and bound him fitting at table in the kit chen, as cool and unconcerned as if his confcience had been burthened with no crime! He had before him a pint of the country wine, and was cracking his jokes with a fet of jovial companions: befide him lay the very wallet in which he had feen his purfe flowed. The aftonished defcendant of Abraham was doubtful at first, whether he should truft his eyes; he therefore flipped into a corner, and held a counfel with himself in what manner he fhould proceed to recover his rightful property. He thought he could not poffibly have mistaken the perfon; fo he paffed out unobferved at the door, and carried his information straight to the bailiff of the town. The Hirschberg corporation had, in thofe days, the character of adminiftering juftice fpeedily whenever there was a profpect of the fees being well and duly paid. But whenever it was a cafe of mere duty and confcience, then dame Juftice went her fnail's pace at Hirschberg as at other places. The experienced Ifraelite was well apprifed of both her paces: he therefore bent the magiftrate's attention, who hesitated to take the information, towards the fhining corpus delicti; the golden prospect very foon worked out a warrant of apprehenfion. The beadles having well armed themfelves with prongs and clubs, furrounded the inn, fcized the innocent culprit, and carried him before the rails of the council-chamber, where the fapient fathers of the borough had, in the-mean time, affembled." Who art thou?" demanded the grave bailiff as the criminal entered; " and whence comet thou?" He answered openly and unterrified, "I am an honeft tailer by trade; my name is Bencdick: I come from Liebenaw,, and work journey-work here with my mafter." "Haft thou not fallen upon this Jew in the wood, with a defign to murder him; didit thou not maltreat him, and take his purfe?" "I never beheld this Jew with my eyes before I have neither ftruck, nor bound, nor robbed him of his purfe; I am an honeft handicraftsman, and no highway robber." "How canft thou prove thy honesty?" "by the contents of my wallet, and the teftimony of my clear confcience." "Open thy wallet, and let us fee what it contains," Benedick fet about opening his package in great confidence, being well affured that it contained nothing but his own honeftly-acquired property. But as he was turning over his linen, behold fomething jingled like gold amongst the things that were emptied out. The beadles fnatched at it with gat eagernels; and after poring among Benedick's fundries, they drew forth an heavy purfe, which the overjoyed Jew immediately claimed as his property, after the dues of juftice-understand-fhould be deducted. The poor culprit was thunderstruck at the difcovery: he was ready to drop down with fear; he turned pale about the nofe; his lips quivered, his knees trembled, and he was unable to utter a word in his defence. The magiftrate's brow lowered more and more; and the darkness of his countenance prognofticated a fevere fentence. "How now, villain! haft thou fill confidence to deny the robbery?" 66 Mercy! good Mr Bailiff," cried the weeping criminal, as he dropped on his knee, and lifted up his hands; "I call all the faints in heaven to witnefs that I am innocent of the robbery: God knows how the Jew's purfe came into my wallet-God above only knows it." "All denial is now in vain, thou art clearly convicted," proceeded the bailiff; the purfe is a fufficient proof of thy guilt: therefore give fatisfaction to God and the magi ftracy, and freely confefs, before the rack comes to extort an acknowledgment of thy crime." Benedick, quite overpowered by these sufpicious circumstances, could only make proteftations of his innocence; but he piped to the deaf; he was put down for an hardened ragamuffin, that wanted but to fwear his. neck out of the halter. The inquifitorial machinery was called in to perfuade him, by the rhetoric of iron arguments, to do honour to God and the magiftracy, by confeffing away his own life. At the terrible appearance of the new orator, the calmnefs proceeding from his purity of confcience deferted the poor tailor: he started back at the idea of the fufferings that awaited him. As the officer was going to fix the thumb-screws, having confidered that the operation would render him ever afterwards unfit to brandish the needle with credit, he thought it better to flip the pain altogether, rather than be a ruined man for life: fo he fathered the crime of which his heart was innocent. The trial was brought to a speedy iffue, the convict was unanimoufly fentenced, without prorogation of the court, to be hanged; and, to keep up the credit of a fpecdy administration of juftice, as well as for the fake of faving the cost of maintenance, the sentence was ordered to be executed early next morning. The crowd of fpectators, whom a trial for life and death had affembled, all applauded the fentence of the court as just and upright; yet none were obferved to commend the integrity of the judges fo loudly as the tenderhearted Samaritan, who had forced his way among the reft into court. He