dropt it out of his mouth half a dozen times, and
pick'd it up again--God help thee, Jack! said I, thou hast a bitter
breakfast on't--and many a bitter day's labour,--and many a bitter blow,
I fear, for its wages--'tis all--all bitterness to thee, whatever life
is to others.--And now thy mouth, if one knew the truth of it, is as
bitter, I dare say, as soot--(for he had cast aside the stem) and thou
hast not a friend perhaps in all this world, that will give thee a
macaroon.--In saying this, I pull'd out a paper of 'em, which I had just
purchased, and gave him one--and at this moment that I am telling it,
my heart smites me, that there was more of pleasantry in the conceit,
of seeing how an ass would eat a macaroon--than of benevolence in giving
him one, which presided in the act.

When the ass had eaten his macaroon, I press'd him to come in--the poor
beast was heavy loaded--his legs seem'd to tremble under him--he hung
rather backwards, and as I pull'd at his halter, it broke short in my
hand--he look'd up pensive in my face--'Don't thrash me with it--but if
you will, you may'--If I do, said I, I'll be d....d.

The word was but one-half of it pronounced, like the abbess of
Andouillet's--(so there was no sin in it)--when a person coming in, let
fall a thundering bastinado upon the poor devil's crupper, which put an
end to the ceremony.

Out upon it! cried I--but the interjection was equivocal--and, I think,
wrong placed too--for the end of an osier which had started out from the
contexture of the ass's panier, had caught hold of my breeches pocket,
as he rush'd by me, and rent it in the most disastrous direction you can
imagine--so that the

Out upon it! in my opinion, should have come in here--but this I leave
to be settled by

The
Reviewers
of
My Breeches,

which I have brought over along with me for that purpose.

Chapter 4.XIV.

When all was set to rights, I came down stairs again into the basse cour
with my valet de place, in order to sally out towards the tomb of the
two lovers, &c.--and was a second time stopp'd at the gate--not by the
ass--but by the person who struck him; and who, by that time, had taken
possession (as is not uncommon after a defeat) of the very spot of
ground where the ass stood.

It was a commissary sent to me from the post-office, with a rescript in
his hand for the payment of some six livres odd sous.

Upon what account? said I.--'Tis upon the part of the king, r