ists. An unexpected opposition was made to this proposal by Terrick, Bishop of London, and Potter, Archbishop of Canterbury, as guardians of the fabric; and it was so powerful as entirely to defeat the scheme, notwithstanding that the Royal Academy, by their President, made an application to Dr. Newton, in 1773, that "the art of painting would never grow up to maturity and perfection, unless it were introduced into churches as in foreign countries." And six of them offered to contribute pictures. PARADISE LOST.-Milton did not begin to write "Paradise Lost" until he was 47 years of age. He sold it for 51. to Samuel Simmons, April 27, 1677. In two years more, he had 57. for the second edition. In 1680, Mrs. Milton sold all her right for 81. Simmons then sold the copywright for 25l. It is an extraordinary fact, that Milton had great difficulty in getting the book licensed. Dr. Bentley, the first editor of the "Paradise Lost," got 100 guineas for his edition. Dr. Newton, the next editor, got 6301. for the "Paradise Lost," and 100 guineas for the "Regained." It was an extraordinary misjudgment of the celebrated Waller, who speaks thus of the first appearance of "Paradise Lost:"-"The old blind schoolmaster, John Milton, hath published a tedious Poem on the Fall of Man; if its length be not considered a merit, it has no other." CANT.-"Should the time ever arrive," says the Morning Herald, "when common sense should again triumph, and dispel the illusions which fashion and falsehood have united to spread around us, it will be scarcely possible to gain credit for some of the instances of inconsistency and absurdity of these days, particularly in matters of religion. Will it be believed that well-educated women, professing piety, and denomi nated evangelical, should send out invitations for the purpose of social meetings, and actually inscribe on their notes, or cards, Tea and Bible? Such, however, is literally the case, at this time, in some places; and, according to all former conceptions of propriety, good sense, and good taste, a more absurd and mischievous combination cannot well be imagined. Charity itself can scarcely repress contempt at such a wanton outrage of all genuine respect and decent propriety." THE PEOPLE.Under whatever idea of inconstancy and consideration some persons may choose to represent the people, I have found by expe- rience that they frequently embrace certain views which, it must be confessed, they pursue hotly, or rather, perhaps, with fury; but that those views have always for their object a common interest, or one of a certain generality at least, and never an interest purely private, like those interests which engage the passions, and towards the advancement of which the exertions of an individual, or of a small number of individuls, are directed. I will even make bold to say that, upon this point, "the least fallible judge is the voice of the people." Mem. de Sully. ECCENTRICITY AND IMPUDENCE.Mortimer was employed by Lord Melbourne to paint a ceiling at his seat of Brocket-hall, Herts, and taking advantage of permission to angle in the fishpond, he rose from a carousal at midnight, and seeking a net, and calling on an assistant painter for help, dragged the preserve, and left the whole fish gasping on the bank in rows. Nor was this the worst; when reproved mildly, and with smiles, by Lady Melbourne, he had the audacity to declare that her beauty had so bewitched him he knew not what he was about. Diary and Chronology. Saturday, June 30. 1747-June 30-About this period the discovery of the ancient City of Herculaneum took place, Various accounts have appeared of this city, of the destruction of which Pliny speaks in his letters. Herculaneum, or Heraclea, was destroyed by an irruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year $79. Sunday, July 1. 1747-July 1-On this day the king of France having been compelled to take up his quarters in the house of a priest of St. Iron, which had been entirely gutted by the Austrian Hussars, the bed Lives of the Painters. Perhaps J. F. will send us something less metaphysical? The Poetry and Essay by J. W. would not, we are assured, please the readers of the Olio. ERRATA. In the story of Noth Gottes, for "Rheingan," read "Rheingau." Illustrated Article. WINNIFRED BURBAGE. FOR THE OLIO. Charmi. The injuries you have sustained appeare So worthy of the mercy of the court, MASSINGER'S FATAL DOWRY, 1st EDIT. "OH, my dear mistress, the troopers are coming here; the captain pointing this way." "Hold thy tongue for a silly wench; if they see thy top-knot at the lattice, they will indeed come. Keep out of sight, and they will pass. God wot they had no need come here, and none but weak women to welcome them. I would give my best kirtle to have Frank and William at home." This dialogue passed between the inmates of a small house, which stood on the banks of the stream that runs through the retired village of Chilworth. It was the residence of the children, two sons and a daughter, of a gentleman who had fallen on the side of the Parliament at Edge Hill. FranVOL. IX. See page 406. cis, the eldest son, had served on the same side; not that he had imbibed the starched principles of the puritans ;like his father, he desired to see the extinction of the Stuart dynasty; and with that feeling had joined the republican army at the age of nineteen, leaving his sister and a younger brother, as he supposed, secure from insult or annoyance in this sequestered village, the few inhabitants of which were too humble to tempt the cupidity of the lawless and mercenary at that distracted period. Winnifred Burbage was one of those girls in whose features nature makes atonement for the lack of downright beauty, by an expression of good-nature and sincerity. Her eyes were grey, but their lashes were of a darker hue; and her mouth, though it did not boast the most perfect proportion, was set off by teeth of surpassing whiteness; her hair-but why should we dwell upon a description of that face in which was all that can make a woman engaging, and without which, mere regularity of feature is but a tame picture.