ill-fated Vivia, immediately after the obeyed, as her father had given te birth of Orlando.

most folemn injunctions to his son But before we proceed with our never to allow his body to be opennarrative, we must execute the hor- ed : and in his will be further enforce rid talk of completely withdrawing ed this request, which was occafionthe black veil from Elvira's heart, ed by his adored Ifabella having vifitand howing to our shuddering rea- ed an hospital in Florence of wirich der a monster, from whom dilmay- the as the patronefs ; and going by td nature secoils. Elvira was the mistake into a room where an opera. murderer of her father. She had ad- tion of that kind was performing, by miniftered to him a small portion of the fatal millake the caught a fever a fow but subtile poison, which at which it was believed had cauled her first brought on flight fymptoms of death ; while in fact, the diabolical illness, fo fight that it was not deem- Elvira it was who in all probability ed necefiary to recal his son from deprived the world of one of its Naples, whither lie was just then brightest ornaments ; for in this case, gone to be united to Clementina; to court her dailing popularity, ine, and Elvira having assumed the cha- in defiance of the danger of infection, racier of chief nuile, he had oppor: artended her amiable mother-in-law tunisies of infusing more of this dead- hierfelf; when it fruck her infernal Jy drug in his food, to increase his heart that the fellest blow the could illness by imperceptible degrees as her indict upon her father would be tlie plan called for it. And her diabolical depriving him of his adored wite. purpose was at length ctiected, with livery medicine therefore that was cui any danger of detection; as for prescribedi, she would suffer none to many reasons, affecting to be influ- administer but heileif ; and as the enced by that hope which true affec- levoted Ifabella was delirious, the tion scarcely ever relinquifies, the feared nothing from her detection : pretended to disbelieve ali ivea of her and the artfully fubfticuted any milk father's danger, and would not fum- and water misture that suiteil her mon her brother until almost too late, purpose, to appear like the drugs under the specious preitaace of willi- which the dellroyed ; by which ing to spare her deai Altidore an un. means the fever, uncheckel, hourly neceflary pang, tince the felt, like a augmerited, and she had the diabolifupernatural infpiration, a thorough cal transport of beholding her parent's conviction of her adored parent's per- misery upon the loss of his adored fect recovery. And when he breath. Ifubcila. ed his last, blessing his children, the The excrtions Elvira thought it phrenly of despair seemed to take neceflary to make, to evince her afpoffeflion of thisarch fend : she clung fiction for the death of lier father, to the curse of a parent her own acccieraced the birth of her child. land lad deprised of life, and in the She retired to the chamber under the noft distracted manner lamented luis veil of sorrow overpowering lier; and death ; accuting the playficians, by thortly after her puny boy was cone their ignorance, as the cause of lis veyed by Bianca, her attendant and not recovering ; and in a frantic tone develed creature, out of the castle, commanded them to open the body, under the auspices of father Georgio, to inform his heart-bioken childien Elvira's lenient confeffor, who only what fatal malady liad deprived them heard what she thought neceNary 10 of their estimable parcat.

communicate, and was upon this ocBut this command tile wily parrio casion made her confidant and advicide knew full will could not be fer; and after being named Theo

a

no

man.

core, the poor babe was sent by a faility of his difpofition, it seemed creature of Gcorgio's to the care of all at once his with to render bis a lister of his who lived in Langue. name infamous, to tarnih his for

By the care of the crafty Bian- mer honours, and blight his laurels, ca, Elvira foon recovered, and was by every action that was inimic..'. enabled to take the unfortunate jour- probity and humanity; assigning to 1:0v to Naples, her head and heart the flight reproaches of his conciprojecting new mischiefs : for her ence, ihat the micry of mind his ther had left her too fmall a portion disappointed love iflicted pleaded 19 graciy Polydurc's avarice; and fufficiently in excuse for every enor

though her generous brother dou- inity he could cominit, for that his ted that fortune, it was infufficient jealon was ihook by his mental anbe the rapacious Vicenza, whom gulh. Public indignation norv fan 1:0w, for ile lake of her child, El- high agninst this once popular young vira resolved by some means,

