"You know every thing, Sir, and yet you 66 never decide upon any thing."—" And "you," answered the Chancellor, "know "nothing and decide upon every thing." 82. EXTRAORDINARY OCCURRENCE AT PISA. When I was at Pisa, in the year 1783, a very extraordinary occurrence took place, which became the general subject of conversation. The Chevalier F***, after having paid his addresses to the Marchioness **, by whom he was passionately beloved, came to a resolution of marrying a very amiable young lady of rank at Pisa. To avoid the importunities of the Marchioness, who endeavoured to frustrate the marriage, he all at once left off visiting her. The Marchioness, afflicted by the loss of her lover, and not knowing how to reclaim his attention, took it into her head to apply to a poor old woman in the town, who had the reputation of having successfully employed supernatural means in discovering property which had been lost; and the Chevalier being considered as a precious object belonging to the Marchioness, by the right of long possession, the old woman undertook to restore him to her as much in love as ever. As a commencement of the profit which the old woman was to derive from the credulity of this forsaken lover, she asked her for money to buy the drugs necessary for her enchantments; as well as four hundred ells of ribbon, which was to be extended from one house to the other, to serve as a medium of communication between the two houses. On the night appointed for the purpose, the old woman was introduced into the Marchioness's apartment, the waiting-woman retired, and she began to proceed with her operations. All the lights were extinguished; and a lamp was substituted, whose feeble glimmering, in a large chamber, was scarcely sufficient to make the surrounding objects visible. The old woman burnt some drugs in a chafing-dish, which produced a thick smoke; and having ordered the Marchioness to strip herself quite naked, she poured over her certain ointments, repeating at the same time a long string of enchantments. The darkness, the smoke, the extraordinary language of the old woman, the idea of being alone and naked at midnight with a sorceress, made such an impression upon the mind of the Marchioness, that she fell into convulsions, and uttered such screams as alarmed the whole house: the servants ran up, the door was broken open, the Marchioness was restored, and the old woman was seized and delivered up to justice. Instead of concealing the affair, the pretended sorceress was condemned to stand three hours in the pillory, which occasioned the greatest scandal: for the poor wretch, having nothing to risk, and wishing to exculpate herself from the imputation of sor-cery, began to entertain the people who were collected round her with the history of the amours of the Marchioness and her lover, adding many anecdotes relative to other ladies in the city for whom she had been the mediatrix; and if the Archbishop of Pisa, who was informed of what was going on, had not instantly put a stop to it, all the intrigues of the city would have been fully exposed. The Marchioness did not venture abroad for a length of time, the old woman was thrown into a dungeon, and the lover was married. 83. HUMORous scruples OF A CURATE. A poor village curate in Kent went one day to a hair-dresser in a neighbouring town to order a wig. The latter was just taking a fine leg of mutton from the spit, and invited the curate to take part of it. The curate accepted the invitation; and had ample reason to be satisfied with the good reception which the honest barber gave him, who was not sparing of his best beer on the occasion. After dinner the curate was going away; when the barber stopped him, telling him that he had forgotten to let him take measure for his wig. "No," said the curate, "you have behaved too well to"wards me, for me to treat you ill. The "truth is, that having no money, I did not "intend to pay for the wig which you were "to make for me: I will go some where "else and order one, where I shall pro"bably not meet with so good a reception have given me." as you 84. SECTS. During the disturbances which agitated the Church of France relative to Jansenism and Molinism, the Government interfered, and prohibited all persons from writing or speaking further on the subject; and the police of Paris had spies for superintending the observance of this order. One day, when the subject was introduced in a coffeehouse, a man who did not appear to know much of the subject, undertook to give his opinion; upon which he was accosted by some one who was immediately known to be a spy of the police, who said to him: “What, Sir, are you a Jansenist ?”—“ No, "Sir," answered the other. Then, Sir, 66 you are a Molinist ?"—" I, Sir! No, I 66 assure you I am not.”—“ Well, what the "devil are you?"-" Sir, I am an Artist."(He was a cabinet-maker.) 85. DUCHESS OF ALBANY. When the Pretender retired into Tuscany, he took the title of Earl of Albany. In 1784, he openly acknowledged the daughter whom |