could not fufficiently expr.fs his admiration of the love of juice, which diftinguished the worthine ful council of Hirschberg. In fact, no one was more nearly interested in the ilue of the affair than this fame philanthropist, for it was he whofe invisible hand ftuffed the Jew's purfe into the tailor's knapfack, and he was in fact no other than Number-Nip himfelf. Early next morning he perched in the form of a raven on the gallows, in expectation of the cart that was to convey thither the victim of his vengeance: he already felt a raven's defire to pick out the eyes of the convict but for this time he waited for his prey in vain. A pious brother, who fet a very different value on the efficacy of a deathbed repentance from fome of our modern divines, and who was zealous to embalm every malefactor he prepared for death with the fpice of holinefs, found in the uninstructed Benedick fo rough and unhewn a log, that he thought it impoffible, in the short fpace allotted for the business of prayer and and admonition, to carve a decent faint out of it. He therefore folicited a refpite of three days, and obtained it, though not without great difficulty, by appealing to the picty of the magiftracy, and holding forth fevere denunciations of the difpleasure of mother church, if it should be refufed. NumberNip, hearing of this delay, flew away to his mountain, there to abide the term of the refpite. During the interval, he amused himself by traverfing his woods according to cuftom in one of his excurfions he efpied a youthful damfel fitting under a spreading beech. Her chin was funk in melancholy on her bofom, and the fupported her head with her fnow white arm her drefs was not coftly, but it was clean, and the cut was in the town fafhion. From time to time fhe wiped away a tear that ftole down her cheek, and deep fighs iffued from her heaving bofom. The Gnome had formerly felt the powerful infuence of a virgin's tears: he was again fo touched with them, as to make the first deviation from the rule he had laid down to himfelf, viz. to plague and pinch every defcendant of Adam, whom ill fortune fhould lead to cross the mountain: he even acknowledged the fentiment of compaffion to be a kindly feeling, and was irrefiftibly bent upon confoling the afflicted beanty. He put on the appearance of a reputable burgher, and advancing towards her, enquired, "Why art thou fitting here alone, my girl, in this melancholy mood? Do not hide the occafion of thy forrow from me, that I may confider if there be any method of relieving it." The maiden, who had been quite abforbed in grief, ftarted on hearing a voice fo near her, and lifted up her downcaft face. Ah! what a languifhing pair of blue eyes peeped that moment from under her hat! truly their mild dewy light was enough to melt an heart of fteel. In each a bright tear drop fparkled like a diamond; the whole of the damfel's lovely face was deeply expreffive of affliction, which ferved but to heighten the foft charms of her Madonna features. Seeing that it was a refpectable looking perfon who addreffed her, the opened her rofy mouth, and faid, “ Why fhould you trouble yourfelf to enquire about my forrow, good Sir, fince there is no help for me? I am an unhappy guilty girl, no better than a murdèrefs: for have I not murdered the man of my heart? But I will never cease to rue my fault: fighs and tears fhall be my portion, till my bursting heart put an end to my grief." The grave perfonage looked amazement. "Thou a murderefs! with that heavenly face, doft thou carry hell in thy heart? impoffible!-Mankind are indeed capable of all deceit and wickedness, that I well know; but here I am puzzled.' "I will folve the riddle," returned the afflicted maiden, "if you have any defire to have an explanation. "Say on:" "I had for a play-fellow, from my youth up, the son of a virtuous widow, my neigh bour. He chofe me for his sweetheart as he grew older-he was fo good and kind, fo honeft and faithful, loved me fo conftantly and dearly, that he ftole away my heart, and I vowed everlasting fidelity to him: Alas, like a fnake, I have poifoned the bo fom of the dear youth! I have made him forget the good leffons of his virtuous mothet, and put him upon a deed, for which he has forfeited his life to the law!" "Thou!" cried the Gnome emphatically. "Yes, Sir, I am his murdcrefs! I inftigated him to commit an highway robbery : he plundered a knavish Jew; the gentlemen of Hirschberg have apprehended, convicted, and condemned him; and to-morrow, alas! he is to suffer." "And haft thou been guilty of this crime?" cried the aftonished sprite. "Yes! Sir, I feel his young blood lying upon my conscience.” "How fo?" "He went upon the tramp beyond the mountain; at fetting out, as he had his arms clafped round my neck, and was bidding me farewell, My deareft girl, he said, remember and be true to me: when the apples are in bloffom the third feafon from this, and the fwallow is loaded with a burden of ftraws for her nek, expect me back to fetch thee home, that I may make thee my youthful bride and fuch I promifed him to be by a