5^2 THE SPOR'r OF FORTUNE. 



ceeded to the poll, who were either of humaner fenti- 

 merits, or had no revenge to fatiate upon him. At 

 length after a ten years confinement, the day of re- 

 demption appeared — but no judicial examination, no 

 formal acquittal. He received his liberty from the 

 hands of princely grace ; at the fame time that it was 

 enjoined him to quit the country for ever. 



Here the accounts of his hiftory forfake me, which I 

 have been able to gather alone from oral tradition ; and 

 I perceive myfelf obliged to Ikip over a period of twenty 

 years. During this fpace Aloylius had began his career 

 afrefh in the military fervices of foreign Hates, which 

 led him alfo there to the brilliant eminence from whence 

 he had been fo dreadfully hurled at home. Time, at 

 laft, the friend of the unfortunate, who exercifes a flow, 

 but an indelible judgement, took up the caufe of this 

 unhappy victim. The years of paffion were over with 

 the prince, and humanity began to foften his heart, as 

 his whitening hairs admonifhed him of his mortality. 

 Treading ftawly the decline of life, he felt a hankering 

 defire after the favourite of his youth. That he might 

 compenfate, as much as poffible, to the old man the 

 difaflers he had heaped on him while young, he in- 

 vited the exile, in friendly terms, to return to his 

 country ; to which Aloylius was by no means averfe, 

 as an ardent inclination to pafs the remainder of his 

 days in peace at home had long dwelt in his heart. 

 The meeting was attended on both fides with real 

 emotion, the embrace was as warm and affecting, as 

 if they Jiad parted but yefterday. The prince looked 

 him in the face with a conlidering regard, as if con- 

 templating the countenance fo familar - and yet fo 



ftrange ; 



