Page:Political history of the devil upon two sticks.pdf/16

 graves. It is with reason that you are astonished at the misery of these places, and pity the fate of those wretches whom the law detains in them. Yet they do not all deserve the same compassion; their merits therefore shall be the subject of our examination.

First of all, in that large chamber on the right, are four men lying on those two wretched beds you see. One is a vintner accused of poisoning a stranger, who the other day dropped down dead in his house. It is pretended that the quality of the wine killed the deceased, but the vintner alleges that was the quantity, and will be believed at his trial, for the stranger was a German. And which of them are in the right, said Don Cleofas, the vintner or persecutors? The affair, is extremely delicate, answered the devil. It is true the wine was adulterated, but on my conscience, the German had drank so largely that the judges may safely set the vintner at liberty.

The second prisoner is by profession an assassinator, one of those cut throats called Valientes, who for four or five pistoles are very ready to oblige such with the use of their arm, that will be at the expence, to be privately rid of an enemy. The third is a fop of a dancing master, who taught one of his female scholars a false step. The fourth is a lover caught by the watch, as he was scaling the balcony of a woman of his acquaintance, whose husband was absent. It is his own fault he does not get out, by declaring his design was purely an amorous, but he chooses rather to pass for a thief, and run the risque of his life, than expose his mistress's honour.

A very discreet lover indeed, said the student: it must be owned that our nation outdoes all others in point of gallantry. I dare venture a wager, that there is not a Frenchman in the world, for example that would suffer himself to be hanged for his discretion. No I assure you, said the devil, a French-