tries were never communicated but to thofe who folemnly promised at the foot of the altar, never to reveal thes. But this facred promife, fo far from being the impious and unmeaning oath which fome people imagine, was a refpectable guarantee, in order to unite men of all nations in the fame confraternity. Free ma foury, therefore, ought not to be looked upon as a revival of bacchanaian diffipation, or fcandalous intemperance: but as remembrance of of the most innocent and focial pleafures, founded on liberality, morality, and charity. The kings, princes, and noblemen, on their return from the holy land, eftablished a number of lodges: and in the time of the laft crufade, we End ieveral of thefe were erected in Germany, Italy, France and Spain. King James of Scotland was grand mafter of a lodge established at Kilwinnen, in the year 1286, a fhort time after the death of Alexander the third, one year before Baliof mounted the throne. This prince received into his lodge, the carls of Gloucefter and Ulfter. After the expiration of the crufades, the discomfiture of the chriftian armies, and the triumph of Bendoeder, fultan of Egypt, Henry III. of England, feeing there was no longer any fecurity for the mafons in the holy land, led them from Paleftine, and eftablished his colony of brothers in England. As prince Edward was endowed with all thofe qualities of the heart and understanding, which form the hero, he publicly declared himfelf protector of the order; and gave it the name of the free mafon fociety. From England, the inftitution paffed into France: and fpread itfelf into Germany, under the protection and patronage of the late king of Pruffia. At this time, it flourishes in all the civilized states of Europe and Ameri ca, alfo in the European fettlements in the Eaft Indies. Its univerfality is a proof of its value and worthy tendency and if, by means of this fhort effay, any one acquires a clearer idea of its origin and intent than he had before, the pains and purpose of writ ing it will be amply anfwered. The Natural Child; A Tale. (With an elegant Engraving.) AMONG the troops employed in lately exifted in Ireland was a private foldier of the name of Warner, who, by his affiduity and bravery, had gained the favour of his officers, and been promoted, firft to the rank of corporal, then to that of ferjeant, and, on his return to England, an enfigncy was given him. In his whole belaviour towards the mifguided inhabitants of the country, he had shown as much forbearance and generofity as he difplayed courage in action, when the fanguinary conteft could not be avoided, With fuch a difpofition it may be fuppofed that the heart of Warner was fufceptible of the tendereft of paffions. He had in fact married, before he left England, a young woman, neither deficient in beauty nor virtue, though entirely deftitute of all the gifts of fortune. By her induftry the fupported a fickly mother, who had feen more profperous times, and on whofe delicate frame grief had preyed," till fhe was at length to reduced, that fhe was unable to contribute in any manner towards her own maintenance, and obliged to depend entirely on the labours of her daughter, whofe utmoft exertions were (carcely fufficient to furnith them with a scanty meal.At length, foon after the departure of her husband, the daughter, finding herfelf unable with all that the received and could procure to support her declining parent, applied to the parith for relief, and they were in con fequence fequence paffed to a diftant part of the country, where the letters of Warner no longer reached them, and where they languifhed on the feanty pittance afforded them by parochial charity. Warner was not a little furprifed that he heard nothing from his wife, and especially that he had received no congratulations on his advancement, of which he had faithfully fent her an account; and it was not till the return of his regiment to England that he difcovered the caufe. He immediately obtained leave for a thort abfence; and having informed himself of the place to which his wife and her mother had been removed, haftened thither,' and found a fcene which almoft drove him to diftraction.' His Lucy had been brought to bed, in the workhoufe, of a daughter, and, for want of proper care, was in an extremely dangerous fate; while her mother lay at the point of death on a wretched and filthy bed, in the fame room. Warner had as yet received no pay from his commiffion, and had brought but little money with him; for he had but little, and this little was immediately expended, while all that was dear to his heart lay ready to perifh. Almoft frantic with indignation, he few to the overfeer, demanding the immediate removal of his wife and her mother to a warmer apart n.ent, and that they fhould be furnifhed with more comfortable accommodations, fuitable to their condition. He was told, however, with a fupercilious fneer, that they had been treated as well as others in fimilar circumftances were treated; that the parish could afford no better accommodations; and that as to allowing any thing more on the credit of himself or his appearance, it was not probable that he had either money or credit, or his wife and her mother would hardly ever have come there. After much fruitlefs altercation Warner refolved to repair to fir Joh Gravely, a neighbouring juftice. the peace, to reprefent the barba rous conduct of the overfeer, and t obtain an order enjoining him to ad with more humanity. He found fi John coming out of an avenue, fhad ed by fome lofty trees near his houfe and immediately made known to him, the nature of his application. Si John, however, anfwered him, ve ry coldly, that