his first forprife, finding the fish was, I fetch my fweetheart home." On this he lathed the water violently with his tail, and drove the boat afhore. The baron carried bistrouts home, had them boiled, and enjoyed the carthufian meal with his wife, and the beautiful Bertha, who little dreamed how dear it was to cost her. The moon went on to grow and wane; and by the fixth change the baron had nearly forgotten what had happened.. But when he began to approach to a circle the likely to hearken to reason: and replied with great prefence of mind, "I pray you, Mr. Behemoth, do not think of violating the laws of hofpitality, nor grudge me a difh of nth out of your pool; my kitchen and cellar are much at your fervice, whenever you will do me the honour of a vilit"-" Nay, excufe me," faid the monster, "we are not yet on fuch an intimate footing as that implies; art thou not acquainted with the right of the ftronger to eat up his weaker neigh-feventh time, the near calamity bour? Thou hast been stealing my fubjects with a view to fwallow them, and therefore I wll fwallow thee this inflant!" The angry fith here ftretched his jaws ftill wider, and feemed determined to fwallow up the poor baron, boat and all, at one mouthful: Ah, ipare me, pare my life!" cried the baron, "I am but a lender break aft for your whale's belly!" At this piteous exclamation the huge animal feemed to paufe a moment “Well then," faid he, "thou haft, I know, a beautiful daughter; promife her to me for my wife, and take toy life in return." When the baron heard the fi fe in this tone-pafs and begone! away flew his tears- My daughter, my good fir," he returned, is molt perfectly at your fervice: there is no refuting one's girl to a fon in law of your respectable appearance. Yet you thould comply with the cuttom of the country, and rantom your wife: now what have you to propofe on this head?" "I pollefs neither filver nor gold," replied the fish, "but there is at the bottom of this pool an immenfe ftore of pearl oysters; therefore you have only to alk!"-" Very well," returned the baron, "three bufhels of fine pearls can never be too much for a handsome wife." "The pearls are thine, and the bride mine," concluded the fish; "in feven months ruthed upon his thoughts, and to avoid being eye-witness of it, he quitied the castle, and undertook a little journey into the country. In the ful:ry hour of noon, on the day of the full moon, a stately train of horsemen came up to the castle. The baronefs, furprised at fuch a cavalcade, was undetermined whether the fhould open the gates or not. But when a knight the well knew-announced himself, he was readily admitted. He had often frequented the tournaments of the castle in the days of plenty and feftivity; entered the lits both in jest and earnest, received many a knightly prize from the fair Bertha's hand, and opened many a dance with her: yet, fince the baron's change of fortune, he had difappeared along with the reit. The worthy lady was afhamed, before the noble knight and his train, that her poverty prevented her from offering him any refresh. ment. He, however, addreffed her very kindly, begging only a draught of fresh water from the cool fpring in the rock of the caftle, as he had been used to do; for he never drank wine, and thence had got the name of the Water-knight. The beauful Bertha, at her mother's command, haftened to the fpring, filled a pitcher, and drank to the knight out of a full glafs, which he received from her delicate hand, fet The Chronicles of the Three Sifters. ting it to his mouth at the place her ruby lips had preffed, and pledging her with heart-felt joy. The baronefs, meantime, was much diftreffed that he could not offer her guest a tingle morfel to eat; but foon recollected that he had a juicy water-melon ripe in the garden. She immediately hurried out, broke the melon off the ftalk, laid it upon an earthen plate, and garnished it in honour of her guest, with vine leaves and sweet finelling flowers. On ber return from the garden the found the court-yard filent and empty, not a horse or rider could the fee there in the chamber there was neither knight nor fquire. She called out Bertha, but in vain ;-she fearched the whole houfe, but; no Bertha was there. There stood three new facks in the anti-chamber, which The had over-looked in her first alarm; they felt as if they were full of peafe but her affliction did not permit her to examine them more nicely. She now wholly refigned herself to her grief, and lamented aloud till evening, when her hufband returned and found her in this melancholy fituation. She could not, however defirous the might have been, conceal from him the adventure of the day. She dreaded his reproaches for admitting a strange knight into the castle. But the baron affectionately confoled her, and only enquired after the facks of peafe; he then went out to furvey them, and brought one and opened it before her. How great was the amazement of the afflicted baronefs, at fecing pearls, and nothing but pearls, rolled out as large as garden peale, perfectly round, kilfully bored, and of the best water! She perceived clearly that the ravifher of her daughter had paid a pearl for every maternal tear: hence the drew a very favourable conclufion as to his wealth and station; and confoled herself with the reflection that this fon-in-law was no monster, VOL. XXII. 537 foothing but a courteous knight The parents had now indeed loft all their beautiful daughters, but they were in poffeffion of inexhaustible treasures. The baron foon turned part of them into current coin. From