Among other ministers, my old and reverend friend, the Marechal de Broglie, at seventy years of age, was reduced to a proscription from the Luxembourg, with a head crowned with laurels.

If my occupations and the clearness of my ideas produced delight in all who knew me, and became the cause of the comfort of both my hubands, and the primitive source of my common sense; I also considered that to these circumstances, the method in which I was nursed, contributed in a great measure to produce these original

causes.

This last extract may be considered as a fair sample of at least twothirds of the whole composition.

ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG RIFLEMAN.

THIS book gives an account of the adventures of a German soldier, and it purports to be written by himself. Goethe has recommended it to the public in a preface, in which we can trace some of those fine distinctions and subtle thoughts, for which he is so celebrated; but of the author, and how he came to write the book, we possess no further information, than what he has himself given in the body of the work. Thoughtlessly (says Goethe) was this soldier's career begun, with a light heart was it pursued, and freely and joyously is it described. Want and abundance, happiness and misery, high and low, death and life flow equally from the same pen, and the book produces a most agreeable impression. It is not proper to expect from it, according to some well-arranged plan, instruction, amusement, and enjoyment; we cannot hope that humanity should gain much by it; for what is acquired by the necessities of the moment, is generally lost also in a moment; and in the back-ground, opposed to trifling advantages, we see painful toil, wounds, sickness, imprisonment, and death. The whole bas, on this account, in every one of its parts, a fresh but unregulated life, which captivates those who are not acquainted with it, and contents those who are. The description of such a changing and precarious condition, is made more interesting, because the meanest soldier traverses, as a complete stranger, large districts of country in every direction, and is conducted by his billets, as by the hand of Asmodeus, into the interior of the dwellings, and into the closest relations of secret domestic life. Of such scenes, as a relief, there is no want in this soldier's career.

We shall enable our readers, by making copious extracts, to judge if this character be deserved; and as we ourselves like to know the birth, parentage, and education of all our acquaintance, both living and dead, we shall begin by translating what the Rifleman chooses to tell us of his origin :

I am the son of a poor, but respectable country clergyman, who, unfortunately for me, died a few weeks after my birth, leaving the care of my education wholly to my good mother. The lively disposition common to boys was soon aroused in me, and the wild temper of a fatherless boy, which could only have been kept in check by the severe discipline of a father, soon manifested itself in my rude manners. There was no want of maternal restraint and admonition, but my mother's affectionate and wellmeant words were forgotton the next hour, by the presumptuous and volatile boy. I was soon considered as a little Pickle, and as the leader of my companions, wherever we played any mischievous pranks, and whatever was done in common, was always laid to the charge of the Pastor's orphan boy. Even in the early years of infancy, the love of adventures, which at a late period influenced my whole destiny, was plainly perceptible. Nothing gave me greater pleasure than to pass the night with my play

Der Junge Feldjäger; in Französischen und Englischen Diensten, während des Spanisch-Portugisischen Kriegs, von 1806-1816. Fingefühnt durch J. W. von

Göthe.

The Young Rifleman; in the French and English service, during the Spanish-Portuguese war, from 1806-1816. Introduced by J. W. von Göthe.

mates in a barn or outhouse, and nothing in the world would have induced me to forego this pleasure, and lay myself quietly down in my own bed. Did a fire break out in the neighbourhood, I was always, if possible, one of the first persons on the spot. One afternoon, while we were at a distance from our homes, bathing in the river, the alarm-gun announced a fire at no great distance. Without asking our parents' leave, or enquiring how far off was the place, we instantly resolved to go and see the fun. A village was in flames, and without knowing or even seeking the road, we made the best of our way to it across hedges and ditches, over meadows and cornfields. When we got to the place, we could do no good, being too young and inexperienced. We had run two leagues from home; we knew nobody in the village, and very soon we began to feel both hunger and thirst. Water we could easily get; but our young stomachs, little accustomed to fasting, our appetites being sharpened by our excursion, were not so easily pacified. Money we had none, friends in the village none, we were ashamed to beg, and hunger, the impatient despot, grew every moment more imperious. We closely examined onr pockets, and found in mine a single penny, which gave us fresh courage. For some time we had fixed our desiring eyes on a countryman standing centinel over some property rescued from the flames, and who every now and then cut huge slices from a large loaf. Having money in my pocket, and modesty being conquered by hunger, we went up to him in a body; being the owner of the penny, and naturally, therefore, the most courageous of the party, I was the spokesman, and thus addressed him :

J.-" Please Sir, have the goodness to sell me a pennyworth of bread."

