since it has so fallen out, I will have humour on Madame de Maintenon, the honour of placing the first pin and threw the pin away with vexain this pincushion. There is one, tion. The King picked it up, and now, that I have stuck in this rib- exclaimed, with his usual gallantry, bon only to remind me that Lacha- "Henceforward this shall be mine, tre is to visit me this evening; the since it is stained with blood so placing this pin there first, will on- precious as yours." ly serve to render the adventure more piquant."

Very soon this famous pin again came into the hands of Madame de Maintenon; and it was on one fine

See, then, the first pin in this day, that, as the hand of the mopincushion belonging to the greatest narch, after some resistance, had prude about the court, placed there taken it from an envious handkerby the hand of the most celebrated chief, that, by capitulation with the courtesan in Paris. At this period, lady, he again became possessor of Madame de Montespan began to this memorable pin.

repent having introduced so dan- Louis XIV. placed it carefully in gerous a rival as Madame de Main- his casket of jewels, where it retenon into the palace. One sum- mained idle till that remarkable mer's day, during her promenade, epoch when James II. King of Engthe heat of the sun being more in- land, betrayed by his subjects, was tense than usual, she found herself driven from his throne by the very much oppressed by it. Wish- Prince of Orange, and went to take ing also to conceal a few tears that, refuge at St. Germains, with the in spite of all her efforts, gushed Queen and Prince of Wales. It is from her eyes, she endeavoured to well known that Louis received throw a gauze veil over her face, him with magnificence, and yielded but the wind continually bore it up- up his own apartment to the fallen wards. Her temper, never of the monarch. As he was going to meet best, did not require this contradic- him, Madame de Maintenon, who tion to sour it; and she impatiently regarded this moment as the most asked Madame de Maintenon to glorious in the King's life, wished give her a pin, who, after looking to add to a diamond loop which fasover her pincushion, said, mildly, tened his hat, a plume of white that she had not one: for she did feathers, tied with a ribbon on not reckon the pin Ninon had given which she had embroidered the folher, which, at that moment, fasten- lowing words-If James had been ed her neck-kerchief, and which her like Louis, his subjects would all native modesty would not allow her have remained faithful. This leto displace. "Pardon me, Ma- gend, which flattered at once the dame," said the Marchioness de feelings and the vanity of the King, Montespan, angrily, "you have pleased him extremely; but he one, but you are so disagreeable to- wished, in wearing it, to keep it day!" and so saying, she very im- secret. He, therefore, called to prudently snatched the pin which him Bontems, his favourite valet-deserved to conceal the sacred charms chambre, told him to bring him his of Madame de Maintenon. The casket of jewels, and taking out, amorous Louis was a spectator- with that peculiar grace which beand Madame de Montespan, in a longed to him alone, the cherished rage at seeing, by the looks of the pin, he said, "Madame, this only monarch, what was passing in his is worthy to fasten and conceal the heart, and having wounded herself, precious words you have embroiderby her haste, in her finger till the ed, and to which this mysterious blood came, she vented all her ill- pin will lend new charms." Ma

dame de Maintenon cast down her dame de Maintenon, and which was eyes, fastened the ribbon with the ornamented with all the heavenly pin, which, having fulfilled the use attributes; and on the inside was to which it was destined, was again engraven engraven all that love and elegant replaced with care in the precious wit could invent, in the most tencase, after the august monarch had der devices and amatory embellishconsoled, on his throne, the unfor- ments. There was, besides, a littunate James, who had just abdi- tle cross of violet-coloured wood, cated his own. made in memory of the revocation We leave, for awhile, Louis XIV. of the edict of Nantes, on which to finish his reign, sometimes at the was engraven the names of Letelheight of power and glory, at others lier, M. Pere Lachaise, and Mawithin two inches of destruction, dame de Maintenon, with the fatal Let us pass over the period of the date of the 10th of October, 1685. regency; and leave our pin lying In one of the corners of the casket idle in the late King's casket, either was a little case of amber, of exfrom forgetfulness or veneration, quisite workmanship, in which was never having been employed during enclosed the famous legend given to the whole of that time. We hasten the King by Madame de Maintenon towards the end of the reign of on the day of the arrival of James Louis XV. when the pin came again II. at St. Germain, and the celebrainto employ through a very extra- ted pin fastened to the two ends of ordinary adventure. the ribbon with a paper, on which

