"of ftuff and the bamboo basket; and as "foon as Liu was landed, I took the corpfe "out of the water, put it into my boat, and "rowed to Ouang's door: contrary to all appearance he believed what concern

26

ing Liu's death, and gave me a good fum "not to divulge it, and I went with tome "of his fervants to bury the body, who "took it for the corps of old Liu: there is "nothing but what is true in this confeffion "that I have made, and I am ready to fuf"fer any thing if the leaft particular is falfe.” All this, faid the Mandarin, agrees with what I know already, but there is one article feems very dark: Is it poffible that at that very inftant a dead body should be found near the bank? Besides, is it credible that this corpfe fhould resemble old Liu ?— Without doubt thou haft killed this man in fome other place, and thy defign was to make Quang pals for the author of the murder, "Ah! Sir, cried cheou-fe, if I had 68 any thoughts of killing any body, could

66

not have killed. Liu fooner than any o "ther perfon, fince he was alone with me "in the boat in a dark night? What I have faid is true; feeing a body float in the water I thought it would be easy to make "ufe of it to deceive Ouang, for which rea"fon I purchafed the stuff and basket of Liu ; "but that which perfuaded me most that I "fhould fucceed was, that I knew Quang to "be a fearful and credulous man, and I "knew likewife that he had never seen Liu "but this once, and that when it was night

barraffment and concern of these two villains, took about a moment for confideration, then holding his hand towards Hou the Tyger, Thou dog of a flave, faid he to him, what has thy master done to thee that thou shouldft contrive his ruin, with the waterman, and invent fo black a calumny?Nothing is more true replied the flave, than my nailer has killed a man, nor was it a ftory of mine own invention. How, faid the Mandarin, are you fo obftinate as to continue in this falfehood? let the wretch be taken and put to the torture till he owns his crime. Hou the Tyger, in the midst of his torment, cried aloud, Alas! Sir, if you reproach me for conceiving a mortal hatred against my mafter, and becoming his accufer, I plead guilty; but if I am killed, I will never own that I have confpired with any per on whatfoever to inyent what is called, a flander: Yes, my mafter having one day a difpute with Lau, ftruck him fo hard that he fell down fenfelefs; immediately they gave, him fomething to drink, and he came to himfelf; then they egaled him and made. him a prefent of a piece of stuff; Liu went from thence to crofs the river, and the felf, fame night, about the fecond watch, the boatman Tcheou-fe brought a dead body in his boat as far as our door, and to inake it, evident that it was Liu, he fhewed the piece, of ftuff and the bamboo basket, and there was not one of the domeftica but what took it for fact; the money and the jewels which my mater gave the waterman ftopt his mouth, and he promiled to conceal the murder; I was one of those who helped to bury the corpfe, and afterwards my mafter ufing me ill, I refolved to revenge myfelf, and ac cuted him at this tribunal as for this man that died, I fwear I have not the least knowledge of him; nay, if I had not feen old Liu here, Ifbould never have thought my master was fallly accufed in having this murder laid to his charge. It is not in my power to tell what body it was, or whence it came; dentally into the river and was drowned, none but the waterman can give an account though I can fay nothing certain as to of it. This examination being taken by the "this point." Then old Liu, falling on Mandarin, he made Tcheou-le draw near his knees, faid thus, "It is certainly true to be interrogated in his turn; this man "that when I paffed over the river in his made various pretences to disguise his crime; "boat, there appeared a dead body floating but Liu, who was prefent, immediately dif " in the water." Upon which the Mancovered his knavery, and the Mandarin put darin gave credit to what he had faid, and him to the torture, which quickly made him committed all thefe depofitions to writing. confefs the truth." I declare (fays he) that Tcheou-fe falling into tears, cried out, "the last year, in fuch a month and fuch a "Take pity, Sir, on this poor wretch who day, Liu came to me for a paffage in my "lies at your feet, for I had no other defign "boat, holding in his hand a piece of fluff;" by this artifice than to get a little money, "I accidentally afked him who had made" without thinking of any further harm; "him that prefent, upon which he related "therefore mitigate the punishment I bethe whole fory, and at the fame time there" feech you." The Mandarin raifing his appearing a dead body near the bark, voice, “How audacious wretch (faid he) which was thrown by the current, it came "cant thou expect favour when thy paf"into my head to make ufe of it to deceive "fion for another perfon's wealth has Quang; this made me purchase the piece brought him within a hair's breadth of "deftruction}

す

66

and by the light of a lamp; I procured "the piece of stuff and the bamboo basket, "that they might immediately bring to his "mind the dealer in ginger.

"Thefe were the reafons that made me "think the trick would fucceed, and that' "he would fall into the fnare that I had "laid for him: As for the dead body I "fwear that I know nothing of it, and I "make no doubt but the person full acci

"deftruction? This defign was laid too "deep to be the first trial of your fkill, 'tis "not unlikely that many others may have perished by fuch like contrivances. It is my duty to free the city from fo danger"ous a plague. As for Hou the Tyger, "that unnatural flave, who forgetting the "benefits he received from his mafter, has "contrived his destruction, he deferves to abe feverely punished." At the fame time, he ordered the executioners to take the two villains, and laying them on the ground, to give Hou the Tyger forty blows with the battoon, and to baftinade Tcheou-fe till he expired under the blows. They did not know that Hou the Tyger had just got over a dangerous disease, and confequently was not in a condition to undergo the punishment; but the juftice of heaven would no longer fuffer this treacherous flave, for he expired on the pavement before he had received his number of blows; Tcheou-fe did not die till he had received 70.

where they careffed the good old man who had taken fo much pains to disprove the calumny, and thewed him all the kindness that could be expected from the fincereft gratitude.

