suits.

And so away I posted to the college of the Je

Now it is with the project of getting a peep at the History of China, in Chinese characters, as with many others I could mention, which strike the fancy only at a distance; for as I came nearer and nearer to the point, my blood cooled, the freak gradually went off, till at length I would not have given a cherry-stone to have it gratified.-The truth was, my time was short, and my heart was at the Tomb of the Lovers. I wish to God, said I, as I got the rapper in my hand, that the key of the library may be but lost. It fell out as well,

For all the Jesuits had got the cholic ;—and to that degree, as never was known in the memory of the oldest practitioner.

CHAPTER CCXLI.

As I knew the geography of the Tomb of the Lovers as well as if I had lived twenty years in Lyons; namely, that it was upon the turning of my right hand, just without the gate leading to the Fauxbourg de Vaise,-I despatched François to the boat, that I might pay the homage I so long owed it, without a witness of my weakness:-I walked with all imaginable joy towards the place. When I saw the gate which intercepted the tomb, my heart glowed within me.

-Tender and faithful spirits! cried I, addressing myself to Amandus and Amanda,-long,-long have I tarried to drop this tear upon your tomb.-I come,

-I come.

-When I came, there was no tomb to drop it

upon.

What would I have given for my uncle Toby to have whistled Lillebullero!

CHAPTER CCXLII.

No matter how, or in what mood,-but I flew from the Tomb of the Lovers, or rather I did not fly from it (for there was no such thing existing) and just got time enough to the boat to save my passage; and ere I had sailed a hundred yards, the Rhone and the Saôn met together, and carried me down merrily betwixt them.

But I have described this voyage down the Rhone before I made it.

-So now I am at Avignon; and as there is no thing to see but the old house in which the Duke of Ormond resided, and nothing to stop me but a short remark upon the place, in three minutes you will see me crossing the bridge upon a mule, with François upon a horse, with my portmanteau behind him, and the owner of both striding the way before us, with a long gun upon his shoulder, and a sword under his arm, lest peradventure we should run away with his cattle. Had you seen my breeches in entering Avignon,-though you'd have seen them better, I think, as I mounted, you would not have thought the precaution amiss, or found in your heart to have taken it in dudgeon for my own part, I took it most kindly; and determined to make him a present of them, when we got to the end of our journey, for the trouble they had put him to, of arming himself at all points against them.

Before I go farther, let me get rid of my remark upon Avignon, which is this:that I think it wrong, merely because a man's hat has been blown off his head, by chance, the first night he comes to Avignon, -that he should therefore say, 'Avignon is more subject to high winds than any town in all France:' for which reason, I laid no stress upon the accident till I

had inquired of the master of the inn about it; who telling me seriously it was so,-and hearing, moreover, the windiness of Avignon spoken of in the country about as a proverb,-I set it down merely to ask the learned what can be the cause; the consequence I saw, for they are all dukes, marquises, and counts there, the deuce a baron in all Avignon ;-so that there is scarce any talking to them on a windy day.

Prythee, friend, said I, take hold of my mule for a moment; for I wanted to pull off one of my jack→ boots, which hurt my heel-the man was standing quite idle at the door of the inn; and, as I had taken it into my head he was someway concerned about the house or stable, I put the bridle into his hand,—so began with the boot.-When I had finished the affair, I turned about to take the mule from the man, and thank him,

But Monsieur le Marquis had walked in.

I had now the whole south of France, from the banks of the Rhone to those of the Garonne, to traverse upon my mule at my own leisure, at my own leisure, for I had left Death, the Lord knows, and he only, how far behind me !- I have followed

many a man through France,' quoth he;- but never at this mettlesome rate.'- -Still he followed,—and still I fled him, but I fled him cheerfully;-still he pursued, but, like one who pursued his prey without hope;-as he lagged, every step he lost softened his looks. Why should I fly him at this rate?

So, notwithstanding all the commissary of the postoffice had said, I changed the mode of my travelling once more; and, after so precipitate and rattling a

course as I had run, I flattered my fancy with thinking of my mule, and that I should traverse the rich plains of Languedoc upon his back, as slowly as foot could fall.

There is nothing more pleasing to a traveller,-or more terrible to travel-writers, than a large rich plain, especially if it is without great rivers or bridges, and presents nothing to the eye but one unvaried picture of plenty for after they have once told you, that 'tis delicious, or delightful (as the case happens);--that the soil was grateful, and that Nature pours out all her abundance, &c.-they have then a large plain upon their hands, which they know not what to do with, and which is of little or no use to them, but to carry them to some town; and that town, perhaps, of little more, but a new place to start from to the next plain, and so on.

This is most terrible work; judge if I don't manage my plains better.

CHAPTER CCXLIV.

I had not gone above two leagues and a half, before the man with his gun began to look at his priming..

I had three several times loitered terribly behind half a mile at least every time: once in deep conference with a drum-maker, who was making drums for the fairs of Baucaira and Tarascone :—I did not understand the principles.

The second time, I cannot so properly say I stopped, for meeting a couple of Franciscans, straitened more for time than myself, and not being able to get to the bottom of what I was about,-I had turned back with them.

The third was an affair of trade with a gossip, for a hand-basket of Provence figs for four sous: this would have been transacted at once, but for a case of

conscience at the close of it; for when the figs were paid for, it turned out, that there were two dozen of eggs covered over with vine-leaves at the bottom of the basket:-as I had no intention of buying eggs,—I made no sort of claim of them :-as for the space they had occupied, what signified it? I had figs enow for my money.

-But it was my intention to have the basket;-it was the gossip's intention to keep it, without which, she could do nothing with her eggs;-and unless I had the basket, I could do as little with my figs, which were too ripe already, and most of 'em burst at the side: this brought on a short contention, which terminated in sundry proposals what we should both do.

-How we disposed of our eggs and figs, I defy you, or the devil himself, had he not been there (which I am persuaded he was), to form the least probable conjecture. You will read the whole of it,→ not this year, for I am hastening to the story of my uncle Toby's amours; but you will read it in the collection of those which have arose out of the journey across this plain;—and which, therefore, I call my

PLAIN STORIES.

How far my pen has been fatigued, like those of other travellers, in this journey of it, over so barren a track, the world must judge; but the traces of it, which are now all set o'vibrating together this moment, tell me 'tis the most fruitful and busy period of my life; for as I had made no convention with my man 'with the gun, as to time,—by stopping and talking to every soul I met, who was not in a full trot,joining all parties before me,-waiting for every soul behind,-hailing all those who were coming through cross-roads, arresting all kinds of beggars, pilgrims, fiddlers, friars,—not passing by a woman in a mulberry-tree without commending her legs, and tempt