the true point of pity is, as they can be earn'd in the world with fo little induftry, that your order fhould wifh 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, languifhes 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 unfortu-. nate-The monk made me a bow-but of all others, refumed I, the unfortunate of our own country, furely, have the first. rights; and I have left thousands in difirefs upon our own fhore- The monk gave a cordial wave with his head-as much as to say: No doubt, there is mifery enough in every corner of the world,

as

as well as within our convent- But we diftinguish, faid I, laying my hand upon the fleeve of his tunick, in return for his appeal-we diftinguifh, my good Father! betwixt thofe who wifh only to eat the bread of their own labour-and thofe 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 Francifcan made no reply: a hectic of a moment pafs'd across his cheek, but could not tarry Nature feemed to have had done with her refentments in him; he fhewed none-but letting his staff fall within his arm, he prefs'd both his hands with refignation upon his breaft, and retired.

THE MONK.

CALAIS.

My heart finote me the moment he

fhut the door-Pfha! faid 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 punifhment of that was enough to the disappointed without the addition of unkind language-I con

fider'd his grey hairs-his courteous figu re feem'd to reenter and gently afk me what injury he had done me?—and why I could use 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 set out upon my travels; and fhall learn better manners as I get alòng.

THE DESOBLIGEANT.

CALAI S.

WHEN a man is discontented with

himself, it has one advantage however, that it puts him into an excellent frame of mind for making a bargain. Now there being no travelling through France and Italy without a chaife-and nature generally prompting us to the thing we are fitteft for, I walk'd out into the coachyard to buy or hire fomething of that kind to my purpose: an old Desobligeant in the furtheft corner of the court, hit my fancy at firft fight, fo I inftantly got into it, and finding it in tolerable harmony with my feelings, I ordered the waiter

A chaife, fo called in France, from its holding but one perfon.

waiter to call Monfieur Deffein the mafter of the hôtel-but Monfieur Deffein being gone to vefpers, and not caring to face the Francifcan whom I faw on the oppofite fide of the court, in conference with a lady juft arrived at the inn-I drew the taffeta curtain betwixt us, and being determined to write my journey, I took out my pen and ink, and wrote the preface to it in the Defobligeant.

B