attendance upon their chapels, you have con- || party, than she prevailed upon his father, to add tracted a wise indifference to all religions; from an unconstrained indulgence in every pleasure, you have formed yourself by habit to pursue it as the only end of life!"

Nor was the satisfaction of his father less than that of the lady herself: as he regarded the area frons, the haughty air of defiance, and the countenance which was never disgraced by a blush, of this his only son and future hope and representative, he found it equally difficult to contain his paternal satisfaction. "This boy will do," || said he: a Premier himself would not blush to acknowledge him for his own: what, indeed, may I not expect from him! he may suspend the Habeas Corpus act, and double a national debt!"

another five hundred to his appointment, for the support of Signora in all due splendour. Sir Robert, indeed, was somewhat inclined to hold out against this new demand; but as the lady happened fortunately to observe that intrigue was a ministerial talent, Sir Robert, without further hesitation, nodded, and signed.

You now, therefore, behold the young Sir

on his travels in the style, suite, and equipage of an English gentleman;-a Scotch tutor, an infidel and an apostate, a disciple of Hume, and an eléve of Smith-a French dancing-master

and an Italian mistress!—Add to this, an allowance of two thousand a year, and such a confidence in the blind indulgence of his father, that he would not hesitate, upon occasion, to draw upon him to one half of the amount of his estate; and you have a finished image of the young Sir upon his grand tour: nor indeed of him alone-ex uno disce omnes; he may stand for the whole class of his country-our young travelling Nobles.

Such were the mutual congratulations of Sir Robert and his Lady upon their survey of the qualities of their hopeful heir. The last act, however, of fashionable education still remained, and the son of Sir Robert was sent upon his grand tour. But previous to his departure his father and mother had been equally anxious to provide The travels of our hero were not without their him with proper companions, nor was this anxfull fruit and effect; he had indeed too much iety fruitless; they had procured a Scotch tutor, spirit and too much money not to reap the usual with the morality and happy dexterity which, to benefits of the grand tour. With the happy inde them justice, is not uncominon with this class dustry of the bee, he collected something upon of the learned This gentleman was not without every ground; and with so much ardour did he learning; but he had what recommended him apply himself to these attainments, that he was with more force, a spirit of servility and of the soon celebrated in every country as one who pos'most courtly compliance: he was a declared insessed, in the highest degree, what was confidel, and as such, Sir Robert observed, could sidered as their peculiar vice, and as it were chanot fill the head of his son with those prejudices racteristic disgrace. Thus, whilst in France, he of conscience which might be a check to him in outdid the court itself in a studied inconsistency his progress to future dignity-the sole end of all of his performance with his professions; he no Sir Robert's aims and hopes :-he had been ex- sooner obtained an introduction into a family, pelled the kirk for blasphemy; but blasphemy, than, remembering his favourite and model, as Sir Robert well observed, was no small argu- Chesterfield, he cultivated the good graces of the ment of confidence; and who could deny that females, and repaid the kindness of his host with confidence was a talent of value to a minister? seduction or adultery. An affair of this nature He had, moreover, been kicked; but patience, occasioned a challenge-our traveller had according to the opinion of Sir Robert, was something of our national courage; he delayed equally ministerial with confidence:-he finished not, therefore, to meet the injured husband, this remark by engaging the tutor at a salary of and, to use his own expression, being a tolerable five hundred a year. Nor did his mother delay marksman, shot him through the head! the to add another member to his travelling suite-guilty wife, the cause of this rather unlucky adthis was a French dancing-master: but as this fellow had formerly been a corporal in one of the regiments of Calais, and deserted from it to seek a fortune upon the opposite shore, it was arranged that he should not join our traveller till his entrance into Italy. The young gentleman him-vanced to conduct her to a more pleasing scene; self added the third, and perhaps most necessary of all his suite-an Italian opera-dancer. You must not, however, suppose that this was without the knowledge of the good lady, his mother; for, to do justice to her tender affection to her son, she no sooner learned this addition to his No. V. Vol. I.

venture, had traced the combatants to the spot; she arrived in the moment in which her injured husband received the ball of his adversary, and her arms grasped his dying body. The young Sir -> with his usual courtly politeness, ad

but though the approach was made with all his usual grace, and according to the strict rules of Chesterfield, the lady repulsed him with a look of horror, and still further increased his astonishment by a torrent of the most passionate reproach. She accused him of having availed

himself of one of her unguarded moments-one of her moments of levity and irregular passion, and thus betrayed her into this crime against her husband-a husband whom she loved in the same degree in which she had ever despised, and now abhorred his murderer!