morning till night the castle fwarmed with merchants and Jews who crowded to treat for the conly pearls. The baron redeemed his cities, let out the castle near the wood to a vassal, and removed to his former place of refidence, re-estab lifhed his court, and lived no more as a fpendthrit, but as a caretul economist, for he had now no other daughter to barter. The pair tound themselves perfectly at eafe in their circumstances, only the baronefs could never be comforted for the lois of her daughters: fhe constantly wore mourning, and appeared always dejected. She hoped, for a time, to fee her Bertha, with the pearl knight once more; and wher ever a ftranger was announced, the had expectations of recognizing in him her returning fon-in-law. The baron could no longer find in his heart to feed her with deceitful hopes. In the confidential bedchamber, where fo many husband's fuffer their fecrets to tranfpire, he difclofed to her that this illustrious fon-in-law was no other than a monstrous fish. "Alas!" fighed the baronefs, "ill-fated mother that I am! Have I borne children only that they might become the prey of frightful monsters! Ah! what avails all earthly profperity, and treasures without end, to a childless mother?" "My dear wife," replied the baron, "endeavour to confole yourfelf: what has happen. ed has happened; if it depended only on me, you fhould not want for the biefling of children." The baronefs took this expreffion, to heart; the fuppofed her hulband meant to reproach her for being 32 old old and fruitless, for he himself was yet a ftout and vigorous man. This idea diftreffed her so much, that she became quite difconfolate, and no vifitor could now have proved half fo welcome as death. The great bufinefs, therefore, and hurry of the world, is nothing elfe but diverfion, and a mode of wafting time. Princes go to wat as they do to a hunting match, to keep theinfelves in exercise. Great men ftrive for fceptres and white ftaves as children do for whistles On the EXPEDIENTS to get rid of and bells, only to play with them; THE TIME. HE feveral bufy actions of men, and the perpetual means they contrive to find themselves employment, are only fo many arts to get rid of life without dying. We are in hafte to get over the prefent moment, and grasping at something future, which, when it comes, will alfo cloy us. We grow weary of an inftant enjoyment after we had perhaps paffionately longed for it, and conceive pleasure in the prospect of one at a diftance; but when we have overtaken it, it grows taftelefs, and, as contradictory as it may fcem, difcontent arifes from gratification. Thus our life lies in hope, and is a reftlefs fucceffion of fatiety and defire. and when they plague and harrafs mankind about these their baubles, they do it but to entertain themfelves. The mischief and mifery of the world is to one of these mighty infants no more than a matter of mirth and amufement. To Alex. ander the Great, Cæfar, Hannibal, and the like children of blood, fighting was like a game at tennisball; and when they were men they rode upon provinces, as they had upon horfes when they wero boys. But whether in infancy or age, an impatience to ftand fill and be quiet begot both thefe different exercifes. Cutting of throats is as much a piece of fport to a warrior, as playing at marbles is to a child. The over-running of provinces, and the plundering of nations, are to him but taking of the air; and he kills, burns, and ravages, merely to pass away the time. But though experience fhews us the vanity and emptiness of our wishes, we are for ever starting and indulging new ones, with as little fuccefs; and our hopes and defires, though they are continually difappointed, are perpetually renewed. The greatest prince lives as much upon expectation as the meanest flave; and as he has fewer things to wish for, as being already master of all things, he is the more unhappy perfon of the two: efpecially if he carries in his bofom the refless fting of ambition. Though he commands every thing in his own territory, yet he cannot enjoy it, because it is his, and therefore with great flaughter he makes a prey of his neighbour's property, which yet does not appeafe his craving appe-iftence. There is no medium be tween death and motion; and when tite. There is nothing more ridiculous in men, or which arguce greater ignorance, than to be crying, as they frequently do," We will do fuch a thing, or fuch a thing, and then have done." Alas! there is no ftopping the progress of the paffions without extinguishing life: a fire will as foon burn without air. While there is life there will be defires; and, thefe being directed to what is future, it is impoffible to confine them to the prefent inflant, or any ftated point of time. We cannot fay to them, "Thus far fhall ye go and no farther; Ence progreffion is neceffary to their ex On the Expedients to get rid of Time. we cease to proceed, we cease to be. To be doing, therefore, is a confequence of living; and idleness is but a deliberation of what is to be done next. Old men are generally blamed for laying plans and foundations of great works and buildings which they cannot hope to live to fee finished; but I think the cenfure is groundless, fince by this means they lay out certain bufinefs and entertainment for themselves, and open a fource of perpetual new action and obfervation, and confequently of new pleasure. Such lafting projects are therefore proper means to maintain and promote expectation, which is the food and relief of life. Our whole delight is in making progreis. 