her at the King's Theatre at Palermo; and,
after long unsuccessful importunities addressed to the Gentlemen of the
French King's Chamber to cancel her Engagement, these instances, owing
to the untiring influence of Cardinal de ----, had succeeded, and she
was allowed to depart. Full willingly would she have taken her Papa with
her as a Travelling Companion; but the Old Gentleman was now very
Infirm, and averse from Moving; and so Lilias was placed under the
Guardianship of an old Spanish Lady, the Senora Satisfacion de Mismar,
who was the Palermo Manager's Aunt, made his engagements for him abroad,
and played the Duenna or Singing Old Woman in his Comedies and Operas at
home. Nothing could be properer than this arrangement, Donna Satisfacion
being a Personage of exceeding Discretion and Propriety of Behaviour; so
the two, with half a dozen more little Dancing-girls that had been
hired to fill inferior places, started for Bordeaux, whence they
designed to take shipping for Palermo. But by ill luck there was no
Packet or Merchant Vessel bound for Sicily to be taken up for a long
time; and so they were fain to travel to Toulon, avoiding Marseilles,
where the Plague then was very bad, and thence by way of Nizza to Genoa,
where they found a Brig bound for Messina, which they thought would
serve their turn. And, in truth, the poor souls found it but too well
served; for the Brig was captured off Bastia in Corsica by one of these
diabolical Barbary Rovers, all on board made Slaves, and carried, not
into Algiers, but into Sallee. There, after much suffering, poor Donna
Satisfacion de Mismar died of a Distemper of the country, and poor
Lilias was left without any other Protector than her own Virtue and a
kind Providence.

'Twas a terrible condition to be left in: Young, Fair, Friendless, and a
Slave among these Moorish Barbarians. By Heaven's Mercy, however, the
dear Girl came to no Harm. 'Tis the custom, before the Christian
Women-captives are exposed for sale in the public Slave-Market, where
they are Handled and put through their paces as though they were so many
Cattle, for a Private Inspection of 'em to be made by the rich Persons
of the place, who come and take Pipes and Coffee with the Merchant,
glance over his Stock in a respectful Manner, and often strike a Bargain
there and then. The Girls for sale are apparelled in a sumptuous manner,
bathed, perfumed, and trinketed out for their Private View; and their
Captors seek