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 eftablishment 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 refpectable 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 firft 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 sublime fpectacle 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,

VOL. II.

F

granted

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 so 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 most ladies, and Mr. Fitzofborne's powers of recitation were unrivalled. His perfon

F 2

fon had every charm, his manner every advantage. Lady Arabella looked, liftened, admired, and went home vastly rejoiced, that such a delightful young man had escaped the odious democrats.

The next morning, at an early hour, lady Fitzofborne rushed into her friend's dreffing-room. "Enchanting news! "my dearest Bella," faid fhe;" we "fhall never more be diftreffed for "want of a cecifbeo. My lord has "afked Edward to live with us till he "forms an establishment of his own. "Is not he a divine fellow? And this "morning he looks more refiftless than "ever. Such fpirit! fuch information! "it would have been a fhame to have "had him confounded with a parcel of "emigrant defperadoes. He spoke <c very fine things of you, my dear; he "feems quite ftruck, I affure you. If "you were but a little more Greek in your drapery, he declared, you would