a compofition which I wifhed to make him, and I have just been catt with cofts. My counfel has moreover informed me that I can have no redress if the king does not liften to me. If I have the misfortune not to be heard, it is all over with me and my family, which is large, we are all reduced to beggary. I pray you, fir, fince you have deigned to liften to me, to grant me your protection." The king, moved with the recital of the widow's misfortunes, defired her to continue her journey, and to call the next morning at the palace, and enquire for Mr. mentioning a name who would introduce her to the king inmediately. ftruck with amazement, to fee fo decent a woman travelling on foot at fucn a time of the year, for it was winter, afked her from whence fhe came, where the was going, and who the was, that he was travelling on foot in fuch cold and fnowy weather. This woman, who did not know him, but faw from his appearance that he must be a perfon of some distinction, faluted him, and did not hesitate to give him an account of her journey. "Sir," faid fhe, "I am going to Blois, in order to feek fome protection which may procure me an entrance to the palace, and an opportunity of throwing myself at the feet of the king, to complain of an injuftice which has been done me by the parliament She thanked him, and continued of Rouen, from whence I come; I her way to Blois, and the king ream told that the king is all good-joined his courtiers who accompanefs, that he liftens to the com-nied him. He did not forget his plaints of his fubjects, and loves promife, but defired on his arrival at justice; perhaps he will have fome the palace, that they fhould acquaint pity on my melancholy fituation. him if a lady came to enquire for "Explain this affair to me, madam," | Mr. ———. faid Francis to her, without difco- The widow did not fail to come vering himself, I have fome in the next day; the king, who was influence at court, and I dare even formed of her arrival, defired that flatter myself that I fhall be able to the might be introduced into an be of fume service to you if your apartment where he was: when difcomplaints are well founded." | covering himself. "I am," faid he, "This, fir," replied fhe, "is the "the perfon whom you feek, fuffibufinefs in queftion. I am the wi- ciently acquainted with the king, as dow of a gentleman who was an you may perceive, to obtain from officer in one of his majefty's regi-him any favour that I may ask. ments. To be able to live as his fituation required him, he borrowed fome money of a lawyer, and as a fecurity for the principal and intereft, he mortgaged his eftate, which was all his fortune. My husband was killed in a battle. The creditor, who is in poffeffion of the eftate, has always reaped the benefits of it. It is not in my power to pay the intereft, and fill lefs the principal. I have profecuted him at law, and though it is certain that the profits which he has received from the eftate are equal to the principal and intereft, he has refufed to accept of Let my chancellor be sent for, continued he, and let him examine the complaints of this lady. Cheer up, faid he, juftice fhall be done you." The widow ftruck with aftonifhment, threw herself at the feet of the monarch, who raised her up, and defired that the bufinefs in quef tion might be examined in his prefence. The refult was an exprefs order to the creditor to reftore the eftate after receiving what was rea fonable, and as to the payment of the debt, the king gave her money from his private purfe to discharge the debt, and to pay her expences at law. CHA In their Undertakings. The Frenchman is like an eagle, In offices of Friendship. The German good company. In Marriage. The Frenchman is free. Their Women. In France they are full of quality and pride. In Germany ceconomists and cold. Their Languages. for that even when he was going down hill, he moved flowly step by step. Ay, faid the Dr. and when he goes up hill, he stands till. REMARKS on the CHANGE of CHARACTER in the FRENCH NATION fince the REVOLUTION. (From Dr. Moore's Journal, Vol. II.) N a work published fome years an idea of that enthufiaftic attachment and affection which the French of thofe days. had, or pretended to have, for their monarchs. They spoke of loyalty as a quality of the mind, like generofity or courage they feemed proud to think that they poffeffed this quality, if not exclusively, at least in a higher degree than any other peo Charles V. faid that he would ple; and every Frenchman wished Speak French to his friend, This last paragraph is true in all particulars, except what is faid of our language, which that emperor did not understand, nor indeed fpeak of in this manner; though he did of all the others. But i believe the author added the laft article to compleat his number; and I conjecture that he thought the English tongue fit to addrefs birds in, from that whitling, which foreigners fay, the frequency of the letter S occafions in it. ANECDOTE of Dr. JOHNSON. THEN Dr. Johníon and fir Joshua Reynolds were riding together in Devonshire, fir Jofhua complained that he had a bad horse; | to be thought loyal, as every man wishes to be thought generous or brave. They seemed even to confider it as a virtue, which ought to be cherished in the breaft of the fubject, independent of the good qualities, and in spite of the bad qualities of the fovereign; and they were vain to point out to ftrangers how far their countrymen furpaffed all others in the exercise of it. An English officer, after having paffed fome days at Verfailles during the reign of Lewis XV. fupped in company with feveral French gentlemen on the evening that he returned to Paris. The converfation turned on the great attachment and affection of the French nation to their monarchs; and one of the company understanding that the court had been greatly crouded, and that many people of distinction from Paris had been at Versailles during the officer's refidence there, asked View of Society and Manners in France, &c. him if he had not been much furprifed at feeing fuch marks of loyalty. "No." replied the officer, "Ĭ fhould have been furprifed if I had not feen them.” "To be fure," refumed the Frenchman," the king is the most amiable man in the world, and it is quite natural that all the world should love him." "That is indifputable," faid the officer; but I was thinking of other reafons which thofe I faw fo