and leaning forward upon the neck of his palfrey, roared out with the voice of authority,. "Hark-ye, fellow, can you chufe no better place to reft your back against than the whipping-poft? Gramercy, lad, you'll find him but a treacherous companion, if you trust your carcafe to his keeping; he has made many a lazy back smart before parting, for hugging: him so closely as you do."

The youth, thus accofted, raised his eyes from the ground, and fixing them on the countenance of the fpeaker, feemed as if he would have faid, "What is your pleasure, fir? I do not understand your raillery," at the fame time he lifted from his head the fcanty remnant of a hat, and prefented to the eyes of Zachary a countenance, upon which Nature had engrossed in her fairest and most legiblecharacters-Your jeft is mifapplied: let the bearer pass unfufpected!

It can hardly be fuppofed, that a perfon of Zachary's fagacity, and one withal who profeffed himself a phyfiognomift, could overlook or mistake what was fo plain to be feen and understood. The many fpecimens he had met with of nature's hand-writing, before hypocrify

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pocrify had marred the characters, could not but qualify him to read without error a text fo fair as was now laid open to his view; and certain it is, he proceeded to question the youth in a milder tone, "Why he stood there idle, when the market-place was empty, and all bufinefs over?"-"Because no man had hired him, and he had no where to go," was the anfwer to this queftion. "Had he no parents?" the poor lad fhook his head and was filent. The queftion was repeated: it produced nothing but the fame filence, and the fame melancholy actions he had again rivetted his eyes upon the ground, and was beginning to renew the operation of the hazel twig, working it into the joints of the pavement; when Zachary, whofe curiofity was now roused, muttered to himself, "There is a mystery in all this," and then, addreffing himself to the lad, added, “Well, well! if you do not chufe to anfwer my queftion about your parents, I fuppofe you will not fcruple to tell me whether you have been in fervice before, who was your last mafter, and what employment you are fit for?" To this the youth replied, "That he had been for a very short time in the family of a grazier, in a diftant county; but as

it was his firft place, and his fervice in it fo fhort, he could not fay that he was expert in any menial employment, but he hoped upon a trial he should be found willing to learn."

"That is fincere at leaft," cried the Doctor; "but as you fay your late mafter dwells at a diftance, and do not tell me his name, I fhall hope you can produce a good teftimony under his hand to your character."-" I am forry to fay I cannot," he replied. "How fo, how fo?", quoth Zachary; " haft left it behind thee, child? or would not he give thee any character?""Not fo," anfwered the youth,. "he is free enough to give me a character; but it is fuch an one as will never recommend me to another mafter."-" And do you confefs it?" rejoined the other, fomewhat petulantly; "if fuch be your character, no wonder you are out of place; nay, I should rather fay you are in the only place proper for you; you are in the right to make friends with the whipping-poft, for I perceive you are in fair train to find employment there, and no where elfe."-" I am in a likely train to be ftary'd," cried the poor lad, with a figh, "if my mafter's word is to be taken for truth; but I hope I fhall not be corrected for what I never com

mitted:

mitted: 'tis punishment enough to be depriv ed of the means of earning my bread; 'twill. be hard if I am to be flead into the bargain but God's will be done! I am a helpless creature, and must submit to my hard fortune. I' was born in mifery, and in mifery I muft die."

There is a voice, a look, a tone in truth and innocence, which holds a fympathy with the hearts of those, on whom their evidences light, irresistibly impreffive: what honest Zachary wore in his bofom, under his left ribs, was fairly made by Nature of real flesh and blood,. and not of flint of adamant, or any fuch impenetrable fubftance as fhe fometimes puts in the place of better workmanship and fofter materials, whereby the owners become as it were cafemated and bomb-proof against all befiegers, of which number pity and compaffion, though in appearance the most gentle, are in fact amongst the most importunate and perfevering; infomuch that the faid Zachary had no fooner heard thefe words, and reconnoitred the figns and fymbols of truth and innocence, which accompanied them, than he felt fomething like a ftring or chord. vibrating and tingling in the aforefaid region

24.

gion under his ribs, which running along the ducts and channels that communicated with his tongue, put that little member into motion, and produced the following words:

"Though it has never been my practice to take any one into my fervice, without a teftimony as to character, yet I am strongly tempted for once to wave my rule in thy favour. If thou art a knave, I am no phyfiognomist; it behoves thee therefore to be honeft, for my credit as well as thine own; and now tell me, in the first place, what is thy name ?”—“ Henry," replied the youth.". Henry!" cried Zachary, " fo much for thy christian name; "but thou haft another ?". "I pray you," rejoined Henry, "to know me by none other, and I will obey you and serve you as faithfully by that one name, as if I had a hundred."-" Heyday!" exclaimed. Zachary, "what is all this? not tell your name, firrah! What good reafon can you have for concealing that ?"-" What bad one can. ?”I have," replied Henry, "fince I might fo. eafily have impofed a falfe one upon you in its. place, but that I fcorn'd to answer your queftion untruly?"-"That's well, that's well!" cried the Doctor; " it cannot be denied;

fo.