MONTRIUL. I AM apt to be taken with all kinds of people at first sight; but never more fo, than when a poor devil comes to offer his service to so poor a devil as myself; and as I know this weakness, I always fuffer my judgment to draw back something on that very accountand this more or less, according to the mood I am in, and the cafe-and I may add the gender too, of the person I am to govern, When La Fleur enter'd the room, after every discount I could make for my foul, the genuine look and air of the fellow determined the matter at once in his favour; so I hired him first -and then began to inquire what he could do: But I shall find out his talents, quoth I, as I want them-befides, a Frenchman can do every thing. once -Now poor La Fleur could do nothing in the world but beat a drum, and play a march or two upon the fife. I was determined to make his talents do; and can't say my weakness was ever fo infulted by my wisdom, as in the attempt. La Fleur had fet out early in life, as gallantly as most Frenchinen do, with ferving for a few years; at the end of which, having fatisfied the sentiment, and found moreover, That the honour of beating a drum was likely to be its own reward, as it open'd no further track of glory to him-he retired à fes terres, and lived comme il plaifoit à Dieu-that is to say, upon nothing. terres, -And so, quoth Wisdome, you have hired a drummer to attend you in this tour of your's thro' France and Italy! Pfah! faid I, and do not one half of our gentry go with a hum-drum compagnon de Voyage the fame round, and have the piper and the devil and all to pay bésides? When man can extricate himself with an equivoque in fuch an unequal matchhe is not ill off-But you can do fome thing else, La Fleur? faid I- O quoui! -he could make fpatterdafhes, and play a little upon the fiddle - Bravo! faid Wifdome-Why, I play a bass myfelf, faid I-we shall do very well. You can shave, and dress a wig a little, La Fleur?- He had all the dispositions in the world-It is enough for heaven! faid I, interrupting him and ought to be enough : enough for me-So fupper coming in, and having a frisky English spaniel on one fide of my chair, and a French valet, with as much hilarity in his countenance as ever nature painted in one, on the other I was fatisfied to my heart's content with my empire; and if monarchs knew what they would be at, they might be as fatisfied as I was. F MONTRIUL. As La Fleur went the whole tour of France and Italy with me, and will be often upon the stage, I must interest the reader a little further in his behalf, by saying, that I had never less reason to repent of the impulses which generally do determine me, than in regard to this fellow-he was a faithful, affectionate, fimple foul as ever trudged after the heels of a philosopher; and notwithstanding his talents of drum-beating and spat. terdafh-making, which, tho very good in themselves, happen'd to be of no great service to me, yet was I hourly recompenfed by the festivity of his temper-it supplied all defects - I had a conftant refource in his looks in all diffi culties and distresses of my own-I was going |