affiduously paying their court to the king might have, and which are fufficient to account for all the zeal and attachment they difplayed." The other affected not to underftand him, and afked, with great politeness, what other reasons they could have? "Why," replied the officer, has not the king governments, and regiments, and bithopricks, and many other very beneficial things to bestow? I thould imagine that this confideration might render the king an object of great attention, and produce many marks of zealous attachment to his perfon, even although he were not quite the most amiable man in the world, as all the world allow him to be." "Be affured, fir," rejoined the Frenchman, "that there is no people on earth who have fuch a veneration for their kings, and fo much difinterested loyalty, as the French.” "Forgive me," faid the officer, "I know a people who can difpute thofe qualifications with them, and whofe courtiers give ftronger proofs of veneration and loyalty to their prince than even thofe of Verfaille's." "What people?" in garrifon at Gibraltar, I paffed over to his dominions, and had the honour of spending fome time at his court at Fez; one of this beloved monarch's morning amufements, is fhooting arrows at his fubjects; when he chances to mifs, which feldom happens, for by frequent practice he is an excellent marksman, the perfon at whom it is directed takes up the arrow, and with all the zeal of the moft devoted courtier, prefents it on his knee to the empe ror. "On fome occafions, he does his fubjects the honour of cutting off their heads with his own hand, and, is much praised by the courtiers around for his dexterity; in fhort, they difplay every mark of attachment to his perion, and may be faid with truth to love their fovereign to .diftraction. This is, gentlemen, what I call difinterested loyalty.” But now the French, at least all of them who remain in France, are as folicitous to declare that they never poffeffed this enthufiaitic loyalty, as formerly they were anxious to have it thought they did; and as they began to difav ow this principle during the reign of the most mild and molt equitable monarch they ever had, as foon as his power began to be abridged, and continued to profess the moft ardent loyalty towards the moft oppreflive and tyrannical of his predecefors while they retained their. power, it is pretty clear on what that boafted loyalty was founded. But as the men fhew an abject and flavith difpofition, who affect attachment and veneration for a foolish or wicked prince, fo thofe on the other hand betray a malevolent and odious character, who are deficient and equitable monarch, who through the whole of his reign has manifested a love of justice, and an equal regard for the rights of his fubjects and for. his own prerogative. "The fubjects of the emperor of in refpect and gratitude to a mild Morocco," replied the officer: "there is a monarch for you gentlemen, who hardly ever fpeaks to his fubjects qu'à coup de fabre, and yet they venerate him in the moit altonishing manuer. When I was The loyalty of a man of fenfe and as fpirit arifes from a due refpect for the first magiflate in the ftate, whofe lawful authority he is ready to fupport for the good of the community, independent of every other confideration. To this fentiment of loyalty to the monarch first magiftrate, efteem for perfonal good qualities, if they exift, and gratitude for favours received, will be added in every well-formed mind. But these fentiments do not exclufively belong to loyalty, but are felt for every perfon of our acquaintance who poffeffes great or amiable qualities, and from whom we have received favours. But the oftentatious indications of loyalty which are fometimes exhibited, in the vulgar, generally proceed from a mere love of noife; in fome of fuperior rank, from the defire of being looked on as the particular friends of the royal family, unconnected with any idea of their good qualities; and in many it is founded on a lucrative office in poffeffion or in expectation. It was natural to fuppofe that the imprudent introduction of the term égalité would produce an univerfal infolence among the lower claffes of people in France towards their fuperiors and I am ftill convinced it will in procefs of time be the cafe; but I confefs I have not hitherto remarked any difagreeable inftance of this nature. No perfon, indeed, of whatever rank, is allowed to drefs his footmen in livery, but every one is allowed to have as many footmen as he pleafes; and when L. L's carriage was driving, a day or two fince, in at the gates of the Louvre, it was ftopped by the centinel, who had obferved that the hammercloth had fringes of a different colour; and informed his lordship, that fuch a kind of diftinction was no where permitted in France, being contrary to that égalité which every Frenchman had worn to. The VOL. XXV. coachman had been ordered never to ufe any but a plain cloth; but having a fringed one in his poffeffion of which he was very vain, he had ventured to adorn his coachbox with it on this unfortunate day. As the poor fellow was taking it off with a very mortified air, the valet de place reproached him for having put it on; which the fentinel overhearing, faid angrily to the coachIl fied bien à un gueux man, comme toi d'ètre aristocrate.*" A few days fince i faw a man dreffed in the uniform of a general officer come up to a poor fellow, who, with a pike in his hand, ftood centinel at a gate, and addrefling him by the name of "Citoyen Soldat," asked him the way to a particular freet. : The pikemen were formerly confidered as of a rank inferior to the national guards, who are armed with mufkets but of late they are put on a footing, and do duty together; but ftill it might have been expected, that this gentleman's rank in the army would have commanded the ftrongest marks of refpect from a common foldier, if his laced coat failed to produce them in a poor fellow almoft in rags. "Tenez, mon camarade," faid the pikeman: you will first turn to the right, and then walk ftraight on until, &c." The officer having heard the directions, returned thanks to the citoyen foldat, and moving his hat, walked away. To the EDITOR of the LADY'S MAGAZINE. SIR, AM a married man, God help me, and plagued with an caly wife who is difturbed at nothing, • It well becomes a beggar like yon to give yourself the ants of an aritocrate. D and |