disposition, had driven him from the commission of a lesser crime to the commission of a greater; the connexions which he had formed were of the most dangerous stamp: he was surrounded by parasites, who, under the mask of friendship and esteem, made him subservient to their own guilty purposes, and whose actions were so wrapt in mystery, as to excite the suspicion of the government, under which their lawless practices were committed. For a length of time not one of the desperate horde was to be seen, no one knew whither they were gone, nor the reason of their absence. On a sudden, the country again resounded with reports of atrocities, and the commission of the most heinous crimes churches were pillaged—the traveller was murdered-the virgins of the country were torn from their parents to satisfy the lust of the atrocious gang ;-no sanctuary was safe-the priest was stripped at the altar--the nuu was violated as she knelt before the cross-the altar was pillaged-the cross destroyed-and still no resistance was thought of-the country was panic struck, and the inhabitants considered a partial evil to be more easily endured, than the general devastation which would ensue, were the resentment of the whole gang to be excited.

Venice was the principal place selected by Leopold for the commission of his atrocities, but that city was fortunately relieved for some time from the dreadful actions of his associates by a

particular occurrence, which turned almost every stiletto in Venice against him, and from which Leopold escaped solely by the most precipitate flight.

The Marquis Villano was on the eve of marriage with an amiable and beautiful lady of the noble house of Orsini. The rank and consequence of the parties rendered 'this marriage the subject of general conversation, and at a ball where Leopold was present, he beheld for the first time the beautiful Anna Maria Orsini His whole soul was immediately captivated by her charms; his eyes followed her in all her motions; he sought for every opportunity of entering into conversation with her; and although he was not ignorant that she was affianced to another, he yet determined to adopt the most resolute measures to possess her. Every engine which his ingenuity could invent, was set in motion, and by the activity and boldness of his associates, he bore away the prize; but the alarm having been given in time, the villains were pursued, and their captive rescued. Irritated at this disappointment, and this obstacle to the consummation of his wishes Leopold determined to prevent the inarriage of the woman, whose charms had so enamoured him, by the assassination of her intended husband. Fortunately, however, for the Marquis, the assassins mistook their victim, and in order to avoid the secret poignard of his enemies, he suddenly left Venice, and it was reported that

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he had taken refuge in a monastery of Carmelites, near the pass of San Petro, in the Alps.

It was, however, discovered that Leopold Lindamore was the instigator of the attempt on the life of the Marquis, and the stiletto of the assassins was now turned against himself. He made a precipitate flight, at the same time leaving his positive injunction with his emissaries, to convey to him the earliest intelligence of the place, whither Maria Orsini had been conveyed.

This atrocious conduct of his younger son inflicted the severest pangs on the heart of the aged Count. He had tried lenient and coercive measures with him-he had reasoned with him as a man-as a parent-as a friend. He had armed himself with all the authority which the parent gave him, and he assumed all the privileges which the man or the friend allowed him, but all his endeavours failed of producing any permanent effect. The only hope therefore which remained to cheer the breast of the afflicted father was, that when the impetuosity of youth had evaporated, and its fiery and headstrong passions brought under the controul of reason, his son would see the criminality of his life, and by a return to virtue, fill with respect, that honorable station to which his birth entitled him.

It seldom happens, that the most turbulent dispositions of youth will not yield to kindness; the vicious propensities of our early life are in

general confirmed by a harsh and tyrannical treatment, and it is a false principle of education which inculcates that severity alone should be used in the eradication of early vices-one kind word-one gentle expostulation-oue friendly remonstrance will sometimes effect more, than all the lessons which a severe discipline ever inculcated, for kindness is the chain by which the world is held together, and it may be moved and managed with a finger.

Frederic, had early in life formed a matrimonial alliance with the daughter of one of the most ancient families in the country, and, connected by the ties of close relationship to the family of the Marquis Villano. During several years, he enjoyed under his parent's roof all that happiness which the connubial state can afford. Futurity, conducted by the syren hope, opened to him the animating prospect of an increase to that happiness, when a blooming offspring should spread their smiles around him, sharing their father's virtues and there mother's charms. But hope is a chimera of the human heart-a pleasing, but a faithless friend: the sun of the bliss of man shines bright to day, but ere to-morrow's dawn, its rays are wrapped in clouds.

Frederic beheld with all the joy a parent feels, a lovely infant sleeping on the bosom of its mother-he listened with delight to its prat

tling tongue, and in the child, he felt his love for the mother increased.

One summer evening, when scarcely a breath of air ruffled the surface of the lake, and o'er all the scene rested a lovely stillness, Frederic proposed an aquatic excursion to a village situated on the margin of the lake. The old Count being rather indisposed, declined joining the party, but on parting with them gave his advice, not to let the night overtake them on the water. The boat was manned, and smoothly it glided over the lake; the joyous song of the boatmen was alone broken by the dashing of the oars, or by the screams of the eagle as it flew to its mountain eyrie. The party reached the village, where they were regaled by an intimate acquaintance of the family. In social converse, the happy hours passed quickly away, and the advice of the old Count was forgotten. On the summit of the snow crowned mountains trembled the last ray of day, and twilight rested on the valleys and the lake. The vesper bell sounded from the neighbouring Convent, and the sound borne by the passing breeze, died away amidst the surrounding hills. The shepherds had driven their flocks from the meadows, and the faithful dog was heard driving the stragglers home. Before his cottage sat the hardy mountaineer, his daily labour done, enjoying with his family the evening meal. Not