of the wretch I have killed ? ------We! -Yes, you! he was hidden in your apartment.- -Villain! cried Alexis, fear the due fearch of that juftice which thou feemeft to have evaded! Forbear infulting an unfortunate young man who will be forry all his life time for the crime which he has given thee an opportunity to commit The cavalier and his valet make an attempt to attack Alexis and Sciocco with their pistols, but the latter difarm them, and begin a pugilific combat, in which the four champions difplay equal ftrength and dexterity. The 6 The night was not very dark, and has committed in his inebriation. If the battle being fought before a caftle, he has the good fortune to escape the made feveral perfons come to the win commiflion of crimes and the punishdows to be fpectators to an action moft ments attending them, yet he injures fpirited and vigorons.uth his health, his fortune, his family, and Alexis and Solaccoknocked down after a few years fpent in a profli their adverfaries, fuffered them to rife gate, intemperate, and debauched course, again, fet to, and worfted them. This he finds his conftitution impaired, and fingular combat would have lafted much himself on the brink of ruin and longer, had it not been interrupted by deftruction. Then it is, the wretch a particular accident. It happened that looks back, and bewails his ill-fpent Sciocco, elated with the hopes of inftant life; but, alas; it is too late! he victory, exclaimed, Don't flinch! cous has run his race; the day is far gone, rage, Alexis Alexis! cried a lady, and night draws over his guilty head; who was looking out of one of the all is filent, dull, and gloomy around windows of the caftle; what is it he him within he experiences the toris it that dear lad ?fly to his affift tures of an accufing confcience, and ance! ༠༧༨¢ €y-y.] "T dreads the approaching anger of his That moment a whole troop of va jufily provoked God. Confcious of lets, armed with cudgels, leave the having erred, he dares not fupplicate saftle, fall upon the four champions, his Redeemer for mercy, but thinks and ftrike both the aggreffors and the himself unworthy his protection, and aggreffed. Our two heroes fide with fears to fpeak. Reflect, O ye this unexpected re-inforcement, and fons of folly and imprudence! on the charged the two horfemen with fuch dangerous and inevitable confequences impetuofity as to make them fly, and. attending diffipation. This life is leave them conquerors.i very thor and tranfitory, and your days are uncertain: they will be confumed as a fhadow, you will foon return to your primitive duft, and after death there is no repentance! reflect, I fay, on thefe important truths, and let them be rooted deeply in your hearts. Your fituation is truly precarious: you ftand on a precipice, and may every inftant expect to fall; and how unfit are you to appear before your God, at a time when you have been fetting his facred laws at defiance! let these thoughts have fome weight with you, and defpife not good advice, but fuffer truth and reafon to find a feat among you. There are no greater inticements to vice and immorality, than wine and ftrong drink; avoid them therefore as your certain ruin; for perhaps in the hour that you are overcome therewith, your foul may be required, and you'll then pay dear for your inordinate luft. Had you but a just idea of good and bad, how different would you act! you would be emulous to out vie one another in virtue, and fhun the vicious, as your bitter enemics: and inftead of the baubles which now ingrofs Alexis had received a blow in his face which quite disfigured him; the blood flowshe ftops it with his handkerchief;Sciocco and the va lets of the caftle fupport him. The fubfidiary dame arrived, and took him by the hand, and made him enter the caftle. What is it you, my dear Alexis? Good God! what an accident! Come, my dear; you will not efcape from me this time. Alexis is ftruck with aftonishment He wonders who may be this lady that fhews him fuch concern. (To be continued.) Efay on Drunkennefs. F all the frailties incident to human nature, there is none fo pernicious to ourselves, and difgraceful to fociety, as that of drunkenness. The drunken man is generally addicted to every vice that mortality is prone to. His intoxication renders him infenfible to the ties of friendship, the beauties of innocence, and the happinefs of well doing, and his life fometimes pays for the crimes he : fo much of your attention, you would delight in innocent and rational amusements, and make every one round you happy a period will foon come to your lives, and then you'll reflect on your imprudent conduct, and with you had acted otherwife. See yonder lies the good man on his death bed! what ferenity in his countenance, and how compoted he looks! he feems proud that he is fo foon to be difincumbered of his earthly frame; he thinks every moment an age till his departure, and view's with joy the profpect of another world! his Saviour, all gracious and merciful, fays, "Come, ye bleffed, come inherit the kingdom prepared for you." This is a glorious fcene, well worthy our confideration and endeavours to obtain but yonder lies ft etched on a mat of ftraw, the firner, with horror and guilt in his looks a melancholy fight this! nothing but fighs and groans are to be heard he laments that he can live no longer; he tries to repent, but his heart is hardened. Every crime that he has committed now rifes in his thoughts: his confcience accufes him of his difobedience to his Maker: he cries, but finds no relief; he tears his hair, and beats his breaft, but still none comes to help him, he dreads the approach of death, and the reward of his ill-doing. The words of our Saviour; "Go ye curfed into everlafting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" prefent themselves to him, and fill him with trembling and confufion. He tries to be calm, but his guilty confcience will not permit him. When he dozes, nothing but frightful dreams, and the thoughts of impending fate, furround him, and he can take no reft. Now the folemn moment is arrived; his life is at an end, and his final breath hath departed; he is now funk into eternal darkness, and his laft refuge, is in that great God, whofe paths he always neglected. Prevent fuch a death as this, ye