take a hint so darkly communicated: but his eagerness to retrieve the jewel he had lost, di1 vested him of all his caution; the time of assignation was already at hand, and neither the captain nor his nephew could be found to accompany him, had he been disposed to make use of their attendance. He therefore, after a moment's hesitation, repaired to the place appointed, in the utmost agitation and anxiety, lest the hour should be elapsed before his arrival.

Crowe was one of those defective spirits who cannot subsist for any length of time on their own bottoms. He wanted a familiar prop, upon which he could disburden his cares, his doubts, and his humours; an humble friend who would endure his caprices, and with whom he could communicate, free of all reserve and restraint. Though he loved his nephew's person, and admired his parts, he considered him often as a little petulant jackanapes, who presumed upon his superior understanding; and as for Sir Launcelot, there was something in his character that overawed the seaman and kept him at a disagreeable distance. He had, in this dilemma, cast his eyes upon Timothy Crabshaw, and admitted him to a considerable share of familiarity and fellowship. These companions had been employed in smoking a social pipe at an alehouse in the neighbourhood, when the knight made his excursion; and, returning to the house about supper-time, found Mr Clarke in waiting.

The young lawyer was alarmed when he heard the hour of ten, without seeing our adventurer, who had been used to be extremely regular in his economy; and the captain and he supped in profound silence. Finding, upon inquiry among the servants, that the knight went out abruptly, in consequence of having received a billet, Tom began to be visited with the apprehension of a duel, and sat the best part of the night by his uncle, sweating with the expectation of seeing our hero brought home a breathless corpse: but no tidings of him arriving, he, about two in the morning, repaired to his own lodging, resolved to publish a description of Sir Launcelot in the newspapers, if he should not appear next day.

Crowe did not pass the time without uneasiness. He was extremely concerned at the thought of some mischief having befallen his friend and patron: and he was terrified with the apprehensions, that, in case Sir Launcelot was murdered, his spirit might come and give him notice of his fate. Now he had an insuperable aversion to all correspondence with the dead; and, taking it for granted that the spirit of his departed friend could not appear to him except when he should be alone, and a-bed in the dark, he determined to pass the remainder of the night without going to bed. For this purpose, his first care was to visit the garret, in

which Timothy Crabshaw lay fast asleep, snoring with his mouth wide open. Him the captain with difficulty roused, by dint of promising to regale him with a bowl of rum punch in the kitchen, where the fire, which had been extinguished, was soon rekindled. The ingredients were fetched from a public-house in the neighbourhood: for the captain was too proud to use his interest in the knight's family, especially at these hours, when all the rest of the servants had retired to their repose; and he and Timothy drank together until day-break, the conversation turning upon hobgoblins, and God's revenge against murder.

The cook-maid lay in a little apartment contiguous to the kitchen; and whether disturbed by these horrible tales of apparitions, or titillated by the savoury steams that issued from the punch-bowl, she made a virtue of necessity, or appetite, and, dressing herself in the dark, suddenly appeared before them, to the no small perturbation of both. Timothy, in particular, was so startled, that in his endeavours to make an hasty retreat towards the chimney corner, he overturned the table; the liquor was spilt, but the bowl was saved by falling on a heap of ashes. Mrs Cook having reprimanded him for his foolish fear, declared she had got up betimes, in order to scour her saucepans; and the captain proposed to have the bowl replenished, if materials could be procured. This difficulty was overcome by Crabshaw; and they sat down with their new associate to discuss the second edition.

The knight's sudden disappearing being brought upon the carpet, their female companion gave it as her opinion, that nothing would be as likely to bring this affair to light, as going to a cunning man, whom she had lately consulted about a silver spoon that was mislaid, and who told her all the things that she ever did, and ever would happen to her through the whole course of her life.

Her two companions pricked up their ears at this intelligence; and Crowe asked if the spoon had been found. She answered in the affirmative, and said, the cunning man described to a hair the person that should be her true lover, and her wedded husband. That he was a seafaring man; that he was pretty well stricken in years; a little passionate or so; and that he went with his fingers clenched like, as it were. The captain began to sweat at this description, and mechanically thrust his hands into his pockets; while Crabshaw, pointing to him, told her he believed she had got the right sow by the ear. Crowe grumbled, that mayhap for all that he should not be brought up by such a grappling neither. Then he asked if this cunning man dealt with the devil, declaring, in that case, he would keep clear of him; for why? because he must have sold himself to old scratch; and being a servant of the devil, how could he be a good subject to his majesty?

Mrs Cook assured him, the conjurer was a good Christian; and that he gained all his know ledge by conversing with the stars and planets. Thus satisfied, the two friends resolved to consult him as soon as it should be light; and, being directed to the place of his habitation, set out for it by seven in the morning.

