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Eugenia was now of that age which is called the bloom of beauty; there was an inexpreffible sweetness in her face, and an elegance in her air which commanded univerfal ad miration. At the first moment Amintor beheld her, he was ftruck with the charms of her perfon, and every subsequent hour encreased his efteem for thofe of her mind. A fufficient time had elapfed to permit him to declare his paffion, which he did with all the tenderness and delicacy that the fincereft love could infpire him with. About this time a gentleman of an immenfe fortune had feen the fair Eugenia, and from that moment had determined to pay her his addreffes. At the university he had been acquainted with Amintor. He had been informed that Eugenia did nothing without his advice; he therefore came to him one morning, told him his intenti ons, and begged him to be his advocate with the fair.

Amintor was surprised at the propofal, and with the utmost difficulty concealed his uneasiness. As yet he knew not whether he had any claim to Eugenia's affection. He had indeed mentioned his paffion, but received fuch anfwer only as permitted him not abfolutely to defpair. The person who would now make her his, was poffeffed of an eftate much larger than his own could ever be. He determined rather to be miferable than to act with dishonour. He affumed the appearance of gaiety, and faid he would introduce him to Eugenia, where he might use whatever arguments he thought neceffary for his purpofe.

tended that fome bufiefs called him away, and retired. Her lover now began to declare the intention of his vifit. He told her in the warmth of his follicitations, that he was encouraged by Amintor, and intreated her to fay whether he might have reafon to hope, if his fortune and character should fatisfy upon enquiry.

Eugenia replied, that she was convinced that Amintor would not countenance a man whose character was not spotless, his fortune the before had heard was beyond her ambition. She told him at the fame time, with fuch polite fincerity, that the could not give him room to hope, that the refusal even charmed him. His paffion was such only as fuperior beauty creates in almost every breast, a sudden flame, which burns but for a short space, and is extinct; her not favouring his addreffes therefore gave him but little pain befides what he felt from the mortification of his pride. He left her with the utmost gentility, and wifhed her all imaginable felicity with the man the fhould prefer.

No anxiety could perhaps exceed what Amintor felt during his abfence; he trembled left Eugenia fhould have given a rival room to hope; he repented his delicacy, and began to wish he had owned a previous paffion. When he next waited on her he bore the marks of confufion in his countenance, and dreading to know the confequence of the vifit, he was fome time filent; at length he told every circumftance of the affair, and asked her with a figh if he had contributed to his own unhappiness. Eugenia, whole anxiety from this affair had scarcely been inferior to his, was now charmed with the generous tale which was scarce over when Amintor pre- appeared in fo different a light.

Upon the day appointed they went, and Amintor introduced her new admirer as his friend. The tea

Her

Her bofom was too much influenced by love and gratitude to conceal its fentiments, and in her warmth the owned that for him she refused the offered fplendor. A circumstance the most flattering of any to a lover's imagination.

The happiness they enjoyed from a mutual affurance of each other's affection was but of a short duration. Licinius, the father of Amintor, how prefled his fon. to marry, having fixed upon a young lady, whofe perfon and fortune he thought his fon could poffibly find no objection to. Amintor heard the propofal of his father, with all the anxiety imaginable. Without Eugenia he mutt be miferable, in the difpleafure of a parent he could not be happy. In this fituation he went, as ufual, to Eugenia. He would, if poffible, have worn the appearance of ferenity, but the heart-felt figh would break forth, notwithstanding his endeavour to fupprefs it. Alarmed at this, Eugenia infifted on knowing the cause of his pain; the entreated him, by his love for her, not to conceal it, and told him, that whatever it was, it must bring relief to her, fince it could not be more tertible than her apprehenfions. Moved by fo powerful a perfuafion, he told her what had happened, and fixing his eyes upon her with the greatest tenderness, When shall we tafte, faid he, uninterrupted ease?

From this time Licinius was continually endeavouring to prevail on his fon he could not conceive what objection he could have to fortune and to beauty, nor imagined himself in the leaft guilty of severity by in fifting on this alliance. Amintor fled from the pain he felt in denying the entreaties of a father to his Eugenia, and now determined to make

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her irrecoverably his. For fome time was the deaf to his proposal; but lovers easily find arguments which lovers cannot refift. He told her that his father's refentment would be but short. I do not doubt, faid he, thou beft of women, but he will even congratulate me on my happinefs. The worst that, can happen must be lefs painful to me than what i feel from the perpetual refufal of his defire.

