humour did he travel;-in fuch mood did he write his travels and thus alfo, with the fpleen and jaundice for his companions, did he, whilom, journey through the tortuous regions of criticism: damning and execrating all the way, as the anfractuous fpirit impelled him along; and fparing nor author, nor printer, nor bookfeller, nor bookfeller's wife! With what difference of difpofition does the fentimental traveller proceed on his journey! Take his own declaration for it: I pity, fays the happy-tempered Yorick, the man who can travel from Dan to Beerfheba, and cry, 'Tis all-barren—and so it is; and so is all the world to him who will not cultivate the fruits it offers. I declare, faid I, clapping my hands chearily together, that was I in a defart, I would find out wherewith in it to call forth my affections-If I could not do better, I would fasten them upon fome fweet myrtle, or feek fome melancholy cypress to connect myfelf to-l would court their fhade, and greet them kindly for their protection-I would cut my name upon them, and fwear they were the lovelieft trees throughout the defert: if their leaves wither'd, I would teach myself to mourn, and when they rejoiced, I would rejoice along with them.' He points out another character, the proud traveller, we suppofe, though not exprefsly mentioned under that clafs : Mundungus, fays he, with an immenfe fortune, made the whole tour; going on from Rome to Naples from Naples to Venice-from Venice to Vienna-to Drefden, to Berlin, without one generous connection or pleasurable anecdote to tell of but he had travell'd ftraight on, looking neither to his right hand or his left, left Love or Pity fhould feduce him out of his road. Peace be to them if it is to be found; but heaven itself, was it poffible to get there with fuch tempers, would want objects to give it-Every gentle fpirit would come flying upon the wings of Love to hail their arrival-Nothing would the fouls of Smelfungus and Mundungus hear of, but fresh anthems of joy, fresh raptures of love, and fresh congratulations of their common felicity-I heartily pity them: they have brought up no faculties for this work; and was the happiest mansion in heaven to be allotted to Smelfungus and Mundungus, they would be fo far from being happy, that the fouls of Smelfungus and Mundungus would do penance there to all eternity.' The journey of our sentimental traveller commences with his voyage to Calais; where his portmanteau, containing half a dozen fhirts and a black pair of filk breeches,' furnishes occafion for fome pathetic reflections on the droits d'aubaine:-by the way, though, coufin Yorick, a black pair'-is not quite fo accurately expreffed ;-not that we fhould have minded it, if you had not repeated the flip, more than once: and talked, 6 moreover, moreover, of a lady's black pair of filk gloves.'-But now, while the fefcue is pointed at this flip, we would just hint another correction, equally important-were we but fure you would not mistake the matter, and fuppofe we intended any thing like a criticifm. You smile! thank you, Dear Coz. for the obliging fentiment implied in that smile. Without further hesitation, then, take it :-Why will you deign to adopt the vulgarisms of a city news-writer? I laid at their mercy laid what, an egg or a wager? a man who values a good night's reft will not lay down [what? his pipe or his fpectacles?] with enmity in his heart-.' But Maria fhould lay in my bofom :' our Readers may poffibly conclude that Maria was the name of a favourite pullet; and the mistake may be excufable: for how can they fuppofe it poffible for one of our first-rate pens, to write fuch English-But, away with these pitiful minutia !-Behold a nobler object. What an affecting, touching, masterly picture is here! 'Tis The monk-fcene,-Calais. 6 A poor monk of the order of St. Francis came into the room, to beg fomething for his convent.