there feemed no other more likely mony; one of the robbers being to fucceed; and I found that his lord-habited as a monk.” fhip had agreed to carry this plan into execution, provided it met with our approbation, and Leonard could procure the herb.

"As Leonard was conducting them across the court when leaving the abbey, the figure again appeared in the west tower, which greatly aftonished them all,

"The next morning you inform ed me of the human form and lamp which you had feen reflected in the glafs that food in your chamber. This account, added to the ftrange voice which we both heard, made me refolve to watch in the west tower; which accordingly did.

The mystery of the ftrange funeral which Matilda faw was now entirely elucidated. Her brother continued

"After the interment, the company returned to the cave; but Felix and one of the robbers were fixed on to go in fearch of adventures.They immediately, therefore, repaired to the vault, and conducted lord Millverne here; after which both joined their comrades as ufual. But his lordfhip means to go to-day to a principal nagiftrate fome few miles from hence, and give an account of thefe depredators on the public. The whole of them will confequently be feized; when Felix and the three converts to their cause will be felected from the banditti, and the remainder left to take the due course of the law."

"The fame night, Felix and three others of the banditti (they having brought over one more to their in tereft) came to the abbey, unknown to either Leonard or me, to fee if we had got the herb, as they were in hopes the next day to have a good opportunity of carrying their fcheme into execution. They knocked at the outer gate, then burft it open, and proceeded directly to the parlour. These were the perfons whom we miftook for the officers of justice, as their arrival was entirely unexpected, and neither Leonard nor myfelf had a fight of them.-Their intentions, therefore, proved fruit-mind but a few minutes, before lefs, and they left the abbey, unable to find us.

"The next day Leonard attended at the place of rendezvous, and found Felix, who communicated to him their adventures the night before; and, having given him the herb, Leonard understood they intended yesterday for the trial of its effect.

"This was accordingly done, and by the effects of it, and the help of Felix and his affiftants, his lordfhip was shown to the whole of the banditti as a corpfe.-A coffin was therefore prepared, and, in the evening, he was conveyed to the pedestal, and buried with the ufual cere

Thus Alfred Maferini ended his narrative. But, though Matilda had heard many circumftances of a ftrange nature explained, which had caufed her confiderable uneafinefs, yet nothing had been said to clear up, in a fatisfactory manner, those astonishing events which feemed in every degree to confirm the report of the abbey being haunted.

Thefe ideas had not croffed her

Alfred informed her that there was yet another tale to be related by one whom he expected every moment:" And I am certain (continued he) that his story will clear away every mift of doubtful horror concerning this building, and obliterate every fuperftitious thought, by a clear elucidation of the myfteries that encompass it.'

In about a quarter of an hour the folding-doors again opened, and father Peter ftood before them.Agnes, Matilda, and even Leonard and lord Millverne, were aftonished how he could enter from that part.

According to my promile last

night (faid the hermit, addrefing himfelf to Matilda) I now, as you perceive, attend you here, fair lady.

Alfred's countenance was now transformed to the gaze of furprife.

"I find (faid he, fmiling, to his fifter) we have alfo to expect explanations from you, Matilda."

Indeed (anfwered he) the task

is foon performed.”

She then related to them her finding the manufcript, and her journey on that account to father Peter's cave, with the reafons for not giving it her brother the next morning.

Alfred's and the hermit's countenances glowed with pleafure at the mention of fuch a paper having been found.

"No doubt (exclaimed the latter) this will be a principal proof against the murderer of your fa

ther."

Matilda immediately produced it, and it was, read by lord Millverne aloud. It is impoffible to defcribe the emotions of Alfred Maferini, as he listened to the diftracted words of his wretched parent: fuffice it to fay, they were equal to his fifter's at her firft perufal of the parchment,

All being feated, liftened with attention to the venerable speaker. (To be continued.)

An AccoUNT of the LIFE and
WRITINGS of PLINY the ELDER.
(From Dr. Tomfen's Tranflation of
Suetonius, lately publijues.)

