yet arrived at the age of envy and her laft prayers. Lady Fitzosborne's speech needs no explanation; but the wit of lady Arabella's retort confifted in an allufion to the circumftance of her dear friend's being ten years older than herself.

The friends were conftantly together, except when the mysteries of Pharo impofed a temporary feparation. I have already faid, that lady Madelina's fevere notions, restricted fome of her niece's propenfities; but this was not the only thing that prevented Arabella from being caught in that ruinous vortex from whofe fatal contact peace and honour muft never hope to escape. Lord Fitzofborne was, fince his marriage, become a man of character, a lover of decorum, and a confiderate obferver of pecuniary advantages. Fortune feldom bestows her gifts fingly,

and

and fince her acceffion to her brother's eftate, his lady had an amazing run of luck. She was not only able to difcharge her own debts of honour, but to pay fome of his; and this was the only circumftance which could at all reconcile his notions of propriety with her infraction of the laws of her country. His thoughts were now turned to the advantageous establishment of his brother Edward Fitzofborne, who had refided many years abroad upon the limit ed portion of a younger fon. His lordship had been affured by many respectable travellers, that this young gentleman was an honour to his name, poffeffed of elegant manners, uncommon erudition, and an irreproachable cha racter that he appeared in the first circles, correfponded with the first literary characters of the age, and was fitted to move in the most exalted sphere.

The

The noble viscount's fraternal tendernefs yearned at the recital. He determined to fend for him to England, to get him into parliament, to push him in the world, and to marry him to a fortune. It was with a reference to this defign that he prohibited the viscountess from initiating her friend in her private myfteries.

Mr Fitzofborne received his brother's fummons to England with regret, and begged that he might be permitted to remain at Paris, where he was just then contemplating the fublime spectacle of a great nation emancipating itself from the fetters of tyranny and fuperftition. It was, he faid, his wifh to continue abroad, to watch the progrefs of events that would enlarge his mind, and render him ftill worthier of the office of a British legiflator. The peer, whofe ideas were equally liberal, granted

VOL. II.

F

granted the requeft; and, depending upon his own watchfulness, and the chicanery of his lady, to prevent the glittering gold-fifh that he wished to entrap from escaping their net, he permitted Mr. Fitzofborne to profecute his ftudies, till the coercive measures which democracy was compelled to adopt obliged even the lovers of freedom to take shelter in the legal defpotifm of Old England.

CHAP. XXIII.

'Tis not impoffible

But one the wicked'ft caitiff on the ground,
May seem as shy, as grave, as just, as absolute,
As Angelo; even fo may Angelo

In all his dreffings, characts, titles, forms,
Be an arch villain.

SHAKSPEARE.

LADY ARABELLA was with her dear Harriet when Mr. Fitzofborne unexpectedly arrived. He had narrowly escaped the guillotine, had paffed the fea in a fishing-boat, and had encountered fo many perils, that his admiration of that meretricious liberty whofe diftinguishing code is equality of wretchedness, was rather abated. "Hair-breadth 'scapes" are very interefting to moft ladies, and Mr. Fitzofborne's powers of recitation were unrivalled. His per