Lord S--fat down, waiting with the utmoft impatience for the unravelling of this extraordinary adventure, while the centenary proceeded to inquire, whether his Lordship had not occafion for certain writings that related to his family and his fortune. "Yes," replied his Lordfhip with emotion, "I want certain papers, the lofs of which "has deprived me of great part of my inheri"tance." There," returned the old man, giving him the key of a small cafket, "There are thefe "writings depofited."-" To whom," faid his

Lordfhip, the moment he difcovered the trea"fure, "To whom am I indebted for this ineftimable favour?"-" Oh, my Son," replied the old "man, "come, and embrace your great grand"father."-"My great grandfather!" interrupted his Lordship, with inexpreffible aftonishment. But how much more was he aftonifhed, when this anceftor informed him that he was the masked executioner of King Charles I. "An infatiable thirft of vengeance," continued he " impelled me "to this abominable crime. I had been treated, "as I imagined, with the higheft indignity by my "Sovereign. I fufpected him of having feduced 66 my Daughter. I facrificed every sense of loy"alty and virtue to revenge this imaginary injury. "I entered into all the defigns of Cromwell and his affociates: I paved the way to his ufurpa

❝tion

❝tion: I even refined on vengeance: I folicited "Cromwell to let me be the executioner, and to "fill up the mea fure of my guilt; the unhappy "King knew, before the fatal blow, the man that " was to inflict it. From that day my foul has "been a prey to diftra&tion and remorfe. I have "been an exile, a voluntary outcaft, in Europe "and Afia, near fourfcore years. Heaven, as if "to punish me with feverer rigour, has prolonged "my existence beyond the ordinary term of na"ture. This cafket is the only remains of my "fortune. I came here to end my wretched days: "I had heard of your difgrace at court, fo much "the reverse of what your virtues merited; and "I was defirous, before I breathed my laft, to "contribute thus to your welfare. All the return "I ask is, that you leave me to my wretched fate, "and fhed a tear to the memory of one, whofe "long, long repentance, I hope, may at laft expiate his crime."

"Lord Searneftly preffed his hoary anceftor to retire with him into Scotland, and there to live, for the remainder of his days, under a fictitious name. He long withstood all these intreaties; but wearied out, at length, by importunity, he confented, or rather feemed to confent.

The

The next day, however, when his Lordship returned, he found that his repentant great grandfather had quitted the fpot; and notwithstanding all the refearches that were made, his fate remains a myftery to this day."

THE RAKE REFORMED

IN

THE

HOUSE OF MOURNING.

'LORINO was young and idle; he gave him

FLORINO

felf up to all the diverfions of the town, and roved wild among the pleafures of fenfe; nor did he confine himfelf within the limits of virtue, or withhold his heart from any forbidden joy. Often hath he been heard to ridicule marriage, and affirm that no man can mourn heartily for a dead wife, for then he hath leave by the law to choofe a new companion; to riot in all the gayer fcenes of a new courtship, and perhaps to advance his fortune too.

When he heard of the death of Serena, "Well, faid he, I will go and vifit my friend Lucius, and rally him a little on this occafion." He went the next day in all the wantonnefs of his heart to ful

fil his defign, inhuman and barbarous as it was, and to fport with folemn forrow. But when Lucius appeared, the man of gaiety was ftrangely furprized, he faw fuch a fincere and inimitable diftrefs fitting on his countenance, and discovering itself in every air and action, that he dropped his cruel purpose, his foul began to melt, and he affumed the comforter.

Florino's method of confolation were all drawn from two topics: fome from fate and neceffity, advifing an heroic indolence about unavoidable events, which are paffed and cannot be reverfed; and fome were derived from the various amufements of life which call the foul abroad, and divide and fcatter the thoughts, and fuffer not the mind to attend to its inward anguifh. Come, Lucius, faid he, come, fimooth your brows a little and brighten up for an hour or two: come along with me to a concert this evening where you fhall hear fome of the best pieces of mufic that were ever compofed, and performed by fome of the best hands that ever touched an inftrument. To morrow I will wait on you to the play, or, if you please to the new opera, where the scenes are fo furprifing and fo gay, that they would almoft tempt an old hermit from his beloved cell, and call back his years to three and twenty.

Come,

Come, my friend, what have the living to do with the dead? Do but forget your grievances a little, and they will die too: come, fhake off the fpleen, divert your heart with the entertainments of wit and melody, and call away your fancy from thefe gloomy and ufelefs contemplations. Thus he ran on in his own way of talking, and opened to his mourning friend the beft fprings of comfort that he was acquainted with.

Lucius endured this prattle as long as he was able to endure it, but it had no manner of influence to ftaunch the bleeding wound, or to abate his fmarting forrows. His pain waxed more intense by fuch fort of applications, and the grief foon grew too unruly to contain itself.

Lucius then afked leave to retire a little : Florino followed him foftly at a distance to the door of his closet, where indeed he observed not any of the rules of civility or of juft decency, but placed himself near enough to listen how the paffion took its vent: and there he heard the diftreffed Lucius mourning over Serena's death in fuch language as this.

What did Florino talk about? Neceffity and fate? Alas, this is my mifery, that so painful an event cannot be reverfed, that the divine will has made it fate, and there is a neceffity of my enduring it.

Plays