Many of his exploits might matter how iniquitous, to make her have brought him to the scaffold; band Alidore, not in the least but in contideration of the eminent Tale of the firength or cause of his services he had rendered his country fler's attachment, advised her to he was not brought to wial, civil or with no more of a man who pof- military; he only received his catholeidis little affection for her, which lic majetty's dimiflion from cvery his carilling about fortune he thought post and honour he had been dilidto plainlevinced.

guiilie! by. And now, courteous reader we The vile apostate Leopold, im-, LLL leave the wily Elvira at the pelled by dire necessity, tecame the cil of Manilcuonia, winther the follower of the juftly degraded Am24 timpuried the duca and duchera, brofio's fortunes, and soon their ferfing, like the intidious ferpent, in. tile invention Struck out a plan not

the unsuspicious Viola's warmet mole gruifying to their avarice than teem ; while we return to don Am- to their fanguinary souls. They enbroño, whom we left, almost two teied into a league with a number of years prior to the period we have just profligate men of al descriptions, teen speaking of, at a fisherman's who joined themselves inio a fociehut upon the coast of Sicily. tv, which spread ithelf with aftunithCHAP. LX.

ing facility, not only over Spain and

Portugal, but through France, Italy Nothing could equal the confer- and Germany. The fucceffes of all na jon and dismay of don Ambrosio parties were for the general bineht; 2:1 his vile alsociate Leopold, at the whilit each individual was to be fup. fillow their iniquitous scheme re- ported from the general sund, whicla cored by the unthought-of clopc. wis to provide for every expence neToint of Viola ; and every hope of concry for carrying on the different suure fuccels was deltroyed, when bouicues of this predaceous fociety, tky le red in whole protection the who weie swom to feel upon the had fand refuge. They both im- public by every act of fraud and vili mediately fied from Sicily in the vef- lany, comprised within the efforts of 1:1 prepared to convey the marchefa the fpecious fuindler, the elegant away, and juining the Spanish feet, gentlemanly gambler, the daring banAusbrolio made Lespuld his chapiain, dirti, the dark aflufin, the midniglit

It had bitherto been don Ambro. robber, and a forinidable squadron 1.us fuccelsiui aiın to acquire fame of thips fitted out for the lucrative and glory in his profession : and now, employment of piracy. in conturmity to the capricious ver- The latter department, as well as

the

cauling terror, was in fact the great-
eft fafeguard they poffeffed.

In all the fecrets of the dreadful
tribunal, Francifco knew the moment
danger threatened the fociety, and by
chicanery of priaficraft, kept his
confederates fecure from ecclefiaftic
vengeance until the moment of retri
bution allotted by Heaven arrived;
when, in the purfuit of cruelty and
revenge, their evil destiny fuffered
them to imprifon the holy Anfelmo..

Poffeffing the confidence of fo
many perfons in Catalonia, Francifco
too was of confiderable advantage to
the fabtle defigns of the fharper, and
to the more open frauds of the ban-
ditti: and when, in his perambulati-
ons as a pious, mank, or in his in-
quifitorial character, he learned any
danger that awaited the community,
it was agreed that he thould announce
it by beating a drum, formed like an
Indian gong, which was placed in a
cavern underneath the caftle, from
whence found fo forcibly conveyed
felf, that it warned every fenti
around the caftle of impending day-
ger, upon which, as the beat of the
drum directed, they and all the fra-
ternity either flew to arms, or betook
themfelves to hiding places in the
rocks, or to the fhipping. Our read.
er is now no longer at a lofs to ac-
count for the tremendous noife that
fo alarmed Victoria the first night of
her dreadful captivity; and as the
good properties of Francifco's heart
often recoiled from the crimes of his
affociates, he had fometimes recourfe
to the gong, and, under pretence of
danger, put the affaffins to flight: and
often unfubdued confcience would
whifper that danger threatening them
on fuch a moment feemed like divine
vengeance, and the meditated enor-
mity perhaps was therefore never
committed which caufed Terefa's re-
mark to our heroine upon the fub-
ject.

