taught me to moderate my ambition, to expect no other than a tradesman as a partner for life, to wear a dress fuitable to my humble ftate: I have fcrupulously obeyed your injunctions. But, why was I fent to fchool to become an object of love to the moft amiable of his fex? Oh, Jofeph! you are rich; but it is not your riches I love your paffion is pure too, and fervent as mine. Would to heaven, mother, that you knew the youth as well as I then you might approve my paffion-but you will know him, and we shall both be happy. It was on condition that he would obtain your confent, that I first listened to his vows. I told him that he was a lover fo different from what I had any reafon to expect, that I dared not mention him myfelf without incurring my mother's displeasure. Ifondly expected, that ere now he would have fulfilled his promife; but he has been unavoidably detained in Charlefton; for Jofeph is truth itself, and you will foon be convinced that he is not unworthy of my love. My deareft mother, I will follow your advice in every thing; but my heart tells me, that if you are deaf to the prayers of Jofeph, or if he (which is impoffible) fhould prove falfe, your daughter is undone. Alas, mother! why do you dart your eyes angrily upon me, as if you would search my foul? Calm your fears- your Sophia is virtuous, and will remain fo. Jofeph is not lefs virtuous than Sophia: the ftreams of Afhley, the trees of the foreft, and the stars of heaven, bear witness to the purity of his intentions.

I beheld my daughter with looks of tenderness, while forebodings of a coming calamity diffufed a damp over my fpirits. I was unwilling, however, to increase her phrenzy, by presenting to her a true picture of the dangerous ftep fhe had taken.

I will not doubt, refumed I, but Jofeph is worthy of your esteem, nay,

of your love: I am fure, at least, that you are worthy of his. I do not doubt the prefent fincerity of his promifes. I know him to be the pride of the oppofite bank of Afhley-he excels in the fchools-he excels in the chace-in fhort, in all the juvenile exercifes. He is well fhaped, and fair, few are fairer; and I believe him, from common report, to be generous and honourable: but who has afsured you that the current of his youthful virtues will not be corrupted by the powerful touch of public opinion, by paternal advice, and still more by parental authority? Caft your eyes across the river, observe that elegant building which rears its head above the loftiest trees-look a little farther, and fee his father's extended fields loaded with the richest productions of the year. Lothario is haughty and avaricious-Did he fend his fon to the first schools of Charleston to accomplish the husband of Sophia ? My daughter, I will not chide you. I fhall fee Jofeph, and all may be well: but beware of expecting the fweets. without the forrows of life. Prepare to fupport your fortune, whatever it may be, with becoming dignity.

Sophia wanted fome months of fixteen, and Jofeph was about two years older, when I became acquainted with the progress of their mutual love, the foundation of which, I learned, had been laid in infancy. Sophia had a tafte for poetry-she read Pope and Dryden with pleasure, but dwelt with peculiar delight on Thomfon's Seasons. The tender defcriptive language of that chaste and elegant author, was confonant to the fituation of her mind. I was often at a lofs to guefs the reafon of her uncommon fondness for that beautiful epifode in his Autumn, the fubject of which is taken from the Book of Efther. She perufed it with raptures, committed it to memory, and copied it feveral times for amufement. The

riddle was now folved-Jofeph was Palemon, and the herself Lavinia.O fancy! O imagination!-I recollected the vagaries of my youthful amours, and excused thofe of my daughter.

A more than ordinary gaiety in Sophia's dress and appearance announced her lover's return to the country. Her eyes fparkled with joy, and her features wore a perpetual fmile of ferenity. Their perfons were separated by the ftreams of Afhley, but all the figns of happy love were interchanged from fhore to fhore with the swiftness of lightning. In the still of the evening, Sophia, feated in the piazza, played the moft tender airs upon her guitar, which the accompanied with an harmonious fweetness of voice, and tranfmitted to her Jofeph all the melody of her faithful heart. Jofeph anfwered her ftrains with the foft founds of a Ger man flute, which he managed with inimitable skill, I pretended to take but little notice of all this machinery of love, while I privately dropt a tear of fympathy, when I reflected how foon their prefent enchantment muft diffolve under the moft fortunate cir cumftances. Happy children! faid I, you now enjoy the most refined pleafures on earth: but, perhaps even now the florms of adverfity gather round your heads, to blast your hum bleft hopes, and leave you only the painful remembrance of having once tafted of felicity, which must never more return!