LINY, furnamed the Elder, was

born at Verona, of a noble family. He diftinguished himself early by his military achievements in the German war, received the dignity of an Augur, at Rome, and was afterwards appointed governor of Spain. In every public character, he acquitted himfelf with great reputation, and enjoyed the efteem of the feveral emperors under whom he lived. The affiduity with which he applied himfelf to the collecting of information, either curious or ufeful, furpaffes all example. From an early hour in the morning, until late at night, he was almoft conftantly employed in difcharging the duties of his public ftation, in reading or hearing books read by his ama nuenfis, and in extracting from them whatever feemed worthy of notice. Even during his meals, and while travelling in his carriage upon bufinefs, he profecuted with unremitting zeal and diligence his tafte for enquiry and compilation. No man ever difplayed fo ftrong a perfuafion of the value of time, or availed himfelf fo induftriously of it. He confidered every moment as loft which was not employed in literary pur I fhall-by your leave-(an- fuits. The books which he wrote, fwered the old man) begin from the in confequence of this indefatigable moft early period of my life, and exertion, were, according to the acproceed gradually through every count tranfmitted by his nephew, event; which will all tend to fhow, Pliny the Younger, numerous, and that, however ftrange the ways of on various fubjects. The catalogue Providence may appear to mortal of them is as follows::--a book on eyes, yet in a due courfe of time Equeftrian Archery, which difcothey will be productive of the great-vered much skill in the art; the Life eft happiness and good to thofe who of Q. Pomponius Secundus; twenty are deferving the protection of the books of the Wars of Germany; a Supreme Being"" complete treatife on the Education

The party being in fome meafure compofed, father Peter was requefted by Alfred to relate thofe circumftances concerning Grafville Abbey, which had for years occafioned the moft horrid reports to be fpread, and worked with terrific fenfations on the feelings of those whofe good tenfe had before taught them to delp fe every fuperftitious idea.

municated with fuccefs, while the greater part of the world was involved in barbarifm, while navigation was flow and limited, and the art of printing unknown. The confideration of these circumftances will afford fufficient apology for the imperfect ftate in which the fcience of Phyfics, and Natural History, exifted amongst the ancients. But we proceed to give an abftract of their extent, as they appear in the compilation of Pliny.

of an Orator, in fix volumes; eight vated. But neither could enquiries, books of Doubtful Difcourfes, writ-be profecuted, nor difcoveries comten in the latter part of the reign of Nero, when every kind of fentimental difcuffion was attended with danger; with a hundred and fixty volumes of remarks on the writings of the various authors which he had perufed. For the laft mentioned production only, and before it was brought near to its accomplishment, we are told, that he was offered by Largius Licinius, four hundred thoufand fefterces, amounting to upwards of three thousand two hundred pounds fterling; an enormous fum for the copy-right of a book before the invention of printing! But the only furviving work of this voluminous author is his Natural Hiftory, in thirty-feven books, compiled from the various writers who had treated of that extenfive and interesting fubject.

1

This work is divided into thirtyfeven books; the first of which contains the preface, addreffed to the emperor Vefpafian, probably the father, to whom the author pays high compliments. The fecond book treats of the world,' the elements, and the ftars. In refpect to the world, or rather the univerfe, the To eftimate this great work either author's opinion is the fame with by the authenticity of the informa- that of feveral ancient philofophers, tion which it contains, or its utility that it is a Deity, uncreated, infinite, towards the advancement of arts and and eternal. Their notions, howfciences, we fhould not now confider ever, as might be expected, on a it as an object of any extraordinary fubject fo incomprehenfible, are encomiums; but when we view it as vague, confufed, and imperfect. In a literary monument, which difplays a fubfequent chapter of the fame the whole knowledge of the ancients, book, where the nature of the Deity relative to Natural History, collected is more particularly confidered, the during a period of about feven hun-author's conceptions of infinite powdred years, from the time of Thales er are fo inadequate, that, by way of the Milefian, it has a juft claim to confolation for the limited powers the attention of every fpeculative of man, he obferves that there are enquirer. It is not furprifing, that many things even beyond the power the progrefs of the human mind, of the Supreme Being; fuch, for which, after the firft dawn of enqui- inftance, as the annihilation of his ' ry, was rapid both amongst the own exiftence; to which the author' Greeks and Romans, in morai fci- adds, the power of rendering mortals ence, fhould be flow in the improve-eternal, and of raifing the dead. ment of fuch branches of knowledge It deferves to be remarked, that, as depended entirely on obfervation though a future ftate of rewards and and facts, which were peculiarly punithments was maintained by the difficult of attainment. Natural moft eminent among the ancient knowledge can only be brought to philofophers, the refurrection of the perfection by the profecution of body was a 'doctrine with which they enquiries in different climates, and were wholly unacquainted. by a communication of difcoveries The author next treats of the plaamongst thofe by whom it is culti-land nets, the periods of their re

