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Good-natured Credulity.

Chaldean peasant was conducting a goat to the city of Bagdat. He was mounted on an afs; and the goat followed him, with a bell fufpended from his neck. "I fhall fell these animals," faid he to himself, “for thirty pieces of filver; and with this money I can pur chafe a new turban, and a rich vetment of taffety, which I will tie with a falh of purple filk. The young damfels will then fmile more favourably upon me; and I shall be the finest man at the Mofque."Whilft the peafant was thus anticipating, in idea, his future enjoyment, three artful rogues concerted a ftratagem to plunder him of his prefent treasures. As he moved flowly along, one of them flipped off the bell from the neck of the goat; and fastening it, without being perceived, to the tail of the afs, carried away his booty. The man, riding upon the afs, and hearing the found of the bell continued to mufe, without the deaft fufpicion of the lofs which he had fuftained. Happening, however, a host while afterwards, to turn about his head, he dif-covered, with grief and astonishment, that the animal was gone which conftituted fo confiderable a part of his riches; and he enquired, with the utmoft, anxiety, after his goat, of every traveller whom he met.

The fecond rogue now accofted him, and faid, « I have just feen, in yonder fields, a man in great hafte, dragging along with him a goat." The peafant difmounted with precipitation, and requested the obliging stranger to hold his afs, that he might lofe no time in overtaking the thief. He inftantly began the purfuit; and, having traversed in vain the courfe that was pointed out to him, he came back fatigued and breathless to the place from whence he fet out; where he neither found his afs nor the deceitful informer, to whofe care he had entrusted him.

As he walked pensively onwards, overwhelmed with fhame, vexation, and disappointment, his attention was

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roused by the loud complaints and lamentations of a poor man, who fat by the fide of a well. He turned out of the way to fympathize with a brother in affliction, recounted his own misfortunes, and enquired the cause of that violent forrow, which feemed to opprefs him. Alas! faid the poor man, in the most piteous tone of voice, as I was refting here to drink, I dropped into the water a casket full of diamonds, which I was employed to carry to the Caliph at Bagdat; and I fhall be put to death, on the fufpicion of having fecreted fo valuable a treasure. Why do not you jump into the well in fearch of the casket, cried the peafant, aftonished at the ftupidity of his new acquaintance? Because it is deep, replied the man, and I can neither dive nor fwim. But will you undertake this kind office for me, and I will reward you with thirty pieces of filver?-The peafant accepted the offer with exultation; and, whilft he was putting off his caflock, veft, and flippers, poured out his foul in thanksgivings to the holy prophet, for this providential fuccour. But the moment he plunged into the water, in fearch of the pretended casket, the man (who was one of the three rogues that had concerted the plan of robbing him) feized upon his garments, and bore them off in fecurity to his comrades."

Thus, through inattention, fimplicity, and credulity, was the unfortunate Chaldean duped of all his little poffeffions; and he haftened back to his cottage, with no other covering for his nakednefs, than a tattered -garment which he borrowed on the road.

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ATHERINA Alexowna, born near Derpat, a little city in Livonia, was heir to no other inheritance than the virtues and frugality of her parents. Her father being dead, the lived with her aged mother, in their cottage covered with ftraw; and both, though very poor, were very contented. Here, retired from the gaze of the world, by the labour of her hands, fhe fupported her parent, who was now incapable of fupporting herself. While Catherina fpun, the old woman would fit by, and read fome book of devotion; thus when the fatigues of the day were over, both would fit down contentedly by their fire-fide, and enjoy the frugal meal with vacant feftivity.

Though her face and perfon were models of perfection, yet her whole attention feemed bestowed upon her mind; her mother taught her to read, and an old Lutheran minifter inftructed her in the maxims and duties of religion. Nature had furnished her not only with a ready, but a folid turn of thought; not only

with a strong, but a right, understanding. Such truly female accomplishments procured her feveral folicita tions of marriage from the peasants of the country; but their offers were refused; for fhe loved her mother too tenderly to think of a separation.

Catherina was fifteen when her mother died; the now therefore left her cottage, and went to live with the Lutheran minifter, by whom she had been instructed from her childhood. In his houfe fhe refided in quality of governess to his children; at once reconciling in her character unerring prudence with surprising vivacity.

The old man, who regarded her as one of his own children, had her instructed in dancing and mufic by the mafters who attended the rest of his family; thus fhe continued to improve till he died, by which accident The was once more reduced to pristine poverty.—The country of Livonia was at this time wafted by war, and lay in a moft miferable state of defolation. Those calamities are ever most heavy upon the poor; wherefore Catherina, though poffeffed of fo many accomplishments, experienced all the miseries of hopeless indigence. Provifions becoming every day more fcarce, and her private stock being entirely exhausted, the refolved at laft to travel to Marienburgh, a city of greater plenty.

With her fcanty wardrobe, packed up in a wallet, she fet out on her journey on foot: fhe was to walk through a region miferable by nature, but rendered still more hideous by the Swedes and Ruffians, who, as each happened to become masters, plundered it at difcretion: but hunger had taught her to defpife the dangers and fatigues of the way.

One evening, upon her journey, as he had entered a cottage by the way fide, to take up her lodging for the night, he was infulted by two Swedish foldiers, who infifted upon qualifying her, as they termed it, to follow the camp. They might, probably, have carried their infults into violence, had not a fubaltern officer, accidentally paffing by, come in to her affiftance: upon

his appearing, the foldiers immediately defifted; but her thankfulness was hardly greater than her furprise, when she instantly recollected in her deliverer the fon of the Lutheran minifter, her former inftructor, benefactor, and friend.

This was an happy interview for Catherina: the little ftock of money fhe had brought from home was, by this time, quite exhaufted; her cloaths were gone, piece by piece, in order to fatisfy those who had entertained her in their houses; her generous countryman, therefore, parted with what he could spare, to buy her cloaths, furnished her with an horfe, and gave her letters of recommendation to Mr Gluck, a faithful friend of his father's, and Superintendant of Marienburgh.

Our beautiful stranger had only to appear to be well received; she was immediately admitted into the Superintendant's family as governess to his two daughters; and though yet but seventeen, fhewed herself capable of inftructing her sex, not only in virtue, but politeness. Such was her good fenfe and beauty, that her mafter himself in a fhort time offered her his hand, which, to his great surprise, the thought proper to refufe. Actuated by a principle of gratitude, fhe was refolved to marry her deliverer only, even though he had loft an arm, and was otherwife disfigured by wounds in the fervice.

In order, therefore, to prevent further folicitations from others, as foon as the officer came to town upon duty, the offered him her perfon, which he accepted with transport, and their nuptials were folemnized as ufual. But all the lines of her fortune were to be ftri king: the very day on which they were married, the Ruffians laid fiege to Marienburgh; the unhappy foldier had now no time to enjoy the well-earned pleasures of matrimony; he was called off before confummation to an attack, from which he was never after seen to return.

In the mean time the fiege went on with fury, aggravated on one fide by obstinacy, on the other by revenge. X 2

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