lous, by an affected support, warmly took the part of the traveller.

The Doctor saw and heard all this with envious eyes and ears, and began to ponder his misfortune in being placed so hors de combat, or, what was worse, in combat with Mr. Placid, who gave no scope whatever to his dialectic powers. In this emergency, some assertion of the traveller in respect to the great King of Prussia staggered the noble host, particularly as Evelyn said it was a good argument, if the fact were true; and all he had to do was to doubt the fact, until better informed. Appeal was made to Tremaine, as having been at Berlin, but he protested the King of Prussia had been so long dead when he was there, that he could say nothing with accuracy on the subject. It was then that the Doctor's good star presided, for Lord Bellenden recollecting he had travelled many years before, and had seen the great Frederick alive, determined to appeal to him, which he accordingly did in a voice quite loud enough to be heard. The Doctor felt great pleasure at being thus appealed to; but though Lord Bellenden's language were as clear as his lungs were good, he nevertheless protested, with many apologies, that he hay-pened to be so vary deef that day with a cauld, that he had not the honour of being able to make oot his lordship's quastion.

"Suppose you come among us?" said Lord Bellenden; 66 we can make room for you."

"Weellingly, my Lord," answered the delighted Doctor; and then with his napkin and dessert plate in his hand, he bade adieu to his more ordinary neighbours, to follow fortune in a higher circle.

The question was whether Frederick the Great had not imitated the example of Elizabeth.

"I suppose," said the Doctor, with a grave and wise air, as becoming one who had been chosen a referee, "ye all know he was called Le Roi philosophe et guerrier."

"To be sure we do," answered the traveller, "who does not ?"

"I confess I did not," said Mr. Beaumont, with great seriousness; "I should be glad to hear Dr. M'Ginnis."

"Sir, you do me great honour," returned the Doctor, bowing; "and sir," turning to the traveller, "you will never airgu if you hurry thengs; you are too raypid by half."

"I am not arguing," replied the traveller, "I am only advancing a fact which you cannot deny ;-if you do, I only refer you to Baron Reisbach's account of Frederick the Great."

"Sir," rejoined the historian, "it is not I that am to be referred to any account of a man whose life

I have made it my beesiness to study; but the theng lies much deeper: ye are upon the nature of laws, and as I collacted where I sat, upon cay-pital punishments."

"I thought you were so deaf, you could not hear," said Sir Marmaduke.

The Doctor looked adust, but Mr. Beaumont gravely observed, he knew from experience, that it was the nature of deafness to hear at one time and not at another.

"I thank ye sir, again," said the Doctor; "ye have explained it vary philosophically.”

"But the King of Prussia," again cried the traveller, with encreased eagerness.

"We are not yet ripe for him," answered the phlegmatic jurisconsult; "a mere fact will do nothing, tell ye have sattled the whole theory and nature of laws in general. I presume you have never read Ulpian or Papinian

"No! thank Heaven!" said the traveller, quite vexed.

"And yet no one," replied the Doctor, unmoved, "need thank Heaven for his own ignorance;" at which many of the company laughed, to the annoyance of the traveller. "Perhaps," continued the Doctor, enjoying his advantage, "ye have not canvassed the laws of the twelve tables, foonded upon those of

Solon, and sent for express from Rome to Athens. But ye possibly have heard of Draco."

"This is quite unbearable," groaned the traveller.

"Depend upon it, he cannot contradict your fact," whispered Mr. Beaumont, encouraging him.

"When my gude Lord Bellenden and this gude company," continued the Doctor, "shall have heard the end of my airgument

"I own I have not heard the beginning of it," said Lord Bellenden; to which Sir Marmaduke added, it was a damned dry argument, and desired they would push about the bottle.

"Shall we go to the ladies?" asked Tremaine, almost dead with ennui.

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They have not sent for us," said Lord Bellenden. "My good Doctor," said Lord Bellenden, "all we want to know is, whether the King of Prussia imitated the example of the Empress Elizabeth, as Sir William Wagstaff says, (and I venture to deny,) in abolishing capital punishments."

"Your Lordship is parfectly corract," returned the Doctor.

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Impossible!" ejaculated the traveller, “I will shew it you in Baron Reisbach's eulogy, and it was always so held when I was at Berlin; I cannot be mistaken. O! if I had but a Reisbach!"

"I do not exactly deny or affirm any thing," replied the Doctor, not willing to hazard himself as to the fact; "but only that he did not eemitate Eleezabeth."

This is too much, thought Tremaine, and jumping on his legs, fairly walked through a garden door, to recover himself from a disgust no longer bearable.

Not so Mr. Beaumont, who rather enjoyed the scene. "I think your discrimination is perfectly just," cried he to Dr. M'Ginnis, " and I own I come over to you."

"I thought you would," observed the Doctor, looking at Lord Bellenden for approbation.

Lord Bellenden was however too just to accept of such doubtful assistance, and moreover not very much delighted with his auxiliary: he therefore begged him to say candidly as far as he knew, whether Frederick did or did not enact the abolition. "To say as far as I know upon any subject," said the historian with great dignity, "would be to say

a great deal."

"Then out with it all at once," cried Sir Marmaduke, filling his glass.

"Heaven forbid !" ejaculated Evelyn.

"We shall never get at the point," observed Lord Bellenden.

"I am quite satisfied," exclaimed the traveller, "So am I," echoed Evelyn.