The ease and familiarity with was written the anecdote that renwhich Madame de Barry behaved dered the pin of such intrinsick towards Louis XV. is well known: value. To open the paper, to read nothing was sacred from her sallies, the legend, to take possession of whether idleness or folly were the the pin, and break the amber case, motives which actuated her. One was, for Madame de Barry, only day after dinner, not knowing how the work of a moment; who, givto support a languid and desultory ing herself up to all the despotism conversation, she took it into her of her own will, never listened to head to open a closet, where the any thing that was offered in oppoKing kept a great number of sition to it. " I shall keep this pin," curious articles belonging to his an- said she, "and it shall, this day, cestors. Important and rare manu- fasten the plume of feathers I mean scripts, curiosities of different kinds; to wear on my head." In vain the and all these things the favourite King tried to oppose his arguments threw pêle-mêle, one over the other, against it: there are cases in which notwithstanding all the remonstran- opposition only is the forerunner of ces of the King, who, losing the new weaknesses. The King demonarch in the lover, had, for a clared he would not expose himself long time, lost his dignity in an un- to the consequences of losing this bounded compliance with the will pin, so precious to his grandfather: and fancies of his mistress. In but his mistress, as careless as she the midst of this devastation, the was insolent, had already gained jewel-casket of Louis XIV. fell her apartment, and was occupied from the hand of her to whom that in fastening an elegant plume of refined monarch would never cer- feathers with that very pin, which tainly have confided it. It was fil- had been heretofore consecrated to led with the most beautiful dia- glory and to love.

monds, with an enamelled ring This little incident happened prethat had formerly belonged to Ma- cisely at that moment when M. D'Aguillon felt almost certain of man. But the rendezvous, under seeing that intrigue end happily the title of explanation of business, which he had formed with Madame had already been appointed (and de Barry, to dismiss from court M. was to take place in the minister's de Choiseuil..

F

cabinet) by the dangerous favourite,

The minister, as fortunate as he who was highly amused in keeping was adroit, had, for a long time, the matter secret, and whether suffered the storm to gather over through caprice, or from the wish his head; and without embarrassing of not appearing inconsequent, she his numerous friends by his fears, would not give it up, but promised and who, by their imprudence might to reject, in the most positive manonly have injured him, he appeared ner, every proposal that might be always easy, and sure of keeping in inimical to the interests of her his exalted station.

friends.

In the meantime things came to It is right to inform the reader,

a

that crisis, that, yielding to the instances and importunities of those who surrounded him, he consented, from mere complaisance, to take step which wounded his own vanity, but which appeared the only way of parrying the last stroke levelled at him by the King's mistress and her powerful party.

before we proceed any further, that for several days the King had asked, with some degree of ill-humour, and that over and over again, of Madame de Barry to restore him the pin; but she, to vex him, always told him she had lost it: and when the King wished to make her sensible that this pin had formerly be

He had alway thought that there longed to Louis XIV. and was even were only two ways for an able and connected with some of the most captivating man to succeed with a important circumstances of his life, woman, who might be, perhaps, his she ought, he told her, not only to most inveterate enemy. These have preserved it, but to have remethods had always been successful, spected it. But Madame de Barry, and with a head as fertile as his, to from the mere spirit of contradicthink and act were the same thing. tion, made the pin subservient to He, therefore, approached the the most whimsical offices. SomeCountess, and seemed to contem- times she would make use of it to plate her with admiration : he spoke fasten the Chancellor's wig to her to her with gaiety and freedom; window-curtain, who, when he rose slightly lamented that he had caused to retire, exhibited his hideous bare her that momentary ill-humour, head.-Sometimes she would pierce which only served to render her yet with it the lame leg of the Abbé more lovely; and assured her that Teray; or the back of Cardinal one quarter of an hour's conversa- Giraudi; who, in quality of the tion would easily destroy all those Pope's nuncio, thought it an honour prejudices that she had conceived to put the slippers of the favourite against him: and he made himself on her pretty little feet: and all so insinuating, that the triumvirate, these mischievous tricks only rencomposed of the Chancellor, the dered the pin doubly dear to MaDuke D'Aiguillon, and the Abbé dame de Barry.

Teray, began to fear the success of At length the day of rendezvous an intrigue which had, till then, arrived. It was at six o'clock; seemed so well conducted. Again and the King had been at the chace: they assailed the Countess, and en- he was expected to return late. deavoured to keep her from forming Monsieur de Choiseul had put off any connexion with so formidable a twenty important rendezvous. Eve

ry thing seemed to conspire to set to give more variety to her attrachis mind at ease, and to afford him tions, and which he thought to put every hope of a reconciliation; an end to by his termerity. Perwhich, though it wounded his pride, haps he might not have met with a he thought he ought not to refuse to repulse had not that confounded pin, his friends. always fated to play an important

The two folding-doors were part, presented its point, tore a thrown open, and Madame de Bar- beautiful lace ruffle, and most unry made her appearance, in a dress mercifully scratched his wrist. He conspicuous more for its elegance cried out, and quitted her in haste. than for its splendour; her beauti- Madame de Barry, who had no noful tresses hung in careless ringlets, tion of the accident that had befalbut in the arrangement of which len him, thought herself insulted in the utmost art had been resorted the very moment when, perhaps, to; and she wore, on one side of she was on the point of granting his her bosom, a superb bouquet of those pardon. She precipitately quitted flowers that were in season, fasten- the apartment, without the bleeding ed together with a knot of ribbons, hand daring to detain her. The and fixed to her bust by the famous minister was dismissed two days afpin. She appeared like Venus de- terwards; and as he was going to scending from Mount Olympus: but, Chanteloup, the place of his exile, unfortunately, the ideas of Mon- as every one in the carriage was sieur de Choiseul were merely ter- speaking of the cause of his disrestrial; and, in the beautiful Coun- grace, he answered by the followtess before him, he saw no other ing words, which were an enigma deity than the charming ci-devant to them all" A pin has changed courtesan, L'Ange.

the destiny of France."