They found the house forsaken, and had already reached the end of the lane in their return, when they were accosted by an old woman, who gave them to understand, that if they had occasion for the advice of a fortune-teller, as she did suppose they had, from their stopping at the house where Dr Grubble lived, she would conduct them to a person of much more eminence in that profession; at the same time she informed them, that the said Grubble had been lately sent to Bridewell, a circumstance which, with all his art, he had not been able to foresee. The captain, without any scruple, put himself and his companion under convoy of this beldame, who, through many windings and turnings, brought them to the door of a ruinous house, standing in a blind alley; which door having opened with a key drawn from her pocket, she introduced them into a parlour, where they saw no other furniture than a naked bench, and some frightful figures on the bare walls, drawn, or rather scrawled, with charcoal Here she left them locked in, until she should give the doctor notice of their arrival; and they amused themselves with deciphering these cha racters and hieroglyphics. The first figure that engaged their attention, was that of a man hanging upon a gibbet, which both considered as an unfavourable omen, and each endeavoured to avert from his own person. Crabshaw observed, that the figure so suspended was clothed in a sailor's jacket and trowsers,—a truth which the captain could not deny; but, on the other hand, he affirmed, that the said figure exhibited the very nose and chin of Timothy, together with the hump on one shoulder. A warm dispute ensued ; and, being maintained with much acrimonious altercation, might have dissolved the new-cemented friendship of those two originals, had it not been interrupted by the old sybil, who, coming into the parlour, intimated that the doctor waited for them above. She like wise told them that he never admitted more than one at a time. This hint occasioned a fresh contest: the captain insisted upon Crabshaw's making sail a-head, in order to look out afore; but Timothy persisted in refusing this honour, declaring he did not pretend to lead, but he would follow, as in duty bound. The old gentlewoman abridged the ceremony, by leading out Crabshaw with one hand, and locking up Crowe with the other.

The former was dragged up stairs like a bear to the stake, not without reluctance and terror, which did not at all abate at sight of the conjurer, with whom he was immediately shut up

by his conductress; after she had told him in a whisper, that he must deposite a shilling in a little black coffin, supported by a human skull and thigh bones crossed, on a stool covered with black baize, that stood in one corner of the apartment. The 'squire, having made this offering with fear and trembling, ventured to survey the objects around him, which were very well calculated to augment his confusion. He saw divers skeletons hung by the head; the stuffed skin of a young alligator, a calf with two heads, and several snakes suspended from the ceiling, with the jaws of a shark, and a starved weasel. On another funeral table he beheld two spheres, between which lay a book open, exhibiting outlandish characters, and mathematical diagrams. On one side stood an ink-standish with paper, and behind this desk appeared the conjurer himself in sable vestments, his head so overshadowed with hair, that, far from contemplating his features, Timothy could distinguish nothing but a long white beard, which, for aught he knew, might have belonged to a four-legged goat, as well as to a two-legged astrologer.

This apparition, which the 'squire did not eye without manifest discomposure, extending a white wand, made certain evolutions over the head of Timothy, and having muttered an ejaculation, commanded him, in a hollow tone, to come forward and declare his name. Crabshaw thus adjured advanced to the altar; and whether from design, or (which is more probable) from confusion, answered, "Samuel Crowe." The conjurer taking up the pen, and making a few scratches on the paper, exclaimed in a terrific accent, "How! miscreant! attempt to impose upon the stars ?-you look more like a crab than a crow, and was born under the sign of Cancer." The 'squire, almost annihilated by this exclamation, fell upon his knees, crying, "I pray yaw, my lord conjurer's worship, pardon my ignorance, and down't go to baind me over to the Red Sea like—I'se a poor Yorkshire tyke, and wou'd no more cheat the stars than I'd cheat my own vather, as the saying is a must be a good handat trapping, that catches the stars a napping-but, as your honour's worship observed, my name is Tim Crabshaw, of the East Raiding, groom and 'squair to Sir Launcelot Greaves, baron knaight, and arrant knaight, who ran mad for a wench, as your worship's conjuration well knoweth : the person below is Captain Crowe, and we coom by Margery Cook's recommendation to seek after my master, who is gone away, or made away, the Lord he knows how and where."