539 "What, fir, do you propofe in this expedition against the Romans" fays Cineas. "To conquer all Italy," anfwers Pyrrhus. And what next," fays the minifter. "Then we will transport our army into Sicily, and make that kingdom our own," replied his majefly. "And what is to be done then?" continued Cineas. “Then,” returned the hero, "we will fail to Africa, and bring that country under fubjection." "And what emains to be done after that," faid the statesman. "Why then?" said the monarch, "we will fit down and be merry." "And what hinders, us, I beseech you, fir, from doing so now?" faid Cineas. What answer the king gave to this last question is either not faid Befides, these gentlemen who or I have forgotten; but it is certurn projectors and fpeculators late tain he made fighting his conftant in life, feldom or never confider that diverfion to the last gasp, and never they must depart, and leave their an inch nearer to that fame merry fchemes unexecuted. They imagine hour which he had propofed as the they have acquired a knack of liv-heroic end and iffue of all his bravery ing; and as every man is apt to prefer himself to all the rest of his fellow mortals, he is alfo apt to flatter himself with the hopes of better fortune and longer life than will fall to the lot of his neigh-patch their time: they are equally and battles. He was knocked on the head in an affault upon the city of Argos, and fo died in his calling. Many are the arts and devices practifed by weak mortals to dif impatient of idlenefs and action: every hour is a burthen, and they must be doing somewhat to make them forget that they are tired; and when the expedient itself grows also tirefome, as it foon does, then they try another. Thus they go on in an eternal round of curiofity and weariness, and fubfift upon look:ng forward. The methods of wearing away our days are as various as the humours and capacities of mankind. Some, as has been observed before, lead armies; fome disturb the public in a civil way, fome make fpeeches, and fome pick their teeth. Snuff has got great and universal reputation this way, and the takers can recreate their whole bodies with a 322 little little labour of the fingers and of the nose. I know an eminent ferjeant at law, who finds curious diverfion in drawing a fting through his fingers, and tying knots upon it; and most of his learned brethren keep them eve in practice by ttroaking down the fides of their perukes. The ladies divert them felves with tea, and ander. and vitits, and their fans, and feveral other amusements, concerning which I fall fay nothing. There are fome few of both fexes, who find devotion as good a ftratagem as any to flake off time, and fo make piety a confiderable diverfion. With others gaming is in great repute for walling their money and their time with wonderful taci lity. About the Royal Exchange, tricking and over-reaching are notable and approved cures for lazi! nefs; but at court there are means known or practifed. no Since, therefore, people will be ever doing fomething, the beft advice that I can give them is, that while they are amusing themfelves, they do not prejudice others. It is contrary to reafon and religion that one man fhould reap forrow from the recreation of another. Every one has a little to make himself bappy, provided he does it at no one's expence but his own. Innocent diverfions, though ever fo trifling, are lawful; and we have a right upon thefe terms to rejoice in our own folly. And whoever thinks to be fevere upon it, will find that those animadvertions can do the world but little good, which are made upon trifles that do it no hurt. On the ACADEMIES of ROME and the IMPROVIS..TORI. (From Archenholtz,) T HE well-known academy of the Arcadins, at Rome, confifts for the muft part of fonneteers, who meet to read their nonsense to each other. There never, perhaps, was a fociety that made fo uncommon and rapid a progrefs as this. When it was first instituted, the number of members did no exceed fou teen; and, in a few years, it has increafed to several thoufinds of all ranks of people. There have been even cardinals and popes who have enrolled themfelves an.ong the Arcadian fhepheres, and in conformity to the rules of the institution, affumed Arcadian names. The rage for becoming an Arcadian spread fo mech, that no lets than fifty-eight Italian cities founded fimilar academics, under the title of colonies of the Roman Arcadia; but mot of them have been abolished, except the mother academy, which is still in being. This fociety, which meets at the palace of Corfini, formerly the refidence of Chriftina queen of Sweden, is really calculate! to degrade the academical name. It is the most opprobrious lampoen upon academies, and nothing can be imagined more despicable. The literati, and patrons of literature, of any note, mostly deem it difgraceful to be members of that fingular body; and many would be offended if any one should ask them whether they belong to the Arcadians. In order, in fome man: er, to remove this con empt, the Arcadians do all in then power to preva'ì upon foreigners, especially when of rank, to be received an ong them, and their names are afterwards made public: with thofe names they cover their own nudity, and increase their funds with the admittance fees, which amount to a few zechins. There are several other academies of that description, which are founded upon the plan of the Arcadiaas. That of the Quirigifts is one of the prine pal; but as it is beneath all criticifm, it is fcarcely worth men tioning. I happened to be once in an affembly of theirs, when a fo |