lated your lordship, said I, I'm sure your lordship would not have said so.

The poor Count de B**** fell but into the same

error.

Et, Monsieur, est-il Yorick? cried the Count-Je le suis, said I.—Vous?-Moi-moi qui ai l'honneur de vous parler, Monsieur le Comte.-Mon Dieu! said he, embracing me,--Vous étes Yorick!

The Count instantly put the Shakspeare into his pocket, and left me alone in his room.

THE PASSPORT.

Wersailles.

1 COULD not conceive why the Count de B**** had gone so abruptly out of the room, any more than I could conceive why he had put the Shakspeare into his pocket. Mysteries which must explain themselves are not worth the loss of time which a conjecture about them takes up: 'twas better to read Shakspeare; so taking up Mach ado about Nothing," I transported myself instantly from the chair I sat in to Messina in Sicily, and got so busy with Don Pedro, and Benedict, and Beatrice, that I thought not of Versailles, the Count, or the passport.

Sweet pliability of man's spirit, that can at once surrender itself to illusions, which cheat expectation and sorrow of their weary moments!- Long-long since had ye numbered out my days, had I not trod so great a part of them upon this enchanted ground; when my way is too rough for my feet, or too steep for my strength, I get off it, to some smooth velvet path, which fancy has scattered over with rosebuds of delights; and having taken a few turns in it, come back strengthened and refreshed.—When evils press sore upon me, and there is no retreat from them in this world, then I take a new course;—I leave it,—and as I have a clearer idea of the Elysian fields than I have

of heaven, I force myself, like Æneas, into them.—I see bim meet the pensive shade of his forsaken Dido, and wish to recognise it;-I see the injured spirit wave her head, and turn off silent from the author of her miseries and dishonours;—I lose the feelings for myself in hers, and in those affections which were wont to make me mourn for her when I was at school. Surely this is not walking in a vain shadow-nor does man disquiet himself in vain by it:-he oftener does so in trusting the issue of his commotions to reason only. I can safely say for myself, I was never able to conquer any one single bad sensation in my heart so decisively, as by beating up as fast as I could for some kindly and gentle sensation to fight it upon its own ground.

When I had got to the end of the third act the Count de B**** entered, with my passport in his band. Monsieur le Duc de C****, said the Count, is as good a prophet, I dare say, as he is a statesman. Un homme qui rit, said the duke, ne sera jamais dangereux.—Had it been for any one but the king's jester, added the Count, I could not have got it these two hours.-Pardonnez moi, Monsieur le Count, said I-I am not the king's jester. But you are Yorick?-Yes.-Et vous plaisantez?-I answered, Indeed I did jest—but was not paid for it-'twas entirely at my own expense.

We have no jester at court, Monsieur le Count, said I; the last we had was in the licentious reign of Charles II. since which time our manners have been so gradually refining, that our court at present is so full of patriots, who wish for nothing but the honours and wealth of their country-and our ladies are all so chaste, so spotless, so good, so devout-there is nothing for a jester to make a jest of.

Voila un persiflage! cried the count.

THE PASSPORT.

Versailles.

As the passport was directed to all lieutenant governors, governors, and commandants of cities, generals of armies, justiciaries, and all officers of justice, to let Mr. Yorick the king's jester, and his baggage, travel quietly along I own the triumph of obtaining the passport was not a little tarnished by the figure I cut in it. Bat there is nothing unmixed in this world ; and some of the gravest of our divines have carried it so far as to affirm, that enjoyment itself was attended even with a sigh—and that the greatest they knew of terminated in a general way, in little better than a convulsion.

I remember the grave and learned Bevoriskius, in his Commentary upon the Generations from Adam, very naturally breaks off in the middle of a note to give an account to the world of a couple of sparrows upon the out edge of his window, which had incommoded him all the time he wrote, and at last had entirely taken him off from bis genealogy.

'Tis strange! writes Bevoriskius; but the facts are certain, for I have had the curiosity to mark them down one by one with my pen;-but the cock sparrow, during the little time that I could have finished the other half of this note, has actually interrupted me with the reiteration of his caresses three-and-twenty times and a half.

How merciful, adds Bevoriskius, is Heaven to his creatures.

Ill fated Yorick! that the gravest of thy brethren should be able to write that to the world, which stains thy face with crimson to copy, even in thy study.

But this is nothing to my travels. So I twicetwice beg pardon for it.

CHARACTER.

Uersailles.

AND how do you find the French? said the Count de B****, after he had given me the passport.

The reader may suppose, that after so obliging a proof of courtesy, I could not be at a loss to say something handsome to the inquiry.

—Mais passe, pour cela.-Speak frankly, said he: "do you find all the urbanity in the French which the world give us the honour of?—I had found every thing, I said, which confirmed it.—Vraiment, said the Count, les François sont polis.—To an excess, replied I.

The Count took notice of the word excess! and would have it I meant more than I said. I defended myself a long time as well as I could against it.—He insisted I bad a reserve, and that I would speak my opinion frankly.

I believe, Monsieur le Count, said I, that man has a certain compass, as well as an instrument; and that the social and other calls have occasion by turns for every key in him; so that if you begin a note too high or too low, there must be a want either in the upper or under part, to fill up the system of harmony -The Count de B**** did not understand music, so desired me to explain it in some other way. A polished nation, my dear Count, said I, makes every one its debtor and besides, urbanity itself, like the fair has so many charms, it goes against the heart to say it can do ill; and yet, I believe, there is but a certain line of perfection, that man, take him altogether, is empowered to arrive at :—if he gets beyond, he rather exchanges qualities than gets them. I must not presume to say how far this has affected the French, in the subject we are speaking of;-but, should it ever be the case of the English, in the progress of their re

sex,

finements, to arrive at the same polish which distinguishes the French, if we did not lose the politesse du cœur, which inclines men more to humane actions than courteous ones, we should at least lose that distinct variety and originality of character, which distinguishes them, not only from each other, but from all the world besides.

I had a few of King William's shillings, as smooth as glass, in my pocket; and foreseeing they would be of use in the illustration of my hypothesis, I had got them into my hand when I had proceeded so far:

See, Monsieur le Count, said I, rising up, and laying them before him upon the table-by jingling and rubbing one against another for seventy years together in one body's pocket or another's, they are become so mach alike, you can scarce distinguish one shilling from another.

The English, like ancient medals, kept more apart, and passing but few people's hands, preserve the first sharpnesses which the fine hand of Nature has given them; they are not so pleasant to feel-but in return the legend is so visible, that at the first look you see whose image and superscription they bear.-But the French, Monsieur le Count, added I (wishing to soften what I had said), have so many excellences, they can the better spare this :-they are a loyal, a gallant, a generous, an ingenious, and good tempered people as is under heaven;-if they have a fault-they are too serious.

Mon Dieu! cried the Count, rising out of his chair. Mais vous plaisantez, said he, correcting his exclamation. I laid my hand upon my breast, and with earnest gravity assured him it was my most settled opinion.

The Count said he was mortified he could not stay to hear my reasons, being engaged to go that moment to dine with the Duc de C****.