years. Various conjectures were assigned for the reason of his deserting his native country; the most probable, however, was, that in early life he had formed a tender attachment for a lady, who had for a length of time been betrothed to another, an English nobleman, to whom she was afterwards married. This event, it was supposed, gave the marquis of Montauban a disgust to France, and from having an esteemed friend resident in Italy, to determine him to pass the remainder of his days in that country, where soon after he married a Venetian lady of high birth, and the fruit of that union was the present general de Montauban. The marquis, however, was far from being happy; a first love still held the empire o'er his heart; and being of an extreme jealous disposition, he even doubted the legitimacy of his offspring. At length: differences grew so high between them, they mutually agreed to separate. The marchioness returned to her nearest re lation, lation, a brother then a resident at Naples, with her infant Leontine, who was rendered, if possible, more dear to her, from the cruel severity it had met with from its father, the marquis having extended the same dislike to his son that he felt for his wife Leonora. In the space of five years, she was left a portionless widow, her husband at his death having bequeathed his immense, fortune to this friend, who was the superior of the monastery of Camaldoli. This unjust act, however, did not in the least depress the spirits of the marchioness, all her wants being amply supplied by her brother, count Fernando, with whom she continued to reside, until Leontine had arrived at the age of one-and-twenty. At that period Fate separated them from their endeared. relation. The count Fernando, on returning one evening from the church of Notre Dame, in company with his sister and nephew, was assassinated. The vil lain, on plunging his poniard into the breast of the count, exclaimed, " Now my revenge is gratified! so fare you well." Such was the adroitness with which this diabolical deed was executed, that in one moment the unfortunate Fernando became a lifeless corpse. Montauban called aloud for assistance, and endeavoured to arrest the flight of the murderer; he however eluded all discovery. To describe the agonized feelings of Leonora on beholding this distressing event, is impossible. A gentleman who was passing at the time assisted Leontine in supporting the lifeless form of his uncle to an adjoining house, where they were instantly admitted by the humane owner; and had every aid administered to the hapless count, but with no effect-life was quite extinguished. The marchioness was inconsolable for his loss; she had tenderly loved Fernando, not merely from his being so closely allied allied to her, but from the excellent virtues with which the count had been so conspicuously adorned. Montauban, perceiving that his mother continued to indulge, too fatally for her repose, the remembrance of his uncle, strenuously advised her to return to Venice, which city was the residence of the marchioness's late parents, where they had many friends. This request, after much persuasion, she adopted, and Montauban, fearful his mother might regret the assenting to it, lost no time in carrying it into execution. The estates of the count, from his being unmarried, legally descended to his sister, and for which they soon found a purchaser. Leontine and his mother then departed from the melancholy scene, and, on their journey to Venice, they determined to pass several days at Rome. In this ancient and beautiful city, the curiosity of Montauban, and his ardent desire of procuring classical information, was was amply gratified. As the carriage rolled under the triumphal arch, erected in honour of Titus, and on which is represented, in basso-relievo, the emperor in a car drawn by four horses, returning from his brilliant victories over the Jews in Jerusalem, Montauban ex"Oh mother, such claimed with rapture, noble deeds as there inscribed make me ashamed of the inglorious life I lead-I can no longer remain inactive, when my country requires assistance-do but suffer me to enter the lists of Fame, and your son will endeavour to imitate the transcendant qualities of a Titus!" The leading trait in the character of the marchioness was ambition; this ardour of her son, therefore, to commence a military life, met with no opposition. With what pleasure then did Leontine visit the monumental records of those departed heroes, who by their achieve ments had once rendered Rome the first city in the world! The temples, the the atres, |