-Winnifred saw with surprise and alarm the approach of the troop, and when they halted at the gate and a 248 party dismounted, she made up her mind to be the hearer of unpleasant tidings. Her forebodings were realized: the captain throwing himself from his horse, entered the house with a military swaggering air, and enquired for Francis Burbage, stating that he had authority from the Lord Fairfax, then quartered at Guilford, to search the premises, and secure the person of the elder brother. The captain was a man whom the beholder might easily perceive had once been eminently handsome, but dissipation had defaced his once comely features, disfigured also by three or four large wounds, the tint of whose unsightly seams was rendered still brighter by intemperance; his figure, though somewhat spare, was tall and elegant, and there was an air of good breeding in his manner and tone, which shewed that, spite of the camp, he had once been accustomed to good society; indeed, Jeffery Baskerville, profligate as he was, piqued himself on his birth, and held in contempt the men who, from the lower walks of life, had risen to high office under the commonwealth. He had been a daring Buccanier, and was now as daring a soldier as ever charged a battalion or stormed a town; this, and this alone, had recommended him to Cromwell; he was no puritan; his religion was that of the wild and lawless ruffians he had once commanded; mercy he considered a bye-word for fools-justice, a nonentity. He had that morning commission given him to search the houses of persons suspected to be inimical to the form of government then existing, and it will not be wondered at when we say that he had in many cases exceeded his directions, and acted with great cruelty to those who had been so unfortunate as to receive his visits. Winnifred, as she scanned the bold sun-burnt and scarred countenance of this man, felt that she was about to undergo a severe trial; his looks boded mischief, and she inwardly prayed that she might have fortitude enough to encounter him. The captain, after stating the subject of his visit, paused for a reply, and played with the spanner or windlass of his holster-pistols, which hung by a blue ribbon round his neck. Winnifred made several attempts to speak, but her emotion choked her utterance; at length, she enquired, in a faltering tone, the nature f the charge against her brother. "I wot not, fair lady," replied Baskerville, "it is enough for a soldier to do the bidding of his commander; if I do wrong, my betters" (this he uttered in a sneering tone) "will answer for it. Your keys, madam, I must search for your brother's papers." A slight noise behind him interrupted the remainder of his speech, and William Burbage, a lad of sixteen, entered with a fowling-piece in his hand; while the dog which followed him began to sniff at the heels of the officer, growling dissatisfaction. "You can have no papers here, Sir Captain," said the boy; "my sister and her maid are not hatchers of plots, and my brother Frank is in London." "How now, young Cockerell," cried the captain, turning hastily round, and scowling on the youth, "what have you to say 211 "That you shall have no papers from us," said William firmly. "Ha! ha!" laughed the captain,"why, d me, boy, you have so frightened the sparrows with your birding-piece, that you must risk a shot at his Excellency's dragoons. Now, harkee, young sir, if I have not a plain and straight-forward answer anon, my men shall tie you to your own gate, and give you a taste of their bandalier belts.What say you to that?" "They shall lose their captain first, though," said William, stepping quietly to the other side of the room, and hastily cocking his fowling-piece. "Advance one step, villain, and I will blow your head from your shoulders." 66 Why, you young fool," said Burbage, his features losing on a sudden their sneering expression, and assuming a more determined air, "should you murder me in your mad resistance, what can save you from the next tree?" Winnifred here interposed, and entreated her brother not to offer further impediments to their rude visitors, and William, feeling for the distress of his sister, and aware that he had acted rashly, was about to reply, when the captain, who had taken the opportunity to approach nearer to his menacer, suddenly sprung upon him, and attempted to wrench the gun from his hand. The struggle was violent; William was a sturdy youth, but Baskerville, whose thick boots protected his legs from the attack of his antagonist's dog, succeeded in turning the muzzle upwards, and the contents of the piece were lodged in the ceiling, at the same time several of the troop, alarmed by the report, rushed into the house with their swords drawn. "Now, hear my terms," said the captain, resigning