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Gerbert, pretending to be deeply affected by the Duke's condefcending behaviour, made the most grateful acknowledgements for it, and appeared to be extremely pleafed at his restoration: but there is an old faying which may be here introduced with some propriety, though antient laws, like antient coins, are feldom efteemed but by those who are acquainted with their intrinfic (not current) value: "When the Devil gets into a man's head, he is not eafily driven out."

Gerbert, notwithstanding the Monk's arguments and admonitions, felt himself ftill inclined to carry his daring scheme into execution, and only wore the mafk of hypocrify upon his face, in order to conceal the traiterous defigns of his heart. He was really, indeed, pleased to find himself fully reftored to William's favour; but the pleafure which he received upon the occafion, was greatly heightened by his confidering the return of the Duke's partiality as the ladder from the top of which he was to mount his throne.

While he was now thoroughly heated by ambition, he spent all his leisure hours in making a felection of thofe among his friends whom he deemed most fit, from a fimilarity of fentiments, to put the grand machine into motion; and he received from all to whom he communicated his intentions, as much encouragement as he could poffibly expect, and as much, indeed, as the nature of the bufinefs admitted. A deep confpiracy was now formed against the unfufpicious Duke, whofe partiality to the very man who was plotting against his Crown, and perhaps his life, daily encreased.

Gerbert, however, while he was fecretly endeavouring to ftir up the difcontented among his countrymen to rebellion, was fomewhat checked in his career by the difpleafure of the Dutchefs, who, having been not a little incenfed against him, for the basenefs of his behaviour to his own wife, a lady for whom she had a fincere regard, did all in her power to weaken the Duke's attach ́ment to him, and had, upon his abrupt departure from Court, after the mortifying reprimand he had received, made a spirited effort to exclude his return with his former influence. Of the Dutchefs, his declared enemy, and a woman of uncommon abilities and addrefs, he was very much afraid; and as his wife was always near her perfon, he was continually apprehenfive of the discovery of 'his machinations. Guilt and fufpicion are infeparable companions; and the man who is haunted by them, need not wifh for more severe tormentors.

The baseness of Gerbert's behaviour to his wife, was occafioned by his connection with a French lady of cafy virtue, of whom he was immoderately fond; and, intoxicated with vanity, he imagined that he was moft feriously, moft fincerely beloved by her : but he was grofsly mistaken. As a man who was in a fituation to VOL. VII. 158.

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fupport her in the ftyle fhe chofe to live, fhe admitted him at all hours to her apartments; but as avarice was her ruling paffion, fhe only pretended to feel an affectionate efteem for him, in order to draw from his purse the necessary supplies.

When a woman only admits a man to the last favour for the fake of the money which she can extract from him, and not from any perfonal affection, it is very natural to fuppofe that the failure of the one will deftroy even the appearance of the other. This was precisely the cafe with regard to Gerbert's mistress; a woman of wit and beauty, with much fenfe and many accomplishments; who, not finding her dupe, one day, quite fo generous as the wifhed him to be, (to enable her to make a particular purchase on which she had fet her heart,) rallied him fo fmartly upon his want of fpirit, that he was exceedingly galled by her fatirical effufions; and not being at all in a jocular humour, he returned answers which produced a serious and fharp altercation between them.

In confequence of this altercation, a breach was made between the favourite and his mistress; and in confequence of this breach, Emma, whom he had imprudently acquainted with his ambitious views, informed his wife of them, who immediately disclosed her most interesting intelligence to the Dutchess.

Clotilda, when the wife of Gerbert made her important difclosure, was so astonished that she could hardly give credit to what fhe heard. As much as the was inflamed againft her husband's undeferving favourite, fhe could not, for fome time, bring herself to believe that he had projected the Duke's dethronement: but the was not long in a state of incredulity; the difcoveries which Emma had made, precluded all doubts with regard to the authenticity of her information.

