female friends, who were waiting for her, defired abfolution. The confeffor fighed, and leering on her with another languishing look: "My fair daughter, cries he, who can free her who is bound himself? I am captivated with the irrefiftible power of your beauty, and without your affiftance, can neither abfolve myself nor you." Agatha was young, and well verfed in fuch intrigues; yet by the affistance of a good natural apprehenfion, she was not at a lofs to unravel the meaning of these words; she had befides, to quicken her wit, been ftrictly guarded, and not overwell used by Dr. Bernard; therefore she had not many fcruples of confcience, but foon let father Girard perceive that she was not fo dull as to miftake his meaning, nor was of fo nice a virtue, as to be difpleafed at his declaration, and to find, notwithstanding the fanctity of his character, he was made of flesh and blood. The business of the abfolution was entirely forgot; Girard be. gan to be very amorous, and openly profeffed his paffion, and the lady undertook to find fome method to have another interview.-After fome confideration, the acquainted him fhe was often troubled with fits, and that all the medicines her husband could adminifter, procured her no eafe: therefore, faid fhe," the next time he is fent for into the country, I'll feign myself ill of thofe fits, and fend for you to bring with you fome relick for my relief.-I fuppofe, father, you'll not refuse my summons, and my confidant maid fhall conduct you to my chamber."-Girard applauded her wit, embraced her with fome rapture, and then they parted. Dr. Bernard, who apprehended no ill confequence from his wife's reli gious zeal, was fent for next morning, (very opportunely for our lovers,) to a country patient. Scarce was he gone, but Agatha was feized with one of her quondam fits, and in the midft of her attendants, called frequently for fome holy relickfome holy relick of Thomas a Becket. The confidant maid who was intrufted with the whole affair, preffed fome one to fetch fome of that faint's relicks from the next convent, and that father Girard, famous for his fanctity, fhould bring it. They obeyed, told father Girard of the accident, and he, like a holy and pious man, cheerfully hafted away with the utmost expedition. Girard arrived, and entered the room where the afflicted lady lay, and with a becoming gravity and well acted fanctimony, approached the bed-fide. Agatha prayed for help from Thomas a Becket.-Girard promifed his own affittance, and that of the faint alfo; but faid it was neceffary before the relick could have the defired effect, the should make her confeffion. This made every one depart the room, and left our religious lovers to their private ejaculations. The pious father had not long applied the facred relick of Thomas a Becket, before Dr. Bernard, unfortunately returning, was heard coming up stairs. The ghoftly father leaped from the bed, hurried on his gown, &c. but unhappily forgot his breeches, which lay as a uselefs garment at the bed's head. The confidant at the ftairs head bawled out her thanks to 'heaven that her lady was recovered: Dr. Bernard entered the room, and began to frown to fee a priest had found the way into his houfe, and began to fufpect fomething from his wife's fudden illness-Agatha, with a chearful smile, and with religious thanks to heaven, told her husband of her dangerous fit, and her miraculous recovery by Thomas a Becket's relick. The good doctor, deIceived by the fham innocence of Agatha, began to correct his jealous thoughts; and father Girard, after fome pious advice, and a few fcriptural texts, wifely withdrew. turn of my fit; in the evening he is to come for them.” Father Girard had not gone far before he recovered from his fright; and at his recovery, milled his breeches this put him in another full as bad: what could he do? he dared not go back; but on confideration, hoped for the beft, that Agatha and the maid would convey them fecretly away. In the mean time, the careful uxorious monfieur Bernard was rejoicing at his wife's recovery, and faying a thoufand things to her. In the midft of his fondling, he flung himself on the bed by her, and putting his hand back to take her in his arms, run his arm into the breeches. Surprised at the greafy trowfers, the known appurtenance of the prieft, he fell into a worfe fit than that his wife would have made him believe fhe had been in. He formed! he fwore! he raved! Amidst this diftraction, Agatha, with a ready wit, and an innocent face, the peculiar attributes of a woman, replied, without the leaft befitation, that it was thofe breeches which had faved her life; "'Tis to them, fays he, that I owe my cure. O thou miraculous veftment of the divine Thomas a Becket, which has thed a pleafing influence on thy adorer; ftill mayeft thou be the aid of weak woman.