Peasant." A pennyworth! that would be no great deal. Where do you come from; are all those behind you your comrades?"

J." Yes, Sir."

Peasant. And are they also hungry?”

J.-"Yes, indeed, Sir.'

Peasant." Take back your penny; here is a piece of bread, and here is a piece for each of the others, and now find your way home; but tell me first what brought you here?"

I answered immediately in my simplicity-we only wanted to see a village on fire. This answer naturally roused our friend's wrath. "You cursed brats!" he exclaimed, "where is my stick?" We did not wait to hear the end of his speech, still less did we wait for the execution of his will; but hastily turned our back on him, and made the best of our way home, where we did not arrive till late in the evening.

I could relate many such stories; but they would only tire the reader, and this one will be sufficient to shew my early love of adventures. From this source flowed all my follies; wickedness I never practised, as I can testify with a good conscience.

It was his mother's wish that our hero should be brought up for a clergyman, but she died when he was fifteen years' old; her property was insufficient to educate him for this profession, and he was bound apprentice to a barber-surgeon. Though this was his own choice, he soon took a dislike to the occupation, and was thoroughly cured of all affection for surgery, by his master dissecting an old woman in hot weather.

Just then a season of difficulty (he says) was approaching for our country; the French armies had come into the north of Germany for the first time, and wherever they appeared they spread fear and horror. The battle which decided the fate of Prussia was fought in our neighbourhood; and plundering, with all the horrors which accompany war, extended to us. I was continually employed, sometimes shaving people, but more frequently in binding up wounds. I now first saw, with my own eyes, the unspeakable miseries of war; I saw many a blooming youth, whose vigorous health promised him a lengthened old age, lost irrecoverably by his wounds; I saw him depart this life, bewailing his fate; and these terrific scenes made me hate the outwardly showy condition of a soldier.

The following are some of the fillings-in of the picture, the outline of which has been sketched:

A person came to fetch my master to visit some wounded men, who were in a public-house near at hand: I ran thither immediately, but whether my master went or not, I never learned, even to this day. The house was already crowded with some French light dragoons, each of whom, after drinking two or three bottles of wine, mounted

his horse and rode away; but as some departed others arrived, so that the house was continually crowded. The wine which had been brought up ready, was soon all drunk; the calls for it then became loud, and they were enforced by violent blows. I got a few knocks in the ribs and some slaps in the face, which I took very patiently. The landlord told me to help his servants in bringing wine up out of the cellar to satisfy these impatient soldiers, which I willingly did, for it was not possible immediately to escape. I had been five or six times into the cellar, when an opportunity of running away offered; with one bound I was out of the house, carrying with me two bottles of wine; and, being favoured by the darkness, I reached home without difficulty.

But our house was in the same condition as the one I had left, and so crowded with French soldiers, that I thought it better not to go in. I hid myself, therefore, behind a well, near the house, where I found a Prussian fusileer, who had been shot through the arm, and received a stab in the breast. He moaned piteously, and complained of being very hungry, not having eaten any thing for twenty-four hours. My compassion was excited, I immediately gave him some wine, and afterwards hastened towards the house; no longer dreading the danger, I walked softly in, crept under the stairs, and brought out a loaf, with which I hastened back to the Prussian. The half-starved man eagerly devoured the bread, and the sight of his enjoyment gave me much pleasure. When he was satisfied, he thanked me heartily, and wished me all kinds of good luck. The night was very cold, and there was no colder place than the well, so I thought it would be better to conduct him to the infirmary, the only lazaretto I knew of. Before we had gone half the way, we were both stopped by a party of soldiers, wandering about; and one of them, coming close to my companion, bawled out: "Hollo, Prussian! Oh, thy cursed King!" I still held the second bottle of wine in my hand, without thinking of it; instantly it was taken away, the wine drunk, and more demanded. I could not possibly procure any more, and blows immediately followed. At length they closely examined all my clothes and my person, and, finding little or nothing, gave me another severe blow, a curse or two, and allowed me to make off. While they were busy with me, the Prussian had walked away, and I hastened home, having no desire further to assist him, for the sentiment of self-preservation was too powerful, even for the strongly excited feelings of humanity.

To escape the confusion of these scenes, our Rifleman's master, like many other persons, left home for some days, and travelled about the country with his property in a waggon: he then returned to occupy his house, and, like the other citizens, receive and nourish the soldiery. What they had plundered they freely spent, making over some of their spare money to our adventurer; who, being tempted by their apparent joviality, and affronted that Mrs. Barber-surgeon should reprove him, already averse to shaving and bleeding, he one day tied up his bundle, and set out on his travels, wandering he hardly knew whither.

