I know not what her impatience may lead her to."

"Be sure the first moment I can without suspicion absent myself from court, I will fly like a hawk,” replied the noble. "But in the mean while let her lack nothing by way of amusement to make her content with her condition. The players may be had to entertain her, or any other pastime she is likely to take pleasure in. Spare neither expense nor trouble. Have ever ready such variety of enjoyments that she can get tired of none; and so possess no time to reflect on any other matter, save the bountifulness of the provider."

"It shall be done, my lord, without delay.”
"And mark me," continued his companion.
"Ay, my lord," answered the other.

"Let Mistress Crupper take proper heed that this sweet angel of mine firmly believeth herself to be amongst persons of worship. Let her manners be in accordance with her assumed station, at the same time that in every point she behaveth with the most delicate respect to her fair prisoner."

"I have already so ordered it," replied his associate; "and Moll knoweth her own interests too well to mar them by any misbehaving. I do assure you, my lord, she playeth her part in the choicest fashion-never a lady in the land could do it better."

"Provided that be the case, she shall have a

suitable reward," said the nobleman. "But I must be gone. Haste back, and keep her in continual impatince of my coming. cautious my name be not

But above all things be dropped on any consideration, nor ought done which might in any manner point to me as holding the slightest share in such proceedings."

"Rely on it, my lord," answered his companion, and so saying both departed their several ways, the one chuckling at the weight of the purse, which had rewarded his infamous proceedings, and the other congratulating himself on the apparent success of his villainous agent.

CHAPTER V.

I have been readie at your hand
To grant whatever you might crave,
I have both waged life and land

Your love and good will for to have.
I bought thee kerchers to thy head
That were wrought fine and gallantly,
I kept thee booth at boord and bed,
Which cost my purse well favouredly.
I bought thee peticotes of the best,
The cloth as fine as might be ;

I gave thee jewels for thy chest,
And all this cost I spent on thee.

BALLAD OF LADIE GREENSLEEVES.

Thou art a shameless villain !

A thing out of the overcharge of nature :
Sent like a thick cloud to disperse a plague
Upon weak catching women! Such a tyrant
That for his lust would sell away his subjects,
Ay, all his Heaven hereafter.

BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER.

MABEL was left in as bad hands as it could be possible for her to fall into. It is a question whether so vile a pair could elsewhere have been met with a matter of huge congratulation to all virtuous minds. These two were thoroughly heartless, because thoroughly selfish-lost to all sense of shame from being deaf to every murmur of conscience-careless of report, knowing they had no character to lose, and wishing only to live, out of

extreme disinclination to die. They had been in companionship with each other for years, believing such villainy as they possessed would only be tolerated by those who were most familiar with it; but their bad passions were ever breaking forth, and it appeared as if they were allowed to live the better to remind each other of the monstrous baseness of their behaviour.

All that such wretches could do, aided by the most consummate hypocrisy, and with every help unbounded wealth could procure, was essayed to render the pure mind of the poor foundling accessible to the villainy that had been devised against her. Turn where she would, her eyes met images of voluptuousness—and at all times her ears were invaded with meanings in opposition to all honourable notions; but the extreme craft of this, overthrew itself. The mind of the gentle Mabel was so essentially pure, that although it would admit readily every image of beauty, such characters came there completely divested of ought of an objectionable shape, and her nature was so perfectly innocent, that indelicacy of any sort was to her a foreign language, which she heard but could not understand. Whereof the consequence was she remained despite of all this great expenditure of subtlety, as chaste in heart as the day she first entered those polluted walls.

If anything could lead a woman from her own

integrity, the incense which was continually being offered to her vanity, in artful praises of her person, and in the constantly varying costliness of its decorations, might have sufficed; but the vanity of the poor foundling seemed so remotely seated, that this precious artillery never touched it. She took the flattery as said out of goodness; and wore the parel as sent out of kindness.

ap

Many days had passed and Mabel still remained unconscious of her danger, and in less anxiousness concerning of the old knight and the good dame, than she was at first, because her assumed friend, the fictitious Lady Comfit, had assured her she had informed them of her safety and comfort. Her only desire was that the youthful sleeper, who had got himself so roughly used for her sake, might not have been much hurt, and that she should be allowed some early opportunity of thanking him for his extreme readiness to help her in her need. She was rarely left alone, and scarce a moment was allowed her for reflection: and the conversation of her crafty companion kept her in a constant state of marvel, admiration, and curiousness concerning of the princely gentleman who had, as she thought, taken such strange means to shew his love for her. One day, as it were by accident, she had been left by herself, and naturally fell to musing on the mystery of those transactions in which she had been made so prominent a feature. She sat clothed in all the splen