a livre out of my pocket, quoth I to myself, this very night-But they have wherewithal to be so, Monsieur, added he-Set down one livre more for that, quoth I—It was but last night, said the landlord, qu'un my Lord Anglois presentoit un ecu à la fille de chambre-Tant pis, pour Mademoiselle Janatone, said I.

Now Janatone being the landlord's daughter, and the landlord supposing I was young in French, took the liberty to inform me I should not have said tant pis—but tant mieux. Tant mieux, toujours, Monsieur, said he, when there is any thing to be got-tant pis, when there is nothing. It comes to the same thing, said I. Pardonnez moi, said the landlord.

I cannot take a fitter opportunity to observe once for all, that tant pis and tant mieux being two of the great hinges in French conversation, a stranger would do well to set himself right in the use of them before he gets to Paris.

A prompt French Marquis, at our ambassador's table, demanded of Mr. H- if he was H

the poet? No, said Mr. H

replied the Marquis.

It is H

mildly-Tant pis,

the historian, said another-Tant mieux, said the Marquis. And Mr. H, who is a man of an excellent heart, returned thanks for both.

When the landlord had set me right in this matter, he called in La Fleur, which was the name of the young man he had spoke of saying only first, that

as for his talents, he would presume to say nothing -Monsieur was the best judge what would suit him ;

but for the fidelity of La Fleur, he would stand responsible in all he was worth.

The landlord delivered this in a manner which instantly set my mind to the business I was upon— and La Fleur, who stood waiting without, in that breathless expectation which every son of Nature of us have felt in our turns, came in.

MONTRIUL.

I AM apt to be taken with all kinds of people at first sight; but never more so than when a poor devil comes to offer his service to so poor a devil as myself; and, as I know this weakness, I always suffer my judgment to draw back something on that very account-and this more or less, according to the mood I am in, and the case and I may add the gender too, of the person I am to govern.

When La Fleur entered the room, after every discount I could make for my soul, the genuine look and air of the fellow determined the matter at ence in his favour; so I hired him first-and then began to inquire what he could do: But I shall find out his talents, quoth I, as I want them-besides, a Frenchman can do every thing.

Now poor La Fleur could do nothing in the world

but beat a drum, and play a march or two upon the fife. I was determined to make his talents do; and can't say my weakness was ever so insulted by my wisdom as in the attempt.

La Fleur had set out early in life, as gallantly as most Frenchmen do, with serving for a few years; at the end of which, having satisfied the sentiment, and found, moreover, that the honour of beating a drum was likely to be its own reward, as it opened no further track of glory to him—he retired à ses terres, and lived comme il plaisoit à Dieu-that is to say, upon nothing.

-And so, quoth Wisdom, you have hired a drummer to attend you in this tour of your's through France and Italy! Psha! said I, and do not one half of our gentry go with a hum-drum compagnon du voyage the same round, and have the piper and the devil and all to pay besides? When man can extricate himself with an equivoque in such an unequal match-he is not ill off-But you can do something else, La Fleur? said I-O qu'oui !—he could make spatterdashes, and play a little upon the fiddleBravo! said Wisdom-Why, I play a bass myself, said I—we shall do very well.-You can shave, and dress a wig a little, La Fleur?-He had all the dispositions in the world-It is enough for heaven! said I, interrupting him—and ought to be enough for me-So supper coming in, and having a frisky English spaniel on one side of my chair, and a French valet, with as much hilarity in his counte

nance as ever Nature painted in one, on the other -I was satisfied to my heart's content with my empire; and if monarchs knew what they would be at, they might be as satisfied as I was.

MONTRIUL

As La Fleur went the whole tour of France and Italy with me, and will be often upon the stage, I must interest the reader a little further in his behalf, by saying, that I had never less reason to repent of the impulses which generally do determine me, than in regard to this fellow-he was a faithful, affectionate, simple soul as ever trudged after the heels of a philosopher; and notwithstanding his talents of drum-beating and spatterdash-making, which, though very good in themselves, happened to be of no great service to me, yet was I hourly recompensed by the festivity of his temper-it supplied all defects-I had a constant resource in his looks in all difficulties and distresses of my own--I was going to have added, of his too; but La Fleur was out of the reach of every thing; for whether 'twas hunger or thirst, or cold or nakedness, or watchings, or whatever stripes of ill luck La Fleur met with in our journeyings, there was no index in his physiognomy to point them out by--he was eternally the same; so that if I am a piece of a philoso

pher, which Satan now and then puts it into my head I am-it always mortifies the pride of the conceit by reflecting how much I owe to the complexional philosophy of this poor fellow for shameing me into one of a better kind. With all this, La Fleur had a small cast of the coxcomb-but he seemed at first sight to be more a coxcomb of nature than of art; and before I had been three days in Paris with him-he seemed to be no coxcomb at all.

MONTRIUL.

THE next morning La Fleur entering upon his employment, I delivered to him the key of my portmanteau with an inventory of my half a dozen shirts and silk pair of breeches; and bid him fasten all upon the chaise-get the horses put to—and desire the landlord to come in with his bill.

C'est un garcon de bonne fortune, said the landlord, pointing through the window to half a dozen wenches who had got round about La Fleur, and were most kindly taking their leave of him, as the postilion was leading out the horses. La Fleur kissed all their hands round and round again, and thrice he wiped his eyes, and thrice he promised he would bring them all pardons from Rome.

The young fellow, said the landlord, is beloved by all the town, and there is scarce a corner in