them justice, the
curiosity of these simple people never once prompted them to commit a
breach, however trifling, of real good manners. We were, indeed,
besought to eat our supper at the table beside the priest, and we
readily consented; while by degrees all the vacant spaces were filled
up, by another priest, by several well-dressed tradesmen, and, as we
afterwards ascertained, by an officer of the Austrian army, who having
retired from the service on a pension, had married and settled in the
town. But the individual who interested us the most was the postmaster;
for whom, as he spoke both English and French fluently, the padre
despatched a messenger, and whom we found not only a most agreeable,
but a very intelligent and well-informed man. He had travelled much as
a merchant; had visited France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and Russia;
in the last of which countries he had resided several years as chief
clerk to an English house at St. Petersburg.

I do not know that I ever felt myself in a situation more amusing, as
well as more perfectly novel, than that which I now occupied. The good
people, indeed, seemed so eager to obtain information, that I had few
opportunities of adding to my own; yet their curiosity, tinctured as it
was, throughout, with the most perfect good humour, and even politeness,
highly diverted me, and I did my best to appease it. One circumstance,
it is true, affected me painfully. I allude to the discreditable figure
cut by the priests; who, it appeared to me, had no business in such a
place at all, further, at least, than as casual inquirers. Among all
the beer-drinkers present, however, my red-nosed acquaintance and his
curate were the most industrious. It was quite edifying to see with
what rapidity their pitchers were emptied, and how sedulously the
hostess,--uninvited, though certainly unchecked,--replenished them; and
when I add, that each pitcher contained a good quart, the amount of
fermented liquor swallowed by these thirsty souls may be guessed at.
Nor, I regret to add, was the tone of their conversation much out of
keeping with their habits in other respects. I inquired into the state
of morals in this place, and received, in bad Latin, such an answer as
I do not choose to translate, and affected scarcely to understand.

Here then was a palpable illustration of the axiom which has so often
been laid down,--that, of all the means that ever were devised to
degrade religion in the persons o