was out of my power to prevent it. Julia and you are formed for each other, and I freely give my confent upon one condition, which is, that you finish your tour, and, if you then can obtain your uncle's permiffion, Julia fhall be yours. I will allow you one week to prepare for your departure, and to take leave of my daughter; remember, however,-fhould your mind ever change, and you should find you love another better than Julia, I abfolve you from any promife you may have made to me. You may now feek Julia and acquaint her with what has paffed. Alphonfo bent his knee to the ground, and, taking the hand of the Baron, thanked him, with a heart overflowing with gratitude. The Baron raifed him up, and embraced him kindly. Alphonfo then left him, to go in fearch of Julia, whom he found in the parlour. After fome trifling converfation, Alphonfo related what had paffed between him and the Baron; apologifing, however, for not confulting her firit; for, faid he, had the baron refused his confent, I would have fled from this place, without making even my adorable Julia acquainted with my unhappy paffion. Pardon then my prefumption, and cheer me with the hope that you will agree to be minc. Julia, to whom diffimulation was unknown, frankly confeffed, that, of mankind, the loved but him alone." Nothing now damped their mutual joy, but the thoughts of their approaching feparation. Alphonfo, however, pleated himielf with the idea, that, after a fhort interval of time, they fhould meet, never more to part. Young and fanguine, he thought nct of the numerous viciffitudes of life; he thought nothing could prevent his union with his beloved Julia, if his uncle would but agree to it, which he made no doubt of his doing, as the Baron was defcended from a noble family, - 9 and was poffeffed of an affluent fortune. The week foon paffed away, and the hour of his departure arrived : Julia clung round his neck, as fhe would to an affectionate brother, for, in the distress of the prefent moment, the gave way to the impulfe of her affection. Alphonfo, after embracing her tenderly, tore himfelf away. He then took a refpectful leave of the Baron, mounted his horfe and departed. Melancholy ideas, now, for the first time, darted acrofs his mind, and he, more than ever, dreaded the auftere manners of his uncle. The different customs and diverfions of the kingdoms he vifited, diffipated, in fome meafure, the gloom which hung upon his mind, thefe, however, foon began to lofe their novelty, and he determined to return home immediately. This refolution he accordingly put in practice, and, attended by Philip, fet out for De Courville Caille. But what must have been his furprife, when he arrived there, to find the caftle entirely defolated! The owls had taken up their abode in the turrets, and mofs and ivy covered the walls, and almoft hid the windows from fight. Alphonfo thought he might fill find fome perfon in the caftle: he therefore rode round the moat, till he came to the place where the drawbridge flood, but found it drawn up. This increafed his furprife, as the bridge could not be awn up unlefs fome perfon was within the cafle. He therefore determined to try whether the moat was fhallow enough, in any place, to admit of his croffing it; and foon, found a part which was nearly dried up, where he paffed; and, ging to the gate, knocked and called as loud as he could. No answer was returned; and he could hear nothing but his own voice echoed through almost overgrown with grafs; and then forced the gate, which opened" into the fouth fide of the cafle. But the cold and damp was fo exceffive that Alphonfo almost gave related; we will now return to where we left Alphonfo in the peafant's hut. When morning dawned, the old woman got up, and called up her husband, who feemed very much furprised at the fight of Al-up his refolution of refiding there. phonfo. His wife, then, told him how they had begged for fhelter from the inclemeney of the night. The man was fatisfied, and they fat down to a homely breakfast. During their repait, Alphonfo queftioned them concerning the caftle. While he was fpeaking, the man furveyed him with a fcrutinizing look, and when he had ended, replied that he knew very little about it. The woman was more communicative, and told Alphonfo that she knew the count De Courville had left the cattle because it was haunted, for all the fervants had told her that the count feemed very much troubled in his mind, and that they often heard frightful noifes. The man bade her hold her tongue, and not repeat fuch idle stories. Alphonfo farveyed him attentively, and thought he difcerned fomething in his manner which indicated his being above the mean condition he appeared in; but he had a referve in his behaviour which repelled his curiofity. He then told them who he was, and said he thould with to have fome part of the caftle made habitable for him to refide in till he fhould gain fome intelligence of his uncle. The man readily agreed to affift him, and they fet out to examine the castle. They tried in vain to open the gate; it was fo strongly fecured that it bade defiance to their utmost ftrength, and they began to