-I was pre-determined not to give him a fingle fous-button'd up my purse, set myself a little more upon my centre, and advanced up gravely to him: there was fomething, I fear, forbidding in my look: I have his figure this moment before my eyes, and think there was that in it which deferved better. The monk, as I judged from the break in his tonfure, a few scatter'd white hairs upon his temples, being all that remained of it, might be about seventy-but from his eyes, and that fort of fire which was in them, which feemed more temper'd by courtefy than years, could be no more than fixtyTruth might lie between-He was certainly fixty-five; and the general air of his countenance, notwithstanding something feem'd to have been planting wrinkles in it before their time, agreed to the account. It was one of thofe heads, which Guido has often painted -mild, pale-penetrating, free from all common-place ideas of fat contented ignorance looking downwards upon the earth-it look'd forwards; but look'd, as if it look'd at fomething beyond this world. How one of his order came by it, heaven above, who let it fall upon a monk's fhoulders, beft knows : but it would have fuited a Bramin, and had I met it upon the plains of Indoftan, I had reverenced it. The reft of his outline may be given in a few strokes; one might put it into the hands of any one to defign, for 'twas neither elegant or otherwife, but as character and expreffion made it fo it was a thin, fpare form, fomething above the common • Vol. II. p. 62. REV. March, 1768. + Ib. p. 115. Ib. p. 180. fize, fize, if it loft not the distinction by a bend forwards in the figure-but it was the attitude of intreaty; and as it now stands prefented to my imagination, it gain'd more than it loft by it. • When he had enter'd the room three paces, he flood still and laying his left hand upon his breaft, (a flender white ftaff with which he journey'd being in his right)-when I had got clofe up to him, he introduced himself with the little ftory of the wants of his convent, and the poverty of his order-and did it with fo fimple a grace-and fuch an air of deprecation was there in the whole caft of his look and figure-I was bewitch'd not to have been ftruck with it -A better reafon was, I had predetermined not to give him a fingle fous.' Are you ftruck with this piece at the first glance, and before you have had a full view of it? We can affure you, gentlemen, it would have touched you more powerfully, had you feen it with its companion*—which is not here at prefent. But look again here are more circumstances that merit your attention: 'Tis very true, faid I, replying to a caft upwards with his eyes, with which he had concluded his addrefs-'tis very trueand heaven be their refource who have no other but the charity of the world, the stock of which, I fear, is no way fufficient for the many great claims which are hourly made upon it. As I pronounced the words great claims, he gave a flight glance with his eye downwards upon the fleeve of his tunickI felt the full force of the appeal-I acknowledge it, said I—a coarse habit, and that but once in three years, with meagre diet -are no great matters; and the true point of pity is, as they can be earn'd in the world with fo little induftry, that your order should wish to procure them by preffing upon a fund which is the property of the lame, the blind, the aged, and the infirm -the captive who lies down counting over and over again. the days of his afflictions, languishes alfo for his fhare of it; and had you been of the order of mercy, instead of the order of St. Francis, poor as I am, continued I, pointing at my portmanteau, full chearfully fhould it have been open'd to you, for the ranfom of the unfortunate-The monk made me a bowbut of all others, refumed I, the unfortunate of our own country, furely, have the firft rights; and I have left thoufands in diftrefs upon our own fhore-The monk gave a cordial wave with his head-as much as to fay, No doubt, there is mifery enough in every corner of the world, as well as within our convent-But we distinguish, said I, laying my hand upon the The chapter immediately preceding The Monk; to which that chapter is an excellent introduction: and for want of which the piece fuffers greatly in our unequal exhibition. fleeve of his tunick, in return for his appeal-we diftinguish, my good Father! betwixt those who with only to eat the bread of their own labour-and those who eat the bread of other people's, and have no other plan in life, but to get through it in floth and ignorance, for the love of God. The poor Franciscan made no reply: a hectic of a moment pafs'd across his cheek, but could not tarry-Nature seemed to have had done with her refentments in him; he shewed none but letting his staff fall within his arm, he prefs'd both his hands with refignation upon his breaft, and retired.' No wonder that the fenfibility of our traveller was roused, and his foul melted down a laft. My heart fmote me, faid Yorick, the moment the poor monk fhut the door. Pha! said I with an air of careleffnefs, three feveral times-but it would not do every ungracious fyllable I had utter'd, crouded back into my imagination: I reflected, I had no right over the poor Francifcan, but to deny him; and that the punishment of that was enough to the difappointed without the addition of unkind language-I confider'd his grey hairs-his courteous figure feem'd to re-enter and gently ask me what injury he had done me?