folemn oath. Now when the apples were in bloffom, and the fwallow was building her neft the third time, back came Benedick, reminded me of my my promife, and would fain make me his wedded bride. But I laughed and fneered at him, as heedlefs girls often ferve their Tweethearts. Thy wife, faid I, I cannot be; my bed has room but for one, and thou haft neither roof nor hearth; get thyfelf firft fome fterling crowns, and then come and afk again. The poor young man's heart fhrunk within him at this fpeech. Ah! Clara, faid he, fighing deeply, while the tears flood in his eyes, does thy heart luft after wealth and riches? then thou art no longer a fincere and tender girl. Didst thou not ftrike the bargain in my hand the time thou fworeft to be true to me? aud what had I more than that felf-fame hand to maintain thee? whence comes thy pride and fcorn? Ah! Clara, I understand thee. Some richer rival has ftolen away thy heart from me. Is it thus thou repayeft me, faithlefs girl? For thefe three years have I lived in hopes that this good hour would come. I counted every hour till the moment I fet out to fetch thee home. How light and nimble did love and joy make my feet as I croffed the mountains! and now dost thou fcorn me? He begged and prayed, but I fuck by my refolution. My heart does not fcorn thee, Benedick, I only withhold my hand for the prefent. Go abroad, get money and pelf, then come back, and I will fhare my bed with thee with all my heart. Well then, replied he, much chagrined, if fuch be thy refolution, I will go into the wide world, where I will run, leap, beg, fteal, fave, fcrape, and hoard; and never fhalt thou fee me again till I have the traf by which I am to buy thee. 'Farewell! go: adien In this manner did I torture my Benedick. He went away in great vexation; then his good angel forfook him, fo he did a deed that was not right, and which his heart furely abhorred.” At this recital the venerable person shook his head in great apparent concern; and af ter a confiderable paufe exclaimed, with a thoughtful countenance," Surprising this!" He then turned towards the young woman: "But why," faid he, " doft thou fill the lonely wood with thy lamentation, which tan neither help thee nor thy fweatheart." "I was on my way to Hirschberg; as I was going along forrow fell heavy upon my heart, so I stopped under this tree.' "And what wilt thou do at Hirfchberg?" I will caft myself at the judge's feet, fill the streets with my outeries, and invite the daughters of the town to help me to entreat for mercy. The magistrates may take pity upon the innocent, and fpare his life but if I do not fucceed in faving my love from a fhameful death, I will cheerfully infer with him." The fprite was fo moved at this fpeech, that he renounced all thoughts of vengeance from that moment, and determined to reftore her guiltlefs fweetheart to the incon folable damfel. Dry up thy tears," said he, in a sympathising voice, “and let thy forrow pafs away. Thy lover fhall be as free as the birds of the air before the fun goes to reft. Liften and be attentive.-Tomorrow, at the firft crowing of the cock, when thou heareft a tapping at thy window, make hafte, open the chamber-door, for it will be Benedick that knocks. Take care thou doft not make him mad again by thy caprice. Know alfo that it was not he who committed the crime of which thou fuppofeft him guilty; nor can any blame be imputed to thee, for he did no: fuffer himfelf to be inftigated by thy capriciousness to this foul crime." The girl, in aftonishment at this information, looked her comforter full in the face and not being able to difcern the wrinkle of fcorn or deceit, fhe placed confidence in his words; her clouded brow cleared up, and in a tone of doubting gladness the returned, "Good Sir, if you be not mocking me, and it be even as you fay, you must either be a feer, or my fweetheart's good angel, fince you know every thing fo exactly.' no, a good deal difconcerted at the idea; " "His good angel!" returned the Gnome, in truth that I am not! but his good angel I will be, as thou fhalt find. I am a burgher of Hirschberg, when the poor criminal was condemned I fat at council; but his innocence has fince been brought to light fear not for his fafety, I will go and take off his fetters, for I have much authority in the town. Be of good cheer therefore, and return home in peace." The damfel arofe, and obeyed, though fear and hope still struggled in her foul. : During the three days of refpite, the reverend father Greyfrock had wrestled hard to bring the delinquent into an orthodox frame of mind: he was anxious to fnatch his opinion, it had been pledged from the hour foul from the jaws of hell, to which, in his of his birth: for honeft Benedick was an ignorant layman; he understood better by half how to handle the needle and fheer than the rotary. He perpetually confounded the Salutation and the Lord's Prayer; and of the Belief he knew not a fyllable. The zealous monk was at incredible pains before he could teach him the latter-the tak required two full days. When he made him repeat, and the