Here he was interrupted by the conjurer, who exhorted him to sit down and compose himself till he should cast a figure; then he scrawled the paper, and, waving his wand, repeated abundance of gibberish concerning the number, the names, the houses, and revolutions of the planets,

with their conjunctions, oppositions, signs, circles, cycles, trines, and trigons. When he perceived that this artifice had its proper effect in disturbing the brain of Crabshaw, he proceeded to tell him from the stars, that his name was Crabshaw, or Crabsclaw; and that he was born in the East Riding of Yorkshire, of poor, yet honest parents, and had some skill in horses; that he served a gentleman whose name began with the letter G―, which gentleman had run mad for love, and left his family; but whether he would return alive or dead, the stars had not yet determined.

Poor Timothy was thunderstruck to find the conjurer acquainted with all these circumstances, and begged to know if he mought be so bauld as to ax a question or two about his own fortune. The astrologer pointing to the little coffin, our 'squire understood the hint, and deposited another shilling. The sage had recourse to his book, erected another scheme, performed once more his airy evolutions with the wand, and having recited another mystical preamble, expounded the book of fate in these words: "You shall neither die by war nor water, by hunger or by thirst, nor be brought to the grave by old age or distemper; but, let me see-ay, the stars will have it so you shall be exalted-hah !— ay, that is hanged for horse-stealing."-" O, good my lord conjurer! (roared the 'squire), I'd as lief give forty shillings as be hanged. "Peace, sirrah! (cried the other), would you contradict or reverse the immutable decrees of fate. Hanging is your destiny, and hanged you shall be and comfort yourself with the reflection, that as you are not the first, so neither will you be the last to swing on Tyburn tree." This comfortable assurance composed the mind of Timothy, and in a great measure reconciled him to the prediction. He now proceeded in a whining tone, to ask whether he should suffer for the first fact? whether it would be for a horse or a mare? and of what colour? that he might know when his hour was come.-The conjurer grave ly answered, that he would steal a dappled gelding on a Wednesday, be cast at the Old Bailey on Thursday, and suffer on a Friday; and he strenuously recommended it to him to appear in the cart with a nosegay in one hand, and the Whole Duty of Man in the other. "But if in case it should be in the winter (said the 'squire), when a nosegay can't be had ""Why then (replied the conjurer), an orange will do as well."

These material points being adjusted to the entire satisfaction of Timothy, he declared he would bestow another shilling to know the fortune of an old companion, who truly did not deserve so much at his hands, but he could not help loving him better than e'er a friend he had in the world. So saying, he dropped a third offering in the coffin, and desired to know the fate of his horse Gilbert. The astrologer hav

VOL. III.

ing again consulted his art, pronounced that Gilbert would die of the staggers, and his carcass be given to the hounds,-a sentence which made a much deeper impression upon Crabshaw's mind than did the prediction of his own untimely and disgraceful fate. He shed a plenteous shower of tears, and his grief broke forth in some passionate expressions of tenderness :at length he told the astrologer he would go and send up the captain, who wanted to consult him about Margery Cook, because as how she had informed him that Dr Grubble had described just such another man as the captain for her true love; and he had no great stomach to the match, if so be as the stars were not bent upon their coming together.

Accordingly the 'squire being dismissed by the conjurer, descended to the parlour with a rueful length of face, which being perceived by the captain, he demanded "What cheer, ho?" with some signs of apprehension. Crab shaw making no return to this salute, he asked if the conjurer had taken an observation, and told him any thing? Then the other replied, he had told him more than he desired to know. "Why, an that be the case (said the seaman), I have no occasion to go aloft this trip, brother."

This evasion would not serve his turn: Old Tisiphone was at hand, and led him up growling into the hall of audience, which he did not examine without trepidation. Having been directed to the coffin, where he presented half-acrown, in hope of rendering the fates more propitious, the usual ceremony was performed, and the doctor addressed him in these words: "Approach, Raven." The captain advancing, "You a'n't much mistaken, brother (said he), heave your eye into the binnacle, and box your compass, you'll find I'm a Crowe, not a Raven, tho'f indeed they be both fowls of a feather, as the saying is."" I know it (cried the conjurer), thou art a northern crow,-a sea crow; not a crow of prey, but a crow to be preyed upon;a crow to be plucked,-to be flayed,-to be basted,-to be broiled by Margery upon the gridiron of matrimony." The novice changing colour at this denunciation, "I do understand your signals, brother (said he), and if it be set down in the log-book of fate that we must grapple, why then 'ware timbers. But as I know how the land lies, d'ye see, and the current of my inclination sets me off, I shall haul up close to the wind, and mayhap we shall clear Cape Margery. But, howsomever, we shall leave that reef in the fore-top-sail:-I was bound upon another voyage, d'ye see-to look and to see, and to know if so be as how I could pick up any intelligence along shore concerning my friend Sir Launcelot, who slipped his cable last night, and has lost company, d'ye see." "What! (exclaimed the cunning man) art thou a crow, and can'st not smell carrion! If thou wouldst grieve for Greaves, behold his

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was he perplexed in his conjectures. According to the state of the mind, a very subtle philosopher is often puzzled by a very plain proposition; and this was the case of our adventurer. What made the strongest impression upon his mind, was a notion that he was apprehended on suspicion of treasonable practices, by a warrant from the secretary of state, in consequence of some false malicious information; and that his prison was no other than the house of a messenger, set apart for the accommodation of suspected persons. In this opinion he comforted himself by recollecting his own conscious innocence, and reflecting that he should be entitled to the privilege of habeas corpus, as the act including that inestimable jewel was happily not suspended at this time.

