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him over. Upon turning up his face to look

at him after, I perceived he was about fortyNever mind, faid I; fome good body will do as much for me when I am ninety.

1

I feel fome little principles within me, which incline me to be merciful towards this poor blighted part of my fpecies, who have neither fize or strenght to get on in the world -I cannot bear to fee one of them trod

upon;

and had scarce got feated befide my old French officer, ere the disgust was exercised, by seeing the very thing happen under the box we fat in.

At the end of the orchestra, and betwixt that and the first fide-box there is a fall efplanade left, where, when the houfe is full, numbres of all ranks take fanctuary. Though you ftand, as in the parterre, you pay the fame price as in the orchestra. A poor defenceless being of this order had got thrust fome how or other into this luckless place—the night was hot, and he was furrounded by beings two feet and a half higher than himself. The dwarf fuffered inexpreffibly on all fides; but the thing

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which incommoded him most, was a tall cor-
pulent German, near feven feet high, who
flood directly betwixt him and all possibility

of his feeing either the ftage or the actors. The
poor
dwarf did all he could to get a peep at`
what was going forwards, by feeking for fome
little opening betwixt the German's arm and his
body, trying firft one fide, then the other; but
the German flood fquare in the moft unaccom
modating pofture that can be imagined-the
dwarf might as well have been placed at the
bottom of the deepest draw-well in Paris; fo
he civilly reach'd up his hand to the German's
fleeve, and told him his distress-The German
turn'd his head back, look'd down upon him
as Goliath did upon David-and unfeelingly
refumed his posture.

I was just then taking a pinch of fnuff out of my monk's little horn box-And how would thy meek and courteous fpirit, my dear monk! fo temper'd to bear and forbear!-how fweetly would it have lent an ear to this poor foul's complaint!

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The

The old French officer feeing me lift up my eyes with an emotion, as I made the apofrophe, took the liberty to ask me what was the matter-I told him the story in three words; and added, how inhuman it was.

By this time the dwarf was driven to extremes, and in his firft transports, which are generally, unreasonable, had told the German he would cut off his long queue with his knife -The German look'd back coolly, and told him he was welcome if he could reach it.

An injury fharpened by an infult, be it to who it will, makes every man of fentiment a party: I could have leaped out of the box to have redressed it. The old French officer did it with much lefs confufion; for leaning a little over, and nodding to a centinel, and pointing at the fame time with his finger at the diftrefs-the centinel made his way up to it. There was no occafion to tell the grievancethe thing told itself; fo thrusting back the German inftantly with his mufket-he took the

VOL. I.

H

poor

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poor dwarf by the hand, and placed him before him. This is noble! faid I, clapping my hands together-And yet you would not permit this, faid the old officer, in England.

-In England, dear Sir, faid I, we fit all at our cafe.

The old French officer would have fet me at unity with myself, in cafe I had been at variance, by faying it was a bon mot-and as a bon mot is always worth fomething at Paris, he offered me a pinch of snuff.

Ir

THE ROSE.

PARIS.

IT was now my turn to ask the old French officer "What was the matter?" for a cry of, Hauffés les mains, Monfieur l'Abbé! reechoed from a dozen different parts of the parterre,

was

was as unintelligible to me, as my apostrophe to the monk had been to him.

He told me, it was fome poor Abbé in one of the upper loges, who he fuppofed had got planted perdu behind a couple of Grissets in order to fee the opera, and that the parterre efpying him, were infifting upon his holding up both his hands during the representation.— And can it be supposed, said I, that an ecclefiaftick would pick the Griffet's pockets? The old French officer fimiled, and whispering in my ear, open'd a door of knowledge which I had no idea of

Good God! faid I, turning pale with aftonishment-is it poffible, that a people fo finit with fentiment fhould at the fame time be fo unclean, and fo unlike themselves-Quelle groffiereté! added I.

The French officer told me, it was an illi beral farcafm at the church, which had begun in the theatre about the time the Tartuffe was

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