duty. All these multitarious evils are now no longer to be apprehended: the fyftem of their fouthern neighbours is now, I am well affured, practifed with fo much fuccefs, that the daughter of a mountain rajab will foon be as amiably frivolous, as en and in mind, as the pupil of the greatest boarding-school in London. actually taught both; though for their young fchool-fellows in the what purpofe those keys of know-light of brothers, they had none of Tedge are put into their hands, it is that reftraint, which, betore com not eafy to imaginé; few bad confe-pany, feals the lips of the boardingquences, however, are found to re- fchool bibbys, but behaved with the fult from this practice, as it is in frankness that is natural to the pure general fo wifely managed, as to be in heart. By early difcipline, their very little prejudicial to the interefts minds received fuch an ochots degree of ignorance; and is feldom em- of firmness, as often enabled them to ployed for any other parpofe, than fuftain, with dignity, the most bitter that of reading motley tales of love! decrees of adverse fortune; and their and murder, of which care is taken! bodies acquired fuch a repulfive deto furnish them with an abundant gree of health, as rendered them fupply, from certain ftorchoufes of equal to the difcharge of every active trafh, called circulating hbraries. ¦ The fyftem of female education, fuch as I have defcribed, is now aloft univerfally practited over the inland of Great Britain; though I have heard that, till lately, a fyftem of a different nature was preeslent in the northern part of the united king-gagingly ignorant, as weak in body, "dom. There, instead of the poojan of cards, it was then customary for ติ the mothers of families to employ themfelves in the education of their! children, in teaching their daughters! the duties of domeftic life, and in inftilling into their tender minds the principles of piety and virtue. ` Beneath a 'mother's eye, the young 'female's' were then fent to certain places of inftruction, called dayichools, accompanied by their brothers; a practice which would inevi--« ASPER at length fixed on a tably lay the foundation of a degree fcheme, which effectually conof fraternal affection, inconfiftent firmed his wifhes to ferve the unwith that fort of referved and auftere fortunate, by the courage and ingedemeanom which it is to proper fornuity he displayed in the execution men to Ebferve toward their female of it.He determined to let the relatives. Nor was this the only much-injured Percival Maferini bad confequence resulting from the know (it fuch a perfon there was practice of fending boys and girls to in the Abbey, a circumstance of the fame fchool. In the pure hearts which he had little if any doubt) of the little innocents, attachments that there was one, who was ac were often formed, which, in the quainted with his unhappy fituation, minds of the young females, excited and pitied him,-nay, would run all fuch a wifh to excel, in order to ren-hazards to aflift him to efcape, if he der themselves amiable in the eyes of could contrive any ftratagem that their little friends, as was altogether carried in it the leaft profpect of incompatible with the prefervation fuccets.Words to this purpose he of ignorance. Nor did the evil ftop wrote on a fheet of paper,-at the here; being habituated to confider fame time mentioning he would GRASVILLE ABBEY; A ROMANCE. By G. M. (Continued from p. 408.) JAS attend attend in the tomb the next night, at an early hour, before the ufual attendance of d'Ollifont and his affiftants; a feeble hope inducing him to think, they might converfe together, though with difficulty. "A fudden idea now flruck hims which had nearly over-ruled his prefent determination -Why not immediately apply to the civil power, whom he could at once lead to the place of confinement; and, by proof, crufh d'Ollifont and the wretches concerned?—The pen dropped from his hand:-he rofe with joy at the thought. Hefitation and reflection again ftopped him:-he knew not how I would have acted in this cafe. Strong as were his fufpicions, they were as yet but fufpicions; fhould he make them publicly known, and, at this crifis, fhould they fail, (which, though entirely improbable, was not actually an impoffibility) it was uncertain in what ftate he might involve both himself and me. But this might, at least, be done at the laft extremity, and in two days more he expected I fhould return. of them, whom he had noticed the night before, he now discovered to be Eburne.-They immediately walked to the tomb, and followed each other in; the basket, as on the former night, was flightly covered with a cloth, and put down on the outfide of the door, while they removed the trap.-Jafper now faw the opportunity he wished to make ufe of; and, while they were bufily employed, he advanced, turned the cloth on one fide from the top of the basket, thrust the paper down among the provifion, and replaced the covering as he found it.-In lefs than a minute after he had returned to his hiding-place, one of them came forth, and took it away :-he foon after heard the trap closed; and, again paffing him, they returned, as he fuppofed, to the fubterraneous room; while he left the Abbey, elated, in fome degree, with the fuccefs of his fcheme. "The next night arrived; and Jafper, with another letter, repaired, as foon as it was dark, to the chapel, with a palpitating heart for the iffue of his undertaking. He entered the tomb, put his mouth to the trap, which, with fome trouble, he found; then called feveral times, but received no anfwer:- he repeated the "In fhort, he proceeded as he had before intended, and according ly finished his note,-not without, however, mentioning, at the latter part, hints of the difagreeable ties that entangled him with d'Ollifont.name of Maferini ftill louder, till he -Another confideration now interrupted him:-he wifhed to fign a name, but not either his own or mine; that, in cafe the letter fhould be discovered, it might not, at the firft inftant, be apparent who was the author of it. After fome little time he wrote at the bottom, Father Peter,' that it might be fuppofed to be fome holy man, who, difdaining the idle talk telative to the Abbey, had made it a place for his meditations, and had confequently difcoyered what was going forward. "Jafper, at night, attended at a particular spot in the chapel. In a hort time he heard them enter, but could not perceive d'Ollifout.