ture. Certain it is, that a woman's virtue is never in greater danger than when she is married to a man the diflikes; in fuch a cafe, to adhere strictly to the laws of honour, is almost incompatible with the weakness of human nature. Madam d'Efcombas was courted by feveral young gentlemen of an amiable figure, and genteel addrefs; and it was not long before her affections were entirely fixed by Monjoy, an engineer, who was equally remarkable for the gentility of his perfon, and politenefs of his behaviour. There is not a city in the world where married women live with less restraint than at Paris; nothing is more common there, than for a lady to have a declared gallant, if I may be allowed the expreffion; infomuch, that women, in that gay and fashionable place, may be justly faid to change their condition for the reafon affigned by lady Townly in the play, namely, to take off that reftraint from their pleasures which they lay under when fingle. Monfieur d'Efcombas was highly mortified to fee Monjoy in fuch high favour with his wife; yet he did not know how to get rid of him, though he had not the least doubt that he difhonoured his bed. On the other hand, madam d'Efcombas and Monjoy, who looked upon the old man as an obftacle to their pleafures, were impatient for his death; and the lover often declared, in the prefence of his mistress, that he was refolved to remove the man who flood between him and the happiness of calling her his own. In a word, he plainly difcovered his intention of affaffinating her hufband, and fhe, by keeping the fceret, feemed to give a tacit con

fent to his wicked purpose. Their defign was to marry publickly as as foon as they could dispatch a man who was equally odious to them both, as a fpy who watched all their motions, and kept them under conftant restraint. It was not long before Monjoy had the opportunity he wished for; he happened accidentally to fup with the husband of his mistress, at a houfe not far from the Luxemburgh palace, and fupper being over, defired him to take a walk with him in the gardens belonging to it, which the old man, who dreaded Monjoy as much as he hated him, did not dare to decline. In their way thither Monjoy found fome pretence or other to quarrel with him; and having jostled him down, juft as they came to the steps at the entrance of the garden, ftabbed him feveral times in the back, and left him there breathlefs, and covered all over with wounds, which were given in fuch a manner as made it evident to every body, that he had been treacherously kill ed. It has been justly obferved, that murderers often run headlong into the punishment which they have incurred by their crime; and the conduct of Monjoy fhews this observation to be just. No fooner had he committed the barbarous action above mentioned, but he went to a commiffary, whose office is much the fame in France with that of a juftice of peace in England, and declared upon oath, that he had killed d'Efcombas in his own defence. The commiffary was at firft fatisfied with his account, and would have difmiffed him; but Monjoy being in a great flutter, and continuing to fpeak, dropt fome words which gave

the commiflary

commiffary a fufpicion of his guilt. He accordingly fent for the body, and his fufpicions were confirmed by a view of it. The affaffin was therefore committed to the Chatelet, which is the city-prifon at Paris, as Newgate is here; the body was likewife fent there, and, according to cuftom, exposed to public view, that the relations and friends of the deceased might come and lay claim to it. No fooner was madam d'Efcombas informed of the confinement of her lover, but, blinded with her paffion, fhe went to vifit him in his prifon, and was there detained upon a fufpicion of being an accomplice in the murder.

In the prifon madam d'Efcombas and her gallant plunged deep in guilty joys, and a child, whofe education madam Adelaid took charge of, after the tragical death of these lovers, was the fruit of their unlawful amours. Monjoy, though he rioted in blifs, and his paffion for madam d'Efcombas continued unabated, was, however, from time to time feized with a deep melancholy; he knew himfelf to be guilty of the murder, and had not the leaft doubt but he fhould fall a victim to public juftice; he therefore joined with the friends and relations of madam d'Efcombas, in endeavouring to perfuade her to go for England, for he was aware of the weaknefs of human nature, and juftly apprehenfive that tortures might force from him a confeffion which would prove fatal to one who was dearer to him than himself. Madam d'Efcombas, blinded by her paffion for Monjoy, and doomed to deftruc tion, would never give ear to this advice; the thought herfelf fecure