-Thefe, adds the, the holy father left with me, to Arengthen me, and prevent the re The readiness of this excufe, and the well-feigned religion of his wife, either deluded honett monfieur Bernard; or elfe, not knowing how to act, he feemed to believe her, and fo it paffed off. Agatha's confidant, in the evening was fent to tell father Girard her mistress was entirely recovered, and therefore he fhould come to fetch away the facred relicks: the added to this commffion, and acquainted her mistrefs's confeffor of all that had paffed. Father Girard knew not how to act, but preffed by the neceffity of the thing, he went to the warden of the convent, the perfon who prefided over them, and was to punish their irregularity of manners, and acquainted him with the whole affair. The warden reproved him for his negligence; for, fays he, Si non cale, tamen caute; if not chaftely, yet cautioufly,' is the maxim of our convent; however, fome expedient must be found out to fave the reputation of the order.-After fome paufes, he ordered the chapel-bell to ring, and convened all the brothers of the convent. When they were affembled, he told them of a miracle wrought by the power of 'Thomas a Becket's breeches, in the house of Dr. Bernard; acquainted them with the particulars, and advised to ferch them back to the convent in folema proceffion. The whole convent immediately marched out in great order to Dr. Bernard's houfe. The doctor met them at his street-door, and defired to know the meaning of fo folemn a vifit. The warden, who was at the head of them, answered, they were obliged, by the rules of their order, to fend their relicks to difiefd diftreffed people, who defired them, in a private manner, and to fetch them back in a private manner, if through the heinous fins of the perfon, the relick had no effect: but where there was a manifeft miracle, they were to bring them home again with folemnity, and to record the whole in the archives of the convent. Dr. Bernard conducted the warden and father Girard up to his wife's bed-chamber. The good lady held out the breeches wrapped up in a clean napkin, which the warden opened, and kifled the facred re lick with a perfonal reverence; then going down, each brother paffed by in their turns, and paid it the fame honours; after which, being placed on a long pole, like a military ftandard, the fraternity returned in great folemnity, finging an anthem, and followed by vaft crowds of people: when they came to their convent, it was placed fome days on their altar as an object of devotion; and Dr. Bernard, oftentatious of his wife's piety, told every body the aftonishing miracle wrought on his wife by St. Thomas a Becket's breeches. To the Authors of the BRITISH MAGAZINE. An affecting Inflance of TRUE LOVE. GENTLEMEN, YOU have given us many ad YOU monitions to filial duty, and bestowed many juft encomiums on fuch as have been examples of it: I thank you for them, the world thanks you too. You have not been wanting, on the other hand, in equally recommending and praifing paternal tenderness: but I am to inform you, that however well the public in general may have received your pieces on those topics, the individuals have not fufficiently profited by them. I write to you under a very feeling conviction of the truth of this affertion; and defire you will, in your accustomed generous, difinterested, and virtuous manner, hang up a father in terrorem, on my account of him, and tell me, when you have heard his ftory, whether any criminal can more deferve it. I had once, Gentlemen! a friend: if you have one too, you feel the due force of the word; if not, I September 1764. He was the only fon of a country gentleman, who, though he found all the neighbourhood fond of him, and heard every body full of his praife, as a youth of understanding, of diftinguifhed learning, and a valuable heart, yet never admitted him the rank of a companion, never honoured him with a moment's converfation, but iffued his commands to him, which were generally unreafonable enough, with the fame brow of fullen feverity, the fame harsh tone of voice in which he fnarled at a dog which offended him. The youth's obedience was per3 N fee, fect, but it was not always that he could understand the orders he received if he mistook them, a blow was the return; if he understood as perfectly as he obeyed them, he was to fuppofe the old gentleman was fatisfied by his filence; for he never was honoured with a higher mark of approbation. This behaviour to a man of three and twenty, and the heir to a very confiderable fortune, was what only my worthy friend could have borne; but he endured it without reply or murmuring. Every body