-One VOL. XXVII. was afraid he had discovered himself to d'Ollifont's party.-Soon after, he thought he heard a kind of groaning from below; but it was indistinct and faint:-in fhort, he was now certain the cell was fo low it was impoífible to exchange words with any one beneath. His difappointment, however, did not abate his perfeverance, and he now waited to place his note, in which he had related the regret he felt at not being able to hear him; and, after begging him to fupport himself with fortitude, he declared his intending, if every fcheme failed, to apply to the magiftracy of the place. "The men, as ufual, approached; 3 N but confiderable length of time, a peafant ventured into the path, after a ftrayed mule; he at first attempted to run at the fight of Jafper's figure, conceiving him to be fomething fupernatural; but his feeble voice foon convinced the man, who stood at a little distance, that he was mortal, but d'Ollifont was again abfent. One of them carried the basket :-unfortunately, he did not place it before the door, but took it with him into the tomb; in confequence of which, Jafper was unable to fend the paper he had got ready.-After they left the chapel, he departed from the Abbey, overwhelmed with chagrin and distress, at the failure of his enterprife. The next morning brought the letter which he had wrote to me, 'back again, with information that no fuch perfon could be found at the place where it was directed. He immediately difpatched another, which found me at B***.little time, he was recogmfed, and "One more night he refolved to try if fortune would favour him, and he determined, 'fhould the not, to run all hazards, and apply for justice the following day.' He immediately came up to him; but the exertion he had used, in striving to make him hear, had now rendered him speechlefs.—The poor fellow, who faw and pitied him, directly ran for another man to help; and they carried him between them to the peafant's cottage.-After fome they fent to the fervants at the villa, to acquaint them with the accident. "Proper affiftance was procured: in about eight hours he recovered his fpeech; but yet the phyfician "He was just going to leave the gave no hopes of his life. In the houfe, when he observed three men courfe of four days his wounds apJurking about, as if watching it; he, peared more favourable, and his fever therefore, waited fome little time confiderably abated,-yet ftill he before he fet off About half an continued delirious at intervals.hour after, he perceived they were In the courfe of fix more days, he gone; and, accordingly, walked to recovered his fenfes entirely, and wards the Abbey. He had but juft was pronounced out of danger.arrived at one of the folitary avenues He now fat up fome hours every leading to the principal gates, when day, and feemed to gain ftrength as the fame three men, as he fuppofed, faft as could be wifhed; and the folrushed from behind fome thick fo-lowing week, which was the time of liage of cedar, and demanded his my return, he left his chamber, money. They, however, waited for though extremely low. no anfwer, but knocked him down: -they then rifled his pockets; and, after giving him feveral blows on the head, and a flab with a dagger in the fide and breaft, left him, doubtlefs with an idea that he was dead.doubt, in my opinion, but that the "In this ftate he continued till morning, when he, in fome degree, recovered his fenfes, though unable to move, and almoft to fpeak.-His fituation was dreadful:-there was little chance of any one paffing that way, it being fo near the Abbey; and he feemed to be in fuch a state that he could not poffibly furvive many hours. "Providentially, however, after a "In this ftate I found him, and heard from him the events which had happened in my abfence.-I leave you to judge of my feelings and my fituation-There was not a villains who robbed and fo cruelly ufed Jafper, were fome of d'Ollifont's gang, who knew of his intrufion into the Abbey, and determined to keep him away for fome time, if not to murder him.-I therefore refolved, however hazardous it might be, to go to the Abbey that night, though Jafper was unable to accompany me: -this refolution, I must own, was rafi: but I thought not on the danger; danger; my paffions were worked up to the highest pitch. blood, partly dried, and in fome few. places begun to ruft.—This I refolv. . "Soon after it was dark, I repaired fhould, for the prefent, remain where it was; and, after we had performed the ceremony with the lamp in the weft tower (according to my oath, which Iftrictly adhered to), we returned, shocked, at our efforts being fruftrated, relative to discovering the manner in which Percival Maferini had been treated. "For about a month I was unde circumftances, and confiderations in what manner to act.-Every law of. nature and juftice, however, feemed. to demand I fhould, if poffible, make what intelligence I had received known, and bring d'Olifont to ac count, on the charge of Jalper.) ed to the cave; nothing was altered fince my laft vifit. I proceeded along the fubterraneous paffage:all was filent, and gloomy. In the fame manner I afcended to the room; not an article appeared to be moved. -I rofe from the trap to these apartments:-I could hear nor fee nothing; every thing feemed to fhow not a foul had entered it fince my-termined in my conjectures on thefe felf:-I, at length, even began to conceive doubts whether Jafper's tale did not proceed from a difordered imagination. I walked flowly to the gates of the chapel; and, ftopping a few moments, fhuddered in voluntary at my own ideas. The horridly defolate afpect of every thing around me encouraged the difmal train of thoughts that struck on my mind.