The young Sir was aghast with astonishment:-he doubted, however, the sincerity of this address; and to put it to the proof, again renewed his entreaties. The lady, however, again repelled him; and perceiving a brace of pistols yet undischarged laying upon the ground, she seized them, and presenting one towards the breast of her seducer

"But we will not die unrevenged!" exclaimed she, nor shalt thou survive to triumph!" Saying this, she discharged the pistol, and the young Sir fell to all appearance dead. The remaining pistol she presented, and discharged into her own bosom. Its effect, as may well be supposed, was immediate: she fell upon the body of her husband, threw her arms around his neck, and pressing him to her heart, now in the convulsions of death, breathed her last sigh in his arms!

fairly," said he," as he would have wished to have shot me:-as to the wife, plague take her for a fool, she shot herself!-In what have I offended?"

In this manner did he reconcile himself to the fatal effects of his duel and amour; nor did his tutor hesitate to give his assent to this logic. Our traveller, therefore, was restored to peace as to health.

From Paris he departed towards Italy, and Rome soon became the scene of his pleasures, and the admiring spectatress of his folly. A daughter of one of the most noble families had taken the vows but a few weeks previous to his arrival; her beauty was the subject of general conversation, and her voluntary desertion from a world whose pleasures she appeared so formed to taste, was equally the subject of surprise and ap plause. Our travellers had undertaken their tour for no other purpose than to see in every country what was most singular;-could any thing, therefore, be more natural than their anxiety to behold this female miracle?

It was thus that the Scotch tutor encouraged the desire which his pupil expressed to gratify this laudable curiosity. This gentleman, indeed, like many others of the same class, was one of the most complaisant of men, and had such a laudable regard to the pleasures and even the

might be the profligacy or wickedness of any of his proposals, it was sufficient for him that it was proposed; he delayed not to lend his heart and hand to its accomplishment :-such was this worthy tutor!

You will now, perhaps, enquire what was the situation of our traveller, who had fallen to every appearance breathless, from the ball of the repentant subject of his seduction: the ball, indeed, had entered his body, and the future pre-caprices of his young companion, that, whatever mier had never revived to open a budget, had not the happy fate of the nation, or of himself, brought his Scotch tutor to the spot of combat. This gentleman had too much philosophy to be extravagantly agitated by any thing; he could not, however, survey the field and the three bodies without some emotion both of surprise and alarm. As he was of that Scotch philosophy which considers self-love as the centre of all moral motion, his first resolution was to return to his apartments, and leave every thing as he had found it upon his arrival. He had not time, however, to execute this resolution; for our young traveller happened in this moment to open his eyes, and to recognise his friend and tutor. He was immediately conveyed to his lodgings, and his wound was found to be less dangerous than was imagined In a word, the strength of his constitution, and, to do him justice, the for titud with which he supported a most painful operation, at length succeeded; and in a few weeks after his confinement, his health was fully restored.

You may think, perhaps, that an affair of a nature so fatal might have produced a reformation in his manners and pursuits; but our traveller was too much a man of fashion to be long affected by what he considered as an accident of fortune," As to the husband, I shot him

Our young traveller, therefore, whom I shall hereafter call by the name of the Man of the Mode, for you must acknowledge that he has well merited this appellation, had no sooner expressed his desire to rally the nun, than his tutor contrived the means of their first interview. In a word, the Man of the Mode scaled the walls of the convent garden, and appeared, to her surprise and terror, at the feet of the lady: she had the spirit, however, to repulse him with merited disdain.

