up all my effects, in order that they might be sent before me to the place where I was going; so that had I been so disposed, I could make no use of any of the recommendations they contained.

The first thing that occurred to me was to make John avail himself of his permission to go to the market, and instead of doing so, to go to the English ambassador's, and inquire into the truth. He did so, and received for answer that Mr. Walpole was so dangerously ill, that his lady dared not put the despatches before him to be signed, and that the packet was detained for that reason.

Upon this I wrote to the intendente; John carried the letter. He saw this minister, who told him that he would have the letter interpreted by his linguist, and that an answer should be sent to his master in the evening.

I next requested the doctor to come to me, who complied, but only answered me dryly, that these things were done very suddenly in Portugal. I was, however, as dry with him, and the only one to whom I showed any friendship on parting was the Russian robber; for, with all his vices on his head, he had more of the features of humanity. Perhaps I may have judged too hardly of the doctor; if it should appear so in future, I shall be ready to make him all atonement in my power. One thing in his favour, I must confess, was the jealousy the others seemed to entertain of him.

In the evening came two officers of police to take me and my servant away. We were called down to be delivered to them, and each of them, putting his hand into his pocket, produced a string of hard whipcord for the purpose of tying our hands. One of them took me aside, and told me, with many compliments, that though he had strict orders from the minister to tie my hands, yet seeing the kind of person I appeared to be, he would disobey, in hopes, however, that I would acknowledge his complaisance. I made no

other answer than by bringing him forward, and calling upon him, at his peril, to tie my hands if such were his orders, as it was my intention, at a proper time, to throw the responsibility of all these insults where it was due. This produced debate, and the project of tying me was overruled.

I should now, before I take leave of the castle of St. George, mention the humble trophy I raised in honour of the virtue I most prize, and in revenge for the many perfidies I had experienced. My chief amusement had been scratching with charcoal some rude designs upon the walls of my recess, which John had embellished with festoons of oranges. With a morsel of this charcoal, I hastily traced the following passage, which, if I remember well, is to be found in the tragedy of Douglas :

Thou first of virtues, let no mortal leave

Thy onward path, although the earth should gape,
And from the gulf of hell damnation cry

To take dissimulation's winding way."

And

Such was the rebuke I addressed to my enemies, and the counsel I bequeathed to my successors. now, my friend, before we enter into other dungeons, let us take a further

pause,

LETTER XVIII.

Nocturnal migration-Other prison-More nauseous dungeon -Hunting by candlelight.

I was no sooner seated in the carriage with my new conductor, than he began to overwhelm me with excuses and compliments, and became officious in his

efforts to amuse me; and pointed out whatever was curious as we passed, the night being clear. I recollect his mentioning a column in memory of the execution of the grandees who conspired against their king, a royal palace, the street inhabited by the goldsmiths, and various other objects. He entreated me often to forgive him, and promised in return to see me lodged in the best apartment of the prison where we were going; intimating, that as it was only a part of the gaoler's house, it might not be difficult to escape.

On our road we called at another prison, where we took up two other persons, a gentleman and his servant, so that our cavalcade consisted of four carriages. My conductor told me that this was a gentleman of my country; that he would give orders to have us put together. And I was in hopes to have at length obtained the company of some person in whose misfortunes I might sympathize; perhaps some victim like myself, banished to make room for the auspicious union of his country with Great Britain. But when we arrived at the gaol of Belem, the order of procession was inverted, and the other prisoners went in first, so that for this time I saw no more of them; though from henceforth their sufferings and mine were in some sort to be identified.

I was detained some time in a small room of the gaoler, until a negress was brought through, who had reason to welcome me, as she was released from her secret dungeon in order to make room for me. I was then locked up with my servant in a little hole, foul and filthy beyond description. The space of it was scarcely more than the area of a coach. There was in it a commodity of which the smell was infectious. The walls were bedaubed with ordure: and for light and air there was only a square orifice, through which a cat could not creep, near two fathoms in length, sloping upwards towards the sky. And there was, for more security at the outer end, a bar of iron. This threw upon the opposite wall a spectrum of the size of a

man's hand, where any object became visible; the rest was utter darkness. There was in it no article of furniture, but my mattress was allowed for me, and John lay down upon the floor.

It would be impossible to express what I suffered during this night, from the 'difficulty of breathing in this suffocating hole, and from the vermin with which it abounded. Luckily we had a flint and steel, and from time to time when we could suffer no longer, we suddenly struck a light, and endeavoured to take the bugs and fleas that infested us by surprise, and so destroy them.

In the morning the gaoler came to visit me, and lamented that the strict orders delivered to him from the minister by the officer who conducted me, obliged him to lodge me so incommodiously. I told him that there must be gross treachery somewhere, as this officer had promised to lodge me in the best apartment in his house, and that I should be indulged in the company of another gentleman of my own country. He persisted that his orders were to put me in the very dungeon where the negress had been, and there was no appeal.

LETTER XIX.

Not quite so bad-Music-Amours of various colours-Delays of state-The saints-Something like Tom Pipes.

I FOUND, however, through the gaoler, the means of having the door left open in the day-time, and soon after, for a sum of money, was removed into an adjoining room, nearly of the same size, but more clean, and where there was a bedstead. Opposite the door

in the corridor there was a barred window, but I was put upon honour not to appear at it.

I had now, however, for a companion, several hours every day, a son of the gaoler, an organist to one of the churches; he took pleasure in English airs and country dances, and I wrote him down from memory some that he liked best. I had also a German flute, but could play but little on account of my breast, which was still painful.

There was also a young officer, whose father had put him here until he could be sent to Goa, because he would not marry to please him. The negress had been confined for a crime of a like tender nature, but differing in circumstances; for her lover was a young man of family, and it was feared so enslaved to her charms that he would marry her. For this his family had used its power to deprive the poor wench of her liberty, and the world of so bright an ornament.

The gaoler, at length, for obvious reasons, became more propitious; and, upon my paying his coach-hire, put on his laced coat, his black velvet breeches, and his sword, and either did, or said he did, make one or more visits to the intendente on my behalf. But here, as before, the delays of state intervened. It was either a church holiday, or a birth-day, or a wedding anniversary, or a Sunday, or a rejoicing day, or a hunting day, or Good Friday, or Easter Day. All the saints were inauspicious to me, St. Polycarp, St. Hildegonde, St. Beuve, and all. In short, among so many idle days, no moment could be spared from pleasure or devotion for the relief of the oppressed.

I bore all with patience, until at length I was told that I must write, not as before, in English, but in Portuguese, to the intendente of the police himself. This was rather hard for me, who had but two or three months to learn the language, and that without the slightest instructions. I begged of my patron to assist me, as I was ignorant in what terms to address so great a personage as his superior.