1pective

fpective revolutions; of the ftars, | ty-fixth, of the nature of ftones and

comets, winds, thunder, lightning, and other natural phænomena; concerning all which he delivers the hypothetical notions maintained by the ancients, and mentions a variety of extraordinary incidents which had occurred in different parts of the world. The third book contains a general fyftem of ancient geography, which is continued through the fourth, fifth, and fixth books. The feventh treats of conception, and the generation of the human fpecies, with a number of mifcellaneous ob. fervations, unconnected with the general fubject. The eighth treats of quadrupeds; the ninth, of aquatic animals; the tenth, of birds; the eleventh, of infects and reptiles; the twelfth, of trees; the thirteenth, of ointments, and of trees which grow near the fea-coaft; the fourteenth, of vines; the fifteenth, of fruit-trees; the fixteenth, of foreft-trees; the feventeenth, of the cultivation of

marbles; the thirty-feventh, of the origin of gems. To the contents of each book, the author fubjoins a lift of the writers from whom his obfervations have been collected.

Of Pliny's talents as a writer, it might be deemed prefumptuous to form a decided opinion from his Natural Hiftory, which is avowedly a compilation from various authors, and executed with greater regard to the matter of the work, than to the elegance of compofition. Abstracting, however, from a degree of credulity, common to the human mind in the early ftage of phyfical refearches, he is far from being deficient in the effential qualifications of a writer of Natural Hiftory. His defcriptions appear to be accurate, his obfervations precife, his narrative in general perfpicuous; and he often illuftrates his fubject by a vivacity of thought, as well as a happinets of expreffion. It has been equally his the eighteenth, of agriculture; endeavour to give novelty to ftale the nineteenth, of the nature of lint, difquifitions, and authority to new hemp, and fimilar productions; the obfervations. He has both removed twentieth, of the medicinal qualities the ruft, and difpelled the obfcurity, of vegetables cultivated in gardens; which enveloped the doctrines of the twenty-firft, of flowers; the many ancient naturalifts; but, with twenty-fecond, of the properties of all his care and induftry, he has exherbs; the twenty-third, of the me- ploded fewer errors, and fanctioned dicines yielded by cultivated trees; a greater number of doubtful opithe twenty-fourth, of medicines de- nions, than was confiftent with the rived from forest-trees; the twenty-exercife of unprejudiced and fevere fifth, of the properties of wild herbs, inveftigation. and the origin of their ufe; the twenty-fixth, of other remedies for difeafes, and of fome new difeafes; the twenty-seventh, of different kinds of herbs; the twenty-eighth, twentyninth, and thirtieth, of medicines procured from animals; the thirtyfirst, and thirty-fecond, of medicines obtained from aquatic animals, with fome extraordinary facts relative to the fubje&t; the thirty-third, of the nature of metals; the thirty-fourth, of brafs, iron, lead, and tin; the thirty-fifth, of pictures, and obfervations relative to painting; the thir

Pliny was fifty-fix years of age at the time of his death; the manner of which is accurately related by his nephew, the elegant Pliny the Younger, in a letter to Tacitus, who entertained a defign of writing the life of the naturalift.

FEMALE FASHIONS in PARIS. HE following are the raging fashions in Paris at the pre

THE

fent time.

Robe à la Lydie.-This dress is

made