way fufficient for the many great claims which are hourly made upon it. As I pronounced the words great claims, he gave a flight glance with his ye downwards upon the fleeve of his tunic-I felt the full force of the ap-peal-I acknowledge it, faid I-a coarfe habit, and that but once in three years, with meagre dietare no great matters; and the true point of pity is, as they can be earn'd in the world with fo little in-duftry, that your order fhould 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 fhare 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 fhould it have been open'd to you, for the ranfom of the unfortunate The monk made me a bow-but of all others, refumed I, the unfortunate of our own country, furely, have the firft rights; and I have left thoufands in diftrefs upon our own fhore-The monk gave a cordial wave with his head-as much as to fay, 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 tunic, in return for his appeal-we diftinguish, my good Father! betwixt thofe who with only to eat the bread of their own labour, 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 done with her refentments in him; he fhewed none--but letting his ftaff taff fall within his arm, he prefs'd both his hands with refignation upon his breast, and retired. THE MONK. CALAIS. M Y heart fmote me the moment he shut the door-Piha faid I, with an air of careleff. ness, three several times-but it would not do: every ungracious fyllable I had utter'd, crouded back into my imagination:-1 reflected I had no right over the poor Francifcan, but to deny him; and that the punishment of that was enough to the disappointed without the addition of unkind language- confidered his gray hairs-his courteous figure feem'd to re-enter, and gently afk me what injury he had done me ?-and why I could ufe him thus-I would have given twenty livres for an advocate-I have behaved very ill, faid I within myfelf; but I have only just set out upon my travels, and fhall learn better manners as I get along. THE DESOBLIGEANT. CALAI S. W HEN 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 chaife,--and nature generally prompting us to the thing we are fitteit for, I walk'd out into the coach-yard to buy or hire fomething fomething of that kind to my purpose: an old * Defe obligeant in the furtheft corner of the court, hit my fancy at first fight; fo I inftantly got into it, and finding it in tolerable harmony with my feelings, I ordered the waiter to call Monfieur Deffein the master of the hotel-but Monfieur Deffein being gone to vefpers, and not caring to face the Francifcan, whom I faw on the oppofite fide of the court in conference with a lady juft 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.. T must be obferved by many a peripatetic philo questionable authority certain boundaries and fences to circumfcribe the discontent of man: fhe has effected her purpose in the quieteft and easiest manner, by laying him under almost infuperable obligations to work out his ease, and to fustain his fufferings at home. It is there only that fhe has provided him with the moft fuitable objects to partake of his happiness, and bear a part of that burden which, in all countries and ages, has ever been too heavy for one pair of thoulders. 'Tis true, we are endued with an imperfect power of fpreading our happiness fometimes beyond her limits; but tis fo ordered, that, from the want of languages, connec tions, and dependencies, and from the difference in.. education, customs, and habits, we lie under fo ma * A chaife, fo called in France, from its holding but one perfun. ny impediments in communicating our fenfations out of our own sphere, as often amount to a total impoffibility. 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 converfation will feldom be taken in exchange for theirs without a large difcount-and this, by-the-by, eternally driving him into the hands of more equitable brokers for fuch converfation 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 Defobligeant will but let -me get on) into the efficient as well as the final caufes of travelling Your idle people that leave their native country and go abroad for fome reafon or reasons which may be derived from one of these general caufes-- Infirmity of body, Imbecillity of mind, or The first two include all those who travel by land or by water, labouring with pride, curiofity, vanity, or fpleen, fubdivided and combined in infini tum. The third class includes the whole army of peregrine martyrs; more especially thofe 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 tranfported by the cruelty of parents and guardians, and travelling under under the direction of governors recommended by Oxford, Aberdeen, and Glafgow. There is a fourth clafs, but their number is fo Small that they would not deserve a distinction, was it not neceffary, in a work of this nature, to obferve the greatest precifion and nicety, to avoid a confufion of character. And these men I fpeak of, are fuch as cross the feas, and fojourn in a land of strangers, with a view of faving money for various reafons, and upon various pretences: but as they might alfo fave themfelves and others a great deal of unneceffary trouble by faving their money at home-and as their reafons for travelling are the leaft complex of any o her fpecies of emigrants, I shall diftinguish these gentlemen by the name of Simple Travellers. Thus the whole circle of travellers may be redu ced to the following Heads. Idle Travellers, Then follow the Travellers of Neceffity. The delinquent and felonious Traveller, And laft of all (if you please) The Sentimental Traveller (meaning thereby myself) who have travell'd, and of which I am now fitting downl |