to break, or by any means be deficient in the Performance of it.

I'll take this Opportunity to give the Reader the Rehearsal of a Melancholy Adventure of a late Date, though the Name of the illuftrious Lady, I am now fpeaking of, is at prefent out of my Me mory. One Evening, as the had withdrawn her felf into her Chamber, a wounded Perfon, purfu'd by his Enemies, rufh'd in on a fudden, as into an Alylum, conjuring her to conceal him, or his Life was loft. The Lady, mov'd with Compaffion, promis'd him he would; and accordingly hid him in a private Closet, in one of the Corners of the Room, where fhe ftop'd the running Gore, and bound up his Wounds, which fhe had scarce finish'd, but thofe, who had watch'd him in, confufedly enter'd her House, which, by the Lady's Leave, they fearch'd every where, except the Closet where the had fecur'd him.

In the mean-while the Body of her dead Son, Stabb'd in three different Places, was brought in, whom the Lady beholding, felt on a fudden a cruel War, between Faithfulnefs and Revenge, ftruggling in her Lab'ring Breaft: However the Former got the better of it. Unable to utter one fingle Word, fhe caft herself upon the Corps, mingling her Tears with his Blood; and when her Grief gave her leave to fee the Affaffin, Go thou, O Murderer! faid fhe to him with more than Female Courage and Virtue, go Cruel, thou hast took away from me what I counted the dearest in the World; haften out of my House, fince thou didst take it as a Sanctuary, and that I find myself oblig'd to facrifice my prefent Vengeance to my Promife: But when once thou art, by my Affiftance, in a Jecure Place, order it fo that I may never meet thee again, for I am refolv'd to revenge my irreconcilable Grief, by all

I i

the

the Rigour of Juftice. After thefe Words fhe had him privately conducted where he himself defired

to go.

After fuch an Inftance of Generosity andFaithfulnefs in a Woman's Breaft,Can there be any amongst Men fo base, as to offer to be Worse than their Words? We have upon Record another Instance of Cardinal Colonna, Enemy to Pope Clement the Seventh, whom he took Prifoner of War at the taking of Rome, As foon as he had him in Poffeffion, he treated him with all the Candour and Courtefy imaginable; and behav'd himself towards the Cardinals his Brethren, though most of them his fworn Enemies, with an unparallell'd Kindnefs, whom he invited often to his Table, nay paid the Ranfom for fome of them; and though he had both the Power, and Sword in his Hand, yet he never proceeded to Revenge. Nay, he exceeded all this in that fame Encounter: For as fome, belonging to the Family of St. Croix, had barbaroufly put his Father to Death, fome time before; and as a Lady, very near related to the Murderers, happen'd to fall into his Hands, with her Daughter, to whom she had given a good Education; both the one and the other expected no lefs than the Lofs of their Honour, and to make a fhameful Exit by the Hand of the common Hangman; whereas he gave them his Palace for a Refuge, had them waited upon with all the Refpe& and Honour due to Perfons of their Quality, and Ranfom'd their Liberty from the Germans, at his own Expence: And what is yet more brave and praife-worthy in this his generous Behaviour, is, that he was not at all pre-engaged by his Word of Honour, but that he thought himself always oblig'd, whenfoever an Opportunity offer'd itself, to oppose a base Action, or to perform a virtuous One.

By

By whatfoever Impulse it was, that the Grand Sforce was prompted, it must be confefs'd, that his Generofity is not to be parallell'd. It happen'd that that brave Commander was fo dangeroufly Wounded by Brandolin, at the Battle of Viterbo, that no one expected his Life: However, after his Recovery, he took by Affault a certain Place defended by Brandolin. The first thing he order'd after his Entry was, that Brandolin's Life should be fav'd. Brandolin expected from that Delay nothing but more terrible Punishments; when Sforce, fo far from that, fent for him to his own Table, where he extoll'd him for his Valour, and generously declar'd, that he thought it an Honour to be Wounded by him; after this kind and favourable Reception, he loaded him with rich Prefents, reftored him to his Liberty, and courted his Friendship, as he would have done that of a powerful Prince,

That one of the greatest Misfortunes, that can befall us, is to be engaged in long and tedious Law-Suits.

W

E are told, that the Brutes made an Agree. ment, amongst themselves, to administer Juftice in their Turn. Now it fo fell out, that the Wolf had a Caufe depending when the Fox was to fit Chair-man, which was this: An old Sheep, he faid, by her last Will, in order to difcharge her ConScience, had appointed him to be Guardian of her Lambs But as it look'd a little Sufpicious, on Account of their natural Antipathy, he difpatch'd an Express to Mr. Reynard, to inform him of his Cafe; and let him know, that if he would but let him carry his Cause this one Time, when it was his own Turn to fit upon the Bench, he would engage to render him Master of all the Hen-Roofts in the County. Very well, quoth Reynard to the Meffenger, my Service to thy Mafter, and bid him take Care to produce his Witnefjes, I'll direct the Jury. Now Mr. Plouden had no more to do,to colour his Injuftice, than to bribe two Witneffes, and in order thereunto, he fent for a Kite, and a Vulture, two Birds of Prey, to whom he promis'd the Garbage of the Lambs, as foon as he had them in his Poffeffion. To make fhort on't, the Plaintiff prov'd the Fact; now Mr. Chair-man, by way of Form, ask'd the Lambs what they had to fay for themfelves; for, fays he, you fee thefe are Teftes probi & legales; the poor Innocents, with Tears in their Eyes anfwer'd, that their Mother

never had any fuch Defign; fince, faid they, that very fame Wolf, was continually drawing out fome Scheme to promote his concerted Plots against her. The Wolf taking hold of these last Words, as detracting from his Character, infifted upon having them punish'd for that malicious Afperfion: But the Fox, pretending to do them a great Favour, order'd no more than that, according to their Mother's laft Will and Testament, they fhould remain under the Wolf's Tuition.

The MORAL.

We are hereby inform'd, that there is no Nation, how Barbarous foever, but that would be thought to have a fpecial Regard to Juftice. That two Villains are always ready to ferve one another. That we may judge by the Character of the Tefta tor, what his Teftimony will be. And finally, That a Tyrant thinks himself kind to us, if he does not punish according to the utmost extent of his Authority, whenever we come within the Verge, and under the Rod of his arbitrary Power.

Thofe, in my Opinion, that are perplex'd and involv'd in Law-Suits, against their Will, highly deferve our tendereft Pity and Compaffion; thofe that are conftrain'd to have Recourfe to Juftice, to obtain or preferve their own Rights, are really Excufable: But thofe, who take delight, even at the Expence of their own Reft and Tranquillity, to interrupt and disturb their Neighbours, who fow the Seeds of Difcord among Relations, who foolishly confume their own Substance, to maintain a Company of fneaking Bum-Baylies, cropEar'd Scriv'ners, or tricking Pettifoggers, fuch Fools as thofe, I say, merit a more infamous and cruel Punishment, than was ever yet contriv'd amongft Chriftians.

Lewis