unguarded, and be examples of religion and piety to the world fo will you in this life be admired and, efleemed by the virtuous, and at laft obtain that bleffed manfion, where "the wicked ceafe from troubling, and the weary are at reft." : MY lord's efcape is now fuch an old ftory that I have almost forgotten it; but fince you defire me to give you a circumftantial account of it, I will en deavour to recall it to my memory, and be as exact in the narration as I poffibly can; for I owe you too many obli gations to refufe you any thing that lies in my power to do. I think I owe myself the juftice to fet out with the motives which influenced me to undertake fo hazardous an attempt which I defpaired of thoroughly accomplifting, forefeeing a thoufand obftacles which never could be furmounted but by the moft particular interpofition of di vine providence. I confided in the almighty God, and trufted that he would not abandon me, even when all human fuccours failed me. I first came to London upon hearing that my lord was committed to the tower. I was at the fame time informed, that he had expreffed the greateft anxie ty to fee me, having, as he afterwards told me, nobody to confole him till-F arrived. I rode to Newcastle, and from thence took the ftage to York, When I arrived there the fnow was fo deep, that the ftage could not fet out for London. The feafon was fo fevere, and the roads fo extremely bad, that the poft itself was ftopt: however, I took horfes and rode to London through the fnow, which was generally above the horfe's girth, and arrived fafe and found, without any accident. On my arrival, I went immediately to make what intereft I could among thofe who were in place. No one gave me any hopes; but all, to the contrary, affured me, that, although fome of the prifoners were to be pardoned, yet my N 0 T E. This fenfible, fpirited lady, who faved her husband's life, and preferved the family eftate for her fon, was the daughter of William Marquis of Powis lord 1 1 lord would certainly not be of the num- who had promifed my lady Derwentwaber. When I inquired into the reafon ter to prefent it, when it came to the of this diftinction, I could obtain no point failed in his word : however, as other anfwer, than that they would not he was the only English countefs conflatter me: But I foon perceived the rea- cerned, it was incumbent upon her to fons which they declined alledging to me have it prefented. We had but one day A roman catholic upon the frontiers of left before the execution, and the duke Scotland, who headed a very confidera- ftill promifed to prefent the petition; but ble party; a man whofe family had al for fear he fhould fail, I engaged the :ways fignalized itfelf by its loyalty of Montrofe, to fecure its being duke done by the one or the other. I then went in company of moft of the ladies of quality who were then in town, to folicit the intereft of the lords as they were going to the houfe. They all behaved to me with great civility, but particularly my lord Pembroke, who, though he defired me not to fpeak to him, yet promifed to employ his intereft in our favour, and honourably kept his word; for he fpoke in the houfe very strongly in our behalf. The fubject of the debate was, whether the king had the power to pardon thofe who had been condemned by parliament? And it was chiefly owing to lord Pembroke's fpeech that it paffed in the affirmative: however, one of the lords ftood up and faid, that the house would only intercede for thofe of the priso the royal houfe of Stuart, and who was the only fupport of the catholics againft the inveteracy of the whigs; who were very numerous in that part of Scotland, would become an agreeable facrifice to the oppofite party, They fill retained a lively remembrance of his grandfather, who defended his own caftle of Calaverock to the very laft extremity, and fur rendered it up only by the exprefs command of his royal mafter. Now having his grandfon in their power, they were determined not to let him efcape from their hands. Upon this I formed, the refolution to attempt his efcape, but opened my intentions to nobody but to my dear Evans In order to concert measures, I ftrongly folicited to be permitted to fee my lord, which they refufed to grant me, unlefs Iners who fhould approve themselves worwould remain confined with him in the tower. This I would not fubmit to, and alledged for excufe, that my health would not permit me to undergo the confinement. The real reafon of my refu fal was, not to put it out of my power to accomplish my defigns: However, by bribing the guards, I often contrived to fee my lord, till the day upon which the prifoners were condemned; after that, we were allowed for the last week to fee and take our leave of them. By the help of Evans, I had prepared every thing neceffary to difguife my lord, but had the utmoft difficulty to prevail upon him to make use of them how ever I at length fucceeded, by the help of almighty God.. On the 22d of February, which fell on a Thursday, our petition was to be prefented to the houfe of lords, the purport of which was, to intereft the lords to intercede with his majefty to pardon the prifoners. We were, however, difappointed the day before the petition was to be prefented; for the duke of St. Alban's, thy of their interceffion, but not for all of them indifcriminately. This falvo quite blafted all my hopes; for I was affured it aimed at the exclufion of those who thould refufe to fubfcribe to the pe tition, which was a thing I knew my lord would never fubmit to; nor, in fact, could I wish to preferve his life on fuch terms. As the motion had paffed generally, I thought I could draw fome advantage in favour of my defign. Accordingly, I immediately left the house of lords, and haftened to the tower, where, affecting an air of joy and fatisfaction, I told all the guards I paffed by, that I came to bring joyful tidings to the prifoners. I defired them to lay afide their fears, for the petition had paffed the houfe in their favour. I then gave them fome money to drink to the lords and his majefty, tho it was but trifling; for I thought, that if I were too liberal on the occafion, they might fufpect my defigns, and that giving them fomething would gain their good humour and fervices for the next da: |