came over to England. Here, fhe could only learn the deftiny of her husband, from thofe fhips which had either transported troops to the continent, or were bringing back the wounded. Day after day fhe wandered on the beach at Porifmouth, and hour after hour fhe wearied her eyes bedewed with tears in the vain expectation of feeing him. She was obferved, at the fame fpot, ere it was light, and watched each motion of the waves until the fetting fun. Then her haunted imagination prefented him mangled with wounds, and the smallest gust of wind feemed to threaten her with an eternal feparation. Did a fhip enter into port, her eager steps led her to the fpot, and many an enquiry was repaid with an infolent rebuff. After eight months fpent in this anxious manner, a fhip arrived bringing her the melancholy pleasure," that fome Heffian officers, who were wounded, were on their paffage." Her impatience increafed daily. A veffel at length arrived reported to have Heffian troops on board. She kept at fome distance for fear of giving too great a fhock to her husband's feelings, fhould he be among them. He was landed with others. She fainted, and he was conveyed, fhe knew not where. Having recovered, and going to the different inns, the found at last her husband. The maiter of the inn informed her, "he was very bad," and the begged that her being in England might be gradually broken to him. When the entered the room, he burit into a flood of tears. A lady was fupporting him in her arms. What words, or painter, could reprefent the tragedy that followed! He had married in America, and this perfon was also his wife. He entreated" pardon," was paft reproach, for in a few minutes after he funk into the arms of death. The Lady, whofe melancholy history we are recording, rushed from the room, and leaving her clothes and money at her lodging, the wandered the knew not whither, vowing "that fhe would never enter house more, or truft to man." She ftopped at laft near Bristol, and begged the refreshment of a little milk. There was fomething fo attractive in her whole appearance as foon produced her whatever she requested. She was young, and extremely beautiful :-her manners graceful and elegant, and her countenance interesting to the laft degree.She was alone-a ftranger-and in extreme diftrefs ;-she asked only for a little milk-but uttered no complaint, and used no art to excite compaffion. Her drefs and accent bore vifible marks that she was a foreigner of fuperior birth. All the day fhe was feen wandering in fearch of a place to lay her wretched head; the fcooped towards night a lodging for herfelf in an old hay-ftack. Multitudes foon flocked around her in this new habitation, attracted by the novelty of the circumftance, her fingular beauty, but above all the fuddennefs of her arrival. French and Italian were spoken to her, but the appeared not to understand thefe languages; however when fhe was accofted in German, the evidently appeared confufed ;-the emotion was too great to be fuppreffed, the uttered fome faint exclamation in one tongue, and then, as if hurried into an imprudence, The attempted to be also without knowledge of this language. Various conjectures were inftantly formed, but what feemed paffing ftrange was her acceptance of no food, except bread or milk, and that only from the hands of females! On the men fhe looked with anger and difdain, but fweetly fmiled as fhe accepted any present from the other fex. The neighbouring ladies remonstrated with her on the danger of fo exposed a fituaiton, but in vain, for neither prayers nor menaces could induce her to fleep in a house. As fhe discovered evident mark of infanity, fhe was at length confined in a mad-house, under the care of Dr. RENAUDET, phyfician at the Hot Wells. On the first opportunity she escaped, and repaired to her beloved hay-ftack. Her rapture was inexpreffible on finding herself at liberty, and once more fafe beneath this miferable refuge. Beneath a hay-stack Louisa's dwelling rofe, And the wild glance now fills the staring eye; Bright fpheres, where beam'd the sparkling fires of love, Ill ftarr'd LOUISA ! It was nearly four years that this forlorn creature devoted herfelf to this defolate life, fince the knew the comfort of a bed, or the protection of a roof. Hardship, fickness, intense cold, and extreme mifery, have gradually impaired her beauty, but she still is a most interesting figure; and there remains uncommon fweetness and delicacy in her air and manner; and her anfwers are always pertinent enough, except when fhe fufpects the question is meant either to affront or enfnare her, when the feems fullen and angry. Some Quaker ladies at this time interpofed, and Louifa, as the was called, was conveyed to Guy's Hofpital, where, it is reported, Dr. Saunders,* being ftruck with the fame of the pneumatic remedies, has configned her wholly to the care of Dr. Thornton, and has requested that phyfician to confirm his experience in thefe new remedies by participating with him a fhare of his practice in that hospital. The perfon with whom the lodged, upon her death bed, divulged the fecret of the flight of this stranger from Portsmouth, which correfponds nearly with the time of her arrival near Bristol, and future enquiries have difcovered, that she is "the natural daughter of FRAN CIS Emperor of Germany." Vide the Narrative of Facts refpecting the Bristol Stranger, or the Maid of the Haystack. * This conduct in a teacher of medicine deferves to be particularly noticed, and cannot fail to meet with general applause; for, alas ! fuch inftances of difintereftednefs are extremely rare! LL DANGER OF SPORTING WITH THE AFFECTIONS. Illuftrated in a Tale. CERTAIN English cleygyman, eminent for his accomplish A ments, who had spent many years in travelling with a young nobleman, took up, at length, his refidence in the neighbourhood of a great town, at the feat of his young pupil. He then entertained the firm perfuafion," that true felicity and virtue confist in uniformly fubjecting all the paffions to the dictates of the understanding." His ardour for knowledge, and the conftant fucceffion of new objects, which naturally refulted from his ambulatory mode of exiftence, had hitherto rendered it no very difficult matter to realize this truth. But the moment he was fettled, his mind began to vary with the fcene. Where fo many objects folicited his attention at the fame time, fome were unavoidably preferred. A fine garden, delightful arbours, a beautiful fheet of water, streams, cafcades, grottos, wilderneffes, large fields, delicious woods, and