Licinius, when he knew the affair, told the unhappy youth he would no longer confider him as a child, and banishing him from his prefence, faid, he banished him alfo from his heart. Amintor left him with tears, Eugenia wept. Can you ftill love the woman, faid she, who has thus involved you in diftrefs? Love thee, thou excellent woman, no circumftances can difplace thee from my heart.-Nay, do not weep, Eugenia, we fhall yet be bleft.

Amintor, after having in vain endeavoured to procure a reconciliation by feveral letters, entreated me to use my influence with his father. I wrote to him, made use of every argument I thought deceffary, and endeavoured to convince him, that his fon had by no means deferved his feverity. My letter fo far prevailed on him that he confented to fee his fon and the fair Eugenia, a favour which the youth himself had long intreated in vain.

Amintor came upon the appointed day accompanied by his lovely partner. He was conducted to the room where Licinius fat, and led his trembling Eugenia to the feet of a father whom for her he had dif pleased. In broken accents he begged his bleffing, he begged it for the best of women; at which 3 F2

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time perceiving the tears ftand trembling in Eugenia's eyes, his fympathetic bofom felt for her, and both were filent, weeping on their knees at his feet. To have feen the most graceful of her fex overwhelmed with grief, to have feen a fon in tears, imploring for a blefling, muft have moved a breast where pity ever entered. Here Licinius himself wept, and fuch was the amiable appearance of Eugenia, that he could no longer blame his fon for beftowing on her his heart. He bad them rife and be happy.

tears of joy, and as foon as Amintor could fpeak, he said, 1 am at prefent, Sir, the happieft of mankind, bleft, as a husband, in the best of women, and reconciled to a parent whofe difpleasure only could give me pain. Such was the happy confequence of this interview.

They are now as happy in each other as they deferve, and enjoy their moments of eafe the more for having known the hour of anxiety, A degree of fatisfaction is likewife reflected from them to me, as I may in fome measure confider myfelf as

Their tears were now changed to the caufe of their prefent felicity.

A FLEMISH TRADITION.

Every country has its traditions,

trated as far even as Antwerp, Bid

As the inhabitants of this country were divided under feparate leaders, the Saracens found an eafy conqueft, and the city of Bidderman, among the reft, became a prey to the victors.

Thus difpoffeffed of his paternal city, our unfortunate governor was obliged to feek refuge from the neighbouring princes, who were as yet unfubdued, and he for some time lived in a state of wretched dependance among them.

which, either too minute or not derman was Lord of a city, which fufficiently authentic to receive hif-time has fince (wept into destruction. torical fanction, are handed down among the vulgar, and ferve at once to inftruct and amufe them. Of this number the adventures of Robin Hood, the hunting of Chevy-chace, and the bravery of Johnny Armftrong, among the English; of Kaul Dereg, among the Irifh; and Creighton, among the Scots, are inftances. Of all the traditions, however, I remember to have heard, I do not recollect any more remarkable than one still current in Flanders; a story generally the firft the peafants tell their children, when they bid them behave like Bidderman the wife. It is by no means, however, a model to be fet before a polite people for imitation; fince if, on the one hand, we perceive in it the fteady influence of patriotifm; we, on the other, find as strong a defire of revenge. But, to wave introduction, let us proceed to the story.

When the Saracens over-ran Europe with their armies, and pene

Soon, however, his love to his native country brought him back to his own city, refolved to rescue it from the enemy, or fall in the attempt. Thus, in disguise, he went among the inhabitants, and endeavoured, but in vain, to excite them to a revolt. Former misfortunes lay fo heavily on their minds, that they rather chose to suffer the most cruel bondage, than attempt to vindicate their former freedom.

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As he was thus one day employed, whether by information, or from fufpicion, is not known, he was apprehended by a Saracen foldier as a spy, and brought before the very tribunal at which he once prefided. The account he gave of himself was by no means fatisfactory. He could produce no friends to vindicate his character; wherefore, as the Saracens knew not their prifoner, and as they had no direct proofs against him, they were content with condemning him to be publickly whipt as a vagabond.

The execution of this fentence was accordingly performed with the utmoft rigour. Bidderman was bound to the poft, the executioner feeming difpofed to add to the crueity of the fentence, as he received no bribe for lenity. Whenever Bidderman groaned under the fcourge, the other, only redoubling his blows, cried out, Does the villain murmur? If Bidderman entreated but a moment's refpite from torture, the other only repeated his former exclamation, Does the villain murmur?

