The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-10-30 00:00:00

A COUItTESIN.

---
Extract !root " The Female Revolutionary Plutarch," 'a
. .

iistsrest.ng wol, just published.

MARIA FARBE, lIJMAME COURTESAN.

CContiiired fro • former Paper

The last words she spoke very loud, so as to con-
sole no comfort me. The silence that afterwards
hillowed, plainly informed me that my benefactress
was arrested. I then began to reconnoitre the closet.
It was about seven feet long, three feet wide, and,
as far as I could judge, its height was the same with
the length I found, in a basket, about a pound of
bread, half a roasted fowl, but not a drop of any
thing to drink. In one corner wis a broken chair,
on which I sat down, after having unsuccessfully
arrempted to open the dorm by which I had entered.
Ne:essity, as well as philosophy, made me resigned
my late, and the unusual fatigues of mind and
..dy, procured me some moments of agitated re-
past ; hut the cold from my damp clothes, and
thirst, soon again awoke me.
Some hours afterwards, I thought I began to dis-
cover day light. After a long extmioation. I found
a window, about ten inches long and five aide, with
an iron grate. By getting upon the chair, I could
observe a wall about the distance of two feet, hut no
other window was opposite to mine. I, however,
very plainly heard many persons speak, both over and
under me, and that the sulsjett of their conversation
was the arrest of Maria Farbe, which I supposed to
be tire name of my unknown friend.
By entirely undressing myself, and walking back-
wards and forwards, covered only with my great
:oat, until my other clothes were dried, I did not
:tiler long from cold; but my thirst was almost in-
supportable. As I had my watch about me, though
could not see, I felt the hours with my fingers,
and, therefore, knew perfeftly well the time. Dur-
ing the first twenty-fours hours. I was easy enough
in my r • nd, on my own account ; my whole anxiet y
being • the rack for that noble-minded feruale,
who kid so generously exposed herself for a
e.ia•iger ; but, after forty-eight hours had passed
sAiy, my thirst became intolerable, patticularly
after I had eaten the provisions left in the closet.
I c-uld neither sleep, walk, nor thi.:k. It required
all any philosophy and confidence in the bounty of
the Almighty, to endure any longer a life rendered
c." miserable. But, as very little probability exlsted
that I should escape the present distress, 1 fixed on
the evening of the next day, as the period of finish-
i wretchedness with my pistols, should not
t .vidence previously relieve me. My imprison.
nitric dining the reign of Robespierre, had mule
me acquainted with the effeEts of hunger. I can,
thoryi.ye, from a sad and cruel experience declare,
that, it is a thoihand times worse to perish from
thirst, than from want of food. _ _

About noon, on the fourth day, when slumbering,
or ral.er fainting through excessive weakness, the
&VI! WAS npeled, and I found myself suddenly em•
!orated, and my face inundated with a 11 old of
tears Sowing down the creeks of my Isenefatiress,
who czelalmei, " Thank Lind, my poor friend, you
are still alive! Now you ate safe I What restless
sogists, and unhappy days, have I not endured on
ynor aceonnt r, As soon as I had recollefted my.
si If, t asked her bow it was poo,ible that she could
in erel. :e,•eif so much Ini a person who was an
s • 411 g et to her? " It is true," answered she,
" neat tdo t knor y::u, but it is also true, that 1
ko.tv t' ..se who Is .ve proscribed you Iry if-c
sanguis. 1.) of ; but let us converse about
toe AT1,31 i•er time I have brought some broth to
restore your heoltll, and some clean linen to make
' you more comfortable. This night you shall oc-
cupy my bed. and I will sleep on a mattrass in the
closet, wbere, to-morrow, I intend, with your as.
si,tanee, to place the sofa. Do not be afraid if you
'sear ony knocks at the door. I expesft some cus-
tonoos, bur I shall request my neighbour to inform
them, that I want this night to be Alone."
From the conversation of the pos-d'arroes, and
Commissary of Police, as well as from the situation
of her dwelling, I supposed that my hostess was
one of the many unfortunate women, qiisgracitig the
police of all capitol cities, and so dangerous to the
morals and health of yooth. In this I was con-
finned by her own month, the next morniug. " 1
am," said she, " but an outcast of society, an aban-
doned prostitute, become so from necessity, not by
choice. My father, who was a Serjeant in the
Swiss Guard, being killed en the 10th of August,
1792, left me destitute, together with my mother,
who died through terror, during the massacre of tile
prison-ts in the September following, when her
bratber was murdered. I was then only fifteen,
without any friends or relations in France, and with-
out any means of joining those I had in Switzer ,t 4.
it .I:,cques Forte, a young volunteer, from Do 'To
paid his addresses to me, and married me. %N ith
him I went to the army of the Rhine, where he was
killed. When I demanded money of the ieptesent-
ative of the people, St. Jost, to carry me back to
my country, he put me in requisition, to ,accom-
pany the battalion to which my late husband be-
longed, and to rece.ve, und. r pain of death, the em-
braces of those soh, desired it. Ibis he rolled
• measure of' sorty, to tn.:vent deserts,. In this
manner, I had passed six months, when young
Custine took a fancy to me, and carried me with
him to Park. I returned hither, when sa many peo-
ple were daily guillotined or outlawed. Custine be-
haved very well to me. It was in consequence of
his advice that I had made the contrivance of the
closet ; and, by his liberality, I furnished my room
in the manner you see: but though it was not ready
in time to preserve Costing., I have, during the
reign of terror, concealed in it too citizens, one of
whom, the Direllor La, Reveilliere to. Peace, is now
a great man • he no longer thieks of poor me.
I have, f these four y• orio been a prostitute. I can-
not, therefore, toped th t oily one will marry such a
one as I • and, as I have not learned to work (and
even if I had, noboOy v.odd employ me), I fear
that I shall die a. miserably as I have lie( J. Were
not all Ccuvesit., destroycl, I should, long ago, have
sought an asylum there, and, by a life of repent-
Rios, slams, that I detested and knew the horrors
of vice, even though I was vicious. As it is, I have
no other consolation than to serve the unfortunate,
whoever they are, to the utmost of my feeble Abi-
llty." Such was nearly in her own words the story
st,.. related.

(To be euutiaised.)