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Among others of her lady's vifitors was Lord Volpone, the fon of a noble earl, entitled to an ample fortune on the death of his father, and Maria imagined that he was fmitten with her charms.

The young nobleman, who was no ftranger to deceit, and well acquainted with female weaknefs, foon perceived that he had made an impreffion on her heart. When her lady was prefent, he asked Maria to favour him with a fong; and as foon as he had an opportunity, he declared his paffion for her in fuch moving expreffions, that, not doubt ing of his fincerity, the looked upon him as her own. About a week after this declaration took place, there was to be a celebrated ball in Soho-fquare, to which the lady went, attended by Maria, who, on account of her ftation, could not be admitted to dance. Her pride was ftung to the quick: The could not bear the thoughts that the intended lady of Lord Volpone fhould be treated as a fervant; and therefore, when fhe faw him again, fhe expreffed her refentment in the most bitter terms. This was just what his lordship wanted; and he knew how to improve it to her ruin.

The week after the ball, there was to be a grand masquerade, and as ladies maids are not admitted to those scenes of riot and diffipation, Maria was again fo much vexed, that he told her pretended lover, affuring him at the fame time, that unless he made her his lady, he would give her hand to another. The artful youth faw her vanity; and being convinced the would do any thing rather than not gratify it, advised her to leave her lady, and take lodgings in the house of an eminent milliner. "There," faid be, "I can vifit you; and as foon as I can procure my father's con

fent, we will be married. In the mean time, you and I will go to the mafquerade; for I have orderyou a full fuit proper for the occafion."

Maria, without the leaft reflection, left her place, and went to the milliner's, who, in confequence of the inftructions she had received from Lord Volpone, treated her with every mark of respect. She left a letter for her lady, telling her that she had been fent for by her mother; fo that little notice was taken of her fudden departure in the family. Lord Volpone continued to vifit her every day; and when the time came, he took her to the mafquerade, dreffed in the moft elegant tafle. There the indulged her favourite paffion vanity; but it was only of a short duration. It was near morning before the company retired, when Lord Volpone conducted Maria to her lodg ings; but he had been fo much fatigued, that he fent for fome cordials to refresh her fpirits. The milliner brought her the cordials, but contrived to mix therewith fome liquors of an intoxicating nature, which difordered her head; fo that Lord Volpone easily obtain. ed what he had long fought for; namely, her ruin. When he waited upon her next day, he was drowned in tears; but he did every thing to pacify her, by telling her he would make her his wife as foon as poffible.

From that time the giddy Maria lived in all the gaiety of a kept miftrefs; till Lord Volpone's vifits became less frequent; and at laff, not having feen him for fome days, the milliner told her his lordship was married; and that the mult now remove, because she wanted the lodgings for another perfon.

Shame, remorfe, indignation, and even defpair, filled her mind;

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1. THE

found guilty by a peevish jury. Confcious of his own innocence, he wrote a Greek petition to King James. The Monarch, ftruck with the novelty of the incident, cried out, By my faul, this man shall not fuffer: I think he is a better Grecian than any of my Bishops.'

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Foreign Traits of Benevolence.

HE opulent citizens of Drefden have formed themselves into an affeciation to fuccour humanity in diftrefs, and furnish work to the poor of that city and electorate. Thefe generous perfonages having exhaufted their fund, voluntarily tripped themfelves of their jewels, pictures, and other objects of curiofity, tafte, and attachment, with which they made a lottery, which fupplied them. fupplied them with new refources to gratify their benevolence.

II. M. Salghern, director of the ancient India company in Sweden, commander of the new order of Vafa, has given part of his eftate to found an orphan-houfe at Gotten

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burg. This patriotic fentiment has been confecrated by a medal, which the order of nobleffe ordered to be truck to perpetuate it.

III. Mary Evrard, an old fervant of a citizen of Rheims, had amaffed the fum of 1200 livres, by a long and laborious fervitude; which on her death bed she begged her mafter to diflribute to her poor relations. The relations were affembled; the money was produced, and her mafter offered to divide it. Those who were very poor, but in a capacity to work, would not touch a farthing, but infifted that the money fhould be diftributed among fuch of the relations, that were old, decriped, and paft their labour.

