III.] MELAlsCHOLY HOUKS. 337 



With much curiosity I Lurried forwards to survey the 

 figure which now approached. She was habited in black, 

 and veiled to the waist. Her pace was solemn and ma- 

 jestic, yet in every movement was a winning graceful- 

 ness. As she approached to the bar I got a nearer view 

 of her, when what was my astonishment to recognise 

 in her the person of my favourite goddess, ]^.Ielancholy. 

 Amazed that she whom I had always looked upon as the 

 sister and companion of Wisdom should be brought to 

 trial as an emissary and an adherent of Folly, I waited 

 in mute impatience for the accusation which should be 

 framed against her. On looking towards the centre of 

 the area, I was much surprised to see a bustling little 

 Cit of my acquaintance, who, by his hemming and clear- 

 ing, I concluded was going to make the charge. As he 

 was a self-important little fellow, full of consequence 

 and business, and totally incapable of all the finer 

 emotions of the soul, I could not conceive what ground 

 of complaint he could have against Melancholy, who, 1 

 was persuaded, would never have designed to take up 

 her residence for a moment in his breast. When I re- 

 collected, however, that he had some sparks of ambition 

 in his composition, and that he was an envious, carping 

 little mortal, who had formed the design of shouldering 

 himself into notice by decrying the defects of others, 

 while he was insensible to his own, my amazement and 

 my apprehensions vanished as I perceived he only 

 wanted to make a display of his own talents, in doing 

 which I did not fear his making himself sufficiently ri- 

 diculous. 



After a good deal of irrelevant circumlocution, he 

 boldly began the accusation of Melancholy. I shall not 

 dwell upon the many absurd and many invidious parts 

 of his speech, nor upon the many blunders in the mis- 

 application of words, such as " deduce'' for " detract," 

 and others of a similar nature, which my poor friend 

 committed in the course of his harangue, but shall only 

 dwell upon the material part of the charge. 



He represented the prisoner as the oiFspring of Idle- 

 ness and Discontent, who was at all times a sulky, sullen, 



