can blow unto thee, as it does to the rest of thy fellow creatures, good! As the notary was paffing on by a dark paffage, complaining in this fort, a voice call'd out to a girl, to bid her run for the next notary now the notary being the next, and availing himself of his fituation, walk'd up the paffage to the door, and paffing through an old fort of a faloon, was ufher'd into a large chamber difmantled of every thing but a long military pike a breast plate - a rusty old fword, and bandoleer, hung up equi-distant in four different places against the wall. An old perfonage, who had heretofore been a gentleman, and, unlefs decay of fortune taints the blood along with it, was a gentleman at that time, lay supporting his head upon his hand in his bed; a little table with a taper burning was fet close beside it, and close by the table was placed a chair the notary fat him down in it; and pulling out his ink-horn and a fheet or two of paper which he had in his pocket, he placed them before him, and dipping his pen in his ink, and leaning his breast over the table, he difpofed every thing to make the gentleman's last will and teftament, Alas! Monfieur le Notaire, faid the gentleman, raifing himself up a little, I have nothing to bequeath which will pay the expence of bequeathing, except the history of myself, which I could not die in peace unless I left it as a legacy to the world; the profits ariling out of it I bequeath to you for the pains of taking it from me - it is a story fo uncommon, it it will make the formust be read by all mankind tunes of your house the notary dipp'd his pen into his ink-horn Almighty director of every event in my life! faid the old gentleman, looking up earnestly and raising his hands towards heaven thou whofe hand has led me on through fuch a labyrinth of strange paffages down into this fcene of defolation, affift the decaying memory of an old, infirm, and broken-heart ed man direct my tongue, by the spirit of thy eternal truth, that this ftranger may fet down naught but what is written in that Вook, from whofe records, faid he, clafping his hands together, I am to be condemn'd or acquitted! the notary held up the point of his pen betwixt the taper and his eye It is a story, Monfieur le Notaire, faid the gentleman, which will roufe up every affection in nait will kill the humane, and touch the heart ture of cruelty herself with pity The notary was inflamed with a defire to be gin, and put his pen a third time into his ink-horn and the old gentleman turning a little more to wards the notary, began to dictate his story in thefe words And where is the reft of it, La Fleur? faid 1. as he just then enter'd the room. When la Fleur came up clofe to the table, and was made to comprehend what I wanted, he told me there were only two other fheets of it which he had wrapt round the talks of a bouquet to keep it together, which he had prefented to the Demoiselle upon the boulevards Then, prithee, La Fleur, faid I, ftep back to her to the Count de B's hotel, and fee if thou canst get There is no doubt of it, said La Fleur and away he flew. In a very little time the poor fellow came back quite out of breath, with deeper marks of disappointment in his looks than could arife from the fimple irreparability of the fragment Jufte ciel! in lefs * Nofegay. than and than two minutes that the poor fellow had taken his lait tender farewel of her his faithlefs miftrefs had. given his gage d'amour to one of the Count's footmen -- the footman to a young fempstress the fempftress to a fiddler, with my fragment at the end of it Our misfortunes were involved together -I gave a figh and La Fleur echo'd it back again to my ear. How perfidious! cried La Fleur lucky! faid I. how un I fhould not have been mortified, Monfieur, quoth La Fleur, if she had loft it Nor I, La Fleur, faid I, had I found it. Whether I did or no will he feen hereafter. THE ACT OF CHARITY. PARIS. The man who either difdains or fears to walk up a dark entry may be an excellent good man, and fit for a hundred things; but he will not do to make a good fentimental traveller. I count little of the many things I fee pass at broad noon day, in large and open streets. Nature is fhy, and hates to act before spectators; but in fuch an unobferved corner you fometimes fee a single short scene of her's worth all the fentiments of a dozen French plays compounded together and yet they are abfolutely fine; and whenever I have a more brilliant affair upon my hands than common, as they fuit a preacher just as well as a hero, I generally make my fermon out of "Cappadofia, Pontus and is as good as any - and for the text 'em one in the Bible. There is a long dark paffage iffuing out from the opera comique into a narrow street; 'tis trod by a few who humbly wait for a fiacre *, or wish to get off quietly o'foot when the opera is done. At the end of it, towards the theatre, 'tis lighted by a small candle, the light of which is almost lost before you Hackney coach. get |