The village schoolmaster, although almoft ignorant in claffical learning, was famous for his knowledge of mathematics, which gave Jofeph an opportunity of returning frequently to Sherton, long after he had quitted the fchool, under pretence of further improvement in furveying, a branch of education which his father had particularly recommended to him: but now I was convinced that Sophia

was the chief object of his vifits. On one of thefe occafions, while Sophia and I were walking in our little garden, we obferved Jofeph advancing towards us with a flow pace and downcaft eyes. My daughter endeavoured to conceal her blushes and confufion at this unexpected interview, and taking fhelter in the house, left me alone with her lover. I was but too well informed of the cause of their mutual timidity, and judged it high time to come to a fpeedy explanation. Ah! Jofeph, faid 1, little did I think that you would have used me fo ungenerously. You have stolen the affections of my daughter, without confidering the imprudence of your conduct. You have made her happiness to depend folely on you, not reflecting that you yourself depended on the will of others. Have you bestowed a fingle thought on the delicacy of the female character, which the flighteft breath of fcandal is capable of blafting for ever? Your partiality for Sophia has already become the talk of the neighbourhood. Are you not fenfible that public opinion, for the most part, acts in direct oppofition to the dictates of fimple nature and ingenuous fentiment? Had you confulted your parents, had you even confulted the mother of Sophia, all the inconveniencies of your propofed connection would have been clearly pointed out to you. Know, young gentleman, that my happiness is warped up in that of my daughter. I am perfuaded you have already carried matters too far to retract with fafety. Would it not fhock your fenfibility to drive Sophia to defpairto load her mother with extremest mifery? I myself have facrificed largely on the altar of faithful love : Sophia is the pledge of the sweet fufferings of my youthful age.

Jofeph, who had liftened to my difcourfe with the most profound attention, could no longer reprefs the

ardous

ardour of his feelings. He precipitately feized my hand in the utmost confufion, preffed it to his cheek, and bathed it with tears; and in a kneel ing pofture called heaven and earth to witness the difintereitedness and purity of his paffion. Yes, worthy mother of my incomparable Sophia, faid he, I confefs my fault-I know your character-you deferved my confidence much fooner. Let it apologize for me, that I loved your daughter before I had any fenfe of the formalities neceflary to be obferved on fuch occafions. To pleafe her has been my chief delight from my childhood; but now my paffion is wrought to the highest pitch, and I only wait for your confent to make me happy. Do na fear the trammels of interest-My fortune does not altogether depend upon my father-No one can deprive me of the property left me by my mother. But why do I talk thus? My father, my fifters, all our family love and eftcem

Sophia. I fhall doubtless gain their confent with the greatest facility. The birth, the beauty, the education, the innumerable good qualities of Sophia, will even in their eyes be more than a balance for all my paltry poffeffions. For my own part, whenever they ftand between me and the miftrefs of my heart, the matchlefs Sophia, I fhall spurn them from me with contempt.

By this time Sophia, eager to know the iffue of this long wished for converfation, had gently approached the place where we ftood. I felt an inclination to retire, and joining their hands, obferved, that the concurrence of Jofeph's parents would complete their happiness, from which mine could never be separated. They both feemed infenfible to every thing but the contemplation of each others charms. I refigned them to folitude, which I was confcious was then the greatest favour I could bestow upon them. (To be continued.)

A

The fmall city of Salon, in Provence, where the famous Noftradamus* was buried, produced another kind of Prophet, who made his appearance

is avell known.

pearance at the Court of France in the month of April, 1697.

A fpectre, which many believed to be that of this celebrated aftrolo. ger, appeared, as is faid, to a certain perfon of that city. After having made him promife, under pain of death, to obferve the most profound fecrecy with regard to what it was about to disclose, the spectre commanded him to go to the Intendant of the province, and to procure a letter from him which might enable him, on his arrival at Paris, to have a private audience of the King. As to what you are to fay to his Majefty,' continued the phantom, you will not know until the evening before you are introduced at Court, when I will appear to you, and give you farther inftructions. But reflect, I beseech you, that your life depends upon this fecret, which I enjoin you to make known to no perfon whatever but the Intendant of the province.'

On these words the spectre difappeared, and left him half dead with fear. Scarcely had he recovered from bis terror, when his wife arrived, and obferving him to be difordered, infifted, but in vain, to know the caufe; the menaces of the phantom had made fo deep an impreffion on his mind, that he could not make him give her any fatisfaction: but the refufal of her husband having excited her curiofity the more, the poor man found himself reduced to fuch a fituation that he was not allowed to enjoy a moment's repofe; he was therefore fo weak as to tell her the whole ftory, which coft him his life, according to the prediction of the apparition. The woman, on this, was greatly terrified; but as fhe imagined that the accident which had happened to her husband might be only the effects of a mind difordered by fome dream, fhe refolved, both on her own account, and out of reSpect for the memory of her huf

band, to entrust the fecret of this catastrophe only to a few of her relations and intimate friends.

