Far better would it be, and more acceptable to their own interests, were they to excavate for his bones, and show them at the rate of sixpence a-head, over and above the ordinary admittance to their other shows!-and so with this for the present we say,-GOOD NIGHT.

THE END.

POSTSCRIPT.

THE possibilities of Romance bear the same sort of comparative resemblance to occasional occurrences in real life which the works of Art do to those of Nature. Fiction, for example, has not yet invented any description of human affairs, so marvellous in incident, and so dramatic in circumstances and conclusion, as the public transactions of the French Revolution; and yet how much more romantic must have been the fortunes of many an individual who bore an unknown part in the vicissitudes of that great tragedy. It is, therefore, not so much the business of the romancer to invent wonderful incidents, as to depict characters suitable to the incidents he intends to describe, and to sustain them in their adventures with consistency.

How far the tale of Rothelan shall in this respect be found to have answered the endeavours of the author, the reader alone can determine; but the story which suggested the original idea of the fable, is much more extraordinary than the attempt which has been made to invest modern facts and observations with the garb of antique fiction.

Though, for a purpose sufficiently obvious, the scene of the romance has been laid in a remote age, the lawyer, if any such should chance to dip into these pages, will find that it is but a version of the celebrated case of the Annesley family. The circumstances which came out in evidence during the judicial proceedings of that romantic story, as detailed in the State Trials, far exceed in improbability any thing which a romance-writer, with a due regard to criticism, would venture to relate; and yet the cause was tried in the reign of George II. But, perhaps, it will be more interesting to quote here a brief contemporary account of the circumstances alluded to.

"From the Memoirs of an unfortunate young Nobleman, returned from a thirteen Years' Slavery in America, where he had been sent by the wicked Contrivances of his cruel Uncle.

"THE first forty pages relate to the noble parents of this abandoned child, whose life, it seems, was an obstruction to the grant of some leases which the extravagance of the baron, his father, made necessary. He was therefore removed from a public to a very obscure school; and letters were written to corroborate a report of his death, and of that of the baroness, who had been forced to retire for subsistence to the duke, her father, in another kingdom. After which, the relation says, that the baron, her husband, married a woman who happened, amidst the variety he had tried, to please and fix him.

His

"On his father ceasing to pay for his board at school, this young nobleman began to feel his misfortunes. clothes grew ragged and too little for him; his fare coarse and scanty; no recreations allowed; never looked upon but with frowns, nor spoke to but with reproaches; continually reprimanded; often cruelly beaten; sometimes barely for not doing what none took the pains to instruct him in. While others at his age were at their school-exercises, he was employed either in drawing water, cleaning knives, or some servile office; thus he continued for more than two years, when, growing more sensible of his ill usage, he began to murmur, but was told, that he was kept only on charity, and if he liked not that way of life, he might seek a better. The poor innocent, thinking he could not fare worse, without clothes, money, or the least hint given him where to find his father, turned his back upon that scene of woe, travelled without knowing where to go, till he came to a small village. His tender limbs being much fatigued, for he was but turned of ten years old, he sat down at a door, and wept bitterly for want of food. A good old woman relieved him with some bread, meat, and butter-milk, which enabled him to pursue his journey till he arrived at

the capital. Here, friendless and hungry, he fell again into tears; which not availing him, he was obliged to beg, and, by his modest deportment, obtained some relief, and at night took up his lodging in a church porch. Next morning, recollecting that his schoolmaster talked of writing to his father in this city, he went from one street to another inquiring for the baron, at length was informed, that his lordship had retired from town some time, none knew whither, on account of his debts. Our noble wanderer, now without hope, hunger pressing, and some churlish people threatening him with the house of correction for asking relief, he took to running of errands, and procured a mean subsistence, after the manner of other poor boys. It happened one day some boys fell upon him, and beat him severely, calling him dog and scoundrel, words he could less bear than the blows. He answered, They lied; he was better than the best of them; his father was a lord; and he should be a lord when a man. After this he was in derision called my lord, which the mistress of a house hearing, called him, and seeing he had no deformity to deserve the title, as vulgarly given, Tell me, says she, why they call you my lord.-Madam, replied he, I shall be a lord when my father dies.-Ay ! said she, who is your father?The Baron of A—, and my mother is the Baroness of A- but she has left the kingdom, and they say I shall never see her again.-Who tells you all this?—I know it very well; I lived in a great house once, and had a footman, and then was carried to a great school, and was reckoned the head boy there, and had the finest clothes; afterwards I was carried to another school, and there they abused me sadly, because they said my father would not pay for me.-Why do you not go to your father?-I don't know where to find him, answered the poor innocent, and burst into tears.Do you think you should know him ?— Yes, very well, though it is a great while since I saw him; but I remember he used to come in a coach and six to see me when I lived at the great school.-Moved at this account, but willing to examine him more strictly, she said, You are a lying boy, for that lord's son is dead. He re