82 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Singular instance of fidelity. 



water-spaniel, at that time about twelve years 

 old, which had been brought up by him, and had 

 scarcely ever quitted his side. Mons. R. was cast 

 into prison : his family were dispersed by tb< 

 tern of terror; some had taken flight; others, 

 like himself, were arrested and carried to distant 

 gaols ; his domestics were dismissed ; his house 

 was destroyed; his friends, from necessity or 

 fear, abandoned him, to conceal themselves. In 

 the silence of a living tomb he was left to pine 

 in thought, under the iron scourge of a tyrant, 

 whose respite from blood, rvas but to gain by 

 delay some additional horror: and who, if he 

 extended life to those whom his wantonness had 

 proscribed, even until death became a prayer, it 

 was only to tantalize them with the blessing of 

 murder, when he imagined he could more effec- 

 tually torture them with the curse of existence. 



This faithful dog was with him when he was 

 first seized, but was refused admission into the 

 prison : he was seen to return often to the door, 

 but found it shut. He took refuge with a neigh- 

 bour of his late master, who received him. But, 

 (that posterity may judge clearly of the times in 

 which Frenchmen existed at that period,) it must 

 be added, that this man received the poor dog 

 tremblingly, and in secret, lest his humanity for 

 Ins friend's dog should bring him to the scaffold. 

 Every day, at the same hour, the animal returned 

 to the door of the prison, but was still refused 

 admittance. He, however, uniformly passed 



