with delight, that the continues in the pri vacy of her retreat to enjoy that domestic blifs, which, to fenfibility like hers, is the firft of bleffings; she has a mind capable of relinquishing rank and fplendor without a figh, fince the has found happiness in exchange.

CHAP. XX.

Vifit to the Grifons.-Difcuffion on the Revolution.

IN one of our rides near Bellinzone, we made an excursion along a valley belonging to the Grifons. Fatigued with the beams of the noon day fun, we looked around for the inn of the village, and accepted the invitation of a person, of whom we made the inquiry, and over whofe door we saw an infcription that denoted the afylum, of which we were in fearch. The hour of dinner was paft in the valley, but a plentiful collation of fruits, wine, and cakes, were fet before us. On our entrance we found three or four perfons in warm political debate; but the principal difputants were a gentleman of Turin, who had lately paffed fome time at Paris, and a young ecY 2 clefiaftic

clefiaftic belonging to an adjoining village. As the subject of dispute was the revolution which had just then taken place in the Grifons, we were led to afk for information refpecting it.

The native of Turin informed us, that that event was nothing but the transitory commotion of an ignorant and tumultuous mob, that on fome idle pretence had affembled together to correct abufes that did not exist, had seized on the government of the country, committed great depredations on the property of individuals, and were on the point of being reduced to their primi-. tive nothingness, as the good fenfe of the country revolted against proceedings so destructive of peace and order. The ecclefiaftic listened with confiderable impatience to the end of the harangue, when, with an eloquent volubility, that proved how earneftly his heart was engaged in the cause,

he

he ran over the long lift of tyrannies exercifed on the people by the Ariftocratic governments, which had just been overthrown. He attested that this tumultuous rabble was a regular affembly of the representatives of the people deputed from each commune, and who had met as a legal convention to reform in the most constitutional manner thofe abuses. He affured us, that fo far from committing depredations on property, perhaps the only blame to be cast on the convention, was the lenity with which they had treated thofe offences, which had neceffitated the change of government, fince all they had done was to order a repayment into the public treasury from each defaulter of the unaccounted monies; but this was exacted in fuch fmall proportions, that the fentence feemed rather an invitation to offence than a punishment for paft depreda

tions.

Y 3

The

The reforms in the future administration, he afferted, were not lefs mild than the lenity exercised against the abuses of the paft. The people were relieved from the burden of taxes that were never applied by their former governors to the fervice of the ftate, and the feudal rights of the nobility were abolished; that with the exception of the flight retributions made to the public purse, and the lofs of certain privileges, by more equality in the regulations of commerce, the nobles had nothing to lament, but a degree of influence, which they ought never to have poffeffed, and were even permitted to retain all the infignia of their ancient dominion, all the decorations of family and title. So far, continued our ecclefiaftic, was this affembly of the people from being reduced to what was called primitive nothingness, that having only before them certain fimple objects of reform, in which they were unanimous, they had adjourned