of art; and before I had been three days in Paris with him-he feemed 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 fhirts and filk pair of breeches; and bid him fasten all upon the chaife-get the horses put to -and defire the landlord to come in with his bill, C'eft un garçon de bonne fortune', said the landlord, pointing through the window to half a dozen wenches who had got round about La Fleur, and were moft kindly taking their leave of him, as the poftillion was leading out the horses. La Fleur kiffed 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 fcarce a corner in Montriul where the want own, of him will not be felt: he has but one misfortune in the world, continued he, "He is always in love."-I am heartily glad of it, faid I-'twill fave me the trouble every night of putting my breeches under my head. In saying this, I was making not fo much La Fleur's eloge, as my having been in love with one prin. cess or another almost all my life, and I hope I fhall go on fo, till I die, being firmly perfuaded, that, if ever I do a mean action, it must be in fome interval betwixt one passion and another; whilft this interregnum lafts, I always perceive my heart locked up-I can scarce find in it to give Mifery a fixpence; and therefore I always get out of it as faft as I can, and the moment I am rekindled, all generofity and good-will again; and would do any thing in the world either for, or with any one, if they will but fatisfy me there is no fin in it. I am -But in saying this--furely I am commending the passion-not myself. A FRAGMENT. -THE town of Abdera, notwithstanding Democritus lived there, trying all the powers of irony and laughter to reclaim it, was the vileft and most profligate town in all Thrace. What for poisons, confpiracies and affallinations pasquinades and tumults, there was no going there by day-'twas worfe by night. libels, Now, when things were at the worst, it came to pass, that the Andromeda of Euripides being represented at Abdera, the whole orcheftra was delighted with it: but, of all the passages which delighted them, nothing operated more upon their imaginations, than the tender ftrokes of nature, which the poet had wrought up in that pathetick speech of Perfeus, O Cupid, prince of Gods and men, etc. Every man almoft spoke pure iambicks the next day, and talk'd of nothing but Perfeus his pathetick address "O Cupid! prince of "Gods and men"-in every ftreet of Abdera, in every house-"O Cupid! Cupid!" -in every mouth, like the natural notes of some sweet melody which drop from it whether it will or no-nothing but “Cu"pid! Cupid! prince of Gods and men" The fire caught—and the whole city, like the heart of one man, open'd itself to Love. No pharmacopolift could fell one grain of hellebore-not a fingle armourer had a heart to forge one inftrument of deathFriendship and Virtue met together, and kifs'd each other in the ftreet-the golden age returned, and hung over the town of Abdera- every Abderite took his oaten pipe, and every Abderitish woman left her purple web, and chastely sat her down and liften'd to the fong 'Twas only in the power, fays the Fragment, of the God whose empire extendeth from heaven to earth, and even to the depths of the fea, to have done this. MONTRIUL. WHEN all is ready, and every article is difputed and paid for in the inn, unless you are a little four'd by the adventure, there is always a matter to com pound at the door, before you can get into your chaife, and that is with the fons and daughters of poverty, who surround you. Let no man say, "let them go to "the devil"-'tis a cruel journey to send a few miserables, and they have had sufferings enow without it; I always think it better to take a few fous out in my hand; and I would counsel every gentle traveller to do fo likewise he need not be fo exact in setting down his motives for giving them-They will be register'd elsewhere. For my own part, there is no man gives fo little as I do; for few that I know have so little to give: but as this was the firft publick act of my charity in France, I took the more notice of it. A well-a-way! said I, I have but eight fous in the world, fhewing them in my hand, and there are eight poor men and eight poor women for'em. A poor tatter'd foul, without a shirt on, inftantly withdrew his claim, by retiring two fteps out of the circle, and making a disqualifying bow on his part. Had the whole parterre cried out, Place aux |