her near the fire, before fhe awakened from her ftupor. She tremulouf ly looked around, and faw herfelf feated in the midft of a horrible affembly, whofe mifcreantic vifages would make angels weep and demons tremble. High above the reft, like the evil spirit in Pandemonium, fat the conftable of the night, a beef-headed knave, with a pipe in his mouth, and a tankard on a stool before him. "Here (faid this man in office) you Snoring Dick, reach. this-here tankard to that-there lady, and then bring her before me for examination. Oh! fhe won't drink! Well, well, that's all one-if she does not drink, she'll pay: fo bring her forward here." Julia now advanced : her cheeks were fuffufed with tears, her breath quickened, and her whole frame trembled. Aye, aye, (faid the conftable) you may well shake when you look at me. Hem! what account can you give of yourfelf, Mifs?-No, that's not it neither: I'll begin with you, I think, Mifter Watchman Where did you find this-here lady here, Snoring Dick ?" "Found her! (replied Dick) why, please your worship, I found her picking a gemmun's pockets." "Picking a gemmun's pockets! Mercy on us!-O ho, Mifs, you may well shake when you look at me.-Well, Dick, go on." "And fo, Sir, as fhe was a picking the gemmun's pockets, as I was a laying, I comes clofe behind her, and lays hold of her hand in the fact." "Oh, the horrid monster! Well, Madam, have you nothing to say for yourfelf? Ah, you impudent-Dick, take off her patten, that we may carry it before Sir John in the morning." "Aye, that I will, Mifter Conftable; the patten will speak for itfelf, and a d―-d heavy patten it is." Dick ftooped, but Julia wore no pattens.) "Ah, the cunning devil! (continued Dick) fhe has thrown them away. I thought I heard her throw fomething away, as we came along." "Oh, let her alone! (faid the conftable)-fhe's a knowing one: but the fhall doll it in Bridewell tomorrow, for all that.-Aye, you may well fhake when you look at me, you bloody-minded-You may now return to your feat." As Julia was returning to her bench, fhe trembled inceffantly, but never uttered a fyllable. "Oh, (faid Dick) fhe is dumb-foundered with the heinoufnefs of her crime.” "No, (replied a fecond) the is drunk." "Not fo far gone neither (echoed a third) but a quartern of gin would recover her." "Aye, aye, (faid the conftable) there's no doubt but she'll drink; and it's her turn now to fend out. Please Pleafe, Madam, to give this gemmun money for a gallon of Trueman's beft, and for half a gallon of hot, and four papers of 'bacco, and a loaf, and three pound of Cheshire. Here, Scout; walk over, firrah, to the lady, and make her your Sunday's bow-Bring every thing of the beft, and then we'll drink to the lady's health, and to poor Snoring Dick's head; and old Ugly-Face, in the corner, yonder, will fing us the comical fong about the cat and the taylor, and make his wry faces, and we'll be as happy as princes." When this oration was finished, Scout made his obeifance to Julia. She was just able to ask him what ke wanted" Money, Madam." "How much must you have?" -“Oh, you may let me have five or fix fhillings, and I'll make the best market I can, and return you the rest faithfully, Madam, upon my honour-And if that won't be enough, I'll return for more." Julia felt in her pocket for her purfe, (which the highwayman had given her) but fhe could not find it it was gone! On feeing this, the Prefident bawled out immediately, that it was a fham! and Julia protested in vain -The company around heard this with an arch fimile; the watchmen fhook their heads, and the constable grew noify; which awakened an old gentleman who had hitherto flept very foundly in a corner. Ef. timating the thing as favourably as poffible, he had not above half the appearance of a gentleman. The truth is, he was no other than the well known Mr. B, who once had three thoufand a year, though he has not now fixty. He had been lounging as ufual, for eight or nine hours in a Coffee-house in the garden, and then withdrew, as he fre quently does, to the watch-house, either to fleep or drink. On this last account, he was regarded there with fome degree of respect. He naturally inquired the caufe of the noife; and the majority informed him, that it was "only a Madam there, who had pretended fhe had loft her purfe."