I'll go directly, faid 1, myself to Monfieur le Duc

de Choifeul,

La Fleur would have put me to bed; but not wil ling he should fee any thing upon my cheek ) which would coft the honeft fellow a heart-ach him I would go to bed by myself and bid him go to the fame.

THE STARLING.

ROAD TO VERSAILLES.

XLIII.

I told

I got into my remife the hour I propofed *): La Fleur got up behind, and I bid the coachman maké the best of his way to Versailles.

As there was nothing, in this road, or rather nothing which I look for in travelling, I cannot fill up the blank better than with a short history of this felffame bird, which became the subject of the laft chapter.

Whilft the honourable Mr. **** was waiting for a wind at Dover, it had been caught upon the cliffs before it could well fly by an English lad who was his groom; who not caring to deftroy it, had taken it in his breaft into the packet and by courfe of feeding it, and taking it once under his protection, in a day or two grew fond of it, and got it fafe along with him to Paris.

s) he fhould fee any thing upon my cheek, Dafs er irgend etwas auf meiner Wange erblicken follte, d. h. dafs er die Thränen nicht bemerken follte, die ich über den unglücklichen Ge

inte

fangnen meiner Phantafie vergoffen hatte.

1) the hour I propofed nehmlich um 9 Uhr des Morgens, um ja nichts zu ver◄ fäumen und den Pass so ichnell als möglich zu bekommen.

At Paris the lad had laid out a livre in a little, cage for the ftarling, and as he had little to do better the five months his mafter ftaid there, he taught it in his mo ther's tongue the four fimple words 2) (and no mo

re)

the lad had

to which I own'd myself fo much its debtor. Upon his master's going on for Italy given it to the mafter of the hotel But his little fong for liberty, being in an unknown language at Paris 3), the bird had little or no store set by him fo La Fleur bought both him and his cage for me for a bottle of Burgundy.

I my return from Italy I brought him with me to the country in whofe language he had learn'd his notes and telling the ftory of him to Lord A- Lord A begg'd the bird of me-in a week Lord A gave him to Lord B Lord B made a prefent of him to Lord Cand Lord C's gentleman fold him to Lord D's for à fhilling Lord D gave him to Lord E on half round the alphabet from that rank he pafs'd into the lower houfe, and pafs'd the hands of as many commoners 4) But as all thefe wanted to get and my bird wanted to get out

and fo

in 5) he had almoft as little ftore fet by him in London as in Paris.

It is impoffible but many of my readers must have heard of him; and if any by mere chance have ever feen him I beg leave to inform them, that that bird was my bird

or fome vile copy fet up to reprefent him.

I have nothing farther to add upon him, but that from that time to this, I have borne this ftarling as the crest to my arms *). - Thus:

And let the heralds officers twift his neck " about, if they dare.

THE

7) let the heralds officers twift his neck, Lafst die Herolde immer ihren Kopf über den Staar oben zerbrechen. ,, Ich verdanke ihm zu viel, als dafs ich ihm nicht diefen ehrenvollen Platz geben follte, und wenn auch

THE ADDRESS.

V E RS A I L LES.

XLIV.

I fhould not like to have my enemy take a view of my mind) when I am going to ask protection of any man; for which reafon I generally endeavour to protest myself: but this going to Monfieur Le Duc de Cwas an at of compulfion had it been an act of choice, I should have done it, I fuppofe, like other people,

How many mean plans of dirty addrefs, as I went along, did my fervile heart form! I deferved the Baftile for every one of them.

Then nothing would ferve me, when I got within fight of Versailles, but putting words and fentences to. gether and conceiving attitudes and tones to wreath my. felf into Monfieur le Duc de C's good graces This will do), faid I Juft as well, retorted I again, as a coat carried up to him by an adventurous taylor, without taking his measure Fool! continued I

auch die Verwirrung, die dadurch entstehen könnte, noch fo grofs wäre. - Herolde waren fonft verpflichtete Auf feher bey Thurnieren und andern Feyerlichkeiten, welche die adelichen Ahnen und Wa. pen unterfuchen, und in streitigen Fällen den Ausspruch thun mufsten. In diefer Be deutung giebt es in England noch Herolde, deren vornehm. fte Beschäftigung die Wapen der Adelichen find.

fee Monfieur Le Duc's face first obferve what cha

racter is written in it

take notice in what pofture he ftands to hear you mark the turns and expreffions of his body and limbs And for the tone the first found which comes from his lips will give it you; and from all thefe together you'll compound an addrefs at once upon the spot, which cannot disgust the Duke the ingredients are his own 3), and most likely to go down.

Well! faid I, I wish it well over

Coward again! as if man to man was not equal 4) throughout the who, le furface of the globe; and if in the field why. not face to face in the cabinet too? And truft me, Yorick, whenever it is not fo, man is falfe to himself, and betrays his own fuccours ten times where nature does3) Go to the Duc de C- with the Baftile in

it once. thy looks My life for it, thou wilt be fent back to Paris in half an hour, with an escort,

I believe fo, faid I Then I'll go to the Duke, by heaven! with all the gaiety and debonairness in the world.