memory of the poor finner did not play him fare, à Lought of carthly things, and a half-uttered figh, leffon in the nie. In religious policy, "Ah, poor Clara!" would come across the the holy brother therefore found it Advifeable to make hell piping hot for the lot fheep: 70 fheep; and fo well did he fucceed in the fiery reprefentation, that Benedick broke out into a deadly cold sweat, and to the pious joy of his miffionary, Clara in his anguifh was clean obliterated from his thoughts. But the idea of hellish torments that hung over his head purfued him inceffantly-goat footed devils with huge horns, bufy thrusting ftark-naked fquadrons of damned fouls into the monstrous crater of the infernal volcano with long poles and hooks, continually danced before his eyes! The zealous Friar himself was a little touched with his fpiritual pupil's mental horrors; and he thought it no violation of ecclefiaftical prudence, to drop the curtain over the infernal Icene and diabolical performers: he however heated the fmelting furnaces of Purgatory fo much the hotter; and poor Benedick was but little comforted by the exchange. 26 Thy crime," faid he, " my fon, is indeed grievous; do not however defpair, the Hames of purgatory will purify thee from the ftain. Oh! well is thee, and happy is it for thee that thy offence was not commit ted against a true believer; for then thou wouldest be forced to remain for a thousand years up to the neck in the boiling brimftone pool. But as thou haft only robbed a perverfe and rejected Jew, an hundred years will make thee as bright as refined filver; and I will fay fo many maffes for thy foul, that thou fhall not fink below the wait in the unextinguishable lava." Now although Benedick was perfectly confcious of his innocence, yet had he fuch firm faith in the power of his confeffor's key to bind and unbind, that he placed no de pendance upon the re-hearing of his caufe in the world to come; and fear of the rack deterred him from the thought of appealing in this world. He therefore had no refource but in fupplication: he fued for mercy at the hands of his fpiritual Rhadamanthus, and endeavoured to negotiate away as rnuch of the torments of purgatory as pof1.ble. By thefe entreaties the rigid penitentiary was propitiated fo as to fink him only kace-deep in the fire bath: and thus the affair refted, for in fpite of all his lamentations, the priest refused to abate an hair's breadth more. The inexorable inflictor of penance now Fade the inconfolabie delinquent good night for the laft time; and as he was going out at the goal door, Number Nipin an invifible form met him. He had not yet fixed upon any plan for emancipating the criminal:which he wished to accomplish in fuch a manner as not to spoil the fatisfaction felt by the Hufchberg aldermen, in exercifing an act of their antiquated criminal jurifdiction; their prompt execution of justice had indeed brought them into good repute with him. At that inftant, a fcheme exactly fuited to his tafte fuggefted itself. He flipped after the friar into the monastery, took a gown out of the fpiritual wardrobe, and proceeded in the fimilitude of brother Greyfrock to the prifon, which was refpectfully opened to him by the keeper. "The good of thy precious foul," said he to the prifoner," has brought me back, tho' I had but juft quitted thee. If thou hast any My reverend fathing lying on thy confcience, unfold it, that may comfort thee." ther," replied Benedick, my confcience does not give me any uneafinefs: but the thought of your purgatory fqueezes my heart together, as though it was fet between the thumbfcrews." Friend Number-Nip had very imperfect and confused notions of the doctrines of the church; therefore he might eafily be excufed his mal-a-propos queftion, "How fo?" "Alas!" replied Benedick, "think of wading fo long in the fiery pool, up to the knees: Alas! father, the very idea diftracts me!" "Why, fool!" returned Number"then if thou thinkeft the bath too Nip, warm for thee, keep out of it." Benedick, confounded at this reply, stared the priest fo hard in the face, that he concluded he had made fome egregious blunder; fo he cut the converfation fhort" Well, well, we will talk of this hereafter :--but doft thou ever think of Clara? doft thou still love her enough to make her thy bride? If thou haft Benedick was any commands to her before thy departure hence, entrust them to me.' ftill more confounded at his fweetheart's name; the thoughts of Clara, which he had confcientiously been labouring to ftifle, revived with fo much vehemence, especially when the queftion was about his farewell meffage, that he began to fob and blubber aloud, without being able to utter a fingle fyllable in reply. This heart-breaking fcene affected the compaflionate prieft To much, appease thy forrow, that he refolved to finish it abruptly:" Benedick," faid he, " and content thyself, thou fhalt not die; I bave learned that thou art innocent of the robbery, and that thou haft not defiled thy confcience with any crime: I am therefore come to break thy bonds, and release thee out of