in her pocket, to reflore it to him in cafe the thould ever fee him again, which, fhe added, he had half promifed lier. As the told me this, he took the handkerchief out of her pocket to let me fee it: the had folded it up neatly in a couple of vine leaves, tied round with a tendril→ on opening it, I faw an S marked in one of the corners.

She had fince thát, she told me, ftrayed as far as Rome, and walked round St. Peter's once and returned back -that the found her way alone across the Appeninės→→ had travelled over all Lombardy without money-and through the flinty roads of Savoy without fhoes: how the had berne it, and how he had got fupported, she could not tell-but God tempers the wind, faid Maria, to the fhorn lamb.

Shorn indeed, and to the quick, said I: and waft thou in my own land, where I have a cottage, I would take thee to it and fhelter thee; thou shouldit eat of my own bread, and drink of my own cup-I would be kind to thy Sylvio in all thy weakneffes and wanderings I would feek after thee, and bring thee back-when the fun went down I would fay my prayers, and when I had done, thou fhouldft play thy evening fong upon thy pipe; nor would the incenfe of my facrifice be worse accepted for entering heaven along with that of a broken heart.

Nature melted within me as I uttered this; and Maria obferving as I took out my handkerchief, that it was fteeped too much already to be of use, would needs go wall it in the ftream.- And where will you dry it, Maria? faid I.-I will dry it in my bofom, said she-it will do me good.

And is your heart fo warm, Maria? faid I.

I touched upon the firing on which hung all her forrows-fhe looked with wiftful disorder for fome time in my face; and then, without saying any thing, took her

F

pipe, and played her fervice to the Virgin. The ftring I had touched ceafed to vibrate-in a moment or two Maria returned to herself-let her pipe fall-and rose up.

And where are you going, Maria? faid I. She faid to Moulines-Let us go, faid I, together.-Maria put her arm within mine, and lengthening the ftring, to let the dog follow-in that order we entered Moulines.

Though I hate falutations and greetings in the marketplace, yet when we got into the middle of this, I stopped to take my laft look and laft farewell of Maria.

Maria, though not tall, was nevertheless of the first order of fine forms-Affliction had touched her looks with fomething that was scarce earthly-still she was feminine: -and fo much was there about her of all that the heart wishes, or the eye looks for in women, that could the traces be ever worn out of her brain, and those of Eliza out of mine, she should not only eat of my bread and drink of my own cup, but Maria should lie in my bofom, and be unto me as a daughter.

Adieu, poor lucklefs maiden !-Imbibe the oil and wine which the compaffion of a stranger, as he journeyeth on his way, now pours into thy wounds-the Being who has twice bruised thee, can only bind them up for ever.

STERNE.

CHAPTER XIL

THE CAMELION.

OFT it has been my lot to mark
A proud, conceited, talking fpark,
With eyes, that hardly ferv'd at most
To guard their mafter 'gainst a post :
Yet round the world the blade has been
To fee whatever could be seen

Returning from his finifh'd tour,
Grown ten times perter than before,
Whatever word you chance to drop,
The travell'd fool your mouth would stop;
"Sir, if my judgment you'll allow-
I've seen and fure I ought to know".
So begs you'd pay a due fubmiffion,
And acquiefce in his decifion.

Two travellers of fuch a caft,.
As o'er Arabia's wilds they past,
And on their way in friendly chat
Now talk'd of this, and then of that,
Difcours'd a while, 'mongst other matter,
Of the Camelion's form and nature.
"A ftranger animal,” cries one,
"Sure never liv'd beneath the fun :
A lizard's body, lean and long,
A fish's head, a ferpent's tongue,
Its foot with triple claw disjoin'’d,
And what a length of tail behind!
How flow its pace; and then its hue-
Whoever faw fo fine a blue?"

"Hold there," the other quick replies, " "Tis green-I saw it with these eyes, As late with open mouth it lay, And warm'd it in the funny ray: Stretch'd at it's ease the beast I view'd, And faw it eat the air for food." "I've seen it, Sir, as well as you, And muft again affirm it blue; At leifure I the beast furvey'd Extended in the cooling fhade."

" 'Tis green, 'tis green, Sir, I affure ye". "Green!" cries the other in a fury

Why Sir-d'ye think I've loft my eyes?"
" 'Twere no great lofs," the friend replies;
"For if they always ferve you thus,
You'll find them but of little ufe."
So high at laft the conteft rose,
From words they almoft came to blows;
When luckily came by a third;
To him the queftion they referr'd;

And begg'd he'd tell 'em, if he knew,
Whether the thing was green or blue?
"Sirs!" cries the umpire," cease your pother-
The creature's neither one nor t'other;
I caught the animal last night,
And view'd it o'er by candle light;
I mark'd it well-'twas black as jet-
You ftare-but, Sirs, I've got it yet,
And can produce it"-" Pray, Sir, do;
I'll lay my life the thing is blue."

"And I'll be fworn, that when you've seen
The reptile, you'll pronounce him green."
"Well then, at once to ease the doubt,"
Replies the man," I'll turn him out;
And when before your eyes I've fet him,
If you don't find him black, I'll eat him."
He faid; then full before their fight
Produc'd the beaft-and lo!-'twas white!
Both ftar'd; the man look'd wond'rous wife

86

My children," the Camelion cries,

(Then firft the creature found a tongue)
"You all are right, and all are wrong :
When next you talk of what you view,
Think others fee as well as you:
Nor wonder if you find that none
Prefers your eye-fight to his own.

MERRICK.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE YOUTH AND THE PHILOSOPHER.

A GRECIAN youth of talents rare,

Whom Plato's philofophic care

Had form'd for Virtue's nobler view,
By precepts and example too,

Would often boast his matchless skill,
To curb the fteed, and guide the wheel;
And as he pafs'd the gazing throng
With graceful eafe, and fmack'd the thong,
The idiot wonder they exprefs'd,

Was praise and transport to his breast.

At length, quite vain, he needs would shew
His mafter what his art could do ;
And bade his flaves the chariot lead
To Academus' facred fhade.

The trembling grove confefs'd its fright,
The wood-nymphs ftarted at the fight;
The mufes drop the learned lyre,
And to the inmost shades retire.

Howe'er, the youth with forward air,
Bows to the fage, and mounts the car; .
The lash resounds, the courfers spring,
The chariot marks the rolling ring;
And gath'ring crowds, with eager eyes
And shouts pursue him as he flies.

Triumphant to the goal return'd,
With nobler thirft his bofom burn'd;
And now along th' indented plain,
The felf-fame track he marks again;
Pursues with care the nice defign,
Nor ever deviates from the line.