nour, and am your very humble fervant." "Hold, hold, fir, faid Jenny's beau, you are not gone yet, d- -e you are not gone yet; de fir, I affure you upon my honour, you are not.— no, no, we must talk a little more on this head. What do you mean; fir? I am as good a gentleman, fir, as yourself d—e, sir, am I, and not ufed to take fuch treatment. I wear a fword, fir here it is I fay, I wear a fword, fir, and expect you to give me fatisfaction, fir, de do I, fir, upon my honour, ha!" " Step into the 'coach, young gentleman, faid Mr. Jaison, softly, and leave your lady to find her way home alone; we'll go and decide the matter wherever you shall be pleased to appoint." "Oh, ay fir, quoth he, with all my heart; by my dear, dear Jenny, I'll just go do for this youth, just make the light shine through his body-d-e, and then, my dear, and then you understand me, child ha, fay no more."" Oh lord, Mr. Fortebrand, faid Jenny, pray let me go-I never faw a duel in my life, I never saw a man killed fince I was born; I long to see a man killed; pray let me go with you, Dear Mr. Fortebrand, don't ftick him, don't flick poor Mr. Jaifon, without he'll let me go and fee you do it."

VEXED and diffatisfied as Mr. Jaison was, he could not forbear laughing at the folly and impertinence

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pertinence of this idle girl; and at the same time reflecting upon the abfurdity of regarding any affront from fo infignificant a wretch, as this gay gallant fpirit, Mr. Fortebrand, in whose blood, perhaps by this means, he might imbrue his hands, and be made, for a foolish, word or two, the object of both human and divine judgment. The confideration of offending the latter, and falling into the hands of angred omnipotence for fpilling the blood of one of his creatures, fo wrought upon him, that he even shuddered at the thought, and turned pale upon the recollection of his near approach to the act. Mr. Fortebrand observed this, and conftrued it not unreasonably into fear, even into fear of his dreadful and puiffant felf! who had thus boldly challenged, and thus fhewed his high courage and exalted fpirit.. It is not to be wondered at, if he triumphed fomewhat on the occafion, and with an air. of great contempt "Come, come, fir, faid he, let us have no trifling---for my part, I am refolved to vindicate my honour; d- -e a man's honour, fir, What is life without

is better than his life. honour? As to the lady, I fhould be always glad to oblige a lady, but I leave that to you, fir, you may do as you pleafe. I am at present hungry only for honour; my foul, d—e, is athirst only for reputation. Come, fir, let us try: yours or mine." "I believe, faid Mr Jaison,

it

it might be better, fir, if we faw this young lady home firft, and cool'd a little upon this rafh hafty matter: there is no reason why you or I fhou'd be the means of each others deftruction, and for my own part as I by no means defire to die just yet, fo am I by no means defirous to rob you of life---" "No, no fir, replied Fortebrand, of that I believe there is not much danger - I believe there is not much danger of that: d-me, if I am not furprized, that there fhould be fuch fcoundrels in the world as dare to affront a man of honour or his friends, and then not have the courage to make him fatisfaction: I don't understand, I fay, fir, that there should be such Scoundrels.—"No hard language neither fir, faid Mr. Jaifon, --- beware of that, it ill-becomes the gentleman and the man of honour, which, you fo boaft your. self to be: but I think, and I hope in fo thinking I behave like a gentleman, that for fuch flight matters it is fcarce worth while to endanger both our lives every way, to the fword and to justice; and to the justice of the supreme avenger of blood no less than to that of the temporal judge -- and therefore if you think like me, you will be glad, that we quit fcores, and leave each other juft as we were at first---” "None of your cant, fir, none of your d-'d hypocritical cant, fir, replied Fortebrand, of C 4

fu

fupreme avengers, and hell and the devil--- I fear neither one nor t'other --- I have been better educated, fir ---I have had wifer and better notions than all this inftilled into me --- oldwives tales to keep fools and children in awe — come, come, fir, none of this I fay you are a coward, a fcoundrel and a paltroon - and I'll poft you for fuch in every coffee-house if you don't fight, fir- if you do not-fir-draw your little blade and let me touch you a death-tip under the fifth rib of your left fide d- ·efir? Ay do, do, Mr. Fortebrand, do, if he won't fight-fo I wou'd, I am fure, if I was a man, faid Jenny.-" Mr. Jaifon was fired with refentment at this, and cou'd not restrain his choler-but taking him by the arm, come friend, faid he, I attend you no trifling now-for by the eternal heavens, I'll chaftise that impudent tongue of yours." So faying he advanced towards a coach, and they ftept into it, leaving mifs Jenny much chagrin'd and much discontented behind, who, nevertheless call'd another coach, order'd the coachman to drive after that in which the gentlemen before her were, and to follow it, wherever it went. The converfation being nothing particular or diverting enough to find a place in this our hiftory, we will endeavour to amuse the reader awhile with a fhort account of Mr. Fortebrand, while

our heroes haften over the ftony streets, and are rapidly rattled to the scene of combat ; where, O god of war, we invoke thy prefence, fierce clattering thy brazen shield, and bring with thee too thy favourite queen of love; fhe perchance may footh every difference, and caufe olive-crowned peace to interpofe between these fiery heroes, death, denouncing, and big with the hopes of deftruction.

CHAP. VI.

Mr. Fortebrand's education and character: the fatal confequence of the duel: Peter's anxious enquiry after his master: a note from Mifs Jenny its effects, and Peter's further auxiety

R. Fortebrand, was the eldest and favou

MR. rite fon of an eminent and wealthy

merchant, who, fo exceeding great was his fondness for this darling child, cou'd fcarce ever suffer him from his fight, much less cou'd he be perfuaded to fend him out to school, left mafters fhou'd be harth, and not kind enough to him, and left the poor little boy fhou'd be whipp'd and ill-used for which reafon he plac'd him at a neighbouring academy, the mafter

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