is, as they can be earn'd in the world with so little industry, that your order should wish to procure them by preffing upon a fund which is the property of the lame, the blind, the aged, and the infirm the captive who lies down counting over and over again the days of his afflictions, languishes alfo for his share of it; and had you been of the order of mercy, instead of the order of St. Francis, poor as I am, continued I, pointing at my portmanteau, full chearfully should it have been open'd to you, for the ransom of the unfortunate - The monk made me a bow - but of all others, refumed I, the unfortunate of our own country, furely, have the first rights; and I have left thousands in distress upon our own shore -- The monk gave a cordial wave with his head-as much as to say, No doubt, there is mifery enough in every corner of the world, as well as within our convent But we diftinguish, faid I, laying my hand upon the fleeve of his tunick, in return for his appealwe diftinguish, my good father! betwixt those who wish only to eat the bread of their own labor and those who eat the bread of other people's, and have no other plan in life, but to get through it in floth and ignorance, for the love of God. The poor Francifcan made no reply: a hectic of a moment pass'd across his cheek, but could not tarry-Nature seemed to have had done with her resentments in him; he shewed none - but letting his staff fall within his arm, he press'd both his hands with refignation upon his breast, and retired. THE ΜΟΝΚ. CALAIS. My heart smote me the moment he shut the door-Psha! faid I with an air of carelessness, three several times-but it would not do: every ungracious fyllable I had utter'd, crowded back into my imagination: I reflected, I had no right over the poor Franciscan, but to deny him; and that the punishment of that was enough to the disappointed without the addition of unkind language-I confider'd his grey hairs his courteous figure seem'd to reenter and gently ask me what injury he had and why I could use him thus? - I would have given twenty livres for an advocate I have behaved very ill, faid I within myself; but I have only just set out upon my travels; and shall learn better manners as I get along. done me? ست THE DESOBLIGEANT. CALAIS. WHEN a man is discontented with himself, it has one advantage however, that it puts him into an excellent frame of mind for making a bargain. Now there being no travelling through France and Italy without a chaise and nature generally prompting us to the thing we are fittest for, I walk'd out into the coach-yard to buy or hire something of that kind to my purpose: an old * Defobligeant in the furthest corner of the court, hit my fancy at first fight, so I instantly got into it, and finding it in tolerable harmony with my feelings, I ordered the waiter to call Monfieur Dessein the master of the hôtel but Monfieur Dessein being gone to vespers, and not caring to face the Franciscan whom I faw on the opposite side of the court, in conference with a lady just arrived at the inn I drew the taffeta curtain betwixt us, and being determined to write my journey, I took out my pen and ink, and wrote the preface to it in the Defobligeant. PREFACE IN THE DESOBLIGEANT. a IT must have been observed by many peripatetic philosopher, That nature has set up by her own unquestionable authority certain boundaries and fences to circumscribe the discontent of man: she has effected her purpose in the quietest and easiest manner by laying him under almost insuperable obligations to work out his ease, and to sustain his fufferings at home. It is there only that she has provided him with the most suitable objects to partake of his happiness, and bear a part of that burthen which in all countries and ages, has ever been too heavy for one pair of shoulders. 'Tis true, we are endued with an imperfect power of spreading our happiness sometimes beyond her limits, but 'tis so ordered, that from the want of languages, connections, and dependencies, and from the difference in education, customs, and habits, we lie under so many impediments in communicating our sensations out of our own sphere, as often amount to a total impoffibility. * A Chaife, so called in France, from its holding but one perfon. It will always follow from hence, that the balance of fentimental commerce is always against the expatriated adventurer: he must buy what he has little occafion for at their own price - his conversation will feldom be taken in exchange for theirs without a large discount and this, by the bye, eternally driving him into the hands of more equitable brokers for fuch conversation as he can find, it requires no great spirit of divination to guess at his party This brings me to my point; and naturally leads me (if the fee-faw of this Desobligeant will but let me get on) into the efficient as well as the final causes of travelling Your idle people that leave their native country, and go abroad for fome reason or reasons which may be derived from one of these general causes Infirmity of body, The first two include all those who travel by land or by water, laboring with pride, curiosity, vanity or spleen, subdivided and combined in infinitum. The third class includes the whole army of peregrine martyrs; more especially those travellers who fet out upon their travels with the benefit of the clergy, either as delinquents travelling under the direction of governors recommended by the magiftrate or young gentlemen transported by the cruelty of parents and guardians, and travelling under the direction of governors recommended by Oxford, Aberdeen, and Glasgow. There is a fourth class, but their number is so small that they would not deserve a distinction, was it not necessary in a work of this nature to observe the greatest precision and nicety, to avoid a confufion of character. And these men I speak of, are fuch as cross the feas and fojourn in a land of strangers with a view of saving money for various reasons and upon various pretences: but as they might also save themselves and others a great deal of unnecessary trouble by saving their money at home and as their reasons for travelling are the least complex of any other species of emigrants, I shall distinguish these gentlemen by the name of Simple Travellers. Thus the whole circle of travellers, may be re duced to the following heads: Idle Travellers, Proud Travellers, |