The Duke's furprize, when he was informed by Clotilda of Gerbert's designs, was not less than her's had been: he now condefcended to liften to her advice, and, agreeably to that, determined not to take any notice of the confpiracy formed against him, but to proceed in the most private manner to get all the confpirators into his power, and to bring them all to the punishment they had merited.

Gerbert's wife, in confequence of a converfation with the Dutchefs, after the discovery of a state fecret in which she was herself fo deeply interested, advised the mistress of her licentious hufband to ufe all the arts in her power to promote a reconciliation, that fhe might come at the bottom of all his defigns against the Duke; and to procure intelligence, from time to time, concerning the execution of them. Emma, being well rewarded by the Dutchess for what fhe had already communicated, and encouraged to expect large additions for her future disclosures, acted agree ́ably to her instructions, and with so much success, that Gerbert, overpowered

overpowered by her beauty and her blandishments, became like a Sampfon in the hands of a Delilah.

Clotilda (for the Duke having received the strongest proofs of her political fagacity, trufted the whole conduct of this fingular affair to her management,) finding that Gerbert had deluded some of the principal perfons in one of the provinces belonging to the Duke, fent for them to her own apartments, and there fo confounded them by acquainting them with fome particulars relating to their difloyal behaviour, that they fell on their knees before her, offered to make any fubmiffions the required, in order to screen themselves from the Duke's juft refentment, and, in the most fo lemn manner, promifed not only to put a stop to all their iniquitous proceedings, but to fupport the Duke's Government, in future, with the utmoft fidelity.

Clotilda told them, in return, that their fubmiffions and their promises would be equally infufficient, if they did not alfo agree to act according to her directions with regard to the man who had prevailed on them to facilitate the execution of his base design. They immediately, and without the least hesitation, declared themfelves ready to do whatever fhe defired, without any referved conditions. She then ordered them to go back to their respective habitations, to behave to Gerbert in fuch a manner as to give him no reason to suspect a difcovery of his intentions, and to get from him in writing the regulations which he propofed to make upon his advancement, by ufurpation, to the Dutchy of Guienne.

With this command the Provincials were difmiffed; and they had the fear of the gibbet too much before their eyes, not to obferve, with the utmost punctuality, the commiffion with which the Dutchefs had charged them. As foon as they had, from the unfufpecting Gerbert, drawn the manufcript which they wanted, and which contained damning proofs of his guilt, they acquainted Clo tilda with their fuccefs, and were fummoned foon afterwards to Court, in order to confront the false favourite, with these proofs in their hands.

Gerbert, equally lulled into a state of delufion, by the flattering behaviour of the Duke and Dutchefs to him, ran precipitately to his ruin; and his deceitful miftrefs was not inactive against him.

On the day appointed by Clotilda for the grand shock to be given to Gerbert, who appeared, in confequence of his self-deceptions, remarkably airy and satisfied, though he was at the fame moment meditating the expulfion of his belt benefactor, the Provincials, with the taint of rebellion upon them, though they had been pardoned for their defection from loyalty, made their appearance, each of them with a paper figned by Gerbert in his hand. On their approach to the elevated fpot where the Duke and Dutchess were fitting, Gerbert, who flood oppofite to them, and

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who had been particularly noticed by them, ftarted a little at the fight of the laft man whom he expected to fee in that place. He changed colour; but foon recovering himself, endeavoured to look as unconcerned as if his mind was perfectly at eafe: but in vain ; the Duke and Dutchefs both fixing their eyes full upon him, doubled his confufion. Clotilda then called upon the Provincials to know their bufincfs at Court; and they, advancing refpectfully, prefented the papers they had brought for her inspection. On the delivery of thofe papers, Gerbert became fo very much difconcerted, that he could not fupport the alarms which a conscious nefs of his guilt had occafioned: he, therefore, gradually retreated, in order to make his escape; but the Duke perceiving his defign, inftantly prevented his departure, by ordering the guards in waiting to take him into cuftody. When that order was obeyed, the Dutchefs prefented the written teftimonies fhe had received of Gerbert's rebellious machinations. The Duke read thefe with aftonishment he read them alfo with compaffion; however, the fenfations excited by the latter, yielded to others which a recollection of the bafenefs and ingratitude of his favourite produced. First charging him, therefore, with the blackeft of crimes, and then holding out the proofs he had received of his treason, he commanded the guards to carry him to the caftle fet apart for prifoners of state.

