to take a little walk in the fields, always accompanied by her aunt, who, they told him, was in narrow circumstances, and also extremely covetous; he perceived there would be difficulties in getting into her company, which could no way be furmounted without the assistance of that very perfon to whom she had flown for protection.

HE therefore prevailed upon the woman of the inn to engage the aunt of limenia to come to her house, under the pretence of having got a hurt in her leg, the old lady being, as many of those who live in the country are, a very great doctress.

WHILE she was there, the general came into the room, as if by accident, and easily founds means to ingratiate himself: -the landlady leaving them alone, as had been agreed between them, he let her know his name and quality, and then, having properly prepared her for the declaration, acquainted her with the pathon he had for her lovely niece, expatiated on the length of time he had fuffered by her cruelty, and closed his speech with the offer of a bank note of five hundred pounds for her charitable assistance in the affair, and the promise of as much more if he succeeded.

IT is not to be doubted but she made some scruples at firft; but his rhetoric, together with that of the few words which the bit of paper contained, soon filenced all objections, and she became entirely the creature of his will, and concerted with him on the most proper measures to accomplish it.

LITTLE did poor Ismenia apprehend the cruel stratagem that was laid to ensnare her innocence, when the next day this wicked aunt told her, that she had hired a chaise and pair, and would take her out in the afternoon, and shew her the country, "which as yet, said she, my dear niece, you have seen nothing thing of." of."

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THE young lady thought herself highly obliged for this proof of her love and complaisance, and accordingly dressed herself as foon as dinner was over in order to go.

THE chaise being come, they went together into it, and the postilion had orders to take a pretty large circuit; during this time Ismenia was very agreeably entertained with the prospect of several fine seats, which were scattered up and down, as well as with the history of those who lived in them, related to her by her aunt, who was now in a most excellent humour.

Two or three hours were taken up. in this amusement, after which the aunt said fome refreshment would be necessary, and bad the driver stop at some place of entertainment where they might go in.

THE fellow, who was before instructed what he was to do, drove to the gate of a house which stood a little out of the road, where they alighted, and went into a room:- wine and cakes were called for; but how furprized and terrified was Ifmenia, when she saw the man that brought them in was followed by Martius, who, accosting them with a gay air, told them, that happening to be in that part of the country, and calling at this house to bait, he had seen them come out of the chaise, and was rejoiced to meet such good company in a place he so little expected them!

THE

THE fpirits of Isinenia were in too great a

hurry to permit her to make any answer to what he faid: but her aunt, who pretended to have been formerly well acquainted with the general, talked to him with a great deal of familiarity, and seemed extremely pleased with seeing him : Itmenia, however, grew more and more uneasy, and would have given the world for a moment's opportunity to let her aunt know the designs he had upon her, not in the least doubting but the old lady would then haften away as foon as decence would permit.

AFTER some time fortune favoured her wishes in this point, Martius went out of the room to give fome orders in the house, and was no fooner out of hearing, than she disburthened all the fears her innocent breast was full of; on which the treacherous wretch affected foine surprize, but told her, that the would have her be perfectly easy, fince there could be nothing offered offenfive to her modesty while she was present, and it would not look well to leave a man of his quality, and whom she had known so long, in an abrupt manner.

ISMENIA was a little fatisfied with the reafons she gave her, and the more so as she perceived the general behaved to her with no other than a diftant civility, which she imagined was entirely owing to the restraint he was under on her aunt's account; a handsome collation being served up, she partook of it with little less chearfulness than she would have done had this so much dreaded lover not been there.

It was now pretty late, yet she durft not presume to set limits to her aunt's discretion; and finding

finding the mentioned nothing of going, thought it would ill become her to remind her of it:It is certain they were all extremely gay, and Martius taking an opportunity of drawing them to a window to admire the beauty of the moon, which was then at her full height, and seemed to dance on a little river which ran opposite to the house, the perfidious aunt flipped out of the room, unperceived by Ismenia, who at that moment was taken up with the softness of the profpect before her.

Ir was not, however, long before she_missed her, and turned hastily about; - she looked round the room, and not seeing her, cried, in some fort of confusion, "Where is my aunt?" The general made only fome flight answer, and was endeavouring to engage her in discourse; but her confternation increasing, she listened to nothing he said, but was going to ring the bell for the people of the house to come up, in order to enquire where her aunt was gone:-this he prevented her from doing, and plainly told her the lady on whom she depended was gone home, and had left her under his protection that night.

SCARCE could she give credit to so shocking a truth, till fatally convinced of it, by finding the did not return, and the change of the general's behaviour :-he treated her, indeed, with no indecent freedoms, but let her know she was in his power, and that he had taken too much pains for the procurement of this opportunity to let it flip.

It is not in the power of words to express the terrors, the consternation, the agonies of heart which the poor beguiled Ismenia now endured :

the

she wept, she implored, and sometimes had courage enough to menace this profecutor of her innocence; but he was inflexible to all she urged in the defence of her virtue, as she had been to the attacks he made upon it.

Ar length, whether it were that she had drank more freely than she was accustomed, or whether her reason was so far loft by the hurry her spirits had sustained in this surprize, but all her resolution seemed to flag, and she consented to go to bed, on his swearing to her, upon his honour, he would offer nothing to the prejudice of her virtue.

How little he kept his word, the reader's thoughts, I dare say, will anticipate my relation; but the motive that induced me to present them with this story was, to shew how little honour is to be depended upon when passion intervenes, and how much the general spoke the sense of all his sex, when Ismenia reproaching him with his breach of honour, he replied, laughing, "Oh, madam, we throw honour aside when we come between a pair of sheets."

In fine, love, interest, ambition, or any other predominant paffion, will render us forgetful of what is owing to honour or morality, were it not for fomething more than barely knowing what we ought to do; and we should be apt to say with Abdallah in the play,

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" If when a crown and mistress are in place, "Virtue intrudes with her lean holy face, "Virtue's then mine, and I not Virtue's foe: "Why does she come where she hasnoughttodo?

VOL. II.

M

"Let