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Account

Account of Brian Boiromhe Monarch of Ireland, and of the Battle of Clontarf, in which the Danes were finally overthrown; with an elegant engraving of that Monarch. Extracted from Wynne's Hiftory of Ireland.

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'T was to Brian Boiromhe that the glory of chafing forth the fpoilers of liberty and learning, was reserved, and with his blood purchafing the bleffings of freedom to his country.

Though the general voice had approved the election of this prince, yet there were not wanting among the petty princes fome malecontents, who, though they had not oppofed him by open force, yet denied to acknowledge him as monarch. Brian, who was brave, vigilant, and indefatigable, fent his fon against fome of thefe, who met with fuccefs in his expedition:

-against others, he went in perfon; but whilft he was thus bufied, a party of the Danes began to plunder the lands of Ulfter, whilft ano ther party, landing on the coafts of Munfler, burned Cork, and being joined by fome of the people of Leinster, entered Meath, in which kingdom they made terrible havock and devaftation; but Mortogh the fon of Brian, meeting thefe laft, while they were thus employed, fell upon them with the troops under his command, took the Danish king and his fon by ftratagem, and caufed them to be put to death; haraffing and diftreffing the Danes and the men of Leinster, even to the very gates of Dublin.

When the monarch had chaflifed the Danes, and fixed himself in the poffeffion of his kingdom, he next began, as the Irish writers fay, to direct his attention towards the establishment of religion, and the arts of peace among his fubjects.

He first confirmed his nobles and chief men in their rights, and bestowed fach favours upon them January, 1774.

as he rightly judged would fecure him their affections, and be the means of rendering his fovereignty permanent. He next rebuilt and repaired those churches and publick edifices which the fury of the Danes had either overthrown or disfigured and difmantled, and fummoning all the clergy together, collected every where thofe revenues of the church which had been facrilegiously feized, and delivered them into the hands of the minifters, reftoring them to their several claims and offices, putting them upon the fame footing as they were before the domeftick troubles had disturbed and altered them.

Befides repairing the schools ruined by the Danes, and every where giving orders for students to be fought out to fill them-he likewife erected many new feminaries of education for the increase of fcience and useful knowledge in his country.

He beftowed upon the native Irish whatever he recovered from the Danes, by which means the commons were enriched and obliged.-He caufed new roads and caufeways to be made, in order to connect the different parts of the kingdom; and erected bridges over rivers, before only paffable by fords; and what was till of more confequence, taking example by the policy of the Dane, he erected many caftles and fortified places, in which he kept garrifons that might be a fecurity against a foreign enemy. This prince is faid to have kept fuch good order in his kingdom that a beautiful lady might travel through the kingdom, in the richeft attire, and with a quantity G

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of gold and jewels about her, without damage either to her honour or her property.

King Brian kept his court at Ceann Coradh in Munfter, where he had thirteen fortified places, and lived in a dignity and fplendour becoming fo great a prince, whofe revenues and tributes would well fupport his grandeur, and whofe noble fpirit loaded his faithful minifters and officers with wealth and honour, though he feemed particularly fond of diftinguishing the brave tribe of the Dalgais, who alone were permitted to wear arms in his prefence,

Having every where established good order in his dominions, the frifh began to taste the bleffings of peace and plenty, when the tranquility of the island was interrupted by an illtimed reproach Maolmorda king of Leinfter received from his fifter, who was queen to Brian.

As the Danes, though vanquished every where by the victorious arms of Brian, were permitted to inhabit feveral fea-port towns, in confequence of that erroneous policy that Ireland might be benefited by their trade and commerce, fo thefe were ftill as ready as ever to take up the old caufe of their countrymen, and Maolmorda took occafion, as if on their account, to fend for aid to the king of Denmark, in behalf, as he faid, of the oppreffed Danes in Ireland, who groaned under the tyranny of the monarch.-The Danish king was ready enough to comply with this folicitation; in confequence of which he fent two of his fons at the head of twelve thousand chofen men, to the affiftance of the provincial prince, who had no fooner received this aid, than he sent a challenge to king Brian, to meet him at the head of his troops, and -give him battle at Clontarf,

As Brian was not a man to be frightened, he accepted the challenge without hesitation, and immediately began to make preparations for encountering the enemy.

