extensive domains, might have afpired to a throne; the was worthy of one from her illuftrious birth, her endowments, and her beauty.

The count could only obtain e preference over his numerous vals by deeds which conferred on him true glory; and by the moft refpectful, tender, and conftant attention to the object of his love, a thousand times had he received from the hands of Azelais, the prize which his courage, addrefs, and ardent defire of diftinguishing himself for her fake, had obtained for him in the tournaments. The habit of crowning him, and feeing him annex no value to the trophies he acquired, but in proportion as the deigned to accept the homage he of fered her, at length induced her to renounce in his favour the folitude to which the feemed devoted, and a kind of melancholy the appeared unable to overcome.、

Many endeavours had been made to explain the fecret motive of her inclination to perirement; for Azelais was too lovely not to occupy the attention and intereft the curiofity of all who faw her. Among various conjectures, it had been principally attributed to the impreflion made on her memory by a youth who, in the flow er of his age, had fallen in a combat in a manner too extraordinary not to have excited general attention.

This youth, whom we may confideras one of the moft ancient troubadours, had been brought up in the quality of a page in the palace of the counts of Toulouse, His zeal to ferve Azelais had often been remarked. Perhaps he was not infenfible to the power of beauty, hut the immenfe distance by which he was feparated from her had not permited hope to arife in his heart. His wit, and fevcral pieces of poetry, of the tender and plaintive kind, fimilar to thofe with which love infpired the unfortunate Sappho, had bestowed on him fame; but the fad and filent grief of which

he appeared the prey, rendered hin ftill more noticed. In vain wer all endeavours to diflipate the gloon that hung over him, and ftill more in vain every attempt to difcover his fe cret, which he never difclofed. Dai ly wafting, like a plant that wither beneath the fcorching rays of the fun he, at length, began to revive wher the count of Touloufe undertook: new war against one of his neigh bours. He then feemed' actuated by no paffion but the love of glory. Ai ter having obtained the command of body of men, he followed the troop of the count. Scarcely had he ar rived in prefence of the enemy, whe he rushed, like lightning, into th midst of them. He prefently fell and his foldiers, who hafted to hi affiftance, having repulfed thofe from whom he received the mortal blow,obtained from their fuccefs only th melancholy advantage of being abl to carry off his body.

After he was brought lifelefs to th camp, it was difcovered that he had on only armour of parade, incapable of defending him under his too feeble cuirafs; they found near his hear two plates of gold,-fufpended by chain of the fame metal. A blow with a lance had feparated them, and within appeared an ingenioufly wrought device, reprefenting a folitude and a rock, round which a Cupid was entwining flowers in fucha manner as to form the two letters A and Z. The fame Cupid held his fillet in his hands, which he spread over the reft of the name, as if to conceal i from all eyes. This cypher and the ardour with which he had fough death, recalled the recollection of fom fianzas, that he frequently fang, and accompanied with the harp; the fub ject of which was a refolution eter nally to conceal a paffion, the objec of which was too elevated to permi hope, and to feek relief only in death

Curiofity foon exerted every mean to penetrate a fecret covered with the

ceftors of families, came to revive their memory in the minds of their kindred and friends, by invifibly touching their harmonious harps.

en to retirement and folitude. The Leifure moments which her retreat hom fociety procured her, the employed in cultivating thofe talents which nature had liberally bestowed upon her.

The remembrance of the bards, theis poems, and their fongs of hiftozy were fill recent in the country of Touloufe, where the Druids had for merly established one of their moft celebrated colleges.

The bards had long been the only fpenfers of glory. The knights, who regretted thefe commemorators of warlike exploits, loaded with rewards and honours thofe who endeavoured to fupply their place; and their emulation had produced the troYours of troubadours."

The harps of the ancient bards were again revived; they were to be found in almost every caftle, and, during the long evenings of winter, the company collected round their fires to liften to fragments of marvellous hiftories which had been preferved by tradition. If the wind did but flight lagitate the ftrings of a harp, and produce fome harmonious and lengthened tones, the whole audience were infpired with a kind of religious enathuliafm, fimilar to that which animued the ancient Gauls at hearing the fame founds. Like them they were inclined to believe, that the warnots flain in the battle, and the an

To this inftrument the beauteous Azelais would frequently fing the ftanzas of the unfortunate youth, whofe tory we have above related; and while, with agile fingers, the fwept the fpeaking ftings, her foul diffolved in gentle fenfibility at the remembrance of his fate.

tremely advantageous, and they became the fource of confiderable wealth to thefe who obtained them. The count, feduloufly followed the example of his ancestors, fecured the attachment of his vaffals by benefactions; and, notwithstanding the air of fuperiority from which he never defcended, he appeared in the midst of his family rather as a father beloved and refpected, than a master to whom all owed obedience.

The count, though generous to all, had always honoured with a particular favour the father of the young vaffal whom he had caufed to be brought up with his fon. This was not on his part a blind preference but a duty impofed by gratitude,-of which it gave him pleafure to difcharge.

In a bloody conflict, the count having had his horse killed under him,muft inevitably have been flain, had not Robert, who, among his attendants in arms, had always moft diftinguished himfelf, ruthed between him and the enemy, and fought with fuch obftinate bravery as gave time for fuccour to arrive, and for the count to difengage himfelf. Senfibly affected with the important fervice rendered him, the count manifested the warmeft attachment to his generous and courageous vaffal; he gave him the command of a chofen body of troops which furrounded him in

th

against the enemy without having him near his perfon.