From this time forward Ouang learnt to moderate the heat of his temper, and to reftrain his natural impetuofity. If he met a poor man who afked an alms, or defired' any fervice, he received him with an air of affability, and fhewed his readiness to affift him; in fhort, he came to a refolution to labour in good earnest to attain his degrees, and to obliterate the remembrance of this fatal accident; he applied himself constantly to his books, had little commerce with the world, and lived in this manner for the fpace of ten years, after which he was raifed to the degree of doctor. There is a great deal of reafon to say, that magiftrates and officers of juftice are obliged to regard the life of a man more than a contemptible plant, and that they are highly culpable This done, the Mandarin fent for Quang when they are as careless in examining a out of prison, and in full audience declared procefs, as if they affifted at the difputes of him innocent; befides, he ordered all the a company of children that are at play. Nocloth that was in Teheou-fe's fhop, and had thing ought to be done precipitately; as. been bought with Ouang's money, to be for example, in the caufe of Quang, the delivered to him; the whole flock amount- main point was to penetrate into the fetches ed to about a hundred taels. According and artifices of the waterman; if the deal"to the courfe of juftice, (faid the Man- er in ginger had not happily arrived at "darin) this ought to he confifcated, but Quen-tchcou, and if thro' too much precias Ouang is a fcholar that has greatly fuf- pitation they had not waited for his arrival, "fered, I compaffionate the miferable con- the flave who had accufed his mafter would "dition to which he has been reduced; let not have thought he had flandered him; every thing that is found at the thief's the wife would not have imagined her hu "houfe be returned to him that it was ex-band had been innocent of the murder, and "torted from." This was an act of good-the accufed perfon himself, would not have nefs in the Mandarin. They went, accord- known he had been unjustly oppreffed; ing to order, and took up the dead body, in much less could the judge have had the leaft which they obferved that his nails were knowledge of the matter, for it was impofftill full of fand, which was a proof that fible for him to penetrate into things conhe fell into the river off the bank and was cealed with fo great care. Let benevolent drowned, endeavouring to get up it again: magiftrates, as they ought, have the fame as none of his relations laid claim to him, compaffion for the people, as the father has the Mandarin ordered the officers to lay of his children, and they may learn from him in the common burying place of the this ftory both in what manner they ought poor. Quang and his wife, together with to conduct themselves, and what faults they old Liu, after returning their humble thanks fhould avoid. to the Mandarin, returned to their Koufe,

Ah! tell me, tell me, why,

ODE TO THE NIGHTINGALE, by MRS Thy dulcet notes afcend the fky.

ROBINSON.

Or on the filmy vapours glide
Along the misty mountain's fide!

WEET Bird of Sorrow!-why com- And wherefore dost thou love to dwell,

SWEET

plain,

In fuch foft melody of Song,

That Echo, am'rous of thy ftrain,

The ling'ring cadence doth prolong?

In the dark wood and mofs grown cell,
Befide the willow margin'd ftream-
Why doft thou court wan Cynthia's
beam?

Sweet

Nor yet dildeigne the ruffet stoale.
That o'er each careleffe lymbe he flyngs;
Nor yet deryde the beechen bowle,
In which he quaffes the lympid fprings.

Hafte, my Rein-deer, and let us nimbly go," &c. Forgive him, if, at eve or dawne,

lightly o'er this fod of verdant hue,

The emblem of a rofe-bud newly blown, To tempt the fpoilers hand-then fade and die!

'Tis not the pomp ambition would attain, Nor ought indulgent wealth can e'er command,

Difarms the confcience of recurring pain, Or wrefts dire vengeance from th' eternal hand:

Nor een th' enriching charms that grace

the mind,

Resal that peace which guilty joys affright;

Or thefe had calm'd the breast by grief re

fin'd,

And dried thofe eyes, now clos'd in end-
lefs night.
བའི%ཇུར༽

Yet not in vain did Heaven the boon bef

tow

When the mifguiding transports fick❜ning fled;

It taught her refignation to the blow,
And fpread contentment o'er the mour
ner's head.

Her artlefs lay in magic numbers stole;
* to HERITA
Kindling each breaft with sympathetic

fire;

PASS on whofe lonely path purfues There, melting ev'ry feeling of the foul,

the way! Perchance the gloom thy wearied footsteps drew,

To thun the fultry heat of graish day.

If contemplation to the foul is dear,

And fympathy e'er giftens in thine eye, Repole a while and o'er this once-lov'd bier

Here, confecrate the tribute a of figh.

For fure, the taraish'd luftre of a name,
With infamy unqualified to mark,
May check the penitence that would re
claim,
who is
Subduing more, repentant Virtue's fpark.

If fo, may gentler worth thy bofom share,
For generous pity claims her own re-
ward;"

The blemish facred honour fcorns to fpare, Forbear to weigh with fcrupulous regard.

Compaffion, taught to pity and admire.

Nor harshly cenfure, ye, whofe happier fate
Kind chance befriends, or ftoic vittues
fhields
DJOKOL
Benevolence, with active joy elate,

Tontifery her tend'reft influence yields.

What though I faw her when the modeft fhade

of untried honour veil'd her youthful brow

The end peach by ev'ry breeze be

tray'd,

Palls the devoted victim of her glow.

Here ref her forrows in eternal fleep,

Her failings warn the follies of the age;
If mark in Fate's dread book with traces
deep,
May fome "recording Angel" blot the
Page!

ATHOLIN