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near the point he brought it near his eye, and bending his head down over it, I think I saw a tear fall upon the place: I could not be deceived, by what followed.

"I shall find, said he, some other way to get it off."

When the Marquis had said this, he returned his sword into its scabbard, made a bow to the guardians of it-and, with his wife and daughter, and his two sons following him, walked out. O how I envied him his feelings!

THE PASSPORT.

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I FOUND no difficulty in getting admittance to Monsieur le Count de B****. The set of Shakespeares was laid upon the table, and he was tumbling them over. I walked up close to the table, and giving first such a look at the books, as to make him conceive I knew what they were -I told him I had come without any one to present me knowing I should meet with a friend in his apartments, who, I trusted would do it for me-it is my countryman, the great Shakespeare, said I, pointing to his works-et ayez la bonte,

CURIOUS INTEODUCTION.

mon cher ami, apostrophizing his spirit, added I, de me faire cet honneur, la.

The count smiled at the singularity of the introduction; and seeing I looked a little pale and sickly, insisted upon my taking an arm chair: so Is at down; and, to save him conjectures upon a visit so out of all rule, I told him simply of the incident in the bookseller's shop, and how that had impelled me rather to go to him with the story of a little embarrassment I was under, than to any other man in France.-And what is your embarrassment? let me hear it said the Count. --So I told him the story just as I have told it the reader.

-And the master of my hotel, said I, as I concluded it, will needs have it, Monsieur le Count, that I shall be sent to the Bastile-but I have no apprehensions, continued I-for in falling into the hands of the most polished people in the world, and being conscious I was a true man, and not come to spy the nakedness of the land, I scarce thought I lay at their mercy-It does not suit the gallantry of the French, Monsieur le Count, said I, to shew it against invalids,

An animated blush came into the Count de B****'s cheeks, as I spoke this-Ne craignez rien-Do not fear, said he.-Indeed I do not, replied I again-Besides, continued I, a little sportingly, I have come laughing all the way from

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London to Paris, and I do not think Monsieur le Duc de Choiseul is such an enemy to mirth, as to send me back crying for my pains.

C

-My application to you, Monsieur le Count de B**** (making him a low bow) is to desire he will not.

The Count heard me with great good nature, or I had not said half so much-and once or twice said, C'est bien dit. So I rested my cause there, and determined to say no more about it.

The count led the discourse: we talked of indif ferent things-of books, and politics, and menand then of woman.-God bless them all! said I, after much discourse about them-there is not at man upon earth who loves them so much as I do: after all the foibles I have seen, and all the satires I have read against them, still I love them; being firmly persuaded that a man, who has not a sort of affection for the whole sex, is incapable of ever loving a single one as he ought.

Heh bien! Monsieur l'Anglois, said the Count," gaily. You are not come to spy the nakedness of the land—I believe you-ni encore—I dare say, that of our woman-But permit me to conjecture-if, par hazard, they fell in your way, that the prospect would not affect you.

I have something within me which cannot bear the shock of the least indecent insinution: in the sportability of chit-chat, I have often endeavoured

YORICK'S REASONS FOR HIS JOURNEY.

to conquer it, and with infinite pain have hazarded a thousand things to a dozen of the sex together -the least of which I could not venture to a

single one to gain heaven.

Excuse me, Monsieur le Count, said I-as for the nakedness of your land, if I saw it, I should cast my eyes over it with tears in them-and for that of your women (blushing at the idea he had excited in me) I am so evangelical in this, and have such a fellow-feeling for whatever is weak about them, that I would cover it with a garment, if I knew how to throw it on.-But I could wish, continued I, to spy the nakedness of their hearts, and through the different disguises of customs, climates and religion, find out what is good in them, to fashion my own by-and therefore am I come.

It is for this reason, Monsieur le Count, continued I, that I have not seen the Palais Royal -nor the Luxembourg-nor the façade of the Louvre-nor have attempted to swell the catalogues we have of pictures, statues, and churches." I conceive every fair being as a temple, and would rather enter in, and see the original drawings and loose sketches hung up in it, than the Transfiguration of Raphael itself.

The thirst of this, continued I, as impatient as that which inflames the breast of the connoisseur, has led me from my own house into France-and

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from France will lead me through Italy-'tis a quiet journey of the heart in pursuit of Nature, and those affections which rise out of her, which makes us love each other-and the world, better than we do.

The Count said a great many civil things to me upon the occasion; and added, very politely, how much he stood obliged to shakespeare for making me known to him—but a-propos, said he -Shakespeare is full of great things-He forgot a small punctilio of announcing your name-it puts you under the necessity of doing it your. self.

THE PASSPORT.

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THERE is not a more perplexing affair in life to me, than to set about telling any one who I am -for there is scarce any body I cannot give a better account of, than of myself; I have often wished I could do it in a single word, and have an end of it. It was the only time and occasion in my life I could accomplish this to any purpose -for Shakespeare lying upon the table, and recollecting I was in his books, I took up Hamlet, and turning immediately to the grave-digger's