his fervant to help Alphonfo into the coach, and drive home. As foon as he arrived, he ordered a bed to be got ready, and had him put into it; he had fo much care taken of him, that in a few days he was able to leave his apartment, and go down to dinner. When he entered the parlour, he was furprised to fee a young lady there, and was going to withdraw; but the baron de Stainville, (which was the gentleman's name,) taking the young lady by the hand, led her towards him. My dear Alphonfo, faid he, I will now introduce my daughter Julia to you. This, my dear, turning to' her, is the young gentleman you have heard me fay I have fuch an efteem for. You are too good, replied Alphonfo; I am fure I can have no claim to fuch kindness. He then paid his refpects to Julia in a moft graceful manner; the day was paffed with mutual fatisfaction, and when night came, each was forry to part. Alphonfe retired to bed, but not to fleep; different thoughts oc

and with a deep figh, turn his face away, and feem loft in thought then he would start up, and fay, It must not be. He would then take a walk, and return home as composed as ever. One day he called his nephew to him: Alphonfo, faid he, you are now of an age when travelling would be of fervice to you; I would with you, therefore, to get ready as foon as you poffibly can; I have only one piece of advice to give you : "Never let your paffions get the better of your reafon." Alphonfo took his hand; he found it tremble violently. He looked up in his face, and faw his countenance change alternately from red to pale. But his uncle affuming a flern frown, faid to him: "Retire, I have now no more to fay; remember my advice; you may need it." Alphonfo bowed and obeyed. He was ftruck with his uncle's behaviour: he was ufed to his fudden changes of temper, but thought he was now more than ufually folemn. Fear of he knew not what made him fhun his uncle as much as poli-cupied his mind. His generous disble, till the day came on which he was to fet out; he then went to his chamber, took his leave of him, and departed, attended by his faithful fervant Philip.

Nothing worth remarking hap. pened, till one day, as he was riding through a wood on the confines of Germany, feveral banditti rufhed upon them, dragged Alphonf off his horfe, and robbed him of all he had. They then did the fame to Philip, and 1.ft them almot dead with the bruifes they had received in making refittance. Soon after, a carriage happened to pafs by, with an elderly gentleman, who, perceiving the fituation they were in, ordered his coachman to ftop, and give them fome affittance. Philip Who was a little recovered, related what had happened, and who they were. Th gentleman then defired

position could not bear to lie under an obligation; and as he was now able to travel, he thought it would be wrong to ftay longer in a place where he had already received fo many favours; but fill an irrefiflible impulfe måde him with to remain longer: he felt a partiality to that place, which he imputed to gratitude; but he was mittaken Julia was the magnet that attrected him, though he did not allow himself to think fo. Morning appeared before he had clofed his eyes. Julia had not paffed a better night. The image of the amiable Alphonfo was continually before her eyes; the thought him the most elegant young man he had ever beheld; the arole pale and languid: her father obferved it, and asked if he was ill. She bluthed, and turned it off by faying the fuppofed it was raking

A

laft night made her look fo pale, as she used herself to go to reft early.

They then talked of the different places Alphonfo had vifited, and among others, of feveral curious hermitages he had feen and greatly admired, as they were the beautiful productions of nature. Talking of hermitages, faid the baron, puts me in mind of an extraordinary adventure which I met with fome months ago; if you please I will relate it. They expreffed their defire to hear it, and the baron began as follows:

"One morning, happening to rife rather fooner than my ufual hour, I took a walk among the neighbouring mountains to país my time till breakfast. The romantic appearance of the fcenes around me, fo enchanted my imagination, that I infenfibly ftrolled farther than I intended, and was bewildered in the intricacies of the place. Whilft I was deliberating what courfe to purfue, I perceived a figure at a distance approaching towards me. I therefore advanced to meet it; but as foon as the perfon saw me, he turned back, and fled with precipitation. Curiofity now impelled me, and I ran forwards with fpeed, in hopes to overtake him; but turning a corner of a rock, 1 loft fight of him. Fatigued with my purfuit, I fat down on the ground, and began to confider which way I fhould return; ⚫ when I thought I heard a deep figh, as if uttered by fome perfon near me. I turned round but could fee no one. In a few moments it was repeated ftill louder. Starting up, I happened to look behind the place where I fat, and faw a thick clufter of bushes; and looking nearer, I perceived the entrance of a cave, at the further

