the unspeakable fruition of freedom. For | fear and trembling, found his pupil in a dismy own part, I should rejoice to see the mal apartment, void of all furniture but a blood of my father spilt in such a glorious stool and truckle-bed: the moment he was cause, provided such a victim would furnish admitted, he perceived the youth whistling me with the opportunity of dissolving the with great unconcern, and working with his chains of slavery, and vindicating that liber- pencil at the bare wall, on which he had dety which is the birthright of man. Then lineated a ludicrous figure, labelled with the would my name be immortalized among the name of the nobleman whom he had affrontpatriot heroes of antiquity, and my memory, ed, and an English mastiff, with his leg lifted like that of Harmodius and Aristogiton, be up, in the attitude of making water in his honoured by statues erected at the public shoe. He had been even so presumptuous as expense.' This rhapsody, which was de- to explain the device with satirical inscriplivered with great emphasis and agitation, tions in the French language, which, when gave so much offence to Jolter, that, without Jolter perused, his hair stood on end with speaking one word, he retired in great wrath affright. The very turnkey was confounded to his own chamber, and the republican re- and overawed by the boldness of his behaturned to his lodging, in full hope of his prog-viour, which he had never seen matched by nostic being verified in the death and destruction of Peregrine and the painter, which must give rise to some renowned revolution, wherein he himself would act a principal part. But the governor, whose imagination was not quite so warm and prolific, went directly to the ambassador, whom he informed of his pupil's situation, and besought to interpose with the French ministry, that he and the other British subject might obtain their liberty. His excellency asked if Jolter could guess at the cause of his imprisonment, that he might be the better prepared to vindicate or excuse his conduct; but neither he nor Pipes could give the smallest hint of intelligence on that subject; though he furnished himself, from Tom's own mouth, with a circumstantial account of the manner in which his master had been arrested, as well as of his own behaviour, and the disaster he had received on that occasion. His lordship never doubted that Pickle had brought this calamity upon himself by some unlucky prank he had played at the masquerade; especially when he understood that the young gentleman had drank freely in the afternoon, and been so whimsical as to go thither with a man in woman's apparel: and he, that same day, waited on the French minister, in full confidence of obtaining his discharge; but met with more difficulty than he expected, the court of France being extremely punctilious in every thing that concerns a prince of the blood: the ambassador was therefore obliged to talk in very high terms; and though the present circumstances of the French politics would not allow them to fall out with the British administration for trifles, all the favour he could procure was a promise that Pickle should be set at liberty, provided he would ask pardon of the prince to whom he had given offence. His excellency thought This intimation had an effect upon the mithis was but a reasonable condescension, sup-nistry at Versailles, who, rather than run the posing Peregrine to have been in the wrong; risk of incensing a people, whom it was and Jolter was admitted to him, in order to neither their interest nor inclination to discommunicate and reinforce his lordship's ad- oblige, consented to discharge the offenders, vice, which was, that he should comply with on condition that they should leave Paris in the terms proposed. The governor, who three days after their enlargement. This did not enter this gloomy fortress without proposal was readily agreed to by Peregrine,.

any inhabitant of that place; and actually joined his friend in persuading him to submit to the easy demand of the minister. But our hero, far from embracing the counsel of this advocate, handed him to the door with great ceremony, and dismissed him with a kick on the breech; and to all the supplications, and even tears of Jolter, made no other reply, than that he would stoop to no condescension, because he had committed no crime; but would leave his case to the cognizance and exertion of the British court, whose duty it was to see justice done to its own subjects: he desired, however, that Pallet, who was confined in another place, might avail himself of his own disposition, which was sufficiently pliable. But when the governor desired to see his fellow-prisoner, the turnkey gave him to understand that he had received no orders relating to the lady, and therefore could not admit him into her apart. ment; though he was complaisant enough to tell him, that she seemed very much mortified at her confinement, and at certain times behaved as if her brain was not a little disordered. Jolter, thus baffled in all his endeavours, quitted the bastile with a heavy heart, and reported his fruitless negotiation to the ambassador, who could not help breaking forth into some acrimonious expressions against the obstinacy and insolence of the young man, who, he said, deserved to suffer for his folly. Nevertheless, he did not desist from his representations to the French ministry, which he found so unyielding, that he was obliged to threaten, in plain terms, to make it a national concern; and not only write to his court for instructions, but even advise the council to make reprisals, and send some French gentleman in London to the Tower.

who was now a little more tractable, and | painter to such a degree, that he roared heartily tired of being cooped up in such an uncomfortable abode, for the space of three long days, without any sort of communication or entertainment but that which his own imagination suggested.