"Well, Monsieur," said she, Scarce had the favourite gained flinging herself on a sofa, " you will her own apartment, before the King not do what I require of you; I am returned from hunting. His misvery angry with you, that you may tress flew to meet him, impressed be assured of: it is not with impu- with the desire of vengeance for nity that a woman in my situation the imaginary affront she had receivshould be denied what she asks, ed. --Never had the monarch beand I hope the King will see justice held her so tender. This gave him done me." The air of dignity with an opportunity of asking her again which she pronounced these words, for the pin: it was restored to him, was so diametrically opposite to the again carefully put by, without the voluptuousness of her outward ap- monarch imagining how useful it pearance, that the Duke could not had been to him.

forbear smiling; and answered her We will now leave the pin safe by a flattering kind of sarcasm, of lodged again in the royal casket, which she felt all the point. She and we shall soon see how it got out replied with an acrimony that Mon- in the succeeding reign, never to be sieur de Choiseul affected to mis

take for mere caprice, only put on

placed there again.

[To be concluded in our next.

From the Ladies' Monthly Museum, for March, 1818,

MARY ASHFORD.

THE THE mysterious and tragical fate interest in the publick mind, that, of this lovely and unfortu- in order to gratify our subscribers, nate girl, has excited se strong an we have been induced to depart from our usual custom, and, instead itself could not cast an aspersion orz of presenting them with a portrait her fair fame, and she was uniand memoir of a female distinguish-versally respected in the neighboured either by the splendour of her hood where she resided.

rank, or the lustre of her talents, She had nearly attained her we have taken considerable pains, twentieth year, when she was solicitand gone to some expense, to pro-ed to go to a dance at Tyburn, cure a faithful likeness, and some which takes place annually, on the authentick particulars of the life of 26th of May, after a feast held on this sweet flower, so early and so that day: it was to be at a publick cruelly blighted. house, kept by a man of the name

Mary Ashford was the daughter of Daniel Clarke. Mary, who was of an honest and respectable garden- of a retired and domestick turn, at er, who lives near the Cross Keys first declined going; but the entreaat Erdington, on the Birmingham ties of a friend, and the love of road. Her grandfather resides amusement, so natural at her age, near Bell-lane, in the same parish. prevailed on her to consent; and Mary received such an education as it was settled, that she should call is usually bestowed upon females upon a young person with whom in the humble class of life to which she had long been intimate, of the she belonged; but she promised, at name of Hannah Cox, who lives at a very early age, to rise superiour Erdington, in the service of Mr. to her situation by the graces of her Machin, and that they should promind and person. She was rather ceed to the scene of festivity at above the midddle size, the most Tyburn.

skilful sculptor might have selected On the morning of 26th, Mary her form as a model for a Venus; her called for her friend, and they profinely turned limbs seemed polished ceeded together to the house of by the hand of symmetry; and a Mrs. Butler, the mother of Hannah rare union of expression and sweet- Cox. Mary, after a short stay, ness with regularity of feature, ren- departed for Birmingham Market, dered her countenance as beautiful promising to return in the evening; as her figure was perfect.

she came back about six o'clock,

These personal graces, added to changed her dress, and proceeded a disposition the most open and with her friend, Hannah, to the ingenuous, an affectionate heart, house of Mr. Clarke.

1

and an amiable temper, rendered The unfortunate girl was dressed her the pride and delight of her in the neat and plain style which friends. Some time before the became her situation in life. She shocking catastrophe which we are looked that evening uncommonly about to relate, took place, she went lovely, and soon attracted the admito reside with her uncle, a small ration of all the young men present; farmer, who lives at Langley Heath, one of them, Abraham Thornton, three miles from Erdington; and, eagerly inquired who she was, and during her stay with him, she be on being told her name, he expresshaved, as she had always done, in ed, in terms which we must not the most reserved and prudent

manner.

stain our pages by repeating, his determination to possess her, even though it should cost him his life. He immediately solicited her hand for the dance which she readi

So lovely a girl could not have been without admirers; but it has been proved, that, although she had a great share of vivacity, it was so ly gave him; during the remainder tempered by discretion, that scandal of the evening they danced together,