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Over and above these Funds of Entertainment, the Proprietors are refolved to begin the Second Volume with a compendious History of FRANCE, compiled from MEZERAY, Father DANIEL, and other authentic Writers; and carried on, without Interruption, to the Peace of Utrecht, fo as to comprehend the Whole in the Compafs of two fmall Volumes.

In a word, their Intereft and Ambition concur in animating their Efforts to fill the BRITISH MAGAZINE with fuch a Choice of Articles, as may best fuit the Taste of a British Reader.

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CHAP. XIV.

Which foers,

That a man cannot always fip, When the cup is at his lip.

T

HOSE who have felt the doubts, the jealoufies, the refentments, the humilia. tions, the hopes, the despair, the impatience, and, in a word, the infinite difquiets of love, will be able to conceive the fea of agitation on which our adventurer was toffed all night long, without repofe or intermiffion. Sometimes he refolved to employ all his industry and addrefs in discovering the place in which Aurelia was fequeftered, that he might rescue her from the fuppofed reftraint to which the had been fubjected. But, when his heart beat high with the anticipation of this

exploit, he was fuddenly invaded, and all his ardour checked, by the remembrance of that fatal letter, written and figned by her own hand, which had divorced him from all hope, and first unfettled his underftanding. The emotions waked by this remembrance were so strong, that he leaped from the bed, and, the fire being ftill burning in the chimney, lighted a candle, that he might once more banquet his spleen by reading the original billet, which, together with the ring he had received from mifs Darnel's mother, he kept in a small box, carefully depofited within his portmanteau. This being inftantly unlocked, he unfolded the paper, and recited the contents in these words:

"Sir, Obliged as I am by the. paffion you profefs, and the eagernefs with which you endeavour to give me the moft convincing proof of

A 2

of your regard, I feel fome reluctance in making you acquainted with a circumftance, which, in all probability, you will not learn without fome difquiet. But the affair is become fo interefting, I am compelled to tell you, that however agreeable your propofals may have been to those whom I thought it my duty to please by every reasonable conceffion, and howsoever you may have been flattered by the feeming complacency with which I have heard your addreffes, I now find it abfolutely neceffary to speak in a decifive ftrain, to assure you, that, without facrificing my own peace, I cannot admit a continuation of your correfpondence; and that your regard for me will be beft fhewn by your defifting from a purfuit, which is altogether inconfiftent with the happiness of

that the poor young lady, mifs Meadows, had dropped her pocketbook in the next chamber, where it was found by the hoftefs, who now prefented it unopened.

Our knight, having called in Mrs. Oakely and her fon as witnesses, unfolded the book, without reading one fyllable of the contents, and found in it five bank-notes, amounting to two hundred and thirty pounds. Perceiving, at once, that the lofs of this treasure might be attended with the most embarraffing confequences to the owner, and reflecting that this was a cafe which demanded the immediate interpofition and affistance of chivalry, he declared, that he himself would convey it fafely into the hands of mifs Meadows; and defired to know the road fhe had purfued, that he might fet out in queft of her, without a

AURELIA DARNEL.." moment's delay. It was not with

Having pronounced aloud the words that compofed this difmiffion, he haftily replaced the cruel fcroll; and, being too well acquainted with the hand to harbour the leaft doubt of its being genuine, threw himfelf into his bed in a tranfport of defpair, mingled with refentment; during the predominancy of which, he determined to proceed in the career of adventure, and endeavour to forget the unkindness of his miftrefs, amidst the avocations of knight-errantry. Such was the refolution that governed his thoughts, when he rofe in the morning, ordered Crabfhaw to faddle Bronzomarte, and demanded a bill of his expence. Before t efe orders could be executed, the good woman of the house, entering his apartment, told him, with marks of concern,

out fome difficulty that this information was obtained from the poftboy, who had been enjoined secrecy by the lady, and even gratified with a handfome reward for his promised difcretion. The fame method was used to make him difgorge his truft: he undertook to conduct Sir Launcelot, who hired a poft-chaife for difpatch, and immediately departed, after having directed his fquire to follow his tract with the horses.

Yet, whatever hafte he made, it is abfolutely neceffary for the reader's fatisfaction, that we should outstrip the chaife, and vifit the ladies before his arrival. We shall therefore, without circumlocution, premife, that mifs Meadows was no other than that paragon of beauty and goodnefs, the ail-accomplished mifs Aurelia Darnel. She had, with that meeknefs of refignation peculiar to

herself, for fome years, fubmitted to every fpecies of oppreffion which her uncle's tyranny of difpofition could plan, and his unlimited power of guardianship execute, till, at length, it rose to fuch a pitch of defpotifm as he could not endure. He had projected a match between his niece and one Philip Sycamore, Efq; a young man who poffeffed a pretty confiderable eftate in the North Country; who liked Aurelia's perfon, but was enamoured of her fortune, and had offered to purchase Anthony's intereft and alliance with certain conceffions, which could not but be agreeable to a man of loose principles, who would have found it a difficult task to fettle the accounts of his wardship.

