The bird flew to the place where I was attempting his deliverance, and thrusting his head through the trellis, pressed his breast against it, as if impatient-I fear, poor creature! said I, I cannot set thee at liberty-" No," said the starling"I can't get out-I can't get out," said the starling.

I vow I never had my affections more tenderly awakened; nor do I remember an incident in my life, where the dissipated spirits, to which my reason had been a bubble, were so suddenly called home. Mechanical as the notes were, yet so true in tune to nature were they chaunted, that in one moment they overthrew all my systematic reasonings upon the Bastile; and I heavily walked up stairs, unsaying every word I had said in going

⚫ down them.

11

Disguise thyself as thou wilt, still, Slavery, said I still thou art a bitter draught! and though thousands in all ages have been made to drink of thee, thou art no less bitter on that account.'Tis thou, thrice sweet and gracious goddess, addressing myself to LIBERTY, whom all in public or in private worship, whose taste is grateful, and ever will be so, till NATURE herself shall changeno tint of words can spot thy snowy mantle, or

chymic power turn thy sceptre into iron-with thee to smile upon him as he eats his crust, the swain is happier than his monarch, from whose court thou art exiled-Gracious heaven! cried I, kneeling down upon the last step but one in my ascent-grant me but health, thou great Bestower of it, and give me but this fair goddess as my companion-and shower down thy mitres, if it seems good unto thy divine providence, upon those heads which are aching for them.

THE CAPTIVE.

THE

PARIS.

HE bird in his cage pursued me into my room; I sat down close by my table, and leaning my head upon my hand, I began to figure. to myself the miseries of confinement. I was in a right frame for it, so I gave full scope to my imagination.

I was going to begin with the millions of my fellow-creatures born to no inheritance but slavery; but finding, however affecting the picture was,

that

that I could not bring it near me, and that the multitude of sad groups in it did but distract

me

-I took a single captive, and having first shut him up in his dungeon, I then looked through the twilight of his grated door to take his picture.

I beheld his body half wasted away with long expectation and confinement, and felt what kind of sickness of the heart it was which arises from hope deferred. Upon looking nearer, I saw him pale and feverish :-in thirty years the western breeze had not once fanned his blood-he had seen no sun, no moon in all that time-nor had the voice of friend or kinsman breathed through his lattice his children

-But here my heart began to bleed-and I was forced to go on with another part of the por trait.

He was sitting upon the ground upon a little straw, in the furthest corner of his dungeon, which was alternately his chair and bed; a little calendar of small sticks were laid at the head, notched all over with the dismal days and nights he had passed there he had one of these little sticks in his hand, and with a rusty nail he was etching another day of misery to add to the heap. As I darkened

the