-Julia appealed to him in her turn; and, with that unaffected fimplicity, which plays about the arguments of truth, informed him, that a watchman had taken hold of her unexpectedly in the street-that fhe was pofitive he had her purse at that time, becaufe a gentleman had given it to her but two minutes before-that from that time she had only walked thither with the watchman, and now fhe miffed her money. "Which watchman was it ?" faid the gentleman. "Me!"-replied Snoring Dick, boldly. "Was it you? (repeated Mr. B.) Ah, Dick! you and I, you know, are old acquaintances, and it is long fince I have known you to be a scoundrel-Therefore, firrah, deliver the purse." "Me! (anfwered Dick)-Have I the purfe?-I'll be d-d if I have any purse about me." "You hav'n't?" "No." "And you won't deliver ?" "Why then, Mr. Conftable, I charge you withwith" "Except indeed (interrupted Dick eagerly) fomething that I picked up in the street, as I was coming along with that there lady." "Ah, you old fox! (faid the gentleman) I thought I fhould unkennel you. Where is this fomething that you picked up from the fireet?" "Here "Here it is but it does not be- Acre, and followed him into a three. long to her." "Pray, Madam, (faid Mr. B-, addreffing Julia) is this your purfe?" "If it has a gold taffel at either end (anfwered Julia) it is mine, Sir, upon my honour." It had fo-was delivered to her, and Mr. B- immediately retired back into his corner to fleep. Julia now willingly paid all the demands made upon her: and the Prefident obferved to her, that as to be fure as how fhe was a good natured lady, and civil, and all them there things, and had given a good account of herfelf, why, to be fure, the might go about her business. Julia thanked him, but mentioned, that he did not know whither to go till morning. Not know! (faid the conftable)why there are five hundred beds around you, where you may fleep for half a crown.”But fhe was a stranger in town, and, did not choofe to venture into ftrange houses. pair-of-ftairs room; humble enough, indeed, but where all was filence. Dick awakened his wife, told her the ftory, whispered her to look fharp after her lodger, and left them. Julia chattered a little while with her landlady, and found her to be civil enough for a watchman's wife. The first thing fhe begged of her was to be favoured with pen, ink, and paper. She got thefe readily; the landlady retired to bed; and Julia wrote the following letter: "Ah! my dear father, fhall we ever meet again? When fhall we meet? Are you well? Shall I ever fee you? and ah ! shall you ever fee me? "I am now-alas! I do not know where I am-nor where I have been nor where I fhall be to-morrow. I feem an outcaft from fociety: I have not met one friend fince I left you: every one deceivés me-every one infults me they have treated me cruelly they have broke my heart-Even Joe has forfaken me: he has deferted me, or he is loftor I know not what has become of him. "Ah, my father! my dear father that Heaven which we both ferve, let that Heaven bear witnefs, that one with alone fills my whole foul-the wish to see you once more, to talk with you, to gaze upon you, to fit once more by your knee.—I would rush into your bofom; I would wet it with my tears, but I would never forfake it never, never!"' Now, gentle reader, if it has been at any time your fate (as it has been mine, and as it is at this moment many a nobler fellow's) to be fitting in that lofty habitation called a garret, plunged in deep diftrefs-no pence in your purfe, no mirth in your heart, and no beef in your belly this has been your cafe, you must well know the comfort that arifes from fhedding your forrows in fecret-the relief that flows from a fhower of folitary tears. In fuch a fituation, next to inftantaneous and abfolute relief, it is the firft of bleffings, and Julia now felt it in all its force Her heart was cafed, and the hoped for a night of reft and better days. Having fealed up her let ter, fhe retired to a bed fo humble, that it kiffed the very ground. She flept nine hours inceffantly, and, when the awoke, found her head refting upon the partition wall which rofe at the back of her bed. At the expiration of this time Julia arofe. Snoring Dick had retired for an hour, to fleep away the fatigues of the night and of the beer pot. His wife was at breakfast, and invited Julia to partake of her bohea -She confented willingly; and the woman, who had but one difh, politely offered it to her gueft, and took for her own ufe a pint-pot from which her husband had been drinking beer. This repaft over, Dick