I entered (he says) the fortress of Erfurt, then garrisoned by the French. At the gate, it was " Halt, youngster, where are you going? Have you got a passport?" I trembled like an aspen leaf, and, in a whining voice, answered No.-" Carry him to the commandant," said the sub-officer commanding the guard; and a soldier immediately obeyed. I waited a long time, till at length the experienced warrior appeared. He asked me many questions, and among them, whether I should not like to serve the Emperor of France? He flattered me by saying something might be made of me, and in the meantime played with his cross of the legion of honour, to make it more conspicuous. "If such a mark," he observed, "adorned your breast, you might be justly proud. Enter the Emperor's service; be bold and enterprising, and you will be sure to obtain it." Thus I was persuaded to engage in a service I had before never thought of but with horror. I expected that I should receive this honourable token in a few days; but in spite of my exertions, and I was not the last when the enemy was before us, I have never obtained it.

He was sent to a regiment formed out of the ruins of the Prussian army, after the campaign of 1806; and, at the end of three months, it being thought adviseable to remove these Germans from their own country, they were ordered to Boulogne. Our young soldier soon learnt the arts of his honourable brethren in arms, and, like them, made free with a small share of the property of his unfortunate countrymen. In

Germany this was allowed, but directly the regiment passed the

Rhine

-With our billets we received orders to demand nothing whatever from our landlords, as they were bound to find us nothing but lodging. These orders did not at all please us; for it had been very different on the other side of the Rhine, where the poor Germans were obliged to give us whatever we chose to ask.

In the evening we got nothing for supper but wretched dirty soup; had such a dish been set before us in Germany, we should most certainly have taken revenge on our countrymen, but we were now in France, and did not dare say a word.

After remaining some time at Boulogne, the young men of the regiment were selected, to form, as it was said, a guard for King Jerome; they were to go to Paris to receive their colours, and were then to return to Germany. In fact, however, they were ordered for Spain, but it was thought right to practise this delusion. After proceeding, by slow marches, to Versailles, and then to the south of France, always under the same delusion, they at length received their colours, and were told they were to go to Spain.

On January 13th, 1808, we entered the Spanish territory, only separated from France by a small stream, on both sides of which are toll-houses and custom-houses of both governments. At a distance, the place which was to be our quarters for the first night appeared to contradict the unfavourable description of Spain, which had been given to us in France. The white houses shone brilliantly as we advanced, and we all promised ourselves at least good lodgings; for nothing does the tired soldier wish so much, and he would rather want food and drink, than a comfortable bed.

We were now very desirous to know something of a nation which had been described to us in such dark colours; immediately on entering the town, we came up with a great number of the inhabitants standing by the road side, and we were enabled mutually to examine each other.

We could not, indeed, ascertain at the first glance if they were proud, revengeful, and lazy, as the French describe them; but the dignity of their attitudes, standing with cigars in their mouths, and not thinking of work, certainly appeared characteristic of a proud and inactive people.

When we had arrived at the market-place, (plaza major,) before the billets were distributed, the colonel made a long speech to us, full of admonitions and commands relative to our conduct towards the inhabitants. I received a billet, there being no other soldier with me, for Don Manuel Garcia, (the man became so interesting to me, that his name will remain for ever engraved on my memory.) Full of joy at my good luck, I set out immediately to find out the house of my high-born landlord. I had read in so many novels that Don was a title only used by distinguished persons among the nobility, that I anticipated the best possible accommodations. For above a quarter of an hour I wandered about the little town, seeking the Don's house in vain; nobody would give me any information, till at length a good-natured boy showed me the way. When we reached the place, how was I surprised, instead of a palace, or at least a respectable house, which I had expected, to find myself standing before a miserable decayed cottage; my spirits sank greatly. The boy knocked at the door, but it was fastened, as doors are in Spain, by a large piece of wood placed across it in the inside. A rough voice enquired, "Who's there?" The boy answered, "A French soldier." The man within positively refused at first to open the door; at length the representations of the boy, and my probably more influential impatient and repeated battering at his door, induced him to draw aside the bar, and I saw the worthy Don face to face. He was a middle-sized man, already well-advanced in life; his head was covered with a three-cornered cap; a ragged cloak, which, as I afterwards heard from him, had served several generations of his ancestors, hung on his shoulders, and enabled me to conjecture what was the state of the clothes it concealed. His lady-wife was just then employed preparing the supper with her own noble hands, and lay on the floor before the fire, performing with her high-born mouth the functions of a pair of bellows.* These different circumstances did not at all tend to raise my spirits; my quarters looked