in her lover's attachment, and never once imagined that a near view of death might shake the firm refolution he had made never to impeach her. Just about the time that the murder above related was committed, the parliament of Paris, which is the chief court of justice in the kingdom, and without the concurrence of which, no criminal can be brought to justice, was firft removed to Pontoife, and then banished to Soiffons, on account of their fevere proceedings against the archbishop of Paris, who had given pofitive orders to all priefts and curates, not to adminifter the facrament to any but fuch as could produce certificates from their confeffor. This circumftance procured our guilty lovers a year and a half of added life, for that space of time elapfed before the return of the parliament, and till then it was not poffible to bring them to a trial. They availed themselves of the time which they owed to the abfence of their judges, and drank deep draughts of the cup of love; but it was dashed with poisonous ingredients, which at laft made them both rue their ever having tafted it. They were roufed from their trance of pleafure by the return of the parliament, which was no sooner recalled, but Monjoy was brought to a trial, and being upon full evidence found guilty of the murder of monf. d'Efcombas, was condemned to be broke alive upon the wheel. Amidst all the torments which he fuffered in receiving the question ordinary and extraordinary, he perfifted to affirm that he had no accomplices; and the guilty wife of d'Efcombas would have escaped from juftice, had not a principle

of

of religion, imbibed from his infancy, had more power upon the mind of her lover, than even the moft excruciating bodily pain.

The confeffor who attended Monjoy upon the fcaffold, refufed pofitively to give him abfolution, if he did not difcover his accomplices, telling him, in the molt peremptory fenfe, that he could not hope for falvation, if he concealed them from the knowledge of the world. This had fuch an effect upon the unhappy man who was on the verge, of eternity, that he defired madam d'Efcombas might be fent for; fhe was accordingly brought in a coach, and Monjoy told her in the prefence of the judges, that fhe was privy to the murder of her huf

band. Upon hearing this fhe immediately fainted away, and was carried back to prifon. Her lover was, pursuant to his fentence, broke alive upon the wheel, after having made a pathetic remonftrance to the ftanders-by, and madam d'Efcombas was about a month afterwards hanged at the Greve at Paris upon his impeachment. Such examples as thefe fhew, that the misfortunes which attend unlawful love, are often owing to the cruelty of parents, who, by tyrannifing over the hearts of their children, lead them into that ruin which they might have escaped, if treated with indulgence.

T. W.

NATURAL

cleaving the air, and that in which he defcends again; and that these two bounds, thus fuppofed to be made in every fecond, require fix definitive moments, a period fearce perceptible in fo fhort a space of time. These horfes, which are but of an inconfiderable fize, and whose fwiftnefs every fecond is equal to 37 feet, pass then, at each bound, over a space of more than eighteen feet, which is very near equal to four times the length of their body taken from the breaft to the tail. It is true, indeed, that this length is more than doubled by the extenfion which their outftretched gallop gives their limbs before and behind. All this confidered, how can the fleetness of the English horses be by a great deal greater, as it is known in reality to be? but there are certain cafes wherein the truth furpaffes all the bounds of probability, and of this kind is that at prefent under our confideration.

The late M. Dufay writ in 1737, from Newmarket, that the course there of four English miles t, of which he had been an eye-witnefs, had been completed in lefs than eight minutes, by four or five fe

conds. Thefe miles are 826 of our toifes, which makes more than 41 feet in a fecond, or near five feet more than the barbs at Rome; and we must also remark here that thefe latter run at full liberty, whereas the English horfes are burthened with the weight of a rider 1. This fleetnefs, however, of 41 feet 2-3ds, is ftill but an ordinary degree of fwiftnefs there, inafmuch as of ten horfes which ran together, the very hindmoft of them was no more than twelve or fifteen paces from the end of the courfe. Befides, it is afferted that the fame courfe has been frequently run over in fix minutes and fix feconds. I have this as a fact from a gentleman who has often been concerned in the races at Newmarket ||. And this fwiftnefs, which would amount to more than fifty-four feet in a fecond, is to that of the barbs nearly as three to two. We must alfo observe, that inftead of one English mile, or very little more, to which the courfe at Rome is limited, that of Newmarket is four miles, a space too long for the fwiftnefs of any horfe to preferve itfelf through on a fenfible equality. It is evident

that