pities that when Death presumed to thrust his skeleton skull into such a merry Court as that of Charles the Second, no one should have been able to cry out-Seize him, Topham! as the House of Commons do to their Serjeant, and so commit the grim scarecrow to the black-hole. De Dood en den Duivel! a fellow should not think of all these things unless he has a bottle of claret at each elbow to drive away sorrow."

"Yours indeed has been rather a melancholy retrospect. It seems as if you hardly recognized a single individual that figured in the jocund days to which you have alluded."

"None such as they were, none such as they were! Here comes one indeed, whom I remember the very life of the gay circle. See you yonder battered, withered, spindle-shanked beau, tricked out in the very extremity of the mode, with a Pompadour velvet coat, diamond buttons, a profusion of frogs, tags, loops, tassels, and ribbons, a full-bottomed wig, and a point lace cravat hanging down to his waist ? That is the Count de Grammont, who has been sent over by

Louis to compliment the King on the birth of the Prince of Wales. The Frenchman has as many bows and congées, and grins and grimaces as ever; he presents his snuff-box as debonairly, and makes love as fluently, perhaps as wittily, as he was wont; but he is not listened to as formerly, for the wrinkled monkey has become villainous old in the face, and cannot carry his years without stooping in the shoulder. Sacre, mon cher !" concluded the Captain, drawing up his figure, which was really a fine one, "is it not a dismal shame and scandal that a handsome, stout, well-built fellow should ever get withered and decrepit ?"

"Time has scarcely touched you as yet, and by your fierce look and attitude you seem determined to scare him from approaching."

"Botches on the old scythe-bearing gaffer! he has a good memory, knows where and when to call, and will take no denial. For the present indeed-Ah, Mynheer Dyckvelt ik ben zeer

blyde-Peste! I have forgotten my Dutch, but I am right glad to meet you again at Court

Au revoir! au revoir! That is Dyckvelt, who comes from the Hague ostensibly on the same errand as De Grammont; but, as we rather suspect, to see how the land lies on this side, and to canvass for the P of O

you take me! He associates with all the discontented, and in one respect has taken no bad measure of the English character, for he holds open house, keeps a table like a Bishop's, and makes his guests drunk with French wines. In this respect he beats both Zulestein and Barillon."

They had now reached the throng of the courtiers where Seagrave could no longer continue to enact the Cicerone, or rather the Master of the Ceremonies to his companion; but he still won his way forward without much ceremony, receiving, to Walter's great surprise, a bow or a few words of recognition, from several of the most distinguished individuals, until they gained the circle immediately surrounding the monarch, within which he recognized Lord Sunderland playing with two of the King's spaniels, whom he patted and caressed, called them by

their names of Quick and Mumper, and fed them with cake from his waistcoat pocket. James, who shared his late brother's fondness for these animals, was evidently pleased by an artifice that was merely put in practice to win his favour, "Love me, love my dog. Ah! there is some truth, I see, in that adage,” he exclaimed as the spaniels stood on their hind legs, begging to the minister with their fore-paws. "You are quite a favourite with my little pets."

"Yes, my liege, while my cake holds out," replied Sunderland, who sometimes carried his hypocrisy so far as to sneer at the cupidity and selfishness of others," the cunning rogues are quite courtiers-see how abjectly they beg, and how ready they are to snatch every morsel out of one another's mouth."

"Whatever they may be towards one another," said the Monarch, "they are at least faithful to their master, and attached to the hand that feeds them. Can every courtier say as much ?"

"I should trust so I should hope so-he must be an ungrateful wretch if he cannot," replied Sunderland, and he hastened to change the conversation, for he liked not the significant looks that some of the bystanders exchanged with each other.

The Lord Chamberlain now brought up several gentlemen to be presented, upon each of whom his Majesty bestowed a few sentences of conversation, from the general tenor of which it might have been concluded that the state of the country, menaced at it was by invasion from without, and by disaffection within, did not occupy the smallest share of his attention; while he betrayed the most lively interest in any trifle of foreign politics, or of domestic occurrence, that bore a reference, however remote, to his own narrow and bigoted notions in religious matters. Of one who had a brother at -the siege of Buda, he enquired the particulars of some recent battle with the Turk, and evinced great joy when told that several thousands of the unbelievers had been cut to pieces,