looking upon me as a new Cuftomer, was extraordinary obliging. He was a tall meagre Perfon, with a black Beard, hollow-eyed, and lanthorn-jawed. Ah! good God, faid I to myself, this is a poor skinny Wretch for the Master of a Houfe, who is famous for good Living! but it may be his natural Conftitution; for I remember to have heard my Uncle fay, that there are fome People who have nothing but Skin and Bones, and yet have fo good an Appetite, that they will eat all they come near.

Canizarez asked me who I was, from whence I came, and what Business brought me to Salamanca; and when I had anfwered his Questions as I thought proper, he faid, Young Man, I hope you will have no Reason to repent of boarding with me; and when he had faid this, he conducted me to a little Room at the Top of the Houfe, which had no other Furniture in it, than a Cheft of Drawers, two Chairs, a Table, and a little Bed. This is your Apartment, fays he, and you may bring your Cloaths when you pleafe. I have no Cloaths, fays I, but, thank God, I have wherewithal to buy them, and that you may be easy upon my Account, I will pay you a Quarter before-hand. The Doctor made no Reply

to

to that, and had no fooner told me that his Price was forty Piftoles per Annum for each Boarder, but taking twenty Doublons out of my Purse, which I took care he fhould fee, I gave him five, which was for the first Quarter.

He examined thefe double Pistoles very narrowly, one after the other; then telling me, that he would use his utmoft Endeavours to make me one of the best Scholars in the Univerfity, he enquired what had been taught me at Murcia, and what I was capable of doing; and examining me in the Liberal Sciences, thought, by my Anfwers, that I was qualified to be Captain of the third Class.

After he had fet a Value upon my Capacity, fo much to my Advantage, he undertook to have me received in that Clafs without paffing an Examination, the Mafter of it being his intimate Acquaintance. Then he was going to exhort me to study the Belles Lettres, but the Bell rung for Supper. We went immediately down Stairs, from my Room into a Hall, where was a long narrow Table, at which ten or twelve Scholars were fitting, all about my own Age, except two, who were near twenty Years old.

I faluted the young Gentlemen when I entered, and then placing myself amongst them,

them. I began to obferve their Portions of Provifion, which were very uniform.. It being a Faft-Day, every one had three Ounces of Bread before him, with two Plates, upon one of which were two roafted Onions, and upon the other a Handful of Small-nuts. I was amazed at the Frugality of the Repaft, which did not at all agree with the Encomium upon their Manner of Living given me by the Bookfeller. Nevertheless, as I reflected that it was a Faft-Night, I comforted myself in hopes of faring better the next Day. They brought me my Plates likewife, with half a Pint of fuch wretchedfmall Wine, that I fhould have preferred Water to that difagreeable Drink. When People are hungry they comply with any thing. I devoured my Bread and Onions, and cracked my Nuts in fuch a Manner, that the Doctor might perceive I was a Youngfter with a good Appetite. My School-fellows did the fame Honour to the Collation as myself. Every Thing was fo clearly eat up, cracked and difpatched, that there were hardly Crumbs enough. left upon the Table to fatisfy a Sparrow.

Supper being ended, the Boarders went into a Court to take the Air. I followed, and contracted an Acquaintance with them, but chiefly with the tallest,

who

who taking me in private, asked me, who was fo much my Enemy as to advise me to board with Doctor Canizarez? I told him it was an old Bookfeller who lived a few Doors off. Ah! the fpiteful, old, one-eyed Dog, cried the Scholar, laughing very heartily, the old Rogue has put a Trick upon you: He is not ignorant in what Manner we are fed, and the whole Neighbourhood is fo well acquainted with it, that our Sobriety is the publick Jeft of the Place. I perceived when we were at Supper, faid I, that I was not in good Pafture, and can affure you that I would feck another Lodging To-morrow, had I not been Fool enough to pay him a Quarter beforehand.

I fhould have left this Boarding-School long ago, faid he, if my Reafons for staying had not prevail'd over my Inclination to go away. Why! what Reasons, faid I, can prevail over Hunger? I am going to tell you, faid he. Doctor Canizarez is no lefs learned than covetous: He is a perfect Master of the Greek and Latin Authors, and I proteft to you, that though he feeds us but indifferently, he teaches us a thoufand curious Things in Return, and for this Reafon I take no Notice of his Nuts and Onions. You give me fome Comfort, faid I to my School-fellow, and

I

I can accustom myself to his Frugality as well as you, to become a Virtuofo.

While I was difcourfing in this Manner with my School-fellow, whofe Name was Don Ramirez de Prado, a Student in Philofophy, we heard the Bell ring us to Bed, upon which we parted, after contracting a mutual Friendship together. I went up into my Room, where I lay upon a Bed as hard as a Stone, and between a Pair of Sheets made of fome coarfe Napkins, fewed carelessly together. But notwithstanding the Coarfenefs of the Sheets, and the Roughness of the Seams, which fcratched my Legs, I flept like a Pig till Nine O'Clock_next Morning. As foon as I was awake, I arofe, and washed myself, and as I was drefling, my Master came into the Room, followed by a Man, whom he prefented to me, faying, this is my Boarders Taylor, who comes to offer his Service to you; he is a very good Workman, and fo honeft in his Trade, that he would not rob you of an Inch of Cloth.

As I had Occafion for a Suit of Cloaths, I ordered the Taylor to make them; and for fix double Piftoles, which I gave him, he engaged to furnish me with a compleat Suit in two Days. The Taylor was hardly gone out of the Room before it was