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AN AFFECTING HISTORY, FROM THE FRENCH OF THE CELEBRATED M. D'ARNAUd.

The madness of Clementina, in sir Charles Grandison, has been thought very improbable by many persons, and even by some men of genius. An extreme degree of sensibility is, indeed, necessary to discover with what truth this character is described; for the world and lettered men in general, who are as apt to spoil and deform, seldom know the virtue of a just and natural representation. All, however, that we shall say further in behalf of Richardson, that sublime moralist-that true painter of the human heart, is to relate a singular fact, which can be attested by the whole province of Normandy.

"A young lady, whose name it is unnecessary to mention, was on the point of giving her hand to a gentleman of the same age. Interest did not preside at this engagement, as is but too commonly the case. Their passions were equally ardent and reciprocal. In the very moment that they were approaching the altar, the young man recollects that some necessary papers are wanting. He desires that the ceremony may be postponed for a fortnight, that he may immediately set out, and have time sufficient to return with these papers. What a cruel incident! but he will not delay a moment to fly back on the wings of love to his adorable mistress. He is impatient to conclude the ceremony that is to confirm the happiness of his life; and that life itself is attached to ties that can never be too closely formed. Women, when in love, are, perhaps, more passionately, more delicately sensible to the soft influence, than men. Our young bride paid no attention to the reasons that were alledged. What reasons, indeed, can he urged to a heart replete with the tender passion! She gives way to complaints, and to all the alarms that fancy could suggest. She sees she is alive only to the pain of being torn from the object that was far dearer to her than herself. And these are the feelings-this the conduct of genuine love! But it is impossible to proceed with the ceremony! the impatient lover has already left his mistress, whose too susceptible heart consults not the little decorums of her sex, nor the representations of her family. In a mind, uncor

rupted by refinement, love assumes the character, the noble pride of virtue; and it feels a degree of self-complacency, it glories in its transports. The young lady hesitates not to lament, openly, a delay which was, however, to be of such short duration. But the hours of absence are years—are ages of torture to whomsoever has the misfortune of being in love.

"In the mean time, however, the young lady receives a letter from her lover, which one would imagine, would relieve her from this cruel state of agitation and terror. After renewing a thousand protestations of everlasting love, he dwells with transport on his approaching felicity, and fixes the day of his arrival. It may be supposed, that his mistress in proportion to the pleasure she derived from this intelligence, anticipated the happy day, and that she was at the place where her lover was to alight; even some hours before he could arrive. Her eyes were continually at the window. At the least noise, it is he! it is he!' The moment the stagecoach appears, she is the first to perceive it. She has wings-she flies, with impatient eyes-she seeks her beloved. Where is he-where is he?-is not monsieur

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among the passengers?-where-where is he?' An elderly gentleman now steps out of the coach, with deep sorrow visible in his face- Madam, it is my duty to What! is he not come, sir!-he told me -what, what prevents him?' 'I am his uncle, madam, and I am come express' - What! has he changed his mind, sir! -does he cease to love me!

do his relations refuse-you sigh, sir!-must I never then be his! speak, sir tell me!' ‹ Oh, madam, arm yourself with courage. No, my nephew was not capable of such dishonourable conduct; but, a violent ill

ness

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-An illness!-I run-I fly-my parents will permit me.' Stay, madam, this goodness is now useless.' At these words, the old man burst into tears. The young lady is speechless and immoveable. ́ Ah ! madam, you

understand me but too well!He is dead!' 'He is dead!' screamed the unhappy lady. Her fears are but too well founded. She is informed that a sudden death had snatched her love from her, the very evening before he

was to have set out on his return: and that he had only time to request his uncle to go and see his intended bride, to assure her, that in his last moments he loved her, if possible, with more ardour than ever, and to do every thing in his power to console her.

He is dead!-he is no more!' repeats the wretched lady, with a voice, that seems to issue from the bottom of her soul. Alas! her mind is now wandering; her reason has abandoned her; no remedy can cure the dreadful affliction, nor mitigate such hopeless woe. This unfortunate victim survived her love to be long, long devoured by the excess of calamity. Can it be believed, that for fifty years past, notwithstanding the severity of the seasons, she goes every day on foot, about two leagues, and repairs to the place where she had hoped to see her lover, alighting from the coach. She only utters, He is not come yet; I will return tomorrow!' These are all the

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words she has uttered for fifty years past; for she is buried in a deep and unceasing grief. Some people, who know not what it is to feel (and such barbarians there are), had advised to have her confined. The magistrates, more compassionate than these weak and hard-hearted men, have determined not to deprive her of her liberty.

Her

madness, they say, is not prejudicial to society, but, on the contrary, is worthy of all the respect and veneration that is due to the wretched. And, is not this unhappy lady among the number of those, for whom Tully has created, if I may so express myself, these beautiful, these admirable, these affecting expressions Res est sacra Miser !'"

ANECDOTES, &c.

Dr. Holland was with Mr. Pastum, at the time when the latter is supposed to have written his verses dated from that place. Some months after, Sidney Smith met Dr. Holland at a dinner, and enquired, whether it were true, that Rogers had written any thing at the moment of their visit. "No, not that I remember; only a verse or two." "Only a verse or two?" interrupted Sidney Smith." Only a verse or two! Why, Rogers takes to his bed after writing a verse or two: he has straw flung down before his door-his knocker is muffledhis friends send to enquire after him-and the servant answers, as well as can be expected." EFFECTS OF DRESS.-Garrick, in the early part of his life, performed Ranger with most uncommon spirit, and so well dressed and looked the part, that a young lady of great family, fortune, and high expectation, fell violently in love with him. Her friends, finding it in vain to reason with her, took her to see him perform Scrub; the very contemptible appearance he made

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in that part, wrought a perfect cure.