According to the prefent eftimate of matrimonial felicity, Sycamore might have found admittance as a future fon-in-law in any private family of the kingdom. He was by birth a gentleman, tall, ftraight, and mufcular, with a fair, fleek, unmeaning face, that promised more fimplicity than ill-nature. His education had not been neglected, and he inherited an eftate of five thoufand a year. Mifs Darnel, however, had penetration enough to discover and defpife him as a strange compofition of rapacity and profufion, abfurdity and good-fenfe, bashfulnefs and impudence, felf-conceit and diffidence, aukwardness and of tentation, infolence and good-nature, rafhness and timidity. He was continually furrounded and preyed upon by certain vermin called led-captains and buffoons, who fhewed him in leading-ftrings like a fucking giant, rified his pockets without ceremony, ridiculed him to his face, traduced his character, and expofed him in a

thousand ludicrous attitudes for the diverfion of the public; while, all the time, he knew their knavery, faw their drift, detefted their morals, and defpifed their understanding. He was fo infatuated by indolence of thought, and communication with folly, that he would have rather fuffered himself to be led into a ditch with company, than be at the pains of going over a bridge alone; and involved himself in a thousand difficulties, the natural confequences of an error in the first concoction, which, though he plainly faw it, he had not refolution enough to avoid.

Such was the character of squire Sycamore, who profeffed himself the rival of Sir Launcelot Greaves in the good graces of mifs Aurelia Darnel. He had in this purfuit perfevered with more conftancy and fortitude, than he ever exerted in any other inftance. Being generally needy, from extravagance, he was ftimulated by his wants, and animated by his vanity, which was artfully inftigated by his followers, who hoped to share the fpoils of his fuccefs. These motives were reinforced by the inceffant and eager exhortations of Anthony Darnel, who, feeing his ward in the last year of her minority, thought there was no time to be loft in fecuring his own indemnification, and snatching his niece for ever from the hopes of Sir Launcelot, whom he now hated with redoubled animofity. Finding Aurelia deaf to all his remonftrances, proof againft ill-ufage, and refolutely averse to the propofed union with Sycamore, he endeavoured to detach her thoughts from Sir Launcelot, by forging tales to the prejudice of his conftancy and

moral

moral character; and, finally, by recapitulating the proofs and instances of his diftraction, which he particularized with the most malicious exaggerations.

In fpite of all his arts, he found it impracticable to furmount her ob. jections to the purposed alliance, and therefore changed his battery. Inftead of transferring her to the arms of his friend, he refolved to detain her in his own power by a legal claim, which would inveft him with the uncontrouled management of her affairs. This was a charge of lunacy, in confequence of which he hoped to obtain a commiffion, to secure a jury to his wifh, and be appointed fole committee of her perfon, as well as fteward on her eftate, of which he would then be heir apparent. As the firft fteps towards the execution of this honeft fcheme, he had subjected Aurelia to the fuperintendency and direction of an old duenna, who had been formerly the procurefs of his pleafures; and hired a new set of fervants, who were given to underftand, at their firft admiffion, that the young lady was difordered in her brain.

An impreffion of this nature is eafily preferved among fervants, when the master of the family thinks his intereft is concerned in fupport ing the impofture. The melancholy produced from her confinement, and the vivacity of her refentment under ill-ufage, were, by the addrefs of Anthony, and the prepoffeffion of his domefticks, perverted into the effects of infanity; and the fame interpretation was ftrained upon her most indifferent words and actions. The tydings of mifs Darnel's diforder were carefully circulated in

whispers, and foon reached the ears of Mr. Sycamore, who was not at all pleased with the information. From his knowledge of Anthony's difpofition, he fufpected the truth of the report; and unwilling to fee fuch a prize ravished, as it were, from his grafp, he, with the advice and afliftance of his myrmidons, refolved to fet the captive at liberty, in full hope of turning the adventure to his own advantage; for he argued in this manner: "If the is in fact compos mentis, her gratitude will operate in my behalf, and even prudence will advise her to embrace the proffered asylum from the villany of her uncle. If fhe is really difordered, it will be no great difficulty to deceive her into a marriage, and then I become her trustee of courfe."

The plan was well conceived; but Sycamore had not discretion enough to keep his own counsel. From weakness and vanity, he blabbed the design, which in a little time was communicated to Anthony Darnel, and he took his precautions accordingly. Being infirm in his own person, and confequently unfit for oppofing the violence of fome defperadoes, whom he knew to be the fatellites of Sycamore, he prepared a private retreat for his ward at the house of an old gentleman, the companion of his youth, whom he had impofed upon with the fiction of her being difordered in her underfranding, and amufed with a ftory of a dangerous defign upon her perfon. Thus cautioned and inftructed, the gentleman had gone with his own coach and fervants to receive Aurelia and her governante at a third houfe, to which fhe had been privately removed from her

uncle's

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