extenfive plains, engroffed at first his whole attention. The united charms of fuch rural and enchanting scenes were his evening and morning amusement. Wherever he went on bufinefs or pleasure, he ftill felt a fecret impulfe recalling his affections to the spot, where all his happiness naturally centered. Even here, however, like the first man in the bofom of paradife, he was foon far from being completely bleffed. No longer abforbed in other purfuits, he fighed infenfibly for a companion to fhare his enjoyments. Now, if a fpotlefs maiden fhould appear; all innocence, and all foul; all love, and of love all worthy; if in her large arched forehead all the capacity of immeafureable intelligence, which wifdom can communicate be visible; if her compreffed, but not frowning eyebrows, fpeak an unexplored mine of understanding, or her dimpled cheek fymphathetic goodness of heart, which flows through the clear teeth, over her pure and efficient lips; if the breathe humility and complacency; if dignified wifdom be in each tone of voice; if her eyes, neither too open nor too clofe, often gently turned, fpeak the foul, that feeks a fifterly embrace; if the be fuperior to the powers of defcription; if all the glories of her angelic form be inbibed like the mild and golder rays of an autumnal evening fun; what do you think would become of our philofopher, and of his fublime theory ?-Near this retirement, there chanced to refide a lady of most exquifite beauty; but, alas! fhe had not that fanctity of innocence, that divinity of maiden purity before defcribed, but wiles affecting every look of modefty. She poffeffed the wretched pride of filence, a meafured affectation of fpeech, eyes arrogantly overlooking mifery and poverty, an authoritative nofe, and lips blue with envy, or half bitten through from artifice or malice. The elegance of her perfon foon however attracted the attention of the philofopher, and fancying the mind must. correfpond, through the medium of a friend he obtained an interview. This lady, who was fo well able to put on the mask, listened with attention to his difcourfe, and feemed eager to cultivate his acquaintance. Not infenfible of the conqueft the had made, fhe diverted her female friends with the tender fenfibility of the poor fool, her lover, as the ufed to ftyle him. This coquetry being managed with address, was nicely calculated to operate on an easy and unfufpecting mind. Imagine now the fenfibility of the philosopher, who had fingled out the fair by the kindest partiality, when affured fhe had all along regarded him with a fimilar emotion. His happiness became infeparable from hers. He foon, however, experienced all those teafing perplexities which the artifice of a cunning woman was able to contrive. The triumph of conquest was her only aim. So capricious and evanefcent appeared the attachment of an inconfiderate and giddy mind. The impreffion on fuch, like those made on a ftream by the gentlest breeze, exift but for a moment: far otherwise the attachment of the feeling, the fufceptible, and the penfive. How infinitely more durable the tender fenfibilities he indulged! He poffeffed, however, too much good sense not to see through her duplicity; and to discover that she was trifling with the fenfibilities of a heart, which thousands would have foothed and cherished with joy; yet to tear from his bofom all at once its deareft object on earth, occafioned the most serious and inexpreffible concern. ftruggle was indifpenfable, and competent to all his philofophy. It was reafon afferting her fupremacy over paflion, and Heaven ftriving for the mastery over man. At this interval, the lady removed the mask, and married a wild fortune-hunter, who foon brought her into contempt and wretchednefs. Happy would it have been for our philofopher, could his wounded mind have been reftored to its former health and tranquility. But his heart was gone, and with it all relish for life. It was not henceforward in the power of mędicine, variety, or expedient, to afford him the leaft interval of ferenity.. His nights and his days were alike dreary and joylefs. The fcenes which had been the witneffes of his happier hours now became the conftant and folitary companions of his wretchedness. At laft, overwhelmed with thought, the brain funk lethargic, and the philofopher was converted into the happier idiot, until death foon, fortunately, clofed the melancholy and degrading fcene. CONVENT OF LA TRAPPE. The N the year 1140, that is to fay, a little more than fix hundred made a vow, during a violent tempeft, that if he escaped fhipwreck, he would found, upon his eftate, a monaftery, and that the roof of the church fhould have the form of a fhip's keel. Upon his return to his domain, he chofe, for the fituation, a wild valley, very low, and the only defcent was by a narrow paffage, hence the name La Trappe. The regulations of this convent were exceedingly auftere. By degrees its manners became relaxed, when a fingular adventure gave rife to the greatest reform in this inftitution. The estate fell by inheritance to M. L'abbe de Rancé, a man of a good family, and naturally of a benevolent heart, but given up to an unfortunate amour. As he returned from a journey, having been absent but a few days upon business, on his arrival he went to his beloved mistress, a woman of the greatest beauty and vivacity, and by means of a key he paffed along a dark paffage, and afcending a private ftaircafe, opened the door of her chamber, when lo! instead of the beauteous Monbazon, he beheld, by means of a blue lamp, a head befmeared with blood on the toilette, and cafting his frantic eyes around, he faw a coffin in which fhe was placed, which, being too fmall, the head had been cut off, and put in a dish on the table. This frightful fpectacle infpired him with the refolution of abandoning the world, and of entering into the convent of La Trappe, where he introduced all the aufterities of St. Barnard. Now did Remorfe efface the guilty scene, To wash away with tears his errors past, And spend each day as though it were his last. The monks of La Trappe never speak, they eat only vegetables, and drink water; they rife every morning at two, and after matins they make themselves a grave, in remembrance of their mortal state; they wear camlet next the fkin, and lie upon ftraw. In the place where they affemble to warm themselves, which is the only indulgence they take, over the fire-place, there is the picture of a moft beautiful woman, and a perfon turns it every five minutes, when a half putrified skeleton appears. |