awakened; Julia, who was during breakfast time devifing what measures to follow, propofed at first to engage him to go along with her to the inn where Joe and the ftage-coach were; but on recollecting the dangers the had already experienced in the ftreets, the refolved not to venture upon it again, without a better guide than her friend the watchman. She therefore judged it more prudent to hire him to go to the inn, and to bring Joe along with him to the place where he was. Dick readily af fented to this propofal for the hire of a half crown; which, he ftipulated, fhould be paid him before he fet off, as well as the crown for the bed. All this he received on the fpot, with the letter for her father to be put into the poft-office. He now departed, affuring her, that though she had not the name of the inn to give him, he could readily discover it. It was now rather more than dinner time, but neither Dick nor Joe appeared--Julia was uneafy. Four o'clock ftruck, but brought no comfort with it. It was five--but nobody arrived.. Six, feven, eightnobody. During thefe intervals the paid frequent vifits to an object in diftrefs, in the adjoining chamber, and charged her hoftefs with great fincerity, at whatever time fhe went away, to be attentive to his neceffities till her return. I have faid it was now eight o'clock, and nobody appeared. She became very, very uneafy. It was now half past eight. Still nobody!-Good Heaven! are my misfortunes never to end?" At about a quarter before nine, two of Sir John Fielding's men entered the room, with Dick---drunk, very drunk ---at their head. Now, gentle reader, whatever your thoughts may be, certain it is that Sir John Fielding's men are come in queft of Julia; and I'll lay you plums to pippins that you cannot conjecture their business with her. To understand it, your memory must recur to the adventures of Julia with the highwayman. He had met with her in the bagnio, and given her a purse with money in it, and in their departure from thence, the highwayman was feized---Julia fled, and was by chance conducted to the Round Houfe. The generous highwayman was apprehended upon the information of the contemptible fon of Mars, already noted. When this coxcomb arrived at the office, the fat woman of Holborn had alighted there upon the fame bufinefs. As the the highwayman therefore was fecured, the first bufinefs thought neceffary was to fearch him, and all the different purfes of the company were found upon him, except that of the fat woman.--It was agreed that he could not have spent it in fo fhort a time: ergo, he must have given it away. To corroborate the fufpicion, the men recollected that a woman was along with him when he was apprehended, and the perfumed officer confirmed it. The cafe was therefore plain; Julia must have the purfe in her poffeffion. Away they fallied, with the officers at their head, through the ftreets, bagnios, taverns, and night-houses; but in vain: fhe was no where to be found. The next night, between eight and nine, one of them met Dick the watchman (Dick was at this time returning to Julia without any anfwer or information; for instead of For the COLUMBIAN PHENIX. No. III. O Woman! lovely Woman! nature made thee THERE is no higher evidence of the refinement of the prefent age, than the rank which the fair fex Otway's Venice Preferved. and illiberal fentiments have receded from the human mind, which feems now, under the prefent advantages of knowledge and civility, to be actuated by more generous principles. now hold in fociety. We need only trace the progrefs of manners, and the advancement of civilization, It would be difficult, I believe, to be convinced that it is to them for the most inquifitive philofophy we are indebted for the politer arts to fatisfy itself with regard to that and the more elegant enjoyments in- moral distinction, which fome are cident to focial life. In the earliest anxious to make between the two days of feudal barbarity, women were fexes, not much to the honour of little better than flaves to their huf- that, which is emphatically denomibands; and the dominion of the lat- nated fair. For my own part, I ter over the former was almost as never can behold an amiable woman, abfolute as was their property in without feeling a respect for her alcattle. But in proportion to the moft bordering upon devotion; and decline of ignorance, thefe narrow when I fee her engaged in the more interesting |