he never interfered i fuch affairs; for that he knew the overfeer might be relied on as a hu mane, as well as a prudent man, and that he never fuffered the paupers t want, though he was, as became him, very careful not to be profufe of the money raised on the parish. Warner had now recourfe to en treaties, gave the moft moving de fcription of the wretched fituation in which he had found his wife and her mother, briefly related his own hiftory, and at length requested the loan of a few guineas, which he affured his worthip he should foon be able to repay. All the answer he receivcl, however, was a fincering infinuation that he was an impoftor, who had neither wife nor mother, and who had invented this new mode of obtaining money. Fired with indignation at fuch a charge, Warner drew a piftol, and fwore that the justice fhould accompany him to the work-houfe, and be convinced by his eyes that what he had told him was true. Sir John, feeing him thus determined, affured him that he was now fatisfied, from the ardour of his manner, that all he had faid was true, and that he would fee the caufe of his complaints removed, but he requested to be excufed going with him at that time, as he had a very particular engagement. Then, taking out his purfe, he gave it him, telling him to procure with that money whatever was immediately neceffary for the ufe of the fick perfons, and that he would himfelt meet meet him at the work-houfe the next morning, and fee that they were provated with every comfortable accommodation. Warner, with the most ardent expreffions of thankfulness, took a guines out of the purfe, and returned it; ater which he reparted with all ipeed to the work-houte, whither he was almoft immediately followed by the juftice, who had brought with him a conflable to apprehend him for a robbery. When fir John entered the room in which was Warner, his fick wife and her dying mother, he could not refill the icene he beheld. The honeft fo dier was uttering benedictions on the good juftice who had fent them a prefent relief, and promited to come in the morning and fee their wrongs edreffed; while his wife joined in biefings on their benefac 'One Gravely-I mean your father, child-was the caufe of all my misfortunes; another may perhaps fave your life, though nothing can fave mine.' The curiofity of fir John was now exched, and he advanced, and addreffed fome confuling words to the dying woman. Gracious heaven!' exclaimed fhe, how much that voice refembies that of my Frank, as I ufed to call him. Oh! though he betrayed me, and left me plunged in want and milery, niv heart ftill bears a fond and conftant affection towards him!" Mutual inquiries followed, and ah explanation took place, by which fir John was convinced that the wife of Warner was his own natural child. With her mother he had early in life formed a connexion: and foon after going to the Eaft-Indies, left her with out making any provifion for her.He had there accumulated a large fortune, with which he returned to England, and had lately purchafed the manfion-houfe in which be refided, together with the neighbouring manor. He clafped the dying woman, who, overpowered, in her exhaufted ftate, by furprife and joy, kiffed him, and expired in his arms. As an atonement for the miferies his defertion and negle&t had brought upon both the mother and the daughter, he fettled a large annuity upon the latter, during his life-time; and, having no legitimate children, at his death left the greater part of his estate to Mr. Warner. An Oppreffive Tax. [From Senilities, or Solitary Amusements,' by the Editor of the Spiritual Quixote, &'c.] HIS accumulated tax on port TH wine is a very ferious affair; 'it is taxing the neceffaries of life; and ftrikes at the very root of all conviviality, good-fellowship, and chriftian benevolence. Every profeffion, law, phyfic, and divinity, and men of every rank, the country gentleman, and gentleman-farmer, muft feel the baneful effects of it. Not to mention the great pleaders at the bar, to whom plenty of wine is effential, and must be had at any price, to overcome their ufual bathfulness, when the liberty and property of their clients are at a stake; how can a country attorney attend market, and accomplith his benevolent purpofe, of reconciling his neighbours, and making peace between contending parties, without his bottle of port at the Rofe and Crown? What phyfician of eminence could ever write claffical Latin, or prescribe intelligibly, till he was inspired by a bottle of port? So that the health and life of his majefty's fubjects is really implicated in that pernicious toils and troubles of life, in profoun tax. And how cruel it is to deprive a oblivion. Ο UR neighbours the English, i poor country divine of a comfortable The Pin. [From a Paris Journal. glafs after the duty of the day; when he has been exhaufting his fpirits in preaching up temperance and fobriety, with the utmoft exertion, for ten, twelve, and fometimes perhaps fifteen minutes, without intermifli on? And how can a poor farmer, fince the reduction of the price of corn by the arbitrary proceedings of the legiflature, afford himfelf a bottle of pourt, when probably he has two or three daughters, who cannot attend divine fervice for want of a muflin chemife, or filk petticoat? But, after all, fupplies must be raifed and taxes be impofed on the neceffaries as well as the luxuries of life let us then make the beft of what cannot be avoided. Perhaps, the dearnefs. of wine may be attended with the fame beneficial effects as the late fearcity of bread; and make us more fparing in the use of it, or find fome fubftitute in its room. Let the ladies then, after