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CAPTAIN FARRAGO leaving this
place, proceeded on his way; and at
the di&longs;tance of a mile or two, met a man
with a bridle in his hand; who had lo&longs;t
a hor&longs;e, and had been at a conjurer's to
make enquiry, and recover his property.

It &longs;truck the mind of the Captain to go
to this conjuring per&longs;on, and make a demand
of him, what was the cau&longs;e that the
multitude were &longs;o di&longs;po&longs;ed to elevate the
low to the highe&longs;t &longs;tation. He had rode
but about a mile, when the habitation of
the conjurer, by the direction and description
of the man who had lo&longs;t the hor&longs;e had
given, began to be in view. Coming up
to the door, and enquiring if that was not
where conjurer Kolt lived, they were answered
Yes. Accordingly alighting, and
entering the domicile, all tho&longs;e things took
place which u&longs;ually happen, or are described
in ca&longs;es of this nature, viz. there
was the conjurer's a&longs;&longs;i&longs;tant, who gave the
Captain to under&longs;tand that ma&longs;ter had

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withdrawn a little, but would be in shortly.

In the mean time, the a&longs;&longs;i&longs;tant endeavoured
to draw from him &longs;ome account of
the occa&longs;ion of his journey; which the
other readily communicated; and the conjurer,
who was li&longs;tening through a crack
in the partition, overheard. Finding it
was not a hor&longs;e or a cow, or a piece of
linen that was lo&longs;t, but an ab&longs;tract que&longs;tion
of political philo&longs;ophy which was to be put,
he came from his lurking place, and entered,
as if not knowing that any per&longs;on
had been waiting for him.

After mutual &longs;alutations, the Captain
gave him to under&longs;tand the object which
he had in view by calling on him.

Said the conjurer, This lies not at all in
my way. If it had been a dozen of &longs;poons,
or a &longs;tolen watch, that you had to look
for, I could very readily, by the a&longs;&longs;i&longs;tance
of my art, have a&longs;&longs;i&longs;ted you in the recovery;
but as to this matter of men's imaginations
and attachments in political affairs,
I have no more under&longs;tanding than
another man.

It is very &longs;trange, &longs;aid the Captain, that
you who can tell by what means a thing is
&longs;tolen, and the place where it is depo&longs;ited,

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though at a thou&longs;and miles di&longs;tance, &longs;hould
know &longs;o little of what is going on in the
brea&longs;t of man, as not to be able to develope
his &longs;ecret thoughts, and the motives
of his actions.

It is not of our bu&longs;ine&longs;s, &longs;aid the other;
but &longs;hould we undertake it, I do not &longs;ee
that it would be very difficult to explain
all that puzzles you at pre&longs;ent. There is
no need of a conjurer to tell why it is that
the common people are more di&longs;po&longs;ed to
tru&longs;t one of their own cla&longs;s, than tho&longs;e
who may affect to be &longs;uperior. Be&longs;ides,
there is a certain pride in man, which leads
him to elevate the low, and pull down the
high. There is a kind of creating power
exerted in making a &longs;enator of an unqualified
per&longs;on; which when the author has
done, he exults over the work, and, like
the Creator him&longs;elf when he made the
world, &longs;ees that “it is very good.” Moreover,
there is in every government a patrician
cla&longs;s, again&longs;t whom the &longs;pirit of the
multitude naturally militates: And hence
a perpetual war; the ari&longs;tocrats endeavouring
to detrude the people, and the
people contending to obtrude them&longs;elves.
And it is right it &longs;hould be &longs;o; for by this

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fermentation, the &longs;pirit of democracy is
kept alive.

The Captain, thanking him for his information,
a&longs;ked him what was to pay;
at the &longs;ame time pulling out half a crown
from a green &longs;ilk pur&longs;e which he had in
his breeches pocket. The conjurer gave
him to under&longs;tand, that as the &longs;olution of
the&longs;e difficulties was not within his province,
he took nothing for it. The Captain
expre&longs;&longs;ing his &longs;en&longs;e of his di&longs;intere&longs;ted
&longs;ervice, bade him adieu.