prifon." Then drawing a key out of his pocket-"Let us fee if it will fit." The experiment fucceeded: the unfettered Benedick ftood at liberty before him, the irons fell from his hands and feet. Then the benevolent priest exchanged clothes with him, and faid, "Go quietly out, imitate the reverend pace of a monk as thou paffelt by the fentinel and along the streets; but when thou haft paffed Weichbild, gird thy loins tight, and ftep brifkly forward to the moun tains; and fee thou do not ftop to fetch breath till thou ftand before Clara's door in Liebenaw. There tap gently at the win « Poor dow: dow: thy Clara is waiting for thee with anxious expectation." The good Benedick, conceiving all that paffed to be a dream, rubbed his eyes, twitched his arms and legs, in order to be fatisfied whether he was awake: when he was convinced there was no illufion, he dropped down at his deliverer's feet, and clafped his knees, trying to ftammer out his thanks; but fuch was his extacy of joy that his tongue refufed its office. The benevolent priest at length thrust him out by main force, and gave him moreover a cruft of bread and a black pudding to eat by the way. The emancipated convict croffed the threshold of the terrible manfion with trembling knees, and walked on under lively apprehenfions of being detected: but his reverend gown diffufed fuch a favoury fmell of piety, that the fentinels were incapable of winding the delinquency it covered. During thefe tranfa&tions Clara was fitting alone in her chamber, hearkening to every breath of wind, and looking out at the tread of every foot that paffed. She often imagined fomething ftirred at the window-fhutter, or that the ring at the door jingled; the leaped up twenty times, and looked with a palpitating heart through the latch-hole-ut it was fancy. The neighbouring cocks were already shaking their feathers, and uttering their firft cry to proclaim the dawning day. The bell at the monaftery had begun to ring for mattins, but to her the found was of a paling bell. The watchman had blown his horn the last time, and called the fnoring bake-house maids to their early task. Clara's lamp burned dim for want of oil, her apprehenions were increasing every inftant, fo that the overlooked the favourable omen, that appeared in the fhape of a rofe at the glimmering wick. She was feated on her bed-fide, weeping and fighing bitterly, Benedick, Benedick! ah, what a forrowful day for thee and me is now dawning!"-She ran precipitately to the window; but, alas! the ky towards Hirschberg was blood red: dark clouds hung over the horizon, like fo many throuds and tatters of crape. Her fpirits fhrunk back at this ominous profpect; the fell down helpless on the floor, and a deadly filence prevailed around her. Then there came three gentle taps against her window, just as if it hailed. A thrill of joy ran along her frame at this found-up the fprung, uttering a loud cry; then a voice whispered through the latch-hole, Sweetheart! Clara! My love! art thou awake?' She darted like an arrow to the door : Ah! Benedick, is it thee or thy ghoft?' But fee ing father Greyfrock enter instead of Benedick, the funk backwards, and fwooned away in defpair. Benedick flung his faithful arm around her; and the kifs of love, the fovereign remedy against all hysterical fits, foon brought her to her fenfes. As foon as the dumb fcene of wonder, and the first glad effufions of the heart, were over, Benedick related his wonderful deliverance out of the dreary dungeon: but his tongue clave to the roof of his mouth from thirst and wearinefs. Clara went to fetch him a draught of fresh water: and when he had quenched his thirft, he felt hungry. She had nothing to offer him but falt and bread, the panacea of lovers, with which our faithful pair had hastily vowed to live content all the days of their lives. But Benedick, in fpite of his vow, bethought him of his pig's pudding. As he drew it out of his pocket, he fecretly wondered at its prodigious weight, for it was heavier than a horsefhoe: as he broke it afunder, behold!—a fhower of gold tumbled out; whereupon a fhuddering fit came upon Clara; the feared it was a relick of the Jew's plunder, and began to fufpect Benedict was not fo clear as the reverend burgher had represented him on the mountain. But the guilclefs journeyman protefted that it was not foprobably,' he said, the pious friar had fecretly lent him the fum for a marriage portion.' Clara believed his words. Then gratefully bleffed their generous benefactor. They quitted their native town, and journeyed to Prague; where Benedict lived long and happy with Clara, his wife, as a reputable tradefman, and was blessed with a numerous progeny. The horror of the gallows was fo deeply impreffed upon his mind, that he never wronged his customers, strictly forbearing to cabbage a thred, contrary to the established cuftom of his brethren of the goofe. Poetry. FRIENDSHIP, an ODE, by Dr Johnson. Parent of thousand wild defires, And With bright, but oft deftru&tive, gleam, Around the fav'rites of the sky. On fools and villains ne'er defcend; Direct |