Gerbert was tried, convicted, and condemned; and would have been conveyed to the place of execution, had not the fupplications and interceffions of the woman whom he had most injured, his amiable and exemplary wife, faved him from an ignominious death. He was permitted to live; but he thought himself feverely punished by the confifcation of his large poffeffions, and the banishment of his perfon,

The Hiftory of the PEASANT YAARAB: An EASTERN TALĘ,

N OT far from the fuperb city of Damafcus, in those flowery

plains upon which nature has lavishly poured her moft precious gifts, dwelt Yaarab; who, though a peasant, in happiness surpaffed Princes and Emperors.------By the labour of his hands he earned his bread; and the fame toil by which he procured a fubfiftence, ftrung his nerves, and gave him a robust and healthy conftitution, for the want of which the rich and opulent languifh amidst the gratifications of luxury.----The life of Yaarab was completely happy, notwithstanding his poverty. He was poffeffed of the greatest blifs the fons of men can enjoy ; a blifs which the poor may partake of as well as the rich. He loved, and was beloved by Fatima the shepherdefs, whofe beauty could not be fur

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paffed by the fairest Circaffians in the harams of the Prince of the faithful. The lilly combined with the rofe to form her complexion her hair was blacker than the plumes of the raven ; and the luftre of her eye excelled that of the brighteft gem of Golconda. She lent a favourable ear to the unpolifhed addreffes of Yaarab, whofe life glided away in happiness, and to whofe ruftic cabbin no anxious cares, no gloomy inquietudes, approached. One. day, as he was employed in tilling the ground, his fpade struck against a stone, which having with much difficulty removed, he perceived several narrow footsteps, which his curiofity, a paffion as powerful in the uninftructed peafant as in the learned and knowing, tempted him to defcend.---After having paffed feveral turnings and windings, he entered a vault, in the lower end of which a lamp obfcurely glimmered. He approached, though with fome terror, and underneath the lamp perceived a tomb of marble, with the following infcription upon it:

"What Naour, during his life, held moft dear, could not be separated from him by death. If any audacious mortal fhould. ever take it hence, may the Angel of Darkness turn it to his de-. ftruction."

Yaarab, though he was fomewhat intimidated, felt his curiofity more powerful than his fear. Having, with much difficulty, opened the tomb, he perceived in it the body of a man, almoft reduced to ashes, and in one corner a cheft of ebony.---In this chest he found a confiderable quantity of pieces of gold, a treasure which gave him inexpreffible delight. He feized it with eagerness, and, re-ascending, placed the ftone in its former position, and covered it over with earth. The treafure he immediately concealed with great caution in his cabbin, nor did he communicate his fplen-did acquifition even to his beloved Fatima. His nature underwent a fudden alteration: he felt himself agitated by alternate. hopes and fears; and his thoughts were fo much engroffed about the difpofal of his riches to advantage, that his former chearfulnefs of temper abandoned him. He fhunned his once loved Fatima; his days were spent in anxious folicitude, and his nights were fleepless; or if his eyes were fometimes closed in a tranfient flumber, his repofe was difturbed by various phantoms, whose malignant fuggeftions helped to encrease the distraction of his mind, and add to his weight of care.---Luxury, with feducing mien, and infinuating speech, earneftly exhorted him to enjoy the prefent hour, and to plunge deep into all the pleafures which riches can bestow. When his foul feemed inclined to admit delight, when he began to give ear to these flattering infinuations, the phantom all on a fudden vanished, and gave place to a hideous figure, whofe fqualid appearance and wrinkled afpect, as well as the maxims which it inculcated, fufficiently difcovered to be Avarice. This

monster

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