From this period, revenge as well as patriotin, took entire poffeffion of his foul. His fury ftooped fo low as to follow the executioner with unremitting refentment. But conceiving that the beft method to attain these ends, was to acquire fome eminence in the city, he laid himself out to oblige its new mafters, studied every art, and practifed every meannefs that ferve to promote the needy, or render the poor pleafing, and by these means, in a few years, he came to be of fome note in the city, which jufly belonged entirely to him.

The executioner was, therefore, the first object of his refentment, and he even practifed the lowest

fraud to gratify the revenge he owed him. A piece of plate, which Bidderman had previously ftolen from the Saracen governor, he privately conveyed into the executioner's houfe, and then gave information of the theft. They who are any way acquainted with the rigour of the Arabian laws, know that theft is punified with immediate desth. The proof was dire& in this cafe; the executioner had nothing to offer in his own defence, and he was therefore condemned to be beheaded upon a scaffold in the public market place. As there was no executioner in the city but the very man who was now to fuffer, Bidderman hinfelf undertook this, to him, moft agreeabie office. The criminal was conducted from the judgment seat, bound with cords. The fcaffold was erected, and he placed in fuch a manner, as he might lie most convenient for the blow.

But his death alone was not fufficient to fatisfy the refentment of this extraordinary man, unless it was aggravated with every circumstance of cruelty. Wherefore, coming up the fcaffold, and difpofing every thing in readiness for-the intended blow, with the fword in his hand he approached the criminal, and wùifpering in a low voice, affured him, that he himself was the very perfon that had once been ufed with fo much cruelty; that to his knɔwledge, he died very innocently, for the plate had been ftolen by himself, and privately conveyed into the house of the other.

"O, my countrymen, cried the criminal, do you hear what this man fays " -Does the villain murmur? replied Bidderman, and immediately, at one blow, fevered his head from his body.

Still

Still, however, he was not content till he had ample vengeance of the governors of the city, who condemned him. To effect this, he hired a small house adjoining to the town wall, under which he every day dug, and carried out the earth in a basket. In this unremitting labour, be continued feveral years, every day digging a little, and carrying the earth unfufpected away. By this means he at laft made a fecret communication from the country into the city, and only wanted the appearance of an enemy, in order to betray it. This opportunity, at

length, offered; the French army came into the neighbourhood, but had no thoughts of fitting down before a town which they confidered as impregnable. Bidderman, however, foon altered their resolutions, and, upon communicating his plan to the general, he embraced it with ardour. Through the private paffage before-mentioned, he introduced a large body of the most resolute foldiers, who foon opened the gates for the reft, and the whole army rufhing in, put every Saracen that was found to the fword.

and SEPTIMIUS.

HISTORY of ALCAN DER
Tranflated from a Byzantine Hiflorian.

Athens, even long after the de

cline of the Roman empire, fill continued the feat of learning, politeness and wifdom. The emperors and the generals, who in thefe periods of approaching ignorance, ftill felt a paffion for fcience, from time to time, added to its buildings, or encreafed its profefforhips. Theodoric, the Oftrogoth, was of the number; he repaired thofe fchools which barbarity was fuffering to fall into decay, and continued thofe penfions to men of learning, which avaricious gowernors had monopolized to themfelves.

In this city, and about this period, Alcander and Septimius were fellow ftudents together; the one the moft fubtle reafoner of all the Lyceum the other the most eloquent fpeaker in the academic grove. Mutual admiration foon begot an acquaintance, and a fimilitude of difpofition made them perfe&t friends. Their fortunes were nearly equal, their fludies the fame,

and they were natives of the two

mott celebrated cities in the world; for Alcander was of Athens, Septimius came from Rome.

In this mutual harmony they lived for fome time together, when Alcander, after paffing the firft part of his youth in the indolence of philofophy, thought at length of entering into the bufy world, and as a step previous to this, placed his affections on Hypatia, a lady of exquifite beauty. Hypatia thewed no diflike to his addreffes. The day of their intended nuptials was fixed, the previous ceremonies were performed, and nothing now remained but her being conducted in triumph to the apartment of the intended bridegroom.

An exultation in his own happinefs, or his being unable to enjoy any fatisfaction without making his friend Septimius a partner, prevailed upon him to introduce his mistress to his fellow ftudent, which he did with all the gaiety of a man who found himself equally happy in friendship

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