appeared as the faint and the finner. As a learned man he had been felected to fuperintend the education of Elfridi, and, as there was no very great disparity in their years, they foon became companions and friends. From the ftrength of this attach ment Elfridii poffeffed an influence over the mind of Francifco that enabled him quickly to win the monk into the villainous community he be longed to. The ambition of Francifco would not allow him to remain a common member of this fraternity. He had intereft enough at Rome to get himself translated to a convent of obfervantine friars at Cadaques, and by the artful intrigues of fome of the devotees whom he confeffed at Naples, he was foon inflituted a member of the inquifitorial fynod. With the predaceous fociety thus fully in his power he quitted Naples for Cadaques, where, though rigid was the Obfervantine order, he affected even fuperior aufterity, and, under the veil of fanctity, refufing even the few comforts of the convent, took up his abode in a folitary cave in a gloo

my

foreft not far diftant from the town. The reputed aufterity of his life foon rendered him famous; he foon became the most popular preacher in the province, and the favourite confeffor of all the neighbouring convents and pious families.

The cave of this holy impoftor communicated, as our fagacious reader already prefages, with the caftle; the fecret of the church, with many others confidered with Elfridii as cooperating to their mutual intereft, was confided by him to Francifco, who was thus placed in the caftle as an object of terror and of fafety, and don Manuel, ere he was aware, found himfelf but fecond where he claimed the first place. In the power of the inquifitor, he bowed to his authority; and every daring vaffal belonging to don Manuel trembled at Francifco's fiown, who, though as an individual February, 1808,

Elvira had not been very long at the cattle of Mentredonia before a perfect

L

perfect understanding fubfifted between her and Elridii. They had each their deep-laid plots to purfue, and were happy in fo able an auxilliary; befides, lady Elvira was completely in the power of Elfiidii, from whom Polydore kept no fecrets; and by whofe advice the infant Theodore had been removed from Languedoc and configned to the care of Francifco. Conte Vicenza was now

in the neighbourhood of Manfredonia, to aid their mutual operations, which they delayed not to commence. (To be continued.)

logy could be difperfed without the mot imminent danger, if it tended to leffen that reverence which Henry demanded to his creed, though it was conftantly varying, and the fame was equally expected relative to what related to politics. Something like newspaper once appeared during his reign, but all fuch attempts in future were molt ftrictly prohibited. A litthe more latitude was given under the ordered by them to conceal himfelt government of Edward VI. Mary I.. his facceffor, falling back to a blind fuperftition, was extremely fevere, and, as the papift clergy knew that ignorance was their beft fecurity, all literature was attempted to be withheld from the people. Elizabeth happily afcended the throne, and the papal power difappeared. The more enlarged difplay of religion and politics naturally unfolded themfelves; religious books, and fome upon other ing fubjects, gradually increafed; learn

Hifiory of British Printers, Bookfellers, and Stationers. By the Rev. Mark Noble, F. A. S. of L.

and E.

To the Editor.

SIR,

I FLATTER myself that fome obfervations upon printers, bookiellers, and flationers, will be acceptable to many of your readers, the hiftory of their rife and the extention of their trades being now intorwoven with that of literature in gencial.

became diffeminated more amongst the gentry, and a third orinvaluable, filently, though fomeder of men, by no means the inost what flowly, rofe up amongst us, partly the offspring of a general and more extenfive commerce, and part

go

Probably, I may select much newly from the fops of the clergy, for the matter, especially as I fhall not priesthood being allowed to marry, minutely into the black art, Ames gave very many well-informed famihaving moft effectually given us excellent information respecting our fies-families to whom literature and early books printed in what is called, black letter.

1