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 fet out upon my travels, and fhall learn better manners as I get along. VOL. I. B THE THE DESOBLIGEANT. CALA I S. W HEN a man is difcontented 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 at chaise,—and nature generally prompting us to the thing we are fitteft for, I walked out into the coach-yard to buy or hire fomething of that kind to my purpose: an old * Defobligeant in the furthest corner of the court hit my fancy at first fight; A chaife, fo called in France, from its holding but one perfon. 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 mafter of the hotelbut Monfieur Deffein being gone to Vefpers, and not caring to face the Francifcan, whom I saw on the oppofite fide of the court in conference with a lady just arrived at the inn-I drew the tuffeta 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. و PR PREFACE. IN THE DESOBLIGEANT. T must be observed by many a peri patetic philofopher, That nature has fet up, by her own unquestionable authority, certain boundaries and fences to circumfcribe the difcontent of a man: fhe has effected her purpofe in the quietest and easiest manner, by laying him under almost infuperable obligations to work out his ease, and to sustain his fufferings at home. It is there only that fhe has provided him with the most 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 fhoulders. "Tis true, we are endued with an imperfect power power of spreading our happiness, fometimes beyond her limits; but 'tis so ordered, that, from the want of languages, connections, and dependencies, and from the differences in education, customs, and habits, we lie under fo many impediments in communicating our fenfations out of our own sphere, as often amount to a total impoffibility. Ir will always follow from hence, that the balance of fentimental commerce is always against the expatriated adventurer: he must buy what he has little occasion for at their own price-his conversation. 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 guefs at his party— |