it better to take a few sous out in my hand; and I would counsel every gentle traveller to do so likewise: he need not be so exact in setting down his motives for giving them—they will be registered elsewhere.

For my own part, there is no man gives so little as I do; for few that I know have so little to give; but as this was the first public act of my charity in France, I took the more notice of it.

Ah well-a-day! said I.-I have but eight sous in the world, shewing them in my hand, and there are eight poor men and eight poor women for them.

A poor tattered soul without a shirt on, instantly withdrew his claim, by retiring two steps out of the circle, and making a disqualifying bow on his part. Had the whole parterre cried out, Place aux dames, with one voice, it would not have conveyed the sentiment of a defer ence for the sex with half the effect..

Just heaven! for what wise reasons hast thou ordered it, that beggary and urbanity, which are at such variance in other countries, should find a way to be at unity in this?

I insisted upon presenting him with a single sous, merely for his politesse.

A poor little dwarfish brisk fellow, who stood over against me in the circle, putting something first under his arm, which had once been a hat, took his snuff-box out of his pocket, and generously offered a pinch on both sides of him:-it was a gift of consequence, and modestly declined. The poor little fellow pressed it upon them with a nod of welcomeness-Prenez enprenez, said he, looking another way so they each took a pinch-Pity thy box should ever want one! said I to myself; so I put a couple of sous into it-taking a small pinch out of his box, to enhance their value, as I did it. He felt the weight of the second obligation more

than that of the first-'twas doing him an honour the other was only doing him a charity and he made me a bow down. to the ground for it.

Here! said I to an old soldier with one hand, who had been campaigned, and worn out to death in the servicehere's a couple of sous for thee-Vive le Roi! said the old soldier.

I had then but three sous left: so I gave one, simply pour l'amour de Dieu, which was the footing on which it was begged-The poor woman had a dislocated hip: so it could not be well upon any other motive.

Mon cher.et tres charitable MonsieurThere's no opposing this, said I.

My Lord Anglois-the very sound was worth the money-so I gave my last sous for it. But in the eagerness of giving I had overlooked a pauvre honteux, who had no one to ask a sous for him, and who, I believed, would have perished ere he

could have asked one for himself: he stood by the chaise a little without the circle, and wiped a tear from a face which I thought had seen better days→→→ Good God! said I-and I have not a single sous left to give him-But you have a thousand! cried all the powers nature stirring within me so I gave him

of

-no matter what- -I am ashamed to say how much, now-and was ashamed to think how little then : so if the reader can form any conjecture of my disposition, as these two fixed points are given him, he may judge within a livre or two what was the precise sum.

I could afford nothing for the rest, but Dieu vous benisse-Et le bon Dieu vous benisse encore-said the old soldier, the dwarf, &c. The pauvre honteux could say nothing he pulled out a little handkerchief, and wiped his face as he turned away and I thought he thanked me more than them all.

THE BIDET.

HAVING settled all these little matters, I got into my post-chaise with more ease than ever I got into a post-chaise in my life; and La Fleur having got one large jack-boot on the far side of a little bidet*, and another on this (for I count nothing of his legs)-he cantered away before me as happy and as perpendicular as a prince

-But what is happiness! what is grandeur in this painted scene of life. A dead ass, before we had got a league, put a sudden stop to La Fleur's careerhis bidet would not pass by it—a contention arose betwixt them, and the poor fellow was kicked out of his jack-boots the very first kick.

Post-hores.