Consoled by this self-assurance, he quietly resigned himself to slumber; but before he fell asleep, he was very disagreeably undeceived in his conjecture. His ears were all at once saluted with a noise from the next room, conveyed in distinct bounces against the wainscot; then an hoarse voice exclaimed," Bring up the artillery-let Brutandorf's brigade advance detach my black hussars to ravage the country -let them be new booted-take particular care of the spur-leathers-make a desert of Lusatia -bombard the suburbs of Pera-go, tell my brother Henry to pass the Elbe at Meissen with forty battalions and fifty squadrons-so ho, you Major-general Donder, why don't you finish your second parallel?-send hither the engineer Schittenback-I'll lay all the shoes in my shop, the breach will be practicable in four and twenty hours don't tell me of your works-you and your works may be damn'd."

"Assuredly (cried another voice from a different quarter), he that thinks to be saved by works is in a state of utter reprobation-I myself was a profane weaver, and trusted to the rottenness of works-I kept my journeymen and 'prentices at constant work, and my heart was set upon the riches of this world, which was a wicked work-but now I have got a glimpse of the new light-I feel the operations of grace-I am of the new birth-I abhor good works-I detest all working but the working of the spirit-Avaunt, Satan-O! how I thirst for communication with our sister Jolly”—

"The communication is already open with the Marche (said the first), but as for thee, thou caitiff, who hast presumed to disparage my works, I'll have thee rammed into a mortar with a double charge of powder, and thrown into the enemy's quarters."

This dialogue operated like a train upon many other inhabitants of the place; one swore he was within three vibrations of finding the longitude, when this noise confounded his calculation-A second, in broken English, complained he vas distorped in the moment of de proshection-A third, in the character of his

holiness, denounced interdiction, excommunication, and anathemas; and swore by St Peter's keys, they should howl ten thousand years in purgatory, without the benefit of a single mass, A fourth began to hollow in all the vociferation of a fox-hunter in the chace; and in an instant the whole house was in an uproar.

The clamour, however, was of a short duration. The different chambers being opened successively, every individual was effectually silenced by the sound of one cabalistical word, which was no other than Waistcoat,-a charm which at once cowed the King of P, dis◄ possessed the fanatic, dumb-founded the mathematician, dismayed the alchemist, deposed the pope, and deprived the 'squire of all ut

terance.

Our adventurer was no longer in doubt con cerning the place to which he had been conveyed; and the more he reflected on his situation, the more he was overwhelmed with the most perplexing chagrin. He could not conceive by whose means he had been immured in a madhouse; but he heartily repented of his knighterrantry, as a frolic which might have very se rious consequences, with respect to his future life and fortune. After mature deliberation, he resolved to demean himself with the utmost circumspection, well knowing that every violent transport would be interpreted into an undeniable symptom of insanity. He was not without hope of being able to move his gaoler by a due administration of that which is generally more efficacious than all the flowers of elocution; but when he rose in the morning, he found his pockets had been carefully examined, and emptied of all his papers and cash.

The keeper entering, he inquired about these particulars, and was given to understand that they were all safely deposited for his use, to be forthcoming at a proper season: but, at present, as he should want for nothing, he had no occasion for money. The knight acquiesced in this declaration, and ate his breakfast in quiet.

About eleven, he received a visit from the physician, who contemplated his looks with great solemnity; and, having examined his pulse, shook his head, saying, "Well, sir, how d'ye do?-come, don't be dejected-every thing is for the best you are in very good hands, sir, I assure you; and I dare say will refuse nothing that may be thought conducive to the recovery of your health."

"Doctor (said our hero), if it is not an improper question to ask, I should be glad to know your opinion of my disorder?"-"O! sir, as to that-(replied the physician) your disorder is a→→ kind of a-sir, 'tis very common in this country a sort of a"- Do you think my distemper is madness, doctor?"-" O Lord, sir, not ab solute madness-no-not madness-you have heard, no doubt, of what is called a weakness of the nerves, sir,-though that is a very inaccu