* Such bellows as are common in our country are not to be found in all Spain; but the people have a species of fan, made out of esparto, and old gun-barrels, which are used instead of bellows.

more like a robber's den, than a comfortable dwelling; and, to add to the evil, we could not understand one another. I laid down my knapsack and my arms, and looked about for a seat, but could find none. The family seemed not at all prepared to receive guests; the only two chairs in the room, if I may give them this name, were occupied by the Don and the Donna, and neither of them made the smallest motion towards resigning one of them to me. At length I boldly demanded a seat, and my landlord was so hospitable as to give me his. I had now got a resting-place, but it was very cold, for in the Pyrenees the winter is as severe as in Germany; and I should gladly have placed myself near a stove, but unfortunately this family friend is quite unknown in Spain; and the little fire which supplies its place, burnt so niggardly on the Don's hearth, that I was not sensible of the least benefit from it. It grew later and later, but I saw no preparations for my supper, although the proper time had arrived. In France I was able to make an excellent meal every evening on my half-pound of meat, to which the landlord was obliged to give me vegetables; and my stomach having got accustomed to this, now admonished me rather sharply. We had received no rations here; and on enquiry, I found that meat cost five reals per lb. (about one shilling,) a price somewhat too high for the purse of a common soldier. I endeavoured as well as I could, employing both words and signs, to make my hostess sensible of my hunger; and in the same manner she enquired if I had any bread, for of this commodity there appeared no great stock in the house. On my answering in the affirmative, she took some garlic, Spanish pepper, (dried and powdered capsicums,) and olive oil, mixed them together, and added boiling water to them; in the meantime, I had cut up some bread in small pieces, and she poured this sauce over it, praising it very much. Ireadily attacked the frugal meal, but although my appetite was very keen, I could not relish it, but having nothing else, I did at length manage to swallow it. At a later period I was often gratefully reminded of Donno Garcia, by her having taught me to make this soup; it preserved me in health, and tasted well on many occasions. When I had finished my supper, I looked about for my bed; but look as I would, I saw no sleeping-place for me. The bed which stood in the room, consisting of three planks, two end-pieces, and a bag of straw, was hardly large enough for the man and his wife, and I never supposed they would give it up to me; were it offered even, I was resolved not to accept it, for the motions of the Don during the whole evening indicated a numerous population, and I wished very much, if possible, to avoid all such acquisitions. When my host saw that sleep was beginning to close my eyes, he declared, contrary to my expectations, that he would resign his bed, with what belonged to it, inhabitants and all, to me. I tried repeatedly, by gestures, to explain that I would on no account deprive him and his wife of their bed; that I should be perfectly contented with some straw; but all I could say was in vain; I was obliged to accept it. They prepared themselves a sort of bed on the floor out of straw and a sheet, and laid themselves peaceably down to sleep. Being tired from my long march, I also soon fell asleep, but my repose lasted only a short time. I might, perhaps, have been an hour in bed, when I was awakened by an indescribable itching in every part of my body. I was at first terrified, but soon became convinced that my suspicions had been well founded, and that the cause of this uncomfortable sensation was an immense number of lice, which are found in every part of Spain, and had not even held sacred the body of Don Garcia. These attendants of his had now attacked his guest, and appeared to find my blood of excellent relish. I endeavoured to kill them, but they were a legion; and, after doing execution on some whom I caught in the act, I sprang impatiently from the bed, and sat down by the fire. This did not, ⚫ however, procure me relief; the plague continued; I struck a light, blew up the fire, and thought I would wait for day-light, without again attempting to sleep. My host was awakened by the noise, and enquired what was the matter; I could not, of course, make him understand; but I swore, in a mixture of good German and bad French; he answered with some hard words, which were probably Spanish oaths, turned round, and again fell asleep. I was plagued by my new guests, by the cold, and by weariness, though fortunately having my pipe and some tobacco, it helped to amuse me. At length sleep overpowered me as I was sitting on the chair, my head bent forwards, I lost my balance, and I fell on the feet of my sleeping landlord. A terrific noise, a mixture of shrieks, curses, and threats from all the three immediately arose ; it was not possible for us to make each other understand: we scolded and swore in every language we knew. The Don appeared to suppose that I had been making attempts on the chastity of his wife, and he shewed himself ready to defend it against all attacks.

When I met my comrades on the parade in the morning, I complained of my sufferings, but they had all experienced the same fate, which made me bear my cross with patience.