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trefaction; falt, which is made the image of intellectual effence, contributes to the formation of a pudding.

FIDDLING.

A GENTLEMAN one day came in upon his nephew, who was amufing himself with his violin, "I am afraid, Charles," fays he, " you lofe time with this fiddling." "I endeavour, Sir, to keep time. Don't you rather kill time?" 66

No, I only beat it."

66

CURIOUS INSCRIPTION.

AN houfe, not an hundred miles from Fleet market, in poffeffion of an Undertaker, being lately advertised to be difpofed of, the following label was fixed on a Coffin before the door :-" This tenement to be let for a leafe of three lives."

CHINESE.

THE Chinese have little or no tafte, but in imitation they stand unrivalled. A gentleman wishing to have a filk coat made in that country, fent out, as a pattern, an old coat, which unfortunately had a patch on one elbow. The filk coat was made an exact counterpart of that fent-not forgetting the patch.

CYRUS,

CYRUS, when a youth, being at the court with his grandfather, Aftyages, undertook one day to be the cup-bearer at table. It was the duty of this officer to tafte the liquor before it was prefented to the king, Cyrus, without performing this ceremony, delivered the cup in a very graceful manner to his grandfather, The king reminded him of his omiffion, which he imputed to forgetfulness. "No," replied Cyrus, "I was afraid to tafte, because I apprehended there was poifon in the liquor: for not long fince, at an entertainment which you gave, I obferved that the lords of your court, after drinking of it, became noify, quarrelfome, and frantic ;

frantic; even you, fir, feemed to have forgotten you were a king.'

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ALEXANDER.

ALEXANDER demanded of a pirate, whom he had taken, by what right he infefted the feas?" By the fame right," replied he, boldly, "that you enflave the world. But I am called a robber, becaufe I have only one fmall veffel, and you are ftiled a CONQUEROR, be cause you command great fleets and armies.”

ANECDOTE OF CHARLES V.

WHEN Charles the Fifth had refigned the fceptre of Spain, and the imperial crown of Germany, he retired to the monaftery of St. Juftus, near the city of Placentia, in Eftremadura. It was fituated in a vale of no great extent, watered by a small brook, and furrounded by rifing grounds, covered with lofty trees. From the na-. ture of the foil, as well as the temperature of the climåte, it was efteemed the moft healthful and delicious fituation in Spain. Here he cultivated with his own hands the plants in his garden, and fometimes he rode out to a neighbouring wood on a little i orfe, attended only by a fingle fervant on foot. When his infirmities confined him to his apartment, and deprived him of these more active recreations, he either admitted a few gentlemen who refided near the monaftery to vifit him, and entertained them familiarly at his own table; or he em- . ployed himself in ftudying mechanical principles, and in forming works of mechanifm, of which he had always been remarkably fond, and to which his genius was pe culiarly turned. He was extremely curious with regard to the construction of clocks and watches, and having found, a.ter repeated trials, that he could not bring any two of them to go exactly alike, he reflected with a mixture of furprife, as well as regret, on his own folly (as he might alfo on his own cruelty and injuftice) in having exerted himself with fo much zeal and perfeverance in the

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more vain attempt of bringing mankind to an uniformity of fentiment concerning the doctrines of religion. Happy would it have been for Europe if this just and ftriking analogy had occured to the monarch during the plenitude of his power! And happy might it now prove, if allowed to operate, against the fpirit of bigotry and perfecution, which still actuates many individuals, and even large communities.

LORD BOLINGBROKE. •

VOLTAIRE tells us, that feveral gentlemen in the company of Lord Bolingbroke, were speaking of the Duke of Marlborough's avarice, and they appealed to his Lordfhip for the truth of the inftances which they produced:" He was fo great a man," replied Lord Bolingbroke," that I have forgotten his vices." A truly generous anfwer for a political enemy to make! The Duke and Lord Bolingbroke were of oppofite parties.

ADDISON.

ADDISON applies the following ftory to thofe critics who are more attentive to the faults, than to the beauties of Paradife Loft.-A famous critic having gathered together all the faults of an eminent poet, made a prefent of them to Apollo, who received them very graciously, and resolved to make the author a suitable return for the trouble he had been at in collecting them. In order to this, he fet before him a fack of wheat, as it had been juft threshed out of the fheaf. He then bid him pick out the chaff from among the corn, and lay it afide by itself. The critic applied himself to the task with great induftry and pleasure, and after having made the due feparation, was presented by Apollo with the chaff for his pains.

SUETONIUS

Relates that a young officer, to whom Vefpafian had given a commiffion, perfumed himself when he went to

court.

court to thank the Emperor for the honour conferred upon him. "Ifhould have been lefs offended if you had fmelled of garlic," faid Vefpafian; who was fo difgufted with his foppery, that he immediately difmiffed him from his employment.

CHARACTER

OF THE LATE

DR. ADAM SMITH,

THE CELEBRATED AUTHOR OF "THE WEALTH OF NATIONS."

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BY DUGALD STEWART, F. R. S. E.

F the intellectual gifts and attainments by which he was fo eminently diftinguished; of the originality and comprehenfivenefs of his views; the extent, the variety, and the correctnefs of his information; the inexhauftible fertility of his invention; and the ornaments which his rich and beautiful imagination had borrowed from claffical culture; he has left behind him lafting monuments. To his private worth, the moft certain of all teftimonies, may be found in that confidence, refpect, and attachment which followed him through all the various relations of life. The ferenity and gaiety he enjoyed under the preffure of his growing infirmities, and the warm intereft he felt to the last in every thing connected with the welfare of his friends," will be long remembered by a fmall circle with whom, as long as his ftrength permitted, he regularly fpent an evening in the week, and to whom the recollection of his worth ftill forms a pleafing though melancholy bond of union.

The more delicate and characteristical features of, his mind it is perhaps impoffible to trace. That there were many peculiarities, both in his manners and in his intellectual habits, was manifeft to the most fuperficial

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obferyer.

obferver. But although to thofe who knew him, these peculiarities detracted nothing from the refpect which his abilities commanded, and although' to his intimate friends they added an inexpressible charm to his conver fation, while they difplayed in the most interesting light the artlefs fimplicity of his heart; yet it would require a very skilful pencil to prefent them to the public eye. He was certainly not fitted for the general commerce of the world, or for the business of active life. The comprehenfive fpeculations with which he had been occupied from his youth, and the variety of materials which his own invention continually fupplied to his thoughts, rendered him habitually inattentive to familiar objects, and to common occurrences, and he frequently exhibited inftances of abfence which have fcarcely been furpaffed by the fancies of La Bruyer. Even in company he was apt to be engroffed with his ftudies, and appeared at times by the motion of his lips, as well as by his looks and geftures, to be in the fervour of compofition. I have often, however, been ftruck at the dif tance of years with his accurate memory of the most trifling particulars; and am inclined to believe from this, and fome other circumftances, that he poffeffed a power not perhaps uncommon among abfent men, of recollecting in confequence of fubfequent efforts of reflection, many occurrences, which at the time when they happened, did not feem to have fenfibly attracted his notice.

To the defect now mentioned, it was probably owing in part, that he did not fall in eafily with the common dialogue of converfation, and that he was fomewhat apt to convey his own ideas in the form of a lecture. When he did fo, however, it never proceeded from a wish to engross the difcourfe, or to gratify his vanity. His own inclination difpofed him fo ftrongly to enjoy in filence the gaiety of thofe around him, that his friends were often led to concert little fchemes in order to bring on the fubject most likely to intereft him. Nor do I think Ifhall be accufed of going too far, when

I fay..

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