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"Monster," refumed the aforefaid puifny judge taking up the forceps, "what is the use of this "diabolical machine?"

"Please your reverence," replied Pedrofa, “ap"tum ef ad extrahendos fœtus."-" Unnatural "wretch," again exclaimed the judge, "you have "murdered the mother."

"The Mother of God forbid," exclaimed Pedrofa, "I believe I have a proof in my pocket, "that will acquit me of that charge;" and fo faying, he tendered the letter we have before made mention of: The fecretary took it, and by com. mand of the court read as follows:

Senor Don Manuel de Herrera,

When this letter, which I fend by Nicolas Pedrofa, fhall reach your hands, you fb ll know that I am fafely delivered of a lovely boy after a dangerous labour, in confideration of which I pray you to pay to the faid Nicolas Pedrofa the fum of twenty gold piftoles, which fum his excellency

"Hold," cried the inquifidor general, starting haftily from his feat, and fnatching away the letter, "there is more in this than meets the eye : "Break up the court; muft take an examination "of this prifoner in private."

No CXLIII.

AS foon as the room was cleared the inquifidor general beckoning to the prifoner to follow him,

retired

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retired into a private clofet, where throwing himself carelessly into an arm chair, he turned a gracious countenance upon the poor affrighted accoucheur, and bidding him fit down upon a low ftool by his fide, thus accofted him:-"Take heart, "fenor Pedrofa, your imprisonment is not likely "to be very tedious, for I have a commiffion you "muft execute without lofs of time: you have too "much confideration for yourself to betray a truft, "the violation of which muft involve you in ine"vitable ruin, and can in no degree attaint my "character, which is far enough beyond the reach "of malice: Be attentive therefore to my orders: "" execute them punctually and keep my secret as you tender your own life: Doft thou know "the name and condition of the lady, whom thou "haft delivered ?" Nicolas affured him he did not, and his excellency proceeded as follows"Then I tell thee Nicolas, it is the illuftrions "Donna Leonora de Cafafonda; her husband is the "prefident of Quito and daily expected with the "next arrivals from the South Seas; now though "measures have been taken for detaining him at "the port, wherever he fhall land, till he fhall "receive further orders, yet you must be sensible "Donna Leonora's fituation is fomewhat delicate: "It will be your business to take the speedieft mea"fures for her recovery, but as it feems fhe has "had a dangerous and painful labour, this may be 66 a work of more time than could be wished, un"lefs fome medicines more efficacious than com

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mon are adminiftered: Art thou acquainted "with any fuch, friend Nicolas ?"-" So please "your excellency," quoth Nicolas, "my processes "have been tolerably fuccessful; I have bandages

❝ and

"and cataplafms with oils and conferves, that I "have no caufe to complain of; they will reflore

nature to its proper ftate in all decent time.""Thou talkeft like a fool, friend Nicolas," interrupting him, faid the inquifidor; "What telleft "thou me of thy fwathings and fwadlings? quick "work must be wrought by quick medicines: "Haft thou none fuch in thy botica: I'll answer "for it thou haft not; therefore look you, fir"rah, here is a little vial compounded by a famous "chymift; fee that you mix it in the next apozem "you adminifter to Donna Leonora; it is the "moft capital fedative in nature; give her the "whole of it, and let her husband return when "he will, depend upon it he will make no "difcoveries from her."-" Humph!" quoth Nicolas within himself, "Well faid, inquifidor!" He took the vial with all poffible refpect, and was not wanting in profeffions of the most inviolable fidelity and fecrecy " No "more words, friend Nicolas," quoth the inquifidor, " upon that fcore; I do not believe thee one "jot the more for all thy promifes, my dependance "is upon thy fears and not thy faith; I fancy "thou haft feen enough of this place not to be "willing to return to it once for all."-Having fo faid, he rang a bell, and ordered Nicolas to be forthwith liberated, bidding the meffenger return his clothes inftantly to him with all that belonged to him, and having flipt a purfe into his hand well filled with doubloons, he bade him be gone about his bufinefs and not fee his face again till he had executed his commands.

Nicolas boulted out of the porch without taking leave of the altar, and never checked his fpeed till

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he found himself fairly houfed under shelter of his own beloved brafs bafin.-" Aha!" quoth Nicolas, lord inquifidor, I fee the king is not likely to gain a fubject more by your intrigues: A pretty job you have fet me about; and fo, when I have "" put the poor lady to reft with your damned feda"tive, my tongue must be ftopt next to prevent "its blabbing: But I'll fhew you I was not born "in Andalufia for nothing." Nicolas now opened a fecret drawer and took out a few pieces of money, which in fact was his whole ftock of cash in the world; he loaded and primed his piftols and carefully lodged them in the houfers of his faddle, he buckled to his fide his trufty spada, and haftened to caparifon his mule. "Ah, thou imp of the old one," quoth he as he entered the ftable, art not ashamed

to look me in the face? But come, huffey, thou "oweft me a good turn methinks, ftand by me "this once, and be friends for ever! thou art in "good cafe, and if thou wilt put thy beft foot "foremost, like a faithful beaft, thou shalt not "want for barley by the way." The bargain was foon ftruck between Nicolas and his mule, he mounted her in the happy moment and pointing his course towards the bridge of Toledo, which proudly ftrides with half a dozen lofty arches over a ftream fcarce three feet wide, he found himself as completely in a defart in half a mile's riding, as if he had been dropt in the center of Arabia petræa. As Nicolas's journey was not a tour of curiosity, he did not amufe himfelf with a peep at Toledo, or Talavera, or even Merida by the way; for the fame reafon he took a circumbendibus round the frontier town of Badajoz, and croffing a little brook refreshed his mule with the last draught of

Spanish

Spanish water, and inftantly congratulated himfelf upon entering the territory of Portugal. "Brava!" quoth he, patting the neck of his mule, "thou "fhalt have a fupper this night of the beft fievemeat that Eftremadura can furnifh: We are now "in a country where the scattered flock of Ifrael "fold thick and fare well." He now began to chaunt the fong of Solomon, and gently ambled on in the joy of his heart.

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When Nicolas at length reached the city of Lisbon, he hugged himself in his good fortune; ftill he recollected that the inquifition has long arms, and he was yet in a place of no perfect fecurity. Our adventurer had in early life acted as affiftant furgeon in a Spanish frigate bound to Buenos Ayres, and being captured by a British man of war and carried into Jamaica, had very quietly pafled fome years in that place as journeyman apothecary, in which time he had acquired a tolerable acquaintance with the English language: No fooner then did he difcover the British enfign flying on the poop of an English frigate then lying in the Tagus, than he eagerly caught the opportunity of paying a vifit to the furgeon, and finding he was in want of a mate, offered himself and was entered in that capacity for a cruize against the French and Spaniards, with whom Great Britain was then at war. In this fecure afylum Nicolas enjoyed the first happy moments he had experienced for a long time paft, and being a lively good-humoured little fellow, and one that touched the guitar and fung fequidillas with a tolerable grace, he foon recommended himfelf to his fhip-mates and grew in favour with every body on board from the captain to the cook's

mate.

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