SECT. VI. STORY OF LOUISA, MAID OF THE HAY-STACK. HISTORY affords many very ftriking inftances of the effect of mental agitation in difturbing the powers of the understanding. A German lady of great beauty and accomplishments having married a Hellian officer, who was ordered to America, and not being able to acquire any tidings of him in her own country, came over to England. Here, fhe could only learn the destiny of her husband from those ships which had either tranfported troops to the continent, or were bringing back the wounded. Day after day fhe wandered on the beach at Portfmouth, and hour after hour fhe wearied her eyes bedewed with tears in the vain expectation of feeing him. She was obferved, at the fame spot, ere it was light, and watched each motion of the waves until the fetting fun. Then her haunted imagination prefented him mangled with wounds, and the fmalleft guft of wind feemed to threaten her with an eternal feparation. Did a ship enter into port, her eager fteps led her to the fpot, and many an enquiry was repaid with an infolent rebuff. After eight months fpent in this anxious manner, a ship arrived, bringing her the melancholy pleasure, "that fome Heffian officers, who "were wounded, were on their paffage." Her impatience impatience increafed daily. A veffel at length arrived, reported to have Heffian troops on board. She kept at fome distance for fear of giving too great a fhock to her husband's feelings, should he be among them. He was landed with others. She fainted, and he was conveyed, fhe knew not where. Having recovered, and going to the different inns, fhe found at last her husband. The master of the inn informed her, "he was very "bad," and fhe begged that her being in England might be gradually broken to him. When she entered the room, he burst into a flood of tears. A lady was fupporting him in her arms. What words, or painter, could reprefent the tragedy that followed! He had married in America, and this person was alfo his wife. He entreated pardon," was paft reproach, for in a few minutes after he funk into the arms of death. The lady, whofe melancholy history we are recording, rushed from the room, and leaving her clothes and money at her lodging, fhe wandered she knew not whither, vowing "that she would never enter "houfe more, or truft to man." She stopped at laft near Bristol, and begged the refreshment of a little milk. There was fomething fo attractive in her whole appearance as foon produced her whatever the requested. She was young, and extremely beautiful:-her manners graceful and elegant, and her countenance interefting to the laft degree. She was alone-a ftranger-and in extreme extreme diftrefs;-she asked only for a little milk --but uttered no complaint, and ufed no art to excite compaffion. Her drefs and accent bore vifible marks that she was a foreigner of fuperior birth. All the day he was feen wandering in fearch of a place to lay her wretched head; she fcooped towards night a lodging for herself in an old hay-ftack. Multitudes foon flocked around her in this new habitation, attracted by the novelty of the circumstance, her fingular beauty, but above all by the fuddennefs of her arrival. French and Italian were spoken to her, but she appeared not to understand these languages; however when fhe was accofted in German, fhe evidently appeared confufed;-the emotion was too great to be fuppreffed, fhe uttered fome faint exclamation in our tongue, and then, as if hurried into an imprudence, fhe attempted to be alfo without knowledge of this language. Various conjectures were inftantly formed, but what feemed paffing strange was her acceptance of no food, except bread or milk, and that only from the hands of females! On the men fhe looked with anger and difdain, but fweetly fmiled as the accepted any prefent from the other fex. The neighbouring ladies remonftrated with her on the danger of fo expofed a fituation, but in vain, for neither prayers nor menaces could induce her to fleep in a house. As the difcovered evident marks of infanity, fhe was at length confined in a mad-houfe, under the |