DR. SHERRIDAN. There was a mutual attachment between the doctor and miss Faden. He called one morning to take leave of her for a few days, before he set out on a journey. She asked him, in a tone of voice that well expressed more than the words that accompanied it," how long he intended to stay away?" To which he immediately answered, "You ask how long I'll stay from thee Suppress those rising fears; If you should reckon time like me, Perhaps ten thousand years.”

LAURENCE STERNE.-Some person remarked to him, that apothecaries bore the same relation to physicians, that attornies do to barristers "So they do," said Sterne; "but apothecaries and attornies are not alike, for the latter do not deal in scruples."

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THE SPARTANS.-A Spartan mother, after the first news of a battle, went out of the city to obtain more intelligence. A messenger came and informed her, that both her sons were among the slain. "Wretch !" said she,

"I did not enquire the fate of my sons, but that of my country." When told that Sparta was victorious, she exclaimed, "then I rejoice in the death of my sons."

A Spartan mother presented a shield to her son, going to battle, with, these words, "Son, either this, or upon this." Another to her son, complaining that his sword was too short, said, "Add a step to it."

Demetrius, king of Sparta, being asked whether he was silent through folly or wisdom, replied, "fools cannot be silent."

Xerxes, at the head of half a million of men, wrote this to Leonidas, "surrender your arms.' Leonidas, who commanded only three hundred Spartans, returned this answer-" come and fetch them."

Just before the battle of Thermopylæ, a Spartan soldier came and reported, that the Persians were so numerous, that their clouds of arrows would darken the sun. "So much the better," said Leonidas, "for we shall ́fight in the shade."

Lord Waldegrave abjured the Catholic religion, and was a long time ambassador at Paris. He was one day teased upon the subject of his conversion, by the duke of Berwick. "Pray," said he, "Mr. ambassador, who had most to do in your conversion, the minister of state, or the minister of religion?" "This is a question," said his lordship,

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heard the late sir G. Staunton say, that when general Meddows reviewed four war elephants that had been sent from Ceylon to Madras, to assist in getting the British artillery through the gauts, a very extraordinary circumstance took place. The war elephant, it is well known, is trained to perform the grand salam, which is done by falling on the first joint of the fore leg, at a certain signal. The largest of the four elephants was particularly noticed by the general, as being terribly out of condition; the keeper was ordered to explain the cause, and was in the act of doing this to the general, when the elephant advanced a few steps out of the line, and with one stroke of his proboscis laid his keeper dead at his feet; he then retired back into his position, and performed the grand salam. The circumstance excited considerable alarm, when the wife of the keeper ran up to the dead body, and in a broken sort of exclamation, cried out that she was always afraid that something of this sort would happen, as he was constantly in the habit of robbing that elephant of his rations of rice, by taking them away from his crib, after they had been served out to him, under the inspection of his superior. This anecdote is rather a staggering one, but I have mentioned it to many persons who have been in India, and most of them were no strangers to the circumstance. One gentleman informed me that it was authentically recorded in the philosophical transactions of that day, but this I cannot vouch for, having never searched for itLacon.

GERMAN ROBBERS. Three German robbers having acquired, by various atrocities, what amounted to a valuable booty, they agreed to divide the spoil, and to retire from so dangerous a vocation. When the day arrived which they had appointed for that purpose, one of them was dispatched to a neighbouring town, to purchase provisions for their last carousal. The other two secretly agreed to murder him on his return, that each might come in for half the plunder, instead of one-third. They did so; but the murdered man was a closer calculator than his assassins, for he had previously poisoned part of the provisions, in order that he might appropriate the whole of the spoil to himself. The triumvirate of worthies were found dead together.

TIGERS OF PARAGUAY.-Innumerable tigers are yearly caught in Paraguay with leathern thongs by the Spaniards and Indians, on horseback, and are strangled, after being swiftly dragged for some time along the ground. How great the strength of the tiger must be, you may judge from this-that if they meet two horses in the pastures tied together with a thong, to prevent their escaping, they attack and slay the one, and drag him, along with the other live one, to their den. I should not have believed this, had I not myself witnessed it. Their cunning is equal to their strength. If the wood and the plain deny them food, they will procure it by fishing in the water. As they are excellent swimmers they plunge up to their neck in some lake or river,

and spout from their mouth the white froth, which, swimming on the surface of the water, the hungry fish eagerly devour as food, and are quickly tossed on to the shore by the claws of the tiger. They also catch tortoises, and tear them from their shells by wonderous artifice, in order to devour them. Sometimes a tiger lurking unseen under the high grass, or in a bramble bush, quietly watches a troop of horse passing by, and rushes with impetuosity on the horseman that closes the company.An account of the Abipones, a people of Paraguay.

CHARLES BANNISTER AND JUSTICE STAPLE. When Charles Bannister performed for John Palmer at the commencement of the Royalty theatre, he was indicted with the rest of the company, and had to appear before the magistrates of the Tower Hamlet; when there, the above justice addressing himself to Charles in particular, said, with

an

air of great personal consequence and authority, "Mr. Bannister, I shall clap a padlock upon you." "Will you?" answered Charles, "then by Heaven! I'll draw your staple."

AN AMERICAN COURT OF JusTICE.-A Virginia gentleman who had visited Pittsburgh to attend a trial, gave a singular description of the manners of an American court of justice. Neither counsel nor judge, as is well known, wear a gown. The barrister retained in the present instance, being incommoded by heat, first stripped off his coat, then his waistcoat. In an interval of pleading he put a segar into his mouth, and deliberately

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