-1 fhook off this weaknefs, and walked directly to the tomb; where i was foon convinced of the truth of Jafper's report, by finding the trap, which anfwered every defcription he had given me.1 was, however, incapable to lift it up, and, having fully fatisfied my felf that the place was now clear, returned home. "The next day, I acquainted Jafper with my vifit; and we both conceived there was not a fhadow of doubt but the unfortunate Percival Maferini had been made away with, during the illness of Jafper. "In the courfe of a week Jafper was able to attend me to the Abbey, and we proceeded together to the tomb. We both exerted our strength and foon opened the trap; which difcovered a flight of narrow flone fteps, by which we defcended to a confiderable depth, and at the bottom entered a small fquare cell, arched over at top. This place was entirely clear, nor could any figns of murder be discovered, till Jaiper (as we were leaving of it) by chance ftumbled over a dagger, clotted with My refolution to this purpose had not been fixed above a day, when the poor fellow was taken ill with a relapfe of the fever that had before been caufed by his wounds; and one of thefe wounds which he received on the breaft, and which he had taken lefs account of than the reft, now fhowed figns of mortification. Advice from every part near was fent for, but their confultations proved of no avail; for, in lefs than a week, I faw him, breathe his laft, in a ftate of infanity. -- "Every idea of bringing d'Ollifont to juftice now vanifhed, and the death of this faithful, fervant preyed on my fpirits, (which, though bad at the time of my leaving Spain, had gradually grown worse ever fince) infomuch that, at this period, it almost affected my fenfes at certain times. Still it was a kind of melancholy madnefs, which was of fhort duration in its intervals; and, confequently, could not Le ditcovered, but by the few perions who were continually with me, and they took no notice of it, as they apprehended no il confequences from it on my behaviour, which was neither frantic nor outrageous. "Seven months elapfed under 3 N 2 thefe thefe circumstances; during which | asked me whether it could be doubt. time I received two letters from my ed there was fuch a thing as luck, daughter, who informed me of the when every company produced fome tenderness and affection of her huf: glaring inftance of a lucky man, who, band, of his fettling his affairs as without fuperior abilities, or unfair quick as poffible, to return with her practices, was a perpetual winner; to me in Italy, (a period fhe moft and, on the contrary, fome example fincerely longed for) though fhe fup- of another, who, though exceedingly pofed it would be deferred, on account skilful, was always a lofing gamefter. of an addition to their party, in the Thefe facts appearing fo undeniable, perfon of a near relation to myself. led you to imagine it was the pro"This intelligence, at two dif-perty of luck to attach itself to fome ferent times, gave me the moft fincere pleasure and happiness. Like a poor fhipwrecked mariner, I look ed forward through a gloomy prospect to a little glimpfe of returning comfort.-Alas! that glimpfe was foon extinguifhed, and I arrived at the cribs of my misfortunes. At the end of near five months' expectation after the laft letter I had received, another came from his lordship,-ftill more evident, you affirm that not who, in the moft foothing manner, (though himself, by the appearance of his writing, nearly distracted) informed me of the death of my Lucretia, in child-birth; the infant, which was a girl, having furvived. Excuse these tears," faid the old man. After a paufe of fomé minutes, while he feemed ftifled with grief: "Look on them (said he) not as the effects of womanish ideas, or a fuperannuated mind; but confider them as indicating one worn down by the rod of adverfity, till fortitude itself feems to forfake him, and remembrance even yet fills his eyes with drops of anguish,-of regret. (To be continued.) men, and to avoid others. Give me leave, then, to confider the nature of the facts which are faid to conftitute luck; namely, that Mr. A****, though an indifferent player, continually holds fuch good cards, that he always wins the money of Mr. B****, who understands the game, and plays his cards with the greatest attention. To render the affertion only Mr. A**** and Mr. B**** furnish us with the examples of good and bad luck, but that there are a thousand inftances of men who are hardly ever known to win; and if fuch may not be called unlucky, to what caufe can we afcribe fo extraor dinary an effect?·· In answer to this allegation, and before we enter upon the question of luck, it may be faid, that the facts themselves are far from being fo true as is ufually imagined. Men of veracity in every other particular, make no fcruple to magnify their loffes, and diminish their winnings; and, indeed, to fuch a degree, that, were they as uncandid in all their other dealings, the affairs of the world would go on but very uncomfortably. From what principle an honeft man will tell a lie on this fubject, which he would hold in abhorrence on every other, I cannot exactly determine. It may poffibly YOU feemed furprised the other arife partly from petulance, and day, when I smiled upon your partly from the defire of pity when declaring that Mr. A**** was fohe lofes; partly to avoid the imlucky a man that it was impoffibleputation of having plundered his for him to lofe at any game. Your friends when he wins, and partly AN ESSAY ON LUCK. الد In a Letter to a Friend. SIR, You from 7 |