A number of brilliant and perilous actions proved the undaunted valour of Robert, and continually increased the esteem and friendship with which his lord honoured him. Defirous to merit thefe, he was ever eager to encounter danger, till he at length became the victim of his ardent courage; but, before he fell, he a fecond time faved the life of his mafter.

The count of L****, who was brave to imprudence, after having long fought against a knight who at length fled, wifhed to gain a complete triumph over an antagonist from whom he had experienced fo long a refiftance, purfued him into the midft of the enemy's troops. His own foldiers were unable to come up till he was entirely furrounded. After having defended himself like a hero, he was on the point of being overpowered by numbers, when Robert, rufhing into the midst of the enemy, levelled the foremost to the ground, and opened a way for thofe that followed him. The combat was then renewed with more equality. The valour of the count and of Robert decided the victory; and the enemy were already beginning to turn their backs, when Robert received a terrible blow which stretched him on the ground, expiring in view of his maf

ter.

The first emotion was to revenge him; but, in the mean time, his blood flowed in ftreams, and when the count returned to raife and fuccour his deliverer, he found him ready to breathe forth his laft figh, and with fcarcely fufficient ftrength left to recommend to his generous bounty the fon and daughter whom he left orphans.

The count fhed tears of gratitude, and promifed to be a father to the children. But it was in vain that he attempted to give aid to Robert: he prefenty expired in his arms. The

brave a man to be left on the field, confounded with the common dead he ordered that it thould be carried to the caftle, and caufed it to be depofit ed in the vaults which were the bury ing-place of his family. The bro ken arms of Robert were placed in one of the galleries by the fide of thofe which were already fufpended there, and the name of that warrior was written under them, with a device in his honour.

After having fulfilled thefe first du ties, the count, faithful to his promife, caufed the fon of Robert to be called, and told him that he would be to him a father. The fon of the count, the amiable Roger, teftified the most lively joy, when his father, presenting to him his young companion, commanded him to love him, and told him that thenceforth they should fhare the fame manner of living, the fame exercifes, and the fame fports.

The countefs withing to add her gratitude to that of her husband, took under her protection the young Elvize the fifter of Robert; and, though the was not ignorant how much her illufttious birth raised her above fuch a guardianship, the applied herself to form the manners and the mind of an amiable girl of twelve years of age, whofe innocent and open countenance already announced that fhe would one day poffefs all the charms that can attract and delight.

Roger and Robert, precifely of the fame age, had now completed their fifteenth year. From their earliest infancy they had been accustomed to play together. Too young to diftinguifh the inequality of conditions, they fought mutually to amufe and please each other, and imagined themfelves deftined to live continually in a fimilar union. The tendereft fympathy united their hearts. Equally expert in their exercifes, and conquer ors by turns, no jealoufy occafione divifion between them. Both poffeff

ed the fame ftrength, the fame activity; their ftature was alike, and both were alike handfome, and perfectly well-made, leaving those who would judge between them always in doubt to which to give the preference. They might have been taken for brothers; and they loved each other as if they had been fuch in reality.

The count and countefs foon perceiving all the advantages of fuch a connection, were careful not to interrupt it; and the two affectionate tivals equally received praises, careffes, and rewards.

According to the custom of thofe warlike times, attention was principally given to bodily exercifes, and recourfe had to every means adapted to increase the strength and agility beftowed by nature. Arms were given the youths proportioned to their age, which were exchanged for others ftronger and heavier, as they became able to use them with facility. The ditches they leaped were gradually widened, the diftances they ran lengthened, and the weight of the armour they wore on horfeback increafed. By attentively obferving thefe gradations, they acquired all that art and exercife can add to ftrength. Two years had fcarcely elapfed when they might have already entered the lifts with the most famous knights, and perhaps have come off

was continually repeated that gallant knights fhould inceffantly employ their utmost efforts to merit the admiration and efteem of the ladies. To infpire them with the defire of pleafing, and add more value to the rewards beftowed on them, the prizes were almost always adjudged by the countefs, who fometimes refigned that office to Elvize, who conftantly entwined the crowns of flowers, and formed the elegant defigns which were prefented to the victor. Roger filled with generous ardour, exerted all his ftrength and all his addrefs to merit the prize, and his heart palpitated with joy, when he obtained fuccefs; but it was the love of glory alone which animated him; he did not yet feel how much the hand which beftowed the reward could add to its value and its charms.

WE

(To be continued.)

Parifian Fashions.

E have ftill head-dreffes with chefs, or with gold combs and diamonds, and for a lefs full dress oval hats of black crape, or straw hats almoft round. In full-drefs veils are formed into a kind of turban before, with the end falling behind into the robe. Inftead of chefs many élégantes wear filver ribbands.

The robes à la Pfyche are fill in great vogue. Satin begins to be worn, but velvet is not yet in ufe. Spencers are as yet only refumed by the demiélégantes. Long Cathaire thawls are much worn; or fquate fhawls, one of the corners of which hangs down almoft to the heels.

Striped ribbands with narrow ftrips are in vogue.

The head-dreffes of fimple hair ftill prevail in full-drefs; but hats, notwithstanding, are coming into favour. The moft fimple, and at the fame time the most elegant, are of black velvet, with rofe fatin drapery, and ornamented with two white of

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