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Parley, of ridicule on his master, and of abufive fneers on the BOOK in which the master's laws were written. Against this last he had always a particular fpite, for he confidered it as the grand inftrument by which the master maintained his fervants in allegiance, and when they' could once be brought to fneer at the Book, there was an end of fubmiffion to the mafter. Parley had not penetration enough to fee his drift. "AS TO THE BOOK, Mr. Flatterwell," faid he, "I do not know whether it be true or falfe, I rather neglect than difbelieve it. I am forced, indeed, to hear it read once a week, but I never look into it myself if I can help it.""Excellent," faid Flatterwell to himself, "that is juft the fame thing. This is fafe ground for me; for whether a man does not believe in THE BOOK, or does not attend to it, it comes pretty much to the fame, and I generally get him at laft."

"Why cannot we be a little nearer, Mr. Parley ?" faid Flatter well; "I am afraid of being overheard by fome of your mafter's fpies; the window from which you speak is so high; I wish you would come down to the door."-" Well,' faid Parley, “I fee no great harm in that. There is a little wicket in the door through which we can converse with more eafe and equal fafety. The fame faftenings will be fill between us." So down he went, but not without a degree of fear and trembling.

The little wicket being now opened, and Flat

A a

terwell standing clofe on the outside of the door, they converfed with great cafe." Mr. Parley," faid Flatterwell, " I should not have preffed you fo much to admit me into the castle, but out of pure difinterested regard to your own happiness. I fhall get nothing by it, but I cannot bear to think that a perfon fo wife and amiable should be fhut up in this gloomy dungeon, under a hard master, and a flave to the unreasonable tyranny of his BOOK OF LAWS. If you admit me, you need have no more waking, no more watching." Here Parley involuntarily flipped back the bolt of the door. "To convince you of my true love," continued Flatterwell, "I have brought a bottle of the most delicious wine that grows in the wilderness. You fhall taste it, but you muft put a glafs through the wicket to receive it, for it is a fingular property in this wine, that we of the wilderness cannot fucceed in conveying it to you of the caftle, without you hold out a veffel to receive it."-" O, here is a glais," faid Parley, holding out a large goblet, which he always kept ready to be filled by any chance comer. The other immediately poured into the capacious goblet, a large draught of that delicious intoxicating liquor with which the family of the Fatterwells have for near 6000

ained the hearts, and deftroyed the fouls which inhabitants of the caftle, whenever cian. been able to prevail on them to hold tion, to receive it. This the wife mafter pleasure well knew would be the cafe, for he

knew what was in men; he knew their propenfi. ty to receive the delicious poifon of the Flatter wells, and it was for this reafon that he gave them THE BOOK of his laws, and planted the hedge, and invented the bolts, and doubled the locks.,

As foon as poor Parley had fwallowed the fatal draught, it acted like enchantment. He had no fense of fear left. He at once loft all power of refiftance. He defpifed his own fafety, forgot his mafter, loft all fight of the house in the other country, and reached out for another draught as eagerly as Flatterwell held out the bottle to adminifter it. "What a fool have I been," said Parley, " to deny myself fo long.". "Will you let me in ?" faid Fatterwell. " Aye, that I will," faid the deluded Parley. Though the train was now increased to near a hundred robbers, yet fo intoxicated was Parley, that he did not fee one of them, except his new friend. Parley eagerly pulled down the bars, drew back the bolts, and forced open the locks, thinking he could never let in his friend foon enough? He, had however, juft presence of mind to say, "My dear friend, I hope you are alone." Flatterwell fwore he was-Parley opened the doorIn rushed, not Flatterwell only, but the whole banditti, who always lurk behind in his train. The moment they had got fure poffeffion. Flatterwell changed his foft tone, and cried out in a voice of thunder, "Down with the caftle; kil!, burn, and destroy.'

Rapine, murder, and conflagration, by turns,

took place. Parley was the very firft whom they attacked. He was overpowered with wounds. As he fell, he cried out, "O my mafler, I die a victim to my unbelief in thee, and to my own vanity and imprudence. O that the guardians of all other caftles would hear me with my dying breath repeat my master's admonition, that all attacks from without will not deftroy unless there is fome confederate within. O that the keepers of all other caftles would learn, from my ruin, that he who parleys with temptation is already undone. That he who allows himself to go to the very bounds, will foon jump over the hedge; that he who talks out of the window with the enemy, will foon open the door to him; that he who holds out his hand for the cup of finful flattery, lofes all power of refifting; that when he opens the door to one fin, all the rest fly in upon him, and the man perishes as I now do." Z

THE HISTORY OF
MARY WOOD,

THE HOUSEMAID.

Or, The Danger of Falfe Excufes. MR. HEARTWELL, the worthy clergy

man of a country parifh, was fitting in the porch of his little parfonage, when he saw a figure rather flying than running down a hill near his houfe, the fwiftnefs of whofe motion made it

hard to difcern what she was, much less could he guess who fhe was. She fled directly towards him, and flung herfelf at his feet almost breath. lefs, with difficulty fhe pronounced the words, "O, fir, fave me! for pity's fake hide me in your houfe-they will be here in a moment-hide me this inftant!-indeed I am innocent!" then, without waiting for his anfwer, fhe jumped up and rufhed by him into the houfe, the good man ran after her, and catching her hand led her up ftairs into his bed-room, and putting her into a clofet within it, told her, no one fhould come there to hurt her. Then hearing a noise he looked out of his window and faw feveral men and women running almoft as faft as the young woman had done before, and his maid Bridget (who had feen them fooner from her own window) running to meet them, and to ask what was the matter. He had forgotten to bid her be filent about the young woman, indeed he did not know that fhe had feen her; but the truth is, fhe was amusing herfelf in a very idle manner with looking at the road out of her garret window, and had feen with great furprise the wild behavior of the poor girl, which raised her curiofity. This the now hoped to fatisfy by stopping the poffe that was running by; instead of anfwering her questions, they afked if fhe had feen a girl about feventeen, that was running from jultice, pafs that way? What in a linen gown and green petticoat, faid fhe, without a bonnet, and her hair and cap flying? "the fame,

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