The fame spectre having appeared to another inhabitant of the fame city fome time after, who was fo imprudent as to inform his brother, and who, on that account, was punished in the fame manner, these two deaths, as tragical as terrible, became the general fubject of converfation, not only at Salon, but in the whole country to the distance of fixty miles around.

The spectre, however, fhewed itfelf again to a farrier, whofe house was not far distant from those of these two victims; but this man, more prudent than the latter, immediately waited upon the Intendant, and having, tho' with much difficulty, obtained a private audience, according to the injunctions of the phantom, he was treated as a madman, and ordered to go back to the place of his abode, to get himself cured of his phrenzy. I allow, Sir,' faid the, farrier, who was accounted by the people of Salon a very fenfible man,

that my behaviour may appear to you ridiculous and abfurd; but if you will be pleased to order your fubftitute to enquire ftrictly into the fudden death of two of the inhabitants of our city, who were charged by the phantom with the fame commiflion which I am now come to execute, I have reafon to hope that you will fend for me before eight days are expired.'

The Intendant having ordered a proper enquiry to be made refpecting the death of these two imprudent men, the farrier, whofe name was Francis Michael, was fent for, as he expected. The magiftrate now received him very favourably, heard him with much attention, gave him difpatches to the Marquis of Barbefieaux, who was minifter of flate and fecretary for Provence; and,

having fupplied him with money to defray his expences, wifhed hin a good journey.

As the Intendant was afraid that a young minifter, fuch as the Marquis of Barbefieux, might tax him with too much credulity, and raise a laugh against him at Court, he took care to enclofe in his dispatches, not only the information taken, at Salon by his fubftitute, but also the certificate of the Lieutenent General of Juftice, attefted and figned by all the officers under his command.

When Michael arrived at Paris, ne was much embarrassed respecting what he should fay to the Minifter, as the phantom had not appeared to him, according to its promife. But that evening, as we are told, the fpectre, after having drawn afide the curtains of his bed, and bid him fear nothing, told him what he should say to the Minister, referving only a certain circumftance which he was to communicate to the King alone, You will meet with difficulties, no doubt,' faid the phantom, in pro, curing a private audience; but take care not to be dilcouraged, and fuffer no one to difcover your fecret, either by means of the Minifter or any one elfe, if you wish to avoid inftant death,'

The Minifter, as may well be fuppofed, did not fail to do every thing in his power to difcover the mystery; but the farrier, whofe refolution was proof against every effort, and who knew that his life depended upon his fecrecy, concluded with faying, in order that you may not imagine that I have nothing but chimeras to tell his Majefty, you may inform him from me, that while he was hunting laft at Fountainbleau, he himself faw the fame phantom, and his horfe was fo frightened, that he ftarted afide; but as the spectre appeared only for an inftant, his Majefty conceived it to be an illufion, and did not speak of it to any one.'

The Marquis, ftruck by fo fingular a circumftance, thought it dangerous to hesitate or delay, and that it was his duty to inform the King both of this extraordinary person's arrival at Verfailles, as well as of the converfation which he had held with him; but the Minifter was very much furprised when the King, after a moment's filence, confented to fee him privately, and even the fame day.

What paffed at this strange interview was kept a profound fecret. All we know is, that, after this pretend. ed prophet had remained three or four days at Court, his Majesty con fented that he fhould take leave as foon as ever he should set out for the chace.

It is even afferted, that the Duke de Dutas, a Captain of the King's guards, faid then, in fuch manner as to be heard by all around. Sire, if your Majefty had not ordered me to permit that man to approach your perfon, I fhould have been very far from doing it; for if he is not a fool, your Majefty is not noble ;" and that the King replied, with a fmile, How often we judge badly of our neigh, bour! That man my Lord Duke, is much wifer than you and many others think.'

It may be readily imagined what impreffion fuch words must make upon thofe who heard them. Every attempt, therefore, was made to dif cover what had paffed between this man and the Marquis of Barbefieux, as well as at his conferrence with the King. The people, always credulous, and on that account fond of the mar vellous, thought that the taxes which a long and bloody war had rendered neceffary, were the true motive of it, and in confequence of this they expected speedy relief; but they fub, fifted, nevertheless, till peace was' concluded.

After the prophet had taken leave

of