who vifited in the family faw it; and if they loved him for fupporting it, they adored him for not complaining of it A neighbouring man of fortune, with whom he dined one day, took him into the garden in the afternoon, and spoke his fentiments on this fubject: "So good a fun, continued he, I am convinced, muft make an excellent hufband: my daughter, if you approve of her, is at your fervice, and I fhall think my self honoured as well as happy in The alliance." The youth expreffed his gratitude and compliance in very endearing terms: the father would have carried him immediately to the lady; but he prudently declined entering into any advances towards a treaty in which he could not engage for the compliance of his father. "I am most fenfible, fir, faid he, of the honour and advantage of this match, but thal! I, in return for fuch generofity, involve your daughter in dificulties which, perhaps, it may never be in my power to get the better of." The parent could not but applaud him very highly; he took his leave without feeing the lady after this converfation: he propofed the alliance to his father; but though it was an advantageous one in point of fortune, and what the old gentleman must have liked extremely, if he had thought of it himself, all' the reply the fon received was the being knocked down at his feet, for daring to think of marrying before he spoke of it, All poffible endeavours were used on the part of the lady's relations to bring on the match; but in vain.. The father, though he owned the fortune greater than he could expect, and the lady's character unexceptionable, would never liften to any overtures, because his fon had dared to think of it without his advice. The period of my worthy, generous, virtuous friend's flavery was continued two years after this, with additional rigour: he had, foon after the abfolute refufal of the first offer, met with a lady of great merit, and of confiderable expe&tations, in the hands of a father of much more humanity than his own: he loved her; he raifed a mutual paffion in her breast; he obtained her promife of marrying him; but he never dared to open his lips on the fubject either to his own father, or to her's. Four months fince he married her, and immediately afterwards brought her to town. He applied to her father for his pardon; and intreated fome fmall portion of her fortune might be fettled on her: The answer was, that the fhould not have married without his confent ; but that as the families were acquainted, and his expectations were equal to what his daughter might expect, he fhould overlook the dif obedience; and, as it was over and irrecoverable, yet I fcarce know how to blame my unhappy friend, even for the greateft of all crimes. He visited his father a few weeks fince: what paffed between them, that guilty wretch can only tell. The youth was found in the morning dead in bed, with a piftol by his pillow; and his distracted widow is following him. I have no motive for writing this, but that it is true; fay you what you think ought to be faid of fuch conduct, and of fuch confequences of it. I am, Gentlemen, &c. NATURAL HISTORY. Defcription of the ROEBUCK that produces Mufk, and the Manner in which it is generated. THE E animal which produces mutk resembles the roebuck; his skin and colour are the fame; he has also flender legs, a fplit fmooth horn, but fomewhat bending. On each fide he has two white teeth, which are ftraight, and rise above his muzzle, each about half a finger in length, and refembling in form the teeth of the elephant. This is the mark which diftinguishes this from other roebucks. The musk produced by these creatures in Tibet is much preferable to that of China and other countries, from this animal feeding on aromatic paftures, and alfo from the inhabitants of Tibet preferving the bladder of mufk in the natural ftate, while the Chinefe adulterate all that come into their hands. The most excellent mulk is what the roe-bucks leave behind them, when they rub themselves against the rocks and mountains; for the humour whence it is generated falling down towards its navel, gathers like a bile or any other tumour; and when the fwelling is ripe, the creature feeling a painful itching. fearches for ftones and rubs himfelf against them, till opening the fore, the matter runs out and coagulates. The wound clofes, and the fame kind of humour gathers to a head again as before. There are men at Tibet who make it their bufinefs to collect this mufk, and having gathered a quantity, put it up in bladders. The mufk that has ripened in the fkin of the roe-buck furpaffes all others in goodness, juft as fruit is better when it is gathered ripe from the tree, than when it is pulled green.. There is another method of get3 N z ting |