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for Venice with all poffible rapidity. Montoni's manner, during this journey, was grave, and even haughty; and towards Madame Montoni he was more especially referved; but it was not the referve of refpect fo much as of pride and difcontent. Of Emily he took little notice. With Cavigni his converfations were commonly on political or military topics, fuch as the convulfed ftate of their country rendered at this time particularly interefting. Emily observed, that, at the mention of any daring exploit, Montoni's eyes loft their fullennefs, and feemed inftantaneously to gleam with fires yet they still retained fomewhat of a lurking cunning, and fhe fometimes thought that their fire partook more of the glare of malice than the brightness of valour, though the latter would well have harmonized with the high chivalric air of his figure, in which Cavigni, with all his gay and gallant manners, was his inferior.

On entering the Milanefe, the gentlemen exchanged their French hats for the Italian

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Italian cap of scarlet cloth, embroidered ; and Emily was fomewhat furprised to ob ferve, that Montoni added to his the military plume, while Cavigni retained only the feather, which was ufually worn with such caps but he at length concluded, that Montoni affumed this enfign of a foldier for convenience, as a means of paffing with more fafety through a country over-run with parties of the military.

Over the beautiful plains of this country the devaftations of war were frequently vifible. Where the lands had not been suffered to lie uncultivated, they were often tracked with the steps of the fpoiler; the vines were torn down from the branches that had fupported them, the olives trampled upon the ground and even the groves of mulberry trees had been hewn by the ene.ny to light fires that deftroyed the hamlets and villages of their owners. Emily turned her eyes with a figh from these painful vestiges of contention, to the Alps of the Grifon, that overlooked them to the north, whofe awful

awful folitudes feemed to offer to perfecuted man a fecure afylum.

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The travellers frequently diftinguished troops of foldiers moving at a distance and they experienced, at the little inns on the road, the scarcity of provision and other inconveniencies, which are a part of the confequence of intestine war; but they had never reafon to be much alarmed for their immediate fafety, and they paffed on to Milan with little interruption of any kind, where they ftayed not to furvey the grandeur of the city, or even to view its vast cathedral, which was then building.

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Beyond Milan, the country wore the afpect of a ruder devaftation; and though every thing feemed now quiet, the repofe was like that of death, fpread over features, which retain the impreffion of the laft convulfions.

It was not till they had paffed the eastern limits of the Milanefe, that the travellersfaw any troops fince they had left Milan,when, as the evening was drawing to a

clofe, they defcried what appeared to be an army winding onward along the distant plains, whofe fpears and other arms caught the laft rays of the fun. As the column. advanced through a part of the road, contracted between two hillocks, fome of the commanders, on horseback, were diftin guished on a small eminence, pointing and making fignals for the march; while feve ral of the officers were riding along the line directing its progrefs, according to the figns communicated by thofe above; and others, feparating from the vanguard, which had emerged from the pafs, were riding carelessly along the plains, at fome diftance to the right of the army.

As they drew nearer, Montoni, diftinguifhing the feathers that waved in their caps, and the banners and liveries of the bands that followed them, thought he knew this to be the fmall army commanded by the famous captain Utaldo, with whom, as well as with fome of the other chiefs, he was perfonally acquainted. He, there

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fore, gave orders that the carriages fhould draw up by the fide of the road, to await their arrival, and give them the pafs. A faint ftrain of martial mufic now ftole by, and, gradually strengthening as the troops approached, Emily diftinguished the drums and trumpets, with the clash of cymbals and of arms, that were ftruck by a small in time to the march.

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Montoni being now certain that these were the bands of the victorious Utaldo, leaned from the carriage window, and hailed their general by waving his cap in the air; which compliment the chief returned by raising his fpear, and then letting it down again fuddenly, while fome of his officers, who were riding at a distance from the troops, came up to the carriage, and faluted Montoni as an old acquaintance. The captain himself foon after arriving, his bands halted while he converfed with Montoni, whom he appeared much rejoiced to see ; and from what he said, Emily under

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