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he loved, who did the patiferie; and added, he felt no difhonour in defending her and himself from want in this way-unlefs Providence had offer'a him a better.

It would be wicked to with-hold a pleasure from the good, in paffing over what happen'd to this poor Chevalier of St. Louis about nine months after.

It feems he ufually took his stand near the iron gates which lead up to the palace, and as his croix had caught the eye of numbers, numbers had made the fame enquiry which I had done-He had told them the fame ftory, and always with

fo much modefty and good fenfe, that it had reach'd at laft the king's ears -who hearing the Chevalier had been a gallant officer, and refpected by the whole regiment as a man of honour and integrity-he broke up his little trade by a penfion of fifteen hundred livres a year.

As I have told this to please the reader, I beg he will allow me to relate another out of its order, to please myself-the two ftories reflect light upon each other-and 'tis a pity they should be parted.

THE SWORD.

RENNE S.

WHEN ftates and empires have

their periods of declenfion,

and feel in their turns what distress and poverty is-I ftop not to tell the causes which gradually brought the house d'E **** in Britany into decay. The Marquis d'E**** had fought up against his condition with great firmness; wishing to preferve, and ftill fhew to the world, fome little fragments of what his anceftors had been-their indifcretions.

had

put

it out of his power.

There

was

was enough left for the little exigencies of obfcurity-But he had two boys who look'd up to him for light—he thought they deferved it. He had tried his fword-it could not open the way the mounting was too expenfive-and fimple economy was. not a match for it-there was no refource but commerce.

In any other province in France, fave Britany, this was fmiting the root for ever of the little tree his pride and affection wifh'd to fee rebloffom-But in Britany, there being a provifion for this, he avail'd himself of it; and taking an occafion when the ftates were affembled at Rennes,

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the Marquis, attended with his two boys, enter'd the court; and having pleaded the right of an ancient law of the duchy, which, though feldom claim'd, he faid, was no less in force, he took his fword from his fide-Here, faid he, take it; and be trufty guardians of it, till better times put me in condition to reclaim it.

The prefident accepted the Marquis's fword-he ftaid a few minutes to see it deposited in the archives of his house, and departed.

The Marquis and his whole family embarked the next day for Martinico, and in about nineteen or twenty years of fuccessful application to bufinefs,

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