CHAPTER XLVII.

Peregrine makes himself merry at the ex-
pense of the painter, who curses his
lady, and breaks with the doctor.

aloud, and skipped about the room in all the extravagance of distraction; taking God and man to witness, that he would rather suffer immediate death than endure one year's imprisonment in such a hideous place; and cursing the hour of his birth, and the moment in which he departed from his own country. For my own part (said his tormentor, in a hypocritical tone), I was obliged to swallow the bitter pill of making submissions to the land-prince, who, as I had not presumed to strike him, received acknowledgments, in consequence of which I will be this day set at liberty; and there is even one expedient left for the recovery of your freedom. It is, I own, a disagreeable remedy; but one had better undergo a little mortification than be for ever wretched. Besides, upon second thoughts, I begin to imagine that you will not, for such a trifle, sacrifice yourself to the unceasing horrors of a solitary dungeon, especially as your condescension will, in all probability, be attended with advantages which you could not otherwise enjoy. Pallet, interrupting him with great eagerness, begged for the love of God that he would no longer keep him in the torture of suspense, but mention that same remedy, which he was resolved to swallow, let it be never so unpalatable.

As he could easily conceive the situation of
his companion in adversity, he was unwilling
to leave the place until he had reaped some
diversion from his distress, and with that
view repaired to the dungeon of the afflicted
painter, to which he had by this time free
access. When he entered, the first object
that presented itself to his eye was so un-
commonly ridiculous, that he could scarce
preserve that gravity of countenance which
he had affected in order to execute the joke
he had planned. The forlorn Pallet sat
upright in his bed, in a dishabille that was
altogether extraordinary. He had laid aside
his monstrous hoop, together with his stays,
gown, and petticoat, wrapped his lappets
about his head by way of night-cap, and wore
his domino as a loose morning dress; his Peregrine, having thus played upon his
grizzled locks hung down about his lack-passions of fear and hope, answered, that as
lustre eyes and tawny neck, in all the dis- the offence was committed in the habit of a
order of negligence; his grey beard bristled woman, which was a disguise unworthy of
about half an inch through the remains of the other sex, the French court was of opin-
the paint with which his visage had been be-ion that the delinquent should be reduced to
daubed, and every feature of his face was the neuter gender; so that there was an al-
lengthened to the most ridiculous expression ternative in his own option, by which he had
of grief and dismay. Seeing Peregrine come it in his power to regain immediate freedom.
in, he started up in a sort of frantic ecstasy," What !" cried the painter, in despair, “be-
and, running towards him with open arms,
no sooner perceived the woful appearance
into which our hero had modelled his phy-
siognomy, than he stopped short all of a
sudden, and the joy which had begun to take
possession of his heart was in a moment
dispelled by the most rueful presages; so
that he stood in a most ludicrous posture of
dejection, like a malefactor at the Old Bailey,
when sentence is about to be pronounced.
Pickle, taking him by the hand, heaved a pro-
found sigh, and, after having protested that
he was extremely mortified at being pitched
upon as the messenger of bad news, told
him, with an air of sympathy and infinite
concern, that the French court, having dis-
covered his sex, had resolved, in considera-
tion of the outrageous indignity he offered
in public to a prince of the blood, to detain
him in the bastile a prisoner for life; and
that this sentence was a mitigation obtained
by the importunities of the British ambassa-
dor, the punishment ordained by law being
no other than breaking alive upon the wheel.
These tidings aggravated the horrors of the

come a singer? gadzooks! and the devil and
all that; I'll rather lie still where I am, and
let myself be devoured by vermin." Then,
thrusting out his throat, "here is my wind-
pipe," said he "be so good, my dear friend,
as to give it a slice or two; if you don't, I
shall one of these days be found dangling in
my garters. What an unfortunate rascal I
am! what a blockhead, and a beast, and a
fool, was I, to trust myself among such
a barbarous ruffian race! Lord forgive you,
Mr Pickle, for having been the immediate
cause of my disaster; if you had stood by
me from the beginning, according to your
promise, I should not have been teased by
that coxcomb who has brought me to this
pass. And why did I put on this damn'd
unlucky dress? Lard curse that chattering
Jezebel of a landlady, who advised such a
preposterous disguise! a disguise which hath
not only brought me to this pass, but also ren-.
dered me abominable to myself, and frightful
to others; for when I this morning signified
to the turnkey that I wanted to be shaved,
he looked at my beard with astonishment,

and, crossing himself, muttered his paternoster, believing me (I suppose) to be a witch, or something worse. And Heaven confound that loathsome banquet of the ancients, which provoked me to drink too freely, that I might wash away the taste of that accursed sillykickaby.'

oaths, threatened to try the temper of the barber's skull, if he should presume to set his nose within the apartment.

