crecy. "No more words, friend Nicholas, quoth the inquifidor, upon that fcore; I do not believe thee one jot the more for all thy promifes, my dependence is upon thy fears and not thy faith; I fancy thou haft feen enough of this place not to be willing to return to it once for all?" Having fo faid, he rang a bell, and ordered Nicholas to be forthwith liberated, bidding the meffenger return his cloaths inftantly to him with all that belonged to him, and having flipt a purse into his hand well filled with doubloons, he bade him begone about his bufinefs and not fee his face again till he had executed his commands.

Nicholas bolted out of the porch without taking leave of the altar, and never checked his speed till he found himself fairly houfed under the fhelter of his own beloved brafs bafon. "Aha! quoth Nicholas, my lord inquifidor, I fee the king is not likely to gain a fubject more by your intrigues: a pretty job you have fet me about; and fo, when I have put the poor lady to reft with your damned fedative, my tongue must be stopped next to prevent its blabbing: but I'll fhew you I was not born in Andalufia for nothing.' Nicholas now opened a fecret drawer and took out a few pieces of money, which in fact was his whole ftock of cafh in the world; he loaded and primed his pistols, and carefully lodged them in the housers of his faddle, he buckled to his fide his trufty fpada, and haftened to caparison his mule! "Ah, thou imp of the old one, quoth he as he entered the ftable, art not ashamed to look me in the face? But come, huffey, thou owest me a good turn methinks, ftand by me this once,

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and be friends for ever! thou art in good cafe, and if thou wilt put thy beft foot foremost, like a faithful beaft, thou shalt not want for barley by the way." The bargain was foon ftruck between Nicholas and his mule, he mounted her in the happy moment and pointing his courfe towards the bridge of Toledo, which proudly ftrides with half a dozen lofty arches over a ftream scarce three feet wide, he found himself as completely in a defart in half a mile's riding, as if he had been dropt in the centre of Arabia Petrea. Nicholas's journey was not a tour of curiofity, he did not amufe himself with a peep at Toledo, or Taluvera, or even Merida by the way; for the fame reafon he took a circumbendibus round the frontier town of Badajoz, and croffing a little brook refreshed his mule with the laft draught of Spanish water, and inftantly congratulated himfelf upon entering the territory of Portugal. "Brava! quoth he, patting the neck of his mule, thou shalt have a fupper this night of the best fieve-meat that Eftremadura can furnith; we are now in a country where the fcattered flock of Ifrael fold thick and fare well." He now began to chaunt the fong of Solomon, and gently ambled on in the joy of his heart. (To be continued.)

I

Humourous Efay on the FOLLY of too great

PARENTAL INDULGENCE.

AM at prefent engaged in a vifit at a friend's houfe in the country, where I promised myfelf much fatisfaction: I have, however, been greatly disappointed in my expectations; for, on my arrival here, I found a house full of children,

who are humoured beyond meafure, and indeed abfolutely spoiled by the ridiculous indulgence of a fond mother. This unlucky circumftance has fubjected me to many inconveniences; and, as I am a man of a grave, referved difpofition, has been a perpetual fource of embarraffment and perplexity. The fecond day of my vifit, in the midft of dinner, the eldest boy, who is eight years old, whipped off my periwig with great dexterity, and received the applaufe of the table for his humour and fpirit. This lad, when he has reached his fourteenth year, and is big enough to lie without the maid, is to be fent to a fchool in the neighbourhood, which has no other merit than that of being but feven miles off-Six of the children are permitted to fit at table, who entirely monopolize the wings of fowls, and the moft delicate morfels of every difh, because the mother has discovered that her children have not frong ftomachs. In the morning, before my friend is up, I generally take a turn upon the gravel-walk, where I could wish to enjoy my own thoughts without interruption; but I am here inftantly attended by my little tormentors, who follow me backwards and forwards, and play at what they call running after the gentleman. My whip, which was a prefent from an old friend, has been lafhed to pieces by one of the boys who is fond of horses, and the handle is turned into a hobby horfe. The main fpring of my repeating watch has been broke in the nurfery, which, at the mother's request, I had lent to the youngest boy, who was juft breeched and cried to wear it. The mother's attention to the children deftroys all

converfation; And once, as an amufement for the evenings, we attempted to begin reading the Hiftory of England, but were interrupted in the fecond page by little Sammy, who is fuffered to whip his top in the parlour. I am known to be troubled with violent head-achs, notwithstanding which another of the boys, without notice given, or any regard paid to the company, is permitted to break out into the braying of an afs, for which the ftrength of his lungs is commended; and a little Mifs, at breakfast, is allowed to drink up all the cream, and put her fingers into the fugar difh, becaufe fhe was once fickly. am teazed with familiarities which I can only repay with a frown, and pestered with the impertinence of ludicrous prattle in which I am unqua lified to join. It is whifpered in the family, that I am a mighty good fort of a man, but that I cannot talk to children: nor am I the only perfon who fuffers from this folly; a neighbouring clergyman of great merit and modefty, and much acquainted in the family, has received hints to forbear coming to the house, because little Sukey always cries when fhe fees him, and has told her mamma fhe can't bear that ugly Parfon.

I revere Mrs Qualm as the mother; and only wifh I could commend her as the manager of children.I would teach her that it is abfurd to fuppofe others can be as much interested in her own children as herself; and that what I complain of as matter of inconvenience may one day prove a fevere trial; for early licentioufnefs will at laft mock that parental affection from whose mistaken indulgence it arofe.

A POPISH MIRACLE.

WHEN Naples was once clofely befieged, the

viceroy iffued a fevere order, that no man, above or under fuch an age, should appear in the ftreets without a fword, on pain of death. That he might be fure this order was ftrictly obeyed, he and his officers rode up and down the city to fee that none offended, and in his progrefs he perceived a gentleman without his fword; who, being brought to him, was immediately condemned to be hanged on the next fign-poft. The gentleman pleaded hard for his life, but to no purpose. He then entreated the viceroy, that he might not suffer fo ignominious a death, but die like a gentleman as he was; humbly defiring that the next gentleman who came by with a fword, might run him through the body. This being granted, prefently comes along one who was just come from a gaming-houfe, where he had loft all, even the very blade of his fword, and durft not go home till he had got a wooden one fitted to the hilt and fcabbard. Being ftopped, he was told the cafe, and what he was appointed to do: but, confcious of his own infufficiency to execute the bufinefs, he was fo confounded that he fcarce knew what to fay : What, make a common executioner of me!' faid he. What, ftain my blood to eternity!' with other fuch exclamations. But all proving fruitless, he prepared himself for the work; and kneeling down prayed- O God of Heaven, if this man ought not to die, convert this my faithful fword into wood.' Then plucking it out, and it appearing plainly to be a wooden weapon, the condemned gentleman was imme

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