The Man of the Mode was too accustomed to these first defences to be thus diverted from his pursuit: he had recourse to other means-he bribed her attendants, her companions, and even her confessor. By the perfidy of her confidant, he at length concealed himself in her dormitory. The nun had no sooner retired to her bed, than he appeared upon his knees at her side; his tears, his oaths, his tender and passionate address at length excited her pity, and she suffered herself to be persuaded not to summon the convent to her assistance. As the portress, however, according to the rules of the house, had

locked on the outside the door of the dormitory, it was impossible he should retreat; the nun was therefore contented with commanding him to the furthest part of her chamber. The Man of the Mode obeyed; his feelings, however, were too great to be restrained; he burst into tears, and took care that he should not be unheard. The nun endeavoured to console him; in a word, her heart was softened, her vows forgotten, and she fell a victim to his seduction! The intercourse continued for some months; when, to their mutual terror, the unhappy nun became pregnant!

You will enquire, perhaps, what was the fate of the nun. The travellers, as I have said, gained the coast without interruption: here, however, they could find no vessel, and therefore were compelled to wait for their passage. This time, as I have heard from the travellers themselves, passed very heavily-from remorse perhaps?-not at all; but the opera had been suspended from some misinanagement of its conductors.

One day, however, they happened to enter a coffee-house, and to take up a newspaper. The first paragraph was as follows:

"They write from Rome that a most melancholy occurrence has become the subject of conversation and curiosity throughout the court and city :"-here the name of the nun was mentioned.-"A daughter of the house of Colonna, and a nun of the convent of St. after some

The laws of the Holy See condemn to the most cruel death the breach of chastity; nor was our traveller himself exempt from the same penalty. It is impossible, therefore, to describe the mutual terror of the parties upon this discovery of the consequences of their amour. There appeared, however, but one means of escape-days of insanity, of which no cause is known,

that of flight: upon this, therefore, they mu-
tually resolved; and it was agreed that it should
be put in execution the same evening :-the nun
was to be in the gardens of the convent at an ap-
pointed time; her lover was to scale the walls,
and receiving her in his arms, break open a gate,
and depart for England. By this expectation
the fears of the lady were in some degree soften-
ed;
and after a repeated flood of tears, as if
divining what was to happen, suffered her lover
to depart.

The Man of the Mode had no sooner left the convent, than he went in search of his tutor, and without further delay informed him of his difficulty, and his proposed method of escape. The gentleman heard him with his usual attention and complaisance, but at length interrupted him.

had at length disappeared. All efforts to recover her have hitherto been fruitiess; it is generally believed she has drowned herself in one of the numerous lakes with which the neighbourhood of the city abounds. The cause of this melancholy event is totally unknown."

"What can have become of her?" said the Man of the Mode as he read this.

His companion and tutor had no time to answer this demand; for the attention both of the enquirer and himself was in the same instant called off by a crowd collected opposite to the windows of the tavern; the hoots and laughter of the mob attracted the Man of the Mode and his tutor to the window, to know the subject of their unusual merriment. The first object which saluted their eyes was that of a lunatic, whose dishevelled hair, and wildness of look and

"Is the lady to accompany us in our flight?"|| gesture, excited alternately the tears and in

said he.

"but

"Doubtless," replied the Man of the Mode, and with a look of some astonishment; why that question?"

"Do you still love her?" rejoined the tutor. The Man of the Mode replied with a gay negative; adding, that he had started new game.

"Then the nun must not accompany us," returned the tutor; "it will only occasion a pursuit from which it will be impos ible for us to escape. Our lives are at stake; let us not lose a moment. If we fly before your crime is known, we shall gain such ground, that we may defy them; but if we take the nun, we are lost."

This argument was decisive :-horses were ordered; and the Man of the Mode and his worthy tutor departed, leaving the nun to her fate! They arrived at the seaport without obstacle or pursuit.

voluntary laughter of the surrounding mob. She at length turned her eyes towards the window, and the Man of the Mode recognised the nun!The Man of the Mode blushed!

Seeing, however, that the shattered reason of his mistress left her no recollection of him, he regained his composure, and consulted with his tutor in what manner to act. It was at length resolved that the landlord of the house should conduct her, as an unknown patient, to the public receptacle of lunatics, and should pay the usual fee for her admission. This was accordingly executed; and the whole town commended the charity of the English gentlemen, who could thus feel and pay for unhappy strangers.

The Man of the Mode, indeed, was at first inclined to inform her relations of her situation; but, as the tutor observed that this might perhaps enable them to trace their acquaintance with her, and thus might lead to some suspicion

of what had hitherto so wholly escaped them, the design was laid aside. A few days afterwards they departed from the city, and returned to England.

