fellion of the kingdom of Italy, in cafe of his nephew's demise. The emprefs, in the mean time, was negotiating on the fame fubject with Lewis, king of Germany, and engaged him to make a ceffion, by treaty, of that part of the kingdom of Lorrain which he poffeffed, in confideration of the emperor's devolving that title and his dominions, by will, either upon him or on one of his fons. Adrian, in confequence of this treaty, folemnly crowned the emperor as king of Lorrain; but it is 872 not clear that he ever had the poffeffion: and the Pope, notwithstanding this ceremony, remained firm in the interests of Charles the Bald to the time of his demife, which happened not long after.

The realms of Germany and France were equally disturbed by the ambition and selfishness of the fons of Lewis and Charles, and by the incurfions of the Normans. Lewis had but three fons, and two of them were in rebellion. Carloman was in arms against Charles, and against the peace and property of his fubjects, fpoiling, killing, and burning, where-ever he came. The different characters of these kings appeared from the manner they took to deliver themselves from thefe misfortunes. Lewis prevailed upon his fons to return to court, upon his bare promife that they fhould not be punished; and, having shewn them how little it was their intereft to act in the manner they had done, and what good effects would follow from their returning to their duty, and living in harmony with each other, he reclaimed them as he had done his

eldeft fon formerly, and found them. ever after both faithful and obedient. In like manner he compromised matters with the Normans, and turned their incurfions upon his enemies. Charles, on the other hand, after much forbearance and indulgence, abandoned Carloman to the juftice due to his fubjects; fo that being taken and condemned to death, he ordered his eyes to be put out, and then fent him to a prifon, from whence escaping, he fled to his uncle, the king of Germany, who gave him protection and fubfistence, and nothing more, till, in a fhort time, death delivered him from all his troubles, In respect to the Normans, Charles had fo obliged Solomon, whom he ftiled duke, though the pope and other princes treated him as king of Bretagne, by fending him a very rich crown, that he very readily concurred in the propofal made him of attacking those 873 dangerous invaders. This enabled the king to befiege them in Angiers, which made a long and obftinate defence; and which certainly had not been taken at laft, but by the addrefs of the duke of Bretagne, who having reduced them to extremity, Charles admitted them to a capitulation, and, for a large fum of money, fuffered them to preferve their fhips, which the duke would otherwife have deftroyed. In the fucceeding year, this powerful prince, who had governed his country with much reputation, and seemed in all respects (but the manner in which he acquired it, that is, by the murder of his fovereign and relation) to deferve the regal dignity to which he afpired, became himself the

victim of a confpiracy formed by his own fubjects, in conjunction with fome French lords. This threw the country of Bretagne into dreadful diffenfions, which it took fome time to appeafe; and while these troubles continued, the emperor Lewis II. died, in the month of Auguft, without having iffue male, which occafioned a great ftruggle.

Lewis, king of Germany, claimed the title of emperor, as the elder brother of Charles; for, in respect to the deceased, they were uncles alike. He relied upon the intrigues of the emprefs, the goodwill of the Greek emperor Bafil, and had fome hopes of the Pope John VIII. Charles the Bald took his measures somewhat better, for he relied chiefly on himself. As foon as he had the news of his nephew's death, he fent his only fon Lewis into Lorrain, to affemble an. army on the frontiers of that kingdom; and at the fame time he began to march with the forces, that he had long held ready for that purpose, into Italy. King Lewis fent his fon Charles thither with a fmall body of troops; and upon the news of his brother's expedition, dispatched his fon Carloman after him, with a confiderable rein

forcement.

Carloman beat the French troops that guarded the paffages, entered Italy, and, though his army was much inferior to his uncle's, would have hazarded a battle. It was a maxim with Charles the Bald not to fight if it might be avoided he therefore dispatched fome minifters, in the first place, to found the Pope, and then propofed to his nephew that both armies fhould retire, till the difpute could be amicably fettled between him and his father. Carloman accepted the propofition, and executed his part of it punctually; but Charles, in confequence of his meffage, having received a meffage from the Pope, pretended he was bound in confcience to comply with it; and, while Carloman was returning into Germany, marched directly to Rome, where he was received with applaufe, and on Chriftmas-day received the imperial crown from the hands of the pontiff. This affair was very expenfive, but Charles took care that it fhould coft him nothing; for the first act of his imperial power was to feize his predeceffor's treasures, and out of them he gratified those who had been inftrumental in this bufinefs.

[To be continued.]

quite fo much of a loose woman, we know she is univerfally neglected by her own. We may fay too, that modefty is as neceffary a companion to chastity, as honour is to courage; a man of nice honour will

never be a coward; but he who is indifferent to this, will take a pull by the note, or a box on the ear, without a blush. In like manner, an amorous suiter will quickly drop his defign upon the chastity of any object he admires, if that impertinent companion, modefty, cannot be fent out of the way; while he will have no reason to doubt of fuccefs, if this convenient civil companion is ready to withdraw whenever the lover defires it.