The monarch was now arrived at an advanced age, but he had three fons that were young and active, and thefe were refolved to diftinguith themfelves; in particular Mortogh, who was pitched upon to command the army, which was principally ftrengthened by the provincial troops of Munfter and Ċonnaught, and increased by the affiftance of feveral warlike clans, whose chiefs voluntarily led forth their men, and offered their fervice, at this intricate time, to their aged monarch and their country.

Among the reft came the old depofed fovereign, Malachy, ftill king of Meath. Making a fhew as if he would affift Brian, he mustered all the forces of his kingdom, and with them joined the Irish army, which was become by this time a very refpectable body, and marched with the greateft firmnefs and refolution to meet their foes, who waited for them at the place appointed.

But the great age of the monarch, who was now above fourfcore, rendering it improper for him to appear in the action, he was perfuaded by his fons to retire to his tent, while they commanded the troops, which were drawn up under his direction, and fupplied his place in the field of battle who had fo often led them on to victory. Brian, now quitting the army, commended them to their fortune, and taking leave of thofe with reluctance whom he was fated never more to behold.

At his departure the fignal was given for the battle; but no fooner did the trumpets found than the deceitful Malachy inftantly fe

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parated his forces from the main body of the army, and, retiring to a convenient diftance, ftood a calm fpectator of the engagement. This prince, though he had peaceably fuffered a fubjection to the do. minion of Brian, had yet never forgiven him, nor any of those who were concerned in depofing him; and this was the time when he chose to fhew his refentment by an action doubtless the moft blameable of any for which he was cenfured, and which was certainly meant to produce the overthrow of the whole Irish army.

But happily this did not anfwer his expectations; for the troops, led on by the monarch's fon, were animated with fuch an heroic ardour, as his bafe defertion could not damp. They remembered whom they were to encounter; they remembered also they were fighting for their liberties. They charged the Danes with their old martial fury. Thefe flood the firft fhock with fteadiness, and returned the charge with vigour; but the Irish were immoveable; none quitted their posts, and when one man fell, his place was inftantly supplied by

another. Thus after the charge given and received with amazing impetuofity, both armies ftood firm and unbroken -Then was the fight renewed on both fides with the greatcft kill and courage, victory for a long time being doubtful, till after a moft bloody conteft, the warlike fpirit of the Irish prevailed in the caufe of their good old monarch, and of liberty.-The Danes gave way, they were broken, and being pushed with vigcur, at length they were turned to flight; the army of Leinfter fickened at the fight-when thofe on whom they had placed their chief dependance gave way, they flood no longer; -a general rout enfued, and clear victory, though most dearly purchased, remained with the Irish army.

Among the flain, on the Danish part, were the fons of the king of Denmark, and the chief inhabitants of their fettlement in Dublin, with above four thoufand common foldiers.-On the part of Leinster were flain Maolmorda, author of the war, with the principal of his nobility, and three thousand seven hundred of his forces, who fell the

"I never,

•There is a paffage mentioned by Keating, extracted from a letter faid to be fent to Colman, by Malachy king of Meath, containing a defcription of the battle of which he was an eye-witness, and which I have here fubjoined, in order to give the reader fome idea of the defperate engagement. fays be, bebeld with my eyes (nor in hiftory) an account of a sharper and bloodier fight than this memorable action: Nor if an angel from Heaven would defcend and relate the circumstances of it, could you without difficulty be induced to give credit to it: I withdrew the troops under my command, and was no otherwife concerned than as a spectator ;-1 food at no greater diftance than the breadth of a fallow field and a ditch, when the powerful armies engaged, and grappled in clofe fight. It was dreadful to behold, how the fwards glittered over their heads being ftruck with the fun's rays, which gave them the appearance of a numerous flock of white fea gulls, flying in the air. The ftrokes were fo mighty, and the fury of the combatants jo terrible, that great quantities of bair torn or cut off from their heads, by their sharp weapons, was driven far off by the wind, and their fpears and battle-axes were fo encumbered with hair, cemented together with clotted blood, that it was fcarcely poffible to clear or bring them to their former brighness.”

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victims

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