corner of which was a venerable old man, kneeling before a little wooden table, and, feemingly, in fervent prayer. When he faw me, he rofe up and invited me to fit down. I

then inquired whether he was the perfon who had fled from me among the mountains. I am, faid he; and though you may think me an unfociable wretch, I can affure you I have my reasons for wifhing to avoid the fight of man, which muft ever remain a fecret. My misfortunes are fuch as preclude all hopes of enjoying happinefs in this world. That is out of your power to fay, replied I: the viciffitudes of this life are many; we ought always to live in hopes, without which, life would be miferable. Indeed, no one fhould give himself to defpair. I do not, anfwered he; but, having loft all I ever held dear, I have no wish to live otherwife than I do at prefent: all I with, is never to fee mankind again. Heaven knows I have been an innocent fufferer by the perfidy of one of my own racea brother too; but I forgive him, and may the Almighty do the fame. Grief now overcame him, and he threw himfelf on the ground in an agony not to be defcribed. I tried all in my power to footh him, and at length fucceeded, and he became more calm. I then begged his pardon for intruding upon his folitude, and entreated his affiance to find my way out of the mountains. He then conducted me, through them, and brought me to a path that led to the plains. I muft new leave you, fail he, as I have already paffed my limits; but left you fhould think me inhofpitable, you have my permiffion to vifit me again, if you have any inclination :

may perhaps be tempted to tell you my tale of horror; but I must ex:ct your promife never to let any one fee me but yourfelf; my life deperds upon concealment. You may no, perhaps, believe me, when I tell you that it is not for my own guilt I fear detection; but that I wish to avoid the difcovery of my enemies. We then parted, and I gave him a folemn promise never to

bring

bring any one with me. I have feen him twice fince; but never could make him deviate in the leaft from his first determination. He feems a man of great learning, and by his converfation, I think he is of a noble, generous difpofition. But I tire your patience by fuch a long ftory. Alphonfo and Julia affured him, they were very much pleafed with it; and only wished to fee fuch an extraordinary a man; but as it was impoffible, they must content themselves with hearing of him; though from the baron's defcription of him, they should be very much interested in his welfare.

HE origin of the many fables and intolerable abiurdities, which have been entitled Legends, is to be attributed to the following practice:

Before any colleges were establishAnother week paffed away, and ed in the monafteries where the Alphonfo had yet fixed no time for fchools were held, the profeffors in his departure. Though he knew he rhetoric frequently gave their schohad no longer an excufe for ftaying; lars the life of fome faint for a trial yet he could not bear the thoughts of their talent at amplification. The of parting from his beloved Julia, ftudents being conftantly at a lofs to as he was certain he was not indif- furnish out their pages, invented ferent to her. He therefore thought thefe wonderful adventures. The his best way would be to acquaint the good fathers of that age, whose baron with his love for Julia, and fimplicity was not inferior to their truft to his generofity. He accor- devotion, were fo delighted with dingly fent a fervant to the baron's thefe flowers of rhetoric, that they apartment, to inquire whether he were induced to make a collection might be admitted to an hour's con- of thefe miraculous compofitions; verfation with him. The baron, who not imagining that, at fome diftant was reading in his room, was fur- period of time, they would become prifed at the meffage, and wondered matters of faith. Yet, when James what Alphonfo had to fay to him, de Voraigne, (vicar-general of the that he wished to fpeak privately; Jacobins), Peter Nadal, and Peter he therefore fent word back, he Ribadeneira, wrote the lives of the fhould be very happy to hear what- faints, they fought for their mateever he had to fay, and begged him rials in the libraries of the monafteto come immediately. When Al-ries; and, awakening from the duft phonfo came into the room, the ba- thefe manufcripts of amplification, ron took him kindly by the hand-imagined they made an invaluable What, faid he, can my young friend have to fay, that he wishes to be fo private? fomething very particular, no doubt, elie he would not have fent fuch a formal meffage. But come; fit down, and let me know all. Alphonfe then told him, he found it impoffible to depart without making him acquainted with his love for his amiable daughter, whom he adored from the first mo

prefent to the world by laying before
them thefe bulky abfurdities. The
people, received them with all ima-
ginable fimplicity; and, in the laft
century, it was dangerous for a
man to dare even to fufpect the
reality of thefe pious fictions. We
are indebted to Tillemont, to Fleu-
ry, Baillet, Launoi, and Bollandus,
for having cleared away much of
this rubbish; and by rejecting what

was

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