dinner, be content with three glaffes, the nuinber of the Graces; and the gentlemen with nine, the number of the Mufes. The tafte for port-wine, like that for tobacco, is an acquired tafte; and fipping glafs after glafs, a mere idle habit. If a man then cannot quit his feat at table till he has tippled his 'hour, and cannot afford a pint of port, let him have his pot of fert-er; or, if the halfpenny additional tax diftrefs him, let him fmoke a dry pipe; or, as children fometimes do, let this habitual toper fuck his thumb, till he finks into a pleafing flumber, and ་ Tipples imaginary pots of ale,' yea we may judge from their mar riage contracts, are, or at least were the greateft confumers of pins in th world. Nothing is more ufual tha for a lady of fathion to be allowed thousand pounds fterling a (24,000 livres tournois) for the fing article of pins. Hiftorians relate that in thofe days when pin-mone was first introduced, the English la dies confumed a vast number of pin to faften their clothes. In process o time, however, the confumption q pins has decreafed, and in the exac proportion with the diminution o drapery. At Paris, God knows, a hufband will not be ruined by th expenfe of pins! Now-a-days a elegante makes almoft as little uf of a pin as of a needle! But yet allow me to tell your dame of fashion, for whom pins have be come ufelefs, that a pin in place may fometimes be of importance to the reputation of your charms! Little do you think how much even a beauty may be indebted to a pin! Little do you confider how many vows how many addreffes, depend upon fingle pin! Take out that folitary pin which, ftrange to tell, has found it way into your robe; take out that pin, and the loves and defires, which hover round what it myfteriously conceals, disappear. The imagination droops its wing: the illution vanithes: pleafure is difappointed, and flies in fearch of new deceptions. Ah, madam! learn to conceal with grace, and remember that your charms foon lofe their power when you difplay their utmost force. Above all, know that there are fome pins which you and lofes all fenfe of taxes, of the thould rarely unfaften! The It The Hiftory of Robert, furnamed caftle which his ancestors had always The count of L**** inhabited the the Brave, created a Knight by made their favourite refidence. Raimond, Count of St. Gilles, was fituated on an eminence which Rovergue, Provence, and Count overlooked an immenfe plain; a riof Touloufe after the death of Wil- ver flowed at its foot, and its ftrength liam the Fourth, his Brother. and grandeur announced the power of DOWARDS the end of the ele- its poffeffor. TOWARDS the end of the lef The names, devices and banners of the chiefs of the family adorned the numerous galleries of this ancient edifice; and the trophies which were there accumulated proved that valour had never ceafed to be hereditary with the counts of L****. 1****, the head of one of the moft powerful and illuftrious houfes of Languedoc, defirous that count Roger, his only fon, might not degenerate from the glory of his ancestors, but worthily bear their name, caufed him to be brought up under his eye The fituation of the caftle, the with all the attention and folicitude thicknefs of its walls, and the strength faitable to his birth. The exercifes of its numerous towers, were fuch which tended efpecially to promote that it was confidered as impregnable; frength and addrefs were the princi- vet, at the fame time that it was renpal occupation of the young count; dered thus formidable, and capable of and to excite his emulation, as alfo refifting the attacks of an enemy, nofrom a motive of gratitude, a vaffal thing was neglected which might renof the fame age, nature, and frame der it agreeable. Paffages artificially, of body, was felected as his compa- conftructed in the towers led to magDion, to affift him in these exercises. nificent gardens, which terminated in The hiftory of this vaflal, who an extenfive and fuperb foreft, furwas named Robert, is fo intimately rounded with walls, in which were connected with that of Roger, that, great numbers of fallow deer. 10 render it complete, it will be nefary to enter into fome details relative to the family of the counts de L****, and the reafons why Roben was chofen to participate in the care employed in forming and infracting the heir of this illuftrious houde. The origin of the counts of L**** loft in the obfcurity of remote ages, and confounded with that of the counts of Touloufe. It was in this delightful refidence that the counts of L**** held a kind of court when they were not called by their fovereigns to attend them to war, or obliged to defend themselves and fupport their jut claims against their powerful neighbours. The count of L***, withing to give his whole attention to the education of his fon, had adjusted all the differences which might divert him from that important care, and in the Immenfe poffeffions, a great num- bofom of his family enjoyed a calm ber of vaffals, fome of whom were and conftant happiness, heightened y powerful, the fovereignty of by the fociety of his amiable confort, confiderable cities, and many ftrong all whofe fentiments and habitudes alles, were the rich inheritances were in conformity to his own. which were one day to be united in the perfon of Roger, and which, added to his high birth, encouraged the hope that he might one day contract alliance with the daughter of fome wereign. January, 1802. The countess of L**** was the iffue of a younger branch of the family of the counts of Toulouie, and had been brought up at their court.The beautiful Azelais, (fuch was her name) though born to inherit no very B extenfive |