THE old officer was reading attentively a small pamphlet, it might be the book of the opera, with a large pair of spectacles. As foon as I fat down, he took his fpectacles off, and putting them into a fhagreen cafe, returned them and the book into his pocket together. I half rofe up, and made him a bow.

TRANSLATE this into any civilized language in the worldthe fenfe is

this:

"HERE's a poor ftranger come into "the box-he feems as if he knew

"nobody; and is never likely, was he to "be seven years in París, if every man ❝he comes near keeps his fpectacles up

on his nofe- -'tis fhutting the door "of converfation abfolutely in his face and using him worse than a Ger

man."

THE

THE French officer might as well have faid it all aloud; and if he had, I fhould in courfe have put the bow I made him in French too, and told him, "I

6 was fenfible of his attention, and re"turned him a thousand thanks for it."

THERE is not a fecret fo aiding to the progrefs of fociality, as to get master of this fhort hand, and be quick in rendering the several turns of looks and limbs, with all their inflections and delineations, into plain words. For my own part, by long habitude, I do it fo mechanically, that when I walk the streets of London, I go tranflating all the way; and have more than once ftood behind in the circle, where not three words have been faid, and have brought off twenty different dialogues with me, which I could have fairly wrote down and sworn to.

I was going one evening to Martini's

concert

concert at Milan, and was just entering the door of the hall, when the Marquefina de F*** was coming out in a fort of a hurry- -she was almost upon me be

fore I faw her: fo I gave a fpring to one

-

fide to let her pafs- She had done the fame, and on the fame fide too; fo we ran our heads together. She inftantly got to the other fide to get out: I was just as unfortunate as fhe had been; for I had fprung to that fide, and oppofed her paffage again We both flew together to the other fide, and then back — and fo on it was ridiculous; we both blushed intolerably; fo I did at last the thing I fhould have done at firstI ftood still, and the Marquefina had no more difficulty. I had no power to go into the room, till I had made her fo much reparation as to wait and follow her with my eye to the end of the paffage —She looked back twice, and walked along it rather fide-ways, as if fhe would

would make room for any one coming up tairs to pass her-No, faid I-that's a vile tranflation: the Marquefina has a right to the beft apology I can make her; and that opening is left for me to do it info I ran and begged pardon for the embarrassment I had given her, faying, it was my intention to have made her way. She answered, she was guided by the fame intention towards me fo we reciprocally thanked each other. She was at the stairs; and feeing no chichefbee near, I begged to hand her to her coach- -fo we went down the stairs, stopping at every third step to talk of the concert and the adventure- -Upon my word, Madame, said I, when I had handed her in, I made fix different efforts to let you go out And I made fix efforts, replied fhe, to let you enter I wish to heaven ye would make a feventh, faid I--With all my heart, faid she, making room-Life is too short

VOL. I.

K

to

to be long about the forms of it-fo I instantly stepped in, and she carried me home with her- -And what became of the concert, St. Cecilia, who, I fuppofe, was at it, knows more than L.

I WILL only add, that the connection which arofe out of that tranflation, gave me more pleasure than any one I had the honour to make in Italy.

THE