-and why I ufed him thus-I would have given twenty livres for an advocate-I have behaved very ill, faid I within myfelf; but I have only just fet out upon my travels; and fhall learn better manners as I get along.' - If we are to stop, thus, at every affecting (cene we meet with in thefe fentimental travels, we fhall not fpeedily arrive at the end of our journey. But we have not yet done with the good Francifcan. A little onward, we meet with him again. Yorick, before he left Calais, had the good fortune to meet with a female traveller, an agreeable widow, who was going to Aniens, through which place he was to país, in his rout to Paris; and he was happily enjoying the converfation of this amiable creature, and, confequently, in a more catholic frame of mind,— when the monk again approached. He was advancing towards us a little out of the line, as if uncertain whether he fhould break in upon us or no,-He topp'd, however, as fcon as he came up to us, with a world of frankne's; and having a horn fnuff-box in his hand, he prefented it open to me--You shall tafte mine-faid I, pulling out my box (which was a fmall tortoife one) and putting it into his hand-'Tis moll excellent, faid the monk; Then do me the favour, I replied, to accept of the box and all, and when you take a pinch out of it, fometimes recollect it was the peace-offering of a man who once ufed you unkindly, but not from his heart. The poor monk blufh'd as red as fcarlet. Mon Dieu! fad he, preffing his hands together-you never ufed me unkindly.I fhould think, faid the lady, he is not likely. I blufh'd in my N 2 turn; turn; but from what movements, I leave to the few who feel to analyse-Excufe me, Madame, replied I-I treated him most unkindly; and from no provocations-'Tis impoffible, faid the lady. My God! cried the monk, with a warmth of affeveration which seemed not to belong to him-the fault was in me, and in the indifcretion of my zeal-the lady oppofed it, and I joined with her in maintaining it was impoffible, that a spirit so regulated as his, could give offence to any. I knew not that contention could be rendered fo fweet and pleasurable a thing to the nerves as I then felt it. We remained filent, without any fenfation of that foolish pain which takes place, when in fuch a circle you look for ten minutes in one another's faces without faying a word. Whilft this lafted, the monk rubbed his horn box upon the fleeve of his tunick; and as foon as it had acquired a little air of brightnefs by the friction he made a low bow, and faid, 'twas too late to fay whether it was the weakness or goodness of our tempers which had involved us in this conteft-but be it as it would he begg'd we might exchange boxes-In faying this, he presented his to me with one hand, as he took mine from me in the other; and having kiss'd it-with a ftream of good nature in his eyes he put it into his bofom-and took his leave. I guard this box, as I would the inftrumental parts of my religion, to help my mind on to fomething better: in truth, 1 feldom go abroad without it; and oft and many a time have I called up by it the courteous fpirit of its owner to regulate my own, in the juftlings of the world; they had found full em.. ployment for his, as I learnt from his ftory, till about the fortyfifth year of his age, when upon fome military fervices ill-requited, and meeting at the fame time with a difappointment in the tendereft of paffions, he abandon'd the fword and the fex together, and took fanctuary, not so much in his convent as in himself. I feel a damp upon my fpirits, as I am going to add, that in my laft return through Calais, upon inquiring after Father Lorenzo, I heard he had been dead near three months, and was buried, not in his convent, but, according to his defire, in a little cimetiery belonging to it, about two leagues off: I had a ftrong defire to fee where they had laid him-when, upon pulling out his little horn box, as I fat by his grave, and plucking up a nettle or two at the head of it, which had no bufinefs to grow there, they all ftruck together fo forcibly upon my affections, that I burft into a flood of tears-but I am as weak as a woman and I beg the world not to fmile, but pity me.' We must now introduce the honeft, good-natured La Fleur to our Reader's acquaintance. La Fleur is no less a perfonage |