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When I had got to the end of the third act, the Count de B**** entered with my passport in his hand. Mons. 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, Mons. 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, Mons. 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.

Voilà 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 tarnish'd by the figure Ï cut in it. But there is nothing unmix'd 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 his 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 cocksparrow, 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 twice,~ twice, beg pardon for it.

CHARACTER.

VERSAILLES.

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 Français 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 had a reserve, and that I would speak my opinion frankly.

I believe, Mons. 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 some other way. -A polish'd nation, my dear Count, said I, makes every one its debtor; and besides, Urbanity itself, like the fair sex, 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 empower'd to arrive at; if he

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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 refinements, 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, Mons. 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 much 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, Mons. le Count, added I, (wishing to soften what I had said,) have so many excellencies, they can the better spare this;-they are a loyal, a gallant, a generous, an ingenious, and good-temper'd 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 ex

clamation.-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-.

But, if it is not too far to come to Versailles to eat your soup with me, I beg, before you leave France, I may have the pleasure of knowing you retract your opinion, or, in what manner you support it. But if you do support it, Mons. Anglais, said he, you must do it with all your powers, because you have the whole world against you.-I promised the Count I would do myself the honour of dining with him before I set out for Italy; — so took my leave.

THE TEMPTATION.

PARIS..

WHEN I alighted at the hotel, the porter told me a young woman with a band-box had been that moment inquiring for me.-I do not know, said the porter, whether she is gone away or not.-I took the key of my chamber of him, and went up stairs; and, when I had got within ten steps of the top of the landing before my door, I met her coming easily down.

It was the fair fille de chambre I had walked along the Quai de Conti with: Madame de R-had sent her upon some commission to a marchande de modes within a step or two of the hotel de Modene; and, as

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