despair of being able to enter it, when Alphonfo recollected a fmall wicket which opened into the foreft, where his uncle used often to walk in an evening. They went round to it, and, with fome fmall difficulty, opened it: they then paffed through the fpacious court-yard, which was He determined, however, to fearch the cattle throughout, in hopes to find fome memorandum or letter, to account for his uncle's fudden departure; nor was he deceived; for, after fearching through feveral rooms, he came to the apartment where the Count ufed to fleep He looked round, and perceiving a whole-length portrait of his uncle, he involuntarily made a ftop, fixed his eyes ftedfaftly upon it, and thought, for the moment, he ftood before him. It had the fame stern frown which had fo often made Alphonfo tremble when a boy; the colours were rather faded, which gave the countenance a more gloomy caft. He food looking at it for fome time, when he was rouf.d from his reverie by the loud clapping too of a deor. His imagination was fo bewildered that he gave a fudden start, and firuck against the picture, the nail of which giving way, it fell with a loud crash, and broke the frame to pieces. Alphonfo, through attention to the pictare, had not obferved that the man, with his fervant Philip, had paffed on, and miffing him, hey turned back, and let go the door which they were opening; and that was the caufe of the noife Alphonfo had heard. had been concealed behind the portrait. Philip perfuaded him to fee what it led to. Alphonfo took his advice, and, putting the letter in his pocket, opened the door, which was faftened by three iron bolts. The room it led to was fmall, and had but one window in it, which was guarded with crofs bars of iron. The furniture was mean: it confifted only of an old moth-eaten damask bed, a table, a chair, and an empty cheft. In one corner of it ftood a book-cafe, but the books were fo demolished by the rats, that they could not have been used for many years. They examined every part of the room, but could find nothing more worthy obfervation; and as day was far advanced, they thought it beft to return to the cottage, where they might learn from the letter what was best to be done this was agreed to by all, and, returning by the fame way they came, they fuon reached the cottage. Alphonfo then took out the letter, and read as follows. : Enigmatical lift of PHYSICIANS and APOTHECARIES of Lynn, Regis. 1. Three fifths of a title to Fortune, two fixths of facrifices to the ghosts of deceased friends, two elevenths of a moft cruel Titan, and the initial of one of Pluto's horses. 2. Half of a goddess of corn, first and laft letters of frequently, initial of a king of the Sabines who made an alliance with Romulus. 3. Two first and last letters of the feftivals of Saturn, initial to a city in Poland, four fevenths of the goddefs of happiness, initial of a people of Scythia who lived in carts. 4. Two fixths of a priest of Apollo who had his lands over-run with rats and mice, on his neglect of duty at facrifices, initial to a title of Juno, initial to one of Vulcan's chief forgemen, and two fixths of a king of Caledonia. 5. Four fevenths of a famous Satyr, turned into a river of blood by Apollo, daughter of Athamas, who was drowned in the Pontic sea, changing a letter, and expunging a letter. 6. Two fixths of a title to Venus, changing a letter, two fixths of a worm, the first and fifth letters to nymphs of mountains. 7. Three eighths of a river in Lydia with golden fands, initial of crooked, half of a texture, initial of a king of Elis who broke his neck in a chariot race, initial to the wife of Lycus, king of Thebes, who was dragged to death by a mad bull. 8. Two fixths of a title of the fun, initial to a title of Diana, initial to a moft beautiful attendant on Juno, two ninths of the daugh. ter of Orchamus, king of Babylon, buried by her father alive, three fevenths of the name of the Mules, changing a letter. DIONIDES. POETICAL ESSAYS. PROLOGUE TO THE COMEDY OF THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE. Spoken by Mr. PALMER. A From the next market, homewards took his way; FARMER late, (fo country records fay), When as the bleak, unshelter'd heath he cross'd, Faft bound by winter in obdurate frost, The driving fnow-ftorm fmote him in his courfe, [its force: High blow'd the North, and rag'd in all Slow-pac'd, and full of years, th' unequal ftrife [for life; Long time he held, and struggled hard Vanquish'd at length, benumb'd in ev'ry part, [heart, The very life-blood curdling at his Torpid he stood, in frozen fetters bound, Doz'd, reel'd, and dropt expiring to the ground. Haply his dog, by wondrous inftinet fraught, *[thought, With all the reas'ning attributes of Saw his fad ftate, and to his dying breaft Clofe cow ring, his devoted body prefs'd! Then howl'd amain for help, till paffing [cit When Pat O'Leary fnapt a wealthy For why his wants were big, his means were small, His wifdom lefs, and fo he spent his all! When Fortune turn'd about, and jilted Pat, that? Was Fool or Fortune in the fault of Sir Martin Madcap held the lucky. [trice. He threw, and won five thousand in a Keep |