504 who rod land, an high ftew which f with the naged hi an office filence; ! pion, wi throwing glove, a in the fol 'If an high or fovereign Great-Bri fender of next heir George II right heit realm of not to enj pion, whe falfe tray combat w will advet what day i And th his gaunti fhört time, delivered it advanced, dle of the f proclamati the foot of and those. the top of third time. champion c after fome! delivered to a low obeif on the cuf bringing to with a cov champion, i the cup-bea affiftants; put on his tiring a littl his humble i being accor out of the h cover with Immediate champion; i ed by the rel his majesty's CHA P. XXIII. In which the Clouds that cover the E must now leave Capt. Crowe and his W nephew Mr. Clarke, Y arguing with great vehemence about the fatal intelligence obtained from the conjurer, and penetrate at once the veil that concealed our hero. Know then, reader, that Sir Launcelot Greaves, repairing to the place defcribed in the billet which he had received, was accofted by a person muffled in a cloak, who began to amufe him with a feigned ftory of Aurelia; to which while he liftened with great attention, he found himself fuddenly furrounded by armed men, who feized and pinioned down his arms, took away his fword, and conOctober 1761. [Continued.] veyed him by force into a hackneycoach provided for the purpose. In vain he expoftulated on this violence with three perfons, who accompanied him in the vehicle. He could not extort one word by way of reply; and, from their gloomy afpects, he began to be apprehenfive of affaffination. Had the carriage paffed through any frequented place, he would have endeavoured to alarm the inhabitants; but it was already clear of the town, and his conductors took care to avoid all villages and inhabited houses. miles, the coach topped at a large After having travelled about two iron-gate, which being opened, our adventurer was led in filence thro' a fpacious house into a tolerably de◄ cent apartment, which he understood was intended for his bed-chamber. In a few minutes after his arrival, he S5S was was vifited by a man of no very prepoffeffing appearance, who endeavoured to smoothe his countenance, which was naturally ftern, welcomed our adventurer to his houfe ; exhorted him to be of good chear; affured him he fhould want for nothing; and defired to know what he wouid choose for fupper. Sir Launcelot, in answer to this civil addrefs, begged he would explain the nature of his confinement, and the reasons for which his arms were tied like thofe of the worst malefactor. The other poftponed till tomorrow the explanation he demanded; but, in the mean time, unbound his fetters, and as he declined eating, left him alone to his repofe. He took care, however in retiring, to doublelock the door of the room, whofe windows were grated on the outfide with iron. vilege of habeas corpus, as the ad including that ineftimable jewel, was happily not fufpended at this time. Confoled by this felf-affurance, he quietly refigned himself to flumber; but, before he fell asleep, he was very difagreeably undeceived in his conjecture. His ears were all at once faluted with a noise from the next room, conveyed in diftinct bounces against the wainscot; then an hoarfe voice exclaimed: "Bring up the artillery — let Brutandorf's brigade advance-detach my black huflars to ravage the country-let them be new-booted-take particular care of the spur-leathers-make a defert of Lufatia-bombard the fuburbs of Pera-go, tell my brother Henry to pass the Elbe at Meisfen with forty battalions and fifty fquadrons-fo ho, you major-general Donder, why don't you finish The knight, being thus abandon your fecond parallel?-fend hither ed to his own meditations, began to the engineer Schittenbach-I'll lay ruminate on the prefent adventure all the fhoes in my fhop, the breach with equal furprize and concern; will be practicable in four and twenty but the more he revolved circum- hours-don't tell me of your works ftances, the more was he perplexed you and your works may be in his conjectures. According to the damn'd-" ftate of the mind, a very fubtle philofopher is often puzzled by a very plain propofition; and this was the cafe of our adventurer-What made the ftrongest impreflion upon his mind, was a notion that he was apprehended on fufpicion of treafonable practices, by a warrant from the secretary of ftate, in confequence of fome falfe malicious information; and that his prifon was no other than the house of a meffenger, fet apart for the accommodation of fufpected perfons. In this opinion, he comforted himself by recollecting his own confcious innocence, and reflecting at he should be intitled to the pri "Affuredly, (cried another voice from a different quarter) he that thinks to be faved by works is in a state of utter reprobation—I myfelf was a prophane weaver, and trufted to the rottennefs of worksI kept my journeymen and 'prentices at conftant work; and my heart was fet upon the riches of this world, which was a wicked work-but now I have got a glimpfe of the new-light. I feel the operations of grace-I am of the new birth-I abhor good works-I deteft all working but the working of the fpirit-- Avaunt, Satan-O! how I thirst for communication with our fifter Jolly-" The "The communication is already open with the Marche, (faid the first) but as for thee, thou caitif, who haft prefumed to difparage 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 noife confounded his calculation: a second, in broken English, complained he vas diftorped in the moment of de profhection-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 fingle mafs. A fourth began to hollow in all the vociferation of a fox-hunter in the chace; and in an inftant the whole house was in an uproar―The clamour, however, was of a short duration. The different chambers being opened fucceffively, every individual was effectually filenced by the found of one cabalistical word, which was no other than waistcoat: a charm which at once cowed the king of P—————, dispoffeffed the fanatic, dumbfounded the mathematician, difmayed the alchemift, deposed the pope, and deprived the 'fquire of all utterance. Our adventurer was no longer in doubt concerning the place to which he had been conveyed; and the more he reflected on his fituation, the more he was overwhelmed with the most perplexing chagrin. He could not conceive by whose means he had been immured in a madhoufe; but he heartily repented of his knight errantry, as a frolic which might have very ferious confequences, with refpect to his future life and fortune. After mature deliberation, he refolved to demean himfelf with the utmost circumspection, well knowing that every violent tranfport would be interpreted into an undeniable fymptom of infanity. He was not without hope of being able to move his jailor by a due adminiftration 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 enquired about thefe particulars, and was given to understand that they were all fafely depofited for his ufe, to be forthcoming at a proper feafon : but, at prefent, as he fhould want for nothing, he had no occafion for money. The knight acquiefced in this declaration, and eat his breakfaft in quiet. About eleven, he received a vifit from the physician, who contemplated his looks with great folemnity; and, having examined his pulfe, fhook his head, faying, "Well, fir, how d'ye do ìcome, don't be dejected---every thing is for the best---you are in very good hands, fir, I affure you; and I dare fay will refufe nothing that may be thought conducive to the recovery of your health.--" "Doctor, (faid our hero) if it is not an improper question to ask, I fhould be glad to know your opinion of my diforder" "O! fir, as to that--(replied the physician) your diforder is a kind of a fir, 'tis very common in this country ---a sort of a---" "Do you think my diftemper is madness, doctor ?"-Sss 2 " O Lord! |