would be the highest degree of assurance in me to give my opinion betwixt gentlemen who argue the matter so ably; besides, to say truth, I confess weariness—your wine is more potent than I expected, or I have drank more of it than I meant to do."

"Nay, if an hour's nap will refresh you," said the elder of the strangers," make no ceremony with us. Your bed-all we can offer as such-is that old-fashioned Dutch-built sofa, as the last new phrase calls it. We shall be early stirrers to-morrow morning."

“And that we may be so,” said Smith, “I propose that we do sit up all this night—I hate lying rough, and detest a pallet-bed. So have at another flask, and the newest lampoon to help it

out

Now a plague of their votes

Upon papists and plots,

And be d-d Doctor Oates.

Tol de rol.

"Nay, but our Puritanic host," said Ganlesse.

"I have him in my pocket, man-his eyes,

ears, nose, and tongue," answered his boon companion," are all in my possession."

"In that case, when you give him back his eyes and nose, I pray you keep his ears and tongue," answered Ganlesse. "Seeing and smelling are organs sufficient for such a knave-to speak and hear, are things he should have no manner of pretensions to."

"I grant you it were well done,” answered Smith; "but it were a robbing of the hangman and the pillory; and I am an honest fellow, who would give Dun and the devil his due. So

All joy to great Cæsar,

Long life, love, and pleasure;
May the King live for ever,

"Tis no matter for us, boys."

While this Bacchanalian scene proceeded, Julian had wrapt himself closely in his cloak, and stretched himself on the couch which they had shewed to him. He looked towards the table he had left the tapers seemed to become hazy and dim as he gazed-he heard the sound of voices, but they ceased to convey any impression to his

understanding; and in a few minutes, he was faster asleep than he had ever been in the whole course of his life.

CHAPTER XI.

The Gordon then his bugle blew,

And said, awa, awa;

The House of Rhodis is all on flame,
I hauld it time to ga'.

Old Ballad.

WHEN Julian awakened the next morning, all was still and vacant in the apartment. The rising sun, which shone through the half-closed shutters, shewed some reliques of the last night's banquet, which his confused and throbbing head assured him had been carried into a debauch.

Without being much of a boon companion, Julian, like other young men of the time, was not in the habit of shunning wine, which was then used in considerable quantities; and he could not help being surprised, that the few cups he had drunk over night had produced on his

frame the effects of excess. He rose up, adjusted his dress, and sought the apartment for water to perform his morning ablutions, but without success. Wine there was on the table; and beside it one stool stood, and another lay, as if thrown down in the heedless riot of the evening. Surely, he thought to himself, the wine must have been very powerful, which rendered me insensible to the noise my companions must have made ere they finished their carouse,

With momentary suspicion he examined his weapons, and the packet which he had received from the Countess, and kept in a secret pocket of his upper-coat, bound close about his person. All was safe; and the very operation reminded him of the duties which lay before him. He left the apartment where they had supped, and went into another, wretched enough, where, in a trucklebed, were stretched two bodies, covered with a rug, the heads belonging to which were amicably deposited upon the same truss of hay. The one was the black shock-head of the groom; the other, graced with a long thrumb night-cap, shewed a grizzled pate, and a grave caricatured