was the ray that gilded his last moments, that he fell, gloriously fell, a facrifice to his duty!

Frederic. He did fo! my honoured Lieutenant. The flags of France and Spain ftruck to the fuperior genius and energy of Britain at the fame inftant. Hauled down at the moment his breath departed, they may be termed the winding-fheets that cover him with glory. Who would not have died, fo to have triumphed, fo to have been lamented?

Lieutenant. Any one would, my dear Frederic. There was not a man in the fleet that did not envy the fall, and, as far as his power extended, emulate the actions of the Commander in Chief.

Frederic. This is unquestionable. Our brave com. panions are most excellent fellows at fea. What we fhall do with those that we have on fhore must be left to wifer heads than mine.

Lieutenant. Your indulgent father, our Captain, Frederic, in giving part of his crew leave of abfence for three days, and sending us on fhore to take care of them, has decreed to us a harder task than even he, with all his experience, could have imagined.

Frederic. Efpecially as these three days are fome of the Christmas holydays-in this part of the world, a season of most exuberant hilarity with much more regular beings than English failors.

Lieutenant. In fact, though I have some opinion of the difcretion of Toby Tiller, our old coxswain, I doubt whether on fhore he will be able to manage even his own boat's crew; therefore I with them all safe on board again.

Enter TOBY TILLER.

Toby. Safe on board again, Lieutenant, and our young Captain Frederic! fo do I; but you might as well wish to fail under jury-masts, and without a rudder, to the Eaft Indies.

Lieutenant.

Lieutenant. Why fo, Toby?

Toby. Why fo? because they wish to leave their convoy: the devil a fignal can I get them to obey. Frederic. No!

Toby. No. Therefore, if fome of them don't go to the bottom-but no matter! I fay, if you ever get all the limbs, or indeed all the hulls, on board again that drifted on fhore at this place, I'll be content to be configned to the lafh of Frank Flay, our boatswain. Lieutenant. How fo, Toby?

Toby. How fo, your honour? I'll tell you.

Frederic. Firft tell me what's the matter with your ftarboard arm? How came that in the flings?

Toby. How came my arm in the flings?—I believe the necks of half our crew will be in them before they have done-but that belongs to my ftory.

Frederic. Oh, if it does, pray tell it in your own

way.

Toby. I will, your honour-Hem! December the wenty-fixth, seven o'clock ante meridian, boatswain piped all hands on deck-Obferved through the haze Rocky Headland bearing full weft-Weather moderate, for the feafon-Took our allowance-Light gales came on, fo we determined to go upon an expedition. Frederic. So! this feems to begin well.

Toby. Yes! Tom Taffrel took the commandhoifted the flag, and fired a piftol out of the cabin window to collect the fleet-It was ten before all the veffels got under way.

Lieutenant. I fuppofe you mann'd all the carriages in the town?.

Toby. We did fo, your honour, and all the horses too-Off we fet about eleven-Pilots attempted to fteer right in the wind's eye-would not let them.Fired a gun, and luffed a-lee-driven into contrary currents Commodore let fly the Union Enfign, and placed me in the steerage-Wind had thifted north-eaft

by

by caft-Fleet difperfed-Bore away for different ports Took in plenty of provifions-a large ftock of liquor, but no water.

Lieutenant. No! I dare fay you did not.

Toby. Four o'clock poft meridian: Prepared to return from our cruife. Commodore's veffel yawed confoundedly. I mounted the poop, faw that the rest were in the fame fituation-ran foul of each otherfired fignals of diftrefs. Foggy weather. Wind blew a taught gale-cleared for a minute, tried to take an obfervation, faw double. Gale increased-the veffels wherein the girls were ftowed fuffered most from Squalls -lighted the top lanterns-puffed out in a minutefhips foundered-boats capfized-darkness came onblew like the devil-fnap went the braces-crack the cabin windows-fell overboard myself-rigging tore to ribands got into a whirlpool-women floated to fhore-heavy fhower-faw a light at a distance, thought it was Davy Jones upon a maft-proved tø be the lantern at an ale-house.

Lieutenant and Frederic. Ha! ha! ha!

Toby. No laughing matter, your honours. Lieutenant. Not to you, Toby; but you have not told us how your arm came in the bilboes.

Toby. When our fhip went bump afhore, fell off the poop, there were no gratings; fo my yard-arm got under the keel; I thought it had fnapped; but the Doctor fays, it don't want fplicing, only belaying a bit. Lieutenant. Well, are there any more wounded?

Toby. Many; but none dangerously. Doctor has full employment this morning; I left him as soon as I was dressed, caulking their seams, repairing their timbers, and new paying their fterns where the theathing. had rubbed off their bottoms.

Frederic. Then I think he has bufinefs enough in deed.

Toby. Yes, your honour-but I believe he 'll make them fit for another day's fervice however.

Frederic. You'll have a pretty heavy bill to pay for repairs, Toby.

Toby. Yes, your honour-men and veffels, our hor will be a fixty-eight pounder at least. However, I think we fhall do better to-day, for our Commodore tells me, we are only to fail in lug-boats.

Frederic. Nay, friend Toby, now you are too deep for us; you must explain.

Toby. Why, they intend to mount neddies. Frederic. Now I am as wife as I was before. Lieutenant. Oh, I can tranflate our Coxfwain's language. He means affes.

Toby. Ay, we call them neddies in the west.

Lieutenant. So we do; but what of those ?

Toby. What? Why, we fhall have a fight, boarding each other, furious onfet-yard-arm to yard-armonly we can get none of our crew to act the parts of Frenchmen.

Lieutenant. Heaven forbid they should!

Toby. However, if the wind don't fhift above three points, and nothing prevents

Frederic. Something I believe has prevented al

ready

What are these?

[Shouting and laughing without.

Toby. What, don't your honour know your own crew, now they are bedizened with ribands and Christmas? They feem to be capering like cockboats; let them fcud away; but as my veffel is crank, I'll go and chuck in fome ballaft.

[Exit TOBY TILLER.

Enter

Enter JACK CAPSTAN, TOM TAFFREL, and other Sailors; the First Gypfey, Second Gypfey, and other Gypfies.-They form a ring, and dance.

Lieutenant. Who are thofe ladies that our crew are fo extremely gallant with?

[First Gypfey takes the hand of the Lieutenant, Second Gypfey the hand of FREDERIC.

SONG.

if Gypfey. We travel from country to town,
And carry our loads at our backs:

We pick up our bread, white or brown,
And then let our comrades go fnacks.

2d Gypfay. The girl whofe foft heart is quite loft,.
To us oft applies for relief;

As foon as our hands fhe has crofs'd,
We fend her to fearch for the thief.

If Gypsey. Should poultry or pigs go aftray,
And efcape under cover of night,
We act in the very fame way,

And, furnish'd with wings, take our flight.

2d Gypsey. Should conftables dog at our heels,
With bailiffs and beadles to boot,
We fkim over hedges and fields,
To avoid any legal dispute.

Gypfey. We lawyers and juftices hate,

We hope that none ever may need 'em ;
Of no fervice are they in the ftate,

But to rob our poor clan of their freedom.

Frederic. Who are thefe, that are fo fond of freedom?

Taffrel. Gypfies, your honour, whom we met as we were going upon a cruife. When I was in Greenland

Lieutenant, Avaft, Tom; clap a ftopper upon your cable. You may always obferve, Frederic, that we adhere the closest to the thing that we are in most danger

B 4