TOX

TO VERSAILLES.

me to the country in whose language he had learned his notes and telling the story of him to Lord A-, Lord A. begged the bird of me.— In a week Lord A. gave him to Lord B—; : Lord B. made a present of him to Lord C-; and Lord C's gentleman sold him to Lord D.'s, for a shilling; Lord D. gave him to Lord E, and so on-half round the alphabet. From that rank he passed into the lower house, and passed £ the hands of as many commoners.-But as all these wanted to get in-and my bird wanted to get out he had almost as little store set by him in London as in Paris.

It is impossible but many of my readers must have heard of him; and if any, by mere chance, have ever seen him-I beg leave to inform them, that that bird was my bird-or some vile copy set up to represent him.

I have nothing further to add upon him, but that, from that time to this, I have borne this poor starling as the crest to my arms-And let the herald's officers twist his neck about, if they dare.

I SHOULD not like to have my enemy take a view of my mind, when I am going to ask protection of any man; for which reason, I generally endeavour to protect myself; but this going to Monsieur le Duc de C**** was an act of compulsion; had it been an act of choice, I should have done it, I suppose, like other people.

How many mean plans of dirty address, as I went along, did my servile heart form! I deserved the Bastile for every one of them.

Then nothing would serve me when I got with in sight of Versailles, but putting words and sentences together, and conceiving attitudes and tones to writhe myself into Monsieur le Duc de C****'s good graces.-This will do, said I-just as well, retorted I again, as a coat carried up to him by an adventurous taylor, without taking his measure-Fool!- continued I- -see Monsieur le Duc's face first-observe what character is written in it-take notice in what posture he stands to hear you-mark the turns and expressions of his body and limbs.-And for the tone -the first sound that comes from his lips will give it you, and from all these together you will com

VERSAILLES.

pound an address at once on the spot, which cannot disgust the Duke-the ingredients are his own, and most likely to go down.

Well? said I, I wish it well over— -Coward again! as if man to man was not equal through. out the whole surface of the globe; and if in the field-why not face to face in the cabinet too? And trust me, Yorick, whenever it is not so, man is false to himself, and betrays his own succours ten times, where nature does it Go to the Duc de C*** with the Bastile in thy looks-my life for it, thou wilt be sent back to Paris in half an hour with an escort.

once.

I believe so, said I-then I'll go to the Duke, by heaven! with all the gaiety and debonairness in the world.

-And there you are wrong again, replied I— A heart at ease, Yorick, flies into no extremes -it is ever on its centre-Well! well! cried I, as the coachman turned in at the gates-I find I shall do very well: and by the time he had wheeled round the court, and brought me up to the door, I found myself so much the better for my own lecture, that I neither ascended the steps like a victim to justice, who was to part with life upon the tompast-nor did I mount them with a skip and a couple of strides, as I do when I fly up, Eliza! to thee, to meet it.

As I entered the door of the saloon, I was met

THE DISAPPOINTMENT.

by a person who possibly might be the maitre d'hotel, but had more the air of one of the under secretaries, who told me the Duc de C**** was busy. I am utterly ignorant, said I, of the forms of obtaining an audience, being an absolute stranger, and what is worse, in the present conjuncture of affairs, being an Englishman too. He replied, that did not increase the difficulty. I made him a slight bow, and told him I had something of importance to say to Monsieur le Duc. The secretary looked towards the stairs, as if he was about to leave me, to carry up this account to some one.-But I must not mislead you, said I; for what I have to say is of no manner of importance to Monsieur le Duc de C** but of great importance to myself.-C'est une autre affaire, replied he.-Not at all, said I, to a man of gallantry.-But pray, good sir, continued I, when can a stranger hope to have accesse? In not less than two hours, said he, looking at his watch. The number of equipages in the courtyard seemed to justify the calculation, that I could have no nearer prospect and as walking backward and forward in the saloon, without a soul to commune with, was, for the time, as bad as being in the Bastile itself, I instantly went back to my remise, and bid the coachman drive me to the Cordon Bleu, which was the nearest hotel.

I think there is a fatality in it-I seldom go to the place I set out for.

BEFORE I had got half-way down the street, I changed my mind: as I am at Versailles, thought I, I might as well take a view of the town: so I pulled the cord, and ordered the coachman tə drive round some of the principal streets.-}· suppose the town is not very large, said I. The coachman begged pardon for setting me right, and told me it was very superb, and that numbers of the first Dukes, and Marquises, and Counts had hotels. The Count de B***, of whom the bookseller, at the Quai de Conti, had spoke so handsomely the night before, came instantly in to my mind. And why should I not go, thought I, to the Count de B***, who has so high an idea of English books, and English men, and tell him my story? So I changed my mind a second time-in truth, it was the third; for I had intended that day for Madame de R***, in the Rue St. Pierre, and had devoutly sent her word by her fille de chambre, that I would assuredly wait upon her;-but I am governed by circumstances -I cannot govern them; so seeing a man standing with a basket on the other side of the