The jailor, who little expected such a reception, concluded that the poor gentlewoman had actually lost her wits, and retreated with precipitation, leaving the door open as he went out. Upon which Pickle, gathering up the particulars of his dress with great dispatch, crammed them into Pallet's arms, and,

Our young gentleman, having heard his lamentation to an end, excused himself for his conduct by representing, that he could not possibly foresee the disagreeable conse-taking notice that now the coast was clear, quences that attended it; and, in the mean time, strenuously counselled him to submit to the terms of his enlargement. He observed, that he was now arrived at that time of life, when the lusts of the flesh should be entirely mortified within him, and his greatest concern ought to be the health of his soul, to which nothing could more effectually contribute than the amputation which was proposed; that his body, as well as his mind, would profit by the change, because he would have no dangerous appetite to gratify, and no carnal thoughts to divert him from the duties of his profession; and his voice, which was naturally sweet, would improve to such a degree, that he would captivate the ears of all the people of fashion and taste, and in a little time be celebrated under the appellation of the English Senesino.

exhorted him to follow his footsteps to the gate, where a hackney coach stood for his reception. There being no time for hesitation, the painter took his advice, and, without quitting the utensil, which, in his hurry, he forgot to lay down, sallied out in the rear of our hero, with all that wildness of terror and impatience which may be reasonably supposed to take possession of a man who flies from perpetual imprisonment. Such was the tumult of his agitation, that his faculty of thinking was for the present utterly overwhelmed, and he saw no object but his conductor, whom he followed by a sort of instinctive impulse, without regarding the keepers and sentinels, who, as he passed, with his clothes under one arm, and his chamber-pot brandished above his head, were confounded, and even dismayed, at the strange apparition.

During the whole course of this irruption, he ceased not to cry, with great vociferation, Drive, coachman, drive in the name of God!" And the carriage had proceeded the length of a whole street, before he manifested the least sign of reflection, but stared like the gorgon's head, with his mouth wide open, and each particular hair crawling and twining like an animated serpent. At length, however, he began to recover the use of his senses, and asked if Peregrine thought him out of all danger of being retaken. This unrelenting wag, not yet satisfied with the affliction he had imposed upon the sufferer, answered, with an air of doubt and concern, that he hoped they would not be overtaken, and prayed to God they might not be retard

These arguments did not fail to make an impression upon the painter, who nevertheless started two objections to his compliance; namely, the disgrace of the punishment, and the dread of his wife. Pickle undertook to obviate these difficulties, by assuring him that the sentence would be executed so privately as never to transpire; and that his wife could not be so unconscionable, after so many years of cohabitation, as to take exceptions to an expedient, by which she would not only enjoy the conversation of her husband, but even the fruits of those talents, which the knife would so remarkably refine. Pallet shook his head at this last remonstrance, as if he thought it would not be altogether convincing to his spouse; but yielded to the proposal, provided her consented by a stop of carriages. Pallet fervently could be obtained. Just as he signified this condescension, the jailor entered, and addressing himself to the supposed lady, expressed his satisfaction in having the honour to tell her, that she was no longer a prisoner. As the painter did not understand one word of what he said, Peregrine undertook the office of interpreter, and made his friend believe the jailor's speech was no other than an intimation, that the ministry had sent a surgeon to execute what was proposed, and that the instruments and dressings were prepared in the next room. Alarmed and terrified at this sudden appointment, he flew to the other end of the room, and, snatching up an earthen chamber-pot, which was the only offensive weapon in the place, put himself in a posture of defence, and, with many S

joined in this supplication, and they advanced a few yards further, when the noise of a coach at full speed behind them invaded their ears; and Pickle, having looked out of the window, withdrew his head in seeming confusion, and exclaimed, "Lord have mercy upon us! I wish that may not be a guard sent after us. Methinks I saw the muzzle of a fusil sticking out of the coach." The painter, hearing these tidings, that instant thrust himself out at the window with his helmet still in his hand, bellowing to the coachman, as loud as he could roar, "Drive! damn ye! drive to the gates of Jericho, and ends of the earth! Drive you raggamuffin, you rascallion, you hell-hound! drive us to the pit of hell, rather than we should be taken!"

