filled. The doctor faw clearly that there was no room for him in the academy; but without lofing courage, he devised the means of showing the academican, that a fupernumerary member would occafion no difarrangement. Obferving at his feet a rofe-leaf, he took it up, and placed it fo delicately on the furface of the water, that not a fingle drop efcaped. This ingenious anfwer pleafed the affembly; and Dr. Zeb was admitted a member by acclamation.

The register of the academy was then prefented to him, and, when he had, according to custom, infcribed his name, it remained only for him to pronounce his oration of thanks: but the doctor, like a true filent academican, returned thefe thanks without uttering a word. In the margin of the regifter he fet down the number 100, that of his new collegues; then putting a cypher before the number, he wrote, "this makes them neither more nor lefs (0100)." The prefident returned the compliment to the modeft doctor, with as much politeness as prefence of mind. Placing a unit before the number, he wrote, "they are now worth ten times more (1100)."

THEODORE, KING OF CORSICA.

IT is a fact little known, yet nevertheless strictly true, that this unfortunate monarch was on the point of being married to a Scotch lady, at the moment he was arrested, and thrown into prifon; an event which broke off the match, although the day had been fixed for the ceremony, and the royal robes had been made for the expecting bride.

Lord Orford relates, that Theodore (in all his poverty) was fo tenacious of his former power and dignity, as to keep a party of gentlemen waiting for half an hour, until an old tefter of a bed was hung up, by way of canopy. When feated under it, his majefty received the money they collected for his fupport, in as much regal ftate as his broken fortune could enable him to do.

STRANGE

STRANGE ANECDOTE.

MARQUIS Dangeau mentions, that Louis XIV. being once out a hunting in the foreft of Fontainbleau, faw a ftag of a hideous appearance, which terrified him fo much that he returned fpeedily to the palace, and appeared uneasy in his mind for many days. Soon afterwards, a working fmith, from Meudon, defired an audience of the king, which was refufed him, till he defired one of the minifters to mention fomething which was known only to the king, and which is supposed to have related to the portentous animal which he faw in the foreft. The fmith, amongst other things, told him, that the Deity had refolved to bring great calamities upon his reign; but that in confequence of his penitence in his latter years, he had deferred them till the reign of his fucceffors, one of whom fhould perish on the scaf fold. St. Simorin confirms this extraordinary narrative.

COMMON SENSE.

THERE is much talk (fays Pope in one of his letters) of fine fenfe, refined fenfe, and exalted fenfe, but for common ufe give me a little common fenfe.

SNEEZING.

WHEN the king of Monomatapa, in Africa, fneezes in a room, thofe prefent greet him with a loud voice enough to be heard by them in the antichamber; thefe give the fame warning to them in the next rooms; thence it goes into the court, and from thence to the places near the palace, and thence through the town; fo that in a moment all places found out acclamations of happiness and profperity to the prince.

IMPOSTURE.

NERO, a famous impoftor, who appeared A. D. 72, two years after the death of Nero, and was the flave of Pontus. He declared himself to be that emperor, and

was fo like him in face and body, and could play upon inftruments and fing so like him, that he got credit amongst fome, especially a company of vagabond deferters, of whom, by making great promifes to them, he got an army together. But he was flain. His body being carried to Rome, all perfons admired his refemblance of Nero whom he had endeavoured to counterfeit.

EMPEROR NERO.

NATURE had delineated his manners on his face, and the whole make of his body; for he had little eyes, and covered with fat, his throat and chin joined together, a thick neck, great belly, and his legs flender. All which proportions made him not unlike a fwine, whole filthinefs he well expreft. His chin was turned upwards, which was a fign of his cruelty. Fair hair, fmall legs, and his face rather fair than majeftical, were pregnant figns of his effeminatenefs. His unheard of wickedness was prognofticated by his father Domitius, from a calculation of his own, and his wife Aggripina's manners, in these words-It is impoffible that any thing that is good should ever proceed from me or her.

SIR DAVID GAM,

IN the reign of Henry V. attended the king in the fplendid expedition to France, which terminated in the battle of Agincourt; previous to which he was detached to reconnoitre the enemy, reported to be in great force, and being asked their numbers, replied:-An't pleafe you, my liege, they are enough to be killed, enough to run away, and enough to be taken prifoners.

BOTANY.

THE early amufements of women are the circumftances that form their difpofitions and characters. What can be expected from the confinement, the agitations, and the paffions of a card table? How different the

effe&t

effect of contemplating nature in her moft exquifite and moft useful forms! It improves the heart as well as the taste; and botany is the most elegant and best of all female amufements.

PETER THE THIRD OF CASTILE.

A CANON of the cathedral of Seville, affected in his drefs, and particularly in his fhoes, could not find a workman to his liking. An unfortunate fhoemaker to whom he applied, after quitting many others, having brought him a pair of fhoes not made to pleafe his tafte, the canon became furious, and feizing one of the tools of the fhoemaker, gave him with it fo many blows upon the head as laid him dead upon the floor. The unhappy man left a widow, four daughters, and a fon fourteen years of age, the eldeft of the indigent family. They made their compliments to the chapter; the canon was profecuted, and condemned not to appear in the choir for a year. The young fhoemaker having attained to man's estate, was fcarcely able to get a livelihood, and overwhelmed with wretchednefs, fat down on the day of a proceffion at the door of the cathedral of Seville in the moment the proceffion was paffing by. Amongst the other canons he perceived the murderer of his father. At the fight of this man, filial affection, rage, and defpair got fo far the better of his reafon, that he fell furiously on the priest, and ftabbed him to the heart. The young man was feized, convicted of the crime, and immediately condemned to be quartered alive. Peter, whom we call the cruel, and whom the Spaniards with more reafon call the lover of juftice, was then at Seville. The affair came to his knowledge, and after having learnt the particulars, he determined to be himfelf the judge of the young fhoemaker. When he proceeded to give judgment he first anulled the fentence juft pronounced by the clergy, and after afking the young man what profeffion he was :-I forbid you, faid he, to make shoes for a year to come.

SINGULAR

SINGULAR PUNISHMENT.

IN the lead-mines on the Mendip-hills, near Wells, any Englishman may freely work, except he has forfeited his right by ftealing the ore, or the working tools of other miners. For it is a cuftom there to leave both their ore and tools all night upon the open hills, or in fome flight hut clofe by and whoever is found guilty of stealing, is condemned to a peculiar punishment, called burning of the hill, which is thus performed :-The criminal is thut up in one of thefe huts, furrounded with dry furze, fern, or fuch like combuftible matter, which being fet fire to in different places, he is left to make his efcape as well as he can, by bursting this prifon with hands and feet, and rushing through the fire, but he is ever after excluded from working on those hills.

REVENGE.

SOMETHING more than a century ago, the Marquis of Altrogas, a Spanish nobleman, having prevailed on a young woman of great beauty to become his mistress, the Marchionefs hearing of it, went to her lodgings with fome affaffins, killed her, tore out her heart, carried it home, made a ragout of it, and prefented the dish to the Marquis." It is exceedingly good," faid he.“ No wonder," anfwered fhe, " fince it is made of the heart of that creature you so much doated on." And to confirm what the had faid, the immediately drew out her head all bloody from beneath her hoop and rolled it on the floor, her eyes fparkling all the time with a mixture of pleasure and infernal fury.

LAVATER.

"I CALLED" fays Mr. Coxe, "on Lavater, a clergyman, of Zurich, in Switzerland, and celebrated phyfiognomift, who has published four large volumes in quarto on that fanciful fubject. That particular paffions have a certain effect upon particular features, is

evident