quaffed, and chuckled, and chanted, with such an egregious glee and such persevering potations of claret, that just as he was thickly stammering out, "Come, let us bouze a full carouse,

While bottles tumble down, derry down,"

he suited the action to the word, rolled from his chair, and was obliged to be carried to bed by Whittaker, who was not quite so thoroughly inebriated as his master, though the kitchen proceedings had been a pretty close parody upon those in the parlour. Such was the example which few of the Cavaliers scrupled to exhibit to their children and servants, and which, after the Restoration, became more universally practised, sanctioned, as it was, by the plea of loyal hilarity, and a legitimate abhorrence of Puritan hypocrisy and mortification.

As soon as he learnt the abortive end of the plot in England, the King had returned to his residence at Bruges, leaving the troops which were to have accompanied him, to dispose of themselves as they might think fit, since they had declined joining the Duke of York and the Spaniards in the defence of Dunkirk. These, which had been pompously announced as a supporting army, were in fact nothing more than a few irregular bands of emigrants and refugees; a sort of mounted mob, not half equipped, and less than half disciplined; receiving no pay, and too poor to supply their own deficiencies either of arms or rations, both of which they hesi

tated not to procure by fraud or pillage, when their credit was utterly exhausted. They were in reality little better than free-booters in a foreign country, whose inhabitants feeling no interest in their quarrel, and already sufficiently impoverished by the exactions of their own Government, and the free quartering of native troops, were by no means amicably disposed towards these bankrupt and lawless interlopers. Little discipline could be expected where the commanders, quarrelling about empty titles and precedence, refused to take orders from one another; where many of those in the ranks, gentlemen by birth and pride, thought themselves quite equal to their officers; and where all, to the extent of their means, indulged in every species of licentious excess. Nothing, indeed, determined them from immediately disbanding, but the conviction that so long as they kept together, they were more likely to extort supplies from the peasantry, without being so much exposed to their vengeance; while there was an additional chance of their receiving some sort of provision from the French Government, which, since its recent treaty with Cromwell, was not a little embarrassed by their presence, and most anxious to be fairly rid of them.

Through the gipsy encampment of these motley Cavaliers, was Jocelyn escorted by Sir John, who had decided on joining the King at Bruges, but stopped for one day to partake of an entertainment in the quarters of Sir Henry de Vie, an old cam

paigner and partisan of the royal cause. His troop drawn out in battle array, in order to do honour to his visitants, wore a mosaic and tesselated appearance, which might have enabled them to pass for Falstaff's tattered recruits, but for the indomitable gaiety and gallant bearing of the individuals that composed it, each of whom seemed laughing at the grotesqueness of his comrade's figure, while the few that were handsomely appointed sufficed to impart a picturesque air to the whole assemblage. The horses of every colour, size, and breed, from the ponderous charger to the light barb, were caparisoned with the same contempt of uniformity; some exhibiting the high war-saddle, housed with fur, and cushioned with velvet, with silver-mounted pistols peeping from the holsters; while others could boast nothing but a common hog-skin on their backs, with bit-bridles of untanned leather. It will easily be supposed that the armour and accoutrements of the riders were in the same inconsistent style; old Sir Henry himself being splendidly equipped in a suit of Milan steel, inlaid with brass, while others of the officers wore plain black armour, of Flemish manufacture; and the rest were fain to content themselves with simple buff, of various date and foreign fashion, most of which seemed to have already done good service, probably in the wars of the Low Countries.

Such evolutions as they attempted, were at least consistent with their appointments; but after this

mockery of a review had been terminated, and the greater part of its performers, disfurnished of their heterogeneous panoplies, were seated at the jovial board, they seemed to be perfectly conversant with the various tactics of a camp carousal, and admirably qualified to go through all the manœuvres of festivity. Drinking, singing, playing, cards, dice, and games of all sorts, wound up the night, whose riotous orgies were hardly terminated, when the crowing of the cocks in the neighbouring village, and the drums of the French garrison, rolling the reveil-matin, announced the dawning of a new day. Jocelyn, who had retired at an early hour from the Bacchanalian scene, and had been much impressed with the appearance of Sir Henry de Vie,-as the stern-looking veteran, in his steel corselet, laid his hand upon Jocelyn's head, and hoped he would soon be able to trail a pike in the service of his King, was not less hurt than surprised at the spectacle which his quarter presented as he passed it early next morning. A small adjoining tent had been accidentally set on fire by some of the tipsy carousers; the sentinels had hastily struck Sir Hen'ry's, to prevent its being enveloped in the flames; the horses tethered around it, terrified at the blazing light, had broken loose and carried confusion through the little encampment; while the general himself and several of his guests, surrounded by the scattered evidences of their debauch, were lying 19*

VOL. I.

upon straw in the deep sleep of intoxication, covered with the dismounted tent, but still exposed to the ridicule and ribaldry of such soldiers as were stirring at that early hour.

Too long accustomed to similar scenes to be much affected by them either in mind or body, Sir John turned his back upon these military revellers, and, accompanied by his son on horseback, commenced his journey to Bruges. Whittaker had been sent back to England to look after the affairs of Brambletye House, and carry instructions to Waynfleet the secretary, respecting any remittances which he might still be enabled to make to his exiled master. Economy had never been one of the Baronet's virtues, but until he knew what dependance could be placed upon his funds in England, which were but too likely to be sequestrated, he determined to husband his slender resources, and not even hire a servant to attend upon them. Provided he could obtain his usual portion of claret, which was to be done at a moderate rate in France and Flanders, he felt not any other privation; the established flow of wine secured his customary flow of good spirits: this was sufficient for present enjoyment; and as to the future and the past, they seldom entered very deeply into his cogitations. Making therefore a virtue of necessity, he told Jocelyn that, as he was intended for a soldier, he should learn betimes to do every thing for himself, of which he set him the first example by grooming