Such a phantom could not pass without

attracting the curiosity of the people, who ran to the doors and windows, in order to behold this object of admiration. With the same view, that coach, which was supposed to be in pursuit of him, stopped just as the windows of each happened to be opposite; and Pallet, looking behind, and seeing three men standing upon the foot-board, armed with canes, which his fear converted into fusils, never doubted that his friend's suspicion was just; but, shaking his jordan at the imaginary guard, swore he would sooner die than part with his precious ware. The owner of the coach, who was a nobleman of the first quality, mistook him for some unhappy woman deprived of her senses; and, ordering his coachman to proceed, convinced the fugitive, to his infinite joy, that this was no more than a false alarm. He was not, for all that, freed from anxiety and trepidation; but our young gentleman, fearing his brain would not bear a repetition of the same joke, permitted him to gain his own lodgings, without further molestation.

in the Rehearsal, who values himself upon the same figure, conveyed in these words, But all these clouds, when by the eye of reason grasp'd, &c. Upon any other occasion, the painter would have triumphed greatly in this detection; but such was the flutter and confusion of his spirits, under the apprehension of being retaken, that, without further communication, he retreated to his own room, in order to resume his own dress, which he hoped would alter his appearance in such a manner as to baffle all search and examination: while the physician remained ashamed and abashed, to find himself convicted of bombast by a person of such contemptible talents. He was offended at this proof of his memory, and so much enraged at his presumption in exhibiting it, that he could never forgive his want of reverence, and took every opportunity of exposing his ignorance and folly in the sequel. Indeed the ties of private affection were too weak to engage the heart of this republican, whose zeal for the community had entirely swallowed up his concern for individuals. He looked upon particular friendship as a passion unworthy of his ample soul, and was a professed admirer of L. Manlius, Junius Brutus, and those later patriots of the same name, who shut their ears against the cries of nature, and resisted all the dictates of gratitude and humanity.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

Pallet conceives a hearty contempt of his fellow-traveller, and attaches himself to Pickle, who, nevertheless, persecutes him with his mischievous talents upon the road to Flanders.

His landlady, meeting him on the stair, was so affected at his appearance, that she screamed aloud, and betook herself to flight; while he, cursing her with great bitterness, rushed into the apartment of the doctor, who, instead of receiving him with cordial embraces, and congratulating him upon his deliverance, gave evident tokens of umbrage and discontent; and even plainly told him, he hoped to have heard that he and Mr Pickle had acted the glorious part of Cato-an event which would have laid the foundation of such noble struggles, as could not fail to end in happiness and freedom; and that he had already made some progress in an ode that would have immortalized their names, and inspired the flame of liberty in every honest breast." There," said he, "I would have proved, that great talents, and high In the mean time his companion having emsentiments of liberty, do reciprocally pro- ployed divers pails full of water, in cleansing duce and assist each other; and illustrated himself from the squalor of a jail, submitted my assertions with such notes and quotations his face to the barber, tinged his eye-brows from the Greek writers, as would have open-with a sable hue, and, being dressed in his ed the eyes of the most blind and unthinking, and touched the most callous and obdurate heart. O fool! to think the man, whose ample mind must grasp whatever yonder stars survey.-Pray, Mr Pallet, what is your opinion of that image of the mind's grasping the whole universe? For my own part I can't help thinking it the most happy conception that ever entered my imagination."

own clothes, ventured to visit Peregrine, who was still under the hands of his valet de chambre, and who gave him to understand, that his escape had been connived at, and that the condition of their deliverance was their departure from Paris in three days.

The painter was transported with joy, when he learnt that he ran no risk of being retaken; and, far from repining at the terms of his enlargement, would have willingly set out on his return to England that same afternoon; for the bastile had made such an impression upon him, that he started at the sound of every coach, and turned pale at the sight of a French soldier. In the fulness of his heart, he complained of the doctor's indifference, and related what had passed at their meeting, with evident marks of resentment and disrespect; which were not at all