Such was the Man of the Mode upon his entrance on his grand tour, and such were the advantages which, in common with many others of his countrymen, he derived from it. With these improvements did he return to the expecting arms of his mother. His father was no more:I had forgotten to mention this incident in the period in which it happened—that is to say, whilst our travellers were upon their tour. His mother, however, received him with a transport of maternal affection, and regarded with equal wonder and rapture the indeed visible change in his person and manners.

Being thus in every respect completed, and by a fashionable education adapted to her long-retained purpose, nothing further remained but to unfold it, and excite him to its immediate execution. She did not long delay this avowal; and the Man of the Mode adopted her revenge, and approved of the means with a piety truly filial:-not a moment was lost; a new equipage was ordered, and upon its completion, the Man of the Mode, without further delay, departed for the scene of action.

The faithless lover of his mother had married, as we have already mentioned, a woman of no less virtue than more brilliant accomplishments. A daughter was the only fruit of this union; and at the period of this first visit of the Man of the Mode, she had entered her seventeenth year. She possessed the beauty and merit of her mother; her character, however, perhaps from an uninterrupted residence in the country, and a fondness for books of imagination, had something of a dangerous sensibility, and an excess of warmth and confidence, which made her a too easy victim to the hand which was now preparing for her sacrifice. Upon this his first interview, he could not fail to see the foible of his mistress; -upon this foible he built as upon a foundation.

As he returned home from his visit, he revolved in his mind the means of success." Her virtue," said he, "to which she is attached with all the passionate ardour of her nature, is too well founded to be shaken by an immediate attack upon itself: there are no means of betraying her, but by making this virtue itself the instrument of its own ruin; her sensibility, her enthusiasm, the romance and sickly delicacy of her mind must be in the same moment my aim and instruments-by these I cannot fail."

He had no sooner resolved upon this plan of conduct, than with a persevering industry, which is not unfrequently found in Men of the Mode

in the pursuit of any extraordinary mischief, he

followed it without weariness or deviation through its minutest steps. His advantages of travel, and a brilliancy of address, were too successful in the attacks upon the heart of the inexperienced girl; her age was that of love-that season of life when the soul is alive to every impression of tenderness. The Man of the Mode, however, was not without those talents of eloquence which enabled him to improve and advance this prejudice. To adapt himself more to the foibles of his mistress, and to represent in his own that image of excellence with which her favourite romances had furnished the mind of the unsuspecting girl, he hesitated not to adopt the style, and even the manners of her most adored heroes. In a word, these arts had so well succeeded, that he was loved with a warmth and sincerity which could only be equalled by his own hypocrisy : he saw his advantage, and resolved, without further delay, to avail himself of what he too justly considered as signs of weakness.

During all this time he had said nothing of marriage; the equality of their rank and even fortune had, doubtless, rendered this the understood motive of his visits and attention: he had hitherto, however, avoided every mention of this subject;-though the modesty of his mistress would not admit her to appear to notice this silence, the increasing tenderness of her affection could not but feel its cruelty. She would sometimes steal a look of languor, and when his eyes happened to meet her own, would withdraw them with confusion. The Man of the Mode saw his time: the affection of his mistress was now at its full height. He hesitated not, therefore, to fix the day; but upon one of those excuses so ready to men of intrigue, he insisted that the ceremony should be performed pri|| vately, and without the knowledge of any one but themselves. This proposal appeared extraordinary: he demanded her consent, however, as a proof of her love and confidence, and she hesitated not to comply.

The unhappy girl was thus put off her guard. The nuptials were to take place within a fortnight after the day on which it was thus appointed; this time, therefore, appeared to her fixed beyond recal; her love, her confidence were thus raised to their full height. Unsuspicious of any thing, unconscious of her own weakness, and not doubting the intention of her lover, she hesitated not to grant him a private meeting. The Man of the Mode was too versed in intrigue to seek to avail himself of this first imprudence. A second and a third interview passed without any consequence. Her confidence thus increased; a fourth was demanded, and granted; -it is needless to add that her virtue submitted.

THE GOLDEN MIRROR;

OR,

THE KINGS OF SHESHIAN:

A TRUE HISTORY, TRANSLATED FROM THE SHESHIANESE.