This is a truth fo univerfally admitted, that whenever the attention to it has appeared to be wanting among the fair, in any age, the contemporary writers have never failed to awaken it; and I am perfuaded that fome particulars in the drefs of my country-women have been altered within these few years, upon the reprefentation of being too loose and indecent for their character.

You must know, Sir, that I am lately married to a young lady, as the news-papers very juftly faid, of beauty and fortune, and who poffefes every accomplishment neceffary to make the marriage flate happy; and what I thought no fmall accomplishment among the reft, fhe was never in London any more than myself, before I made her my wife. We have been married but four months, and you fee I date my letter from Grosvenor-street. However, If I can perfuade her to go back into Worcestershire again, all may be well, for I believe there is no harm done yet, though I think the will have had an efcape; and I shall be relieved from many a sweat for my forehead.

I am not naturally jealous, nor did the ever give me the leaft room

for jealoufy, till lately; I was going one morning up to her dreifingroom, to ask her if the would walk in the Park; I over-heard her fay, It is impoffible, Mr. Baltazer, today, but to-morrow Mr. Oakly will be out all the morning, and I will expect you at twelve precifely. Blefs me! thought I, what, an affignation with a man in her dreffingroom! and immediately a good fmart young fellow tript by me down ftairs: I took no notice to him, but I haftened to my wife: who, fays I, with much confusion, was that who left you just now? Nobody, my dear, fays he, but the hair-dreiler. Nay, fays I, I am fure I faw a man, a young fellow. I tell you, my dear, you faw nobody but the hair-dreffer; and fhe faid it with fo much unconcern, that it confirmed my fufpicion, and I took ner negligent air for a proof of her being practised in this bufi. nefs of intrigue. I then took her haftily by the hand, and with much earnestnefs, don't diftrefs me, Mrs. Oakley, faid I, tell me who that perfon was, that you have made. an appointment with for to-morrow at twelve? Why, with Mr. Baltazer, the hair-dreffer; you know you are to be out to-morrow, and I ordered him to come then, that he might not prevent my going out with you to-day. What, faid I, would you have a man to dress your hair, Mrs. Oakly? You who would fcarce let me fee you put your cap on till within this week. Why, my dear, fays fhe, I defired lady Midnight to recommend me to her tire-woman, and fhe fmiled, and told me, no woman could dress hair fit to be feen; Baltazer, who did her bufinefs, was employed by all the ladies

began to unlace her ftays, which he performed with fuch dexterity, that I could not doubt but he was ufed too much to this business. When I faw the stays off, I was fatisfied, and could not wait to fee what was to be done next; in I go, And pray, fays I, my dear, is this lady Midnight's man milliner? and is he going to try on your new fhifts in the name of decency, what are you both about? Upon my honour I blush for you, my dear. Blush for me, Mr. Oakley! Pray is there any harm in having my new ftays tried on? No harm, fays I, perhaps, but much indelicacy, by any man but your hufband. Lord, Sir, fays Monfieur Tagg, with a fneering fmile, I lace and unlace ladies ftays of the first fashion, every day of my life; and unmarried ladies too. Very likely fo, fays 1, Mr. Tagg, and I believe you are often forced to change their ftays for jumps. But go on with your bufinefs. I ask your pardon, fays I, my dear, for interrupting you, and I left the room.

confefs, not as a lover, but with the cool curious eye of a dealer in female flaves. As they ftood, I confidered her as a fair Circaflian, paffing an examination for fale, and that he was furveying the premiffes, marking the air and mien, the fymmetry and proportion of limbs, to fee whether the would be worth his money. I could not refrain from laughing at this fight, which I did not comprehend the meaning of, though I felt at the fame time a degree of anger and uneafinefs. I was angry to fee this Cimon, who feemed young, and in good cafe, though a Frenchman, fo dull and infenfible to charms, which fet me all on fire at the fight, though the was my wife; and I was uneafy to find Mrs. Oakley could expofe herfelf, without a blufh, even to fuch a Cimon, whatever might be his bufinefs. I opened the door, And what! dreffing or undreffing? fays I, my dear! and has lady Midnight recommended this Monfieur to you for a lady's maid? But just as I had faid this, I discovered the meafure in his hand, and by the piece of filk which I faw upon the table, I found that honeft Mrs. Flounce, the mantuamaker, was not to good a hand at a lady's fhape, as one of our fex.

My next alarm was fomewhat more affecting than this. A few mornings after, I faw a fourth gentleman in great familiarity with my dear tormenter. He pulled off her gown, the then fuffered him to pull off her handkerchief, which he feemed to me to do with great eagerness I thought I perceived the dog's eyes, at what he faw, flath with fire; he directly went beLind her, and with much hafte

But all that has hitherto paffed, does not in any degree equal what I am going to relate. Goats and monkeys-I could almoft fwear to part beds, when I think of what my wife endured from the fifth man that made his appearance in her dreffing-room. In my curious peeping, as ufual, I faw a male figure on the couch with Mrs. Oakley, whom I could not confider as frifeur, fhoemaker, mantuamaker, or staymaker. or ftaymaker. He had her not by the foot, he had not ftript her of her gown, nor was fhe without her ftays; he was more modeft than the former male-attendants on her, and yet lefs modeft. I faw him,--