woman as lives; nor is she anything below him on account of her father's being a soldier, for his father served in the same character under Oliver Cromwell. The Monday after the wedding, Mr. Cockerell came to me, and said he was bit. What? a man of your years, and so well

"Bit!" say I. acquainted with the town too? 'tis very stange indeed." "Well," says he, "it was my own fault; I was a rash old fool, I can blame no body but myself: but I should have bit her if she had been so rich as I expected; for I have made over all my estate to my brother's son, except one hundred and thirty pounds a year, a third of which is all that she can come in for." I can't tell whether he did this before marriage, or since; but he desired both me and my sister (the defendant) to persuade his wife to consent to a divorce, upon condition of his allowing her a handsome reward. I told him I thought no woman would be such a fool as to lose her husband, and hurt her character for a little money. "Pooh!" says he; "there is no occasion for scruple; I can manage it in a way creditable to her reputation, if you can but get her to comply; for I'll provide a pre-contract betwixt me and another lady, and get witnesses to swear it.”

Ann Tea.-Mr. Cockerell, after the wedding came to my mistress Eccleton's, appeared very well pleased, and asked for Mrs. Gregory, but as soon as she came to him, he charged a constable with her. She desired a little time to finish dressing herself; but he took her by the shoulders, and would have thrown her down stairs, if he had not been prevented. I heard him say, the reason why he was in such a hurry to be married, without making any further inquiry about the woman's estate was, for fear she should inquire after his estate and his character.

Mr. Singleton.-On Thursday morning, which was the wedding-day, Mr. Cockerell telling me what a great fortune he was going to marry, I bid him take care he was not bit "Bit!" says he; no, no, I am too old for that; they must have good luck that can bite me." "But are you really certain," say I, "as to the plantation ?" "Ay, ay," says he, "I am very well satisfied."

Mr. Hammond.-After the wedding, Mr. Cockerell told me that he was very well satisfied with his bride.

Court. The marriage vow of the plaintiff overturns the whole indictment; for his making that vow is an acknowledgment that he did not depend upon the report of her fortune; since, in the most solemn manner, he declared that he took her for richer or poorer, not for the sake of a Barbadoes plantation, but to live with her after God's holy ordinance; that is, for the mutual society and help of each other.

The jury acquitted the defendants.

Five years after this singular trial, the affair again came before the public, as appears by the following extract from "Applebee's Journal," of June 20, 1730:

On Tuesday, at the sitting of the Court of King's Bench, at Guildhall, were tried two actions, brought by the Widow Cole against John Cockerell, of Gloucester, Esq., for providing necessaries for his wife Abigail, (daughter of the said Cole,) whom the defendant married, May 6, 1725, as a great West India fortune, whereas she was at that time a servant. After living with her a day or so, he left her. The first action was brought by the widow, as executrix to her husband, for upwards of two years' maintenance; wherein she

obtained a verdict for sixty pounds. The second was in Mrs. Cole's own right, for providing necessaries for her daughter for a year and a half; but being, by an error laid in the declaration, but for twenty-three pounds, she obtained a verdict only for that sum

THE ADVENTURES OF PETER DE LA FONTAINE.

PETER DE LA FONTAINE was born of noble parents in France; he received a military education, and served at the siege of Philipsburgh, under the famous Marshal of France, James Fitzjames, Duke of Berwick, son of James II.

The campaign being ended, he went to Paris, where a gentleman invited him to spend some time at his country-seat, when he fell in love with his daughter, who wished to marry him; but her father interposing, she eloped with her lover, and they lived a considerable time as married, at Rouen. On their return to Paris, the young lady retired, as a lodger, into a convent; but De la Fontaine appearing in public, some officers of justice, seeing him in a coffee-house, told him they had the king's warrant for apprehending him: on which he wounded two of them with his sword; notwithstanding which, he was seized and lodged in prison. On this he wrote to the young lady, informing her that he was obliged to go into the country on urgent business, but would soon return; and having made interest with the daughter of the keeper of the prison, she let him out occasionally to visit his mistress. Being brought to trial for running away with an heiress, he would have been capitally convicted, agreeably to the then law of France, but that the young lady voluntarily swore that

she went off with him by her own consent. She thus obtained his acquittal: but she soon after died, the victim of her unfortunate attachment. De la Fontaine went again into the army, and behaved so bravely at the battle near Kehl, that the Duke of Berwick rewarded his courage with the commission of Lieutenant of Grenadiers. An event happened to him at this time, which showed that France was not entirely emancipated from its age of romance. A young lady of Strasburg, who had fallen in love with De la Fontaine at Paris, before his affair at Rouen, got a pass from the Marshal de Bellisle, and being introduced to the Duke of Berwick, obtained leave to see De la Fontaine. On the following day, she again went to the duke, dressed in man's clothes, and begged to enter as a volunteer in the same regiment with De la Fontaine; strange to say, she was indulged in the novelty of the humor. She went through the regular duties of a soldier, to be near her lover, but she did not long survive. The winter following the campaign, she died of the small pox, leaving part of her fortune to the object of her affections. The Duke of Berwick being killed at Philipsburgh, De la Fontaine made the tour of Europe; returning to Paris, he fought a duel with an officer, who being dangerously wounded, his antagonist repaired to Brest, and embarked as lieutenant of marines on board a vessel bound for Martinico. The ship being taken by a Turkish corsair, was brought into Constantinople, where De la Fontaine was confined in a dungeon, and had only bread and water for sustenance. While in this situation, he was visited by another prisoner, who had more liberty than himself, and who advised him, as the French consul then was absent, to apply to a Scotch nobleman in the city, distinguished for his humane and generous feeling. De