had gone on to the end of the chapter, had it not been predestined otherwife there is no refifting our fate. It was on a Sunday,, in the afternoon, as I told your honour. The old man. and his wife had walked out-Every thing was ftill and hush as midnight about the houfe

There was not fo much as a duck or a duckling about the yard; when the fair Beguine came in to fee me.

My wound was then in a fair way of doing well-the inflammation had been gone off for fome time, but it was fucceeded with an itching both above and below my knee, fo infufferable, that I had not shut my eyes the whole night for it. Let me fee it, faid fhe, kneeling down upon the ground parallel to my knee, and laying her hand upon the part below it it only wants rubbing a little, faid the Beguine; fo covering it with the bed cloaths, fhe began with the forefinger of her, right-hand to rub under my knee, guiding her fore-finger backwards and forwards by the edge of the flannel, which kept on the dreffing.

募

In five or fix minutes I felt flightly the end

of her fecond finger-and prefently it was laid flat

flat with the other, and fhe continued rubbing in that y tway round and round for a good while; it then came into my head, that I fhould fall in love-I blushed when I faw how white a hand fhe had-I fhall never, an' please your honour, behold another hand fo white whilft I live.

The young Beguine, continued the Corporal, perceiving it was of great fervice to me-from rubbing, for fome time, with two fingers. proceeded to rub at length with three-till by little and little fhe brought down the fourth, and then rubbed with her whole hand: I will never fay another word, an' please your honour, upon hands again-but is was fofter than fatin.→

Prithee, Trim, commend it as much as thou wilt, faid my uncle Toby; I fhall hear thy ftory with the more delight-The Corporal thanked his mafter moft unfeignedly; but having nothing to say upon the Beguine's hand but the fame over again-he proceeded to the effects of it.

The fair Beguine, faid the Corporal, continued rubbing with her whole hand under my knee, till I feared her zeal would weary her-"I would do a thousand times more," faid fhe,

"for the love of Chrift." As the continued rubbing-I felt it fpread from under her hand, an' please your honour, to every part of my frame..

The more fhe rubbed, and the longer strokes fhe took the more the fire kindled in my veins

till at length, by two or three ftrokes longer than the rest-my paffion rofe to the highest pitch-I feized her hand-And then thou clapped'ft it to thy lips, Trim, faid my uncle Toby, --and madest a speech.

Whether the Corporal's amour terminated precifely in the way my uncle Toby described it, is not material; it is enough that it contained in it the effence of all the love-romances which ever have been wrote fince the beginning of the world.

T. SHANDY, VOL. 4, chap. 43.

1

MARIA.

THEY were the fweetest notes I ever heard; and I inftantly let down the fore-glafs to hear them more diftinctlyTis Maria; faid the poftillion, obferving I was liftening-Poor Maria, continued he, (leaning his body on one fide to let me fee her, for he was in a line betwixt us), is fitting upon a bank playing her vefpers upon her pipe, with her little goat befide her.

The young fellow utter'd this with an accent and a look fo perfectly in tune to a feeling heart, that I inftantly made a vow, I would give him a four-and-twenty fous piece, when I got to Moulines.

And who is poor Maria? faid I.

The love and pity of all the villages around ns; faid the poftillion-it is but three years ago, that the fun did not fhine upon fo fair, fo quickwitted and amiable a maid; and better fate

did Maria deserve, than to have her Banns forbid by the intrigues of the curate of the parifa who published them--.

He was going on, when Maria, who had made a fhort paufe, put the pipe to her mouth, and began the air again-they were the fame notes; yet were ten times fweeter: It is the evening fervice to the Virgin, faid the young t man-but who has taught her to play it or how she came by her pipe, no one knows;a we think that heaven has affifted her in both; for ever fince he has been unfettled in her mind, it feems her only confolation he has.. never once had the pipe out of her hand, but a plays that service upon it almoft night and day.

The poftillion delivered this with for much dif· cretion and natural eloquencé, that I could not 1 help decyphering fomething in his face above his} condition, and fhould have fifted out his history, had not poor Maria's taken fuch full poffeffion of me.

We had got up by this time almoft to the bank where Maria was fitting; fhe was in a thin white jacket, with her hair, all but two treffes,