his prisoner to the care of a couple of troopers; " either possess me with your brother's papers, or we shall find a way to force you into obedience. There are many who would have repaid your attempt with a wyth and a dance from an oak bough; but I wish not to harm you-only you must be quick, that's all." Winnifred witnessed this scene with a beating heart, whilst Phillis, almost dead with terror, clung to her mistress, and endeavoured to whisper to her that comfort which she so much needed herself; her usually red plump cheeks were pale as marble, and her whole frame trembled excessively. The resistance which William had offered was rash and inconsiderate, and he had, in consequence, led Baskerville to suppose that he should really discover some treasonable correspondence. In this the captain was deceived; there was nothing under that roof which could have afforded a clue to the most zealous detector of plots and conspiracies :Winnifred again and again assured him of this; but why, then, was resist ance offered to him. Baskerville had seen too much of human misery to feel for the distress of the family into which he had intruded; and, finding that his command was not obeyed, he and his men immediately commenced a strict search, rummaging every corner in which they supposed one of the objects of their visits was secreted. But this search proved fruitless: nothing satisfactory was discovered, and Baskerville, swearing through his closed teeth, returned to the room in which he had left his prisoner, determined to try whether torture would wring a confession from him. For this purpose a piece of match being lighted, notwithstanding the entreaties of the terrified women, was tied between the fingers of William's righthand. The poor youth uttered an involuntary shriek as the fire closed on his hand, but the next moment recovered himself, and though the perspiration rolled in large drops down his face, writhen and distorted by pain, he bore the torment without uttering another cry. The agonized girls beheld this scene with mute horror, but the bodily anguish of the youth was too severe to allow of his bestowing a thought upon them; at length he fainted, and fell apparently lifeless on the floor. This is only a cheat?" roared Baskerville, "fetch me water from the well, and take the match from his fingers, Serjeant Vane." "The boy is dead, I think, captain," said the serjeant, as he loosened the match, and felt the pulse of the poor lad-" he doesn't breathe!". "Hold your prating, sirrah-raise him up, and damp his brow with this water," cried the captain; and he took the bowl which one of the troopers then brought in, and dashed its contents in the face of their victim. William opened his eyes, stared for a moment on his tormentors, and again relapsed into insensibility. Winnifred now suddenly rose from the seat on which she had sunk during this horrible scene, and throwing herself on her knees before Baskerville, she entreated him to have mercy on her brother. As she looked up in the face of the libertine captain, a sudden thought seemed to take possession of him; he leant towards the suppliant maiden, kissed her clasped hands and whispered in her ear. At that moment William again recovered his senses, and in a faint tone implored his sister to leave the room. "Oh, Winnifred!" said the poor boy, "let not that villain's lip approach even thine hand-trust not to him-he has fought on both sides in these dis mark of our brother's weapon at Edge tracted times; his face still bears the Hill. Fly, Winnifred, and leave me to my fate!-you add to my misery by remaining here!" "Lead him out, serjeant," said Baskerville, much chagrined," and draw up a party in the lane. The young dog will not confess: he would fain be a martyr." This brutal command was obeyed, regardless of the shrieks of the young women, who piteously supplicated for mercy, and William, his arms secured by a bandalier belt, was dragged out to die. Winnifred would have followed, but the captain prevented her. "Lady," said he, in an under-tone, laying his gloved hand upon her shoulder," there is a way by which your brother may be saved; will you rescue him from death?" "Oh, sir," said the maiden, "have mercy on my poor brother for his sister's sake. Spare him, oh, in mercy spare him he is too young to die; you are a soldier, and should not thus use a boy. Do not take his life, be merciful, be merciful, good sir, and I will bless you, will pray for you-will pray Heaven to "You may save him," said Baskerville cooly, as he motioned silence. "This is madness," again interrupted the captain-" delay another moment, and it will be too late. See, your brother is on his knees, and my men wait but the waying of my hand to fire!" "Oh, cruel, cruel alternative!" sobbed the maiden; then, changing her tone, she added, "but you are jestingin Heaven's name let me not purchase my brother's life at such a price-the thought of such a ransom would destroy him sooner than the carbines of your "I will meet you, sir," she continued, by the chapel on the hill yonder, which you may see through the casement; but we must not go by the same path; I will proceed up the lane, do you take the road on the other side of the hill." The countenance of the brutal Baskerville brightened under his morion, upon hearing this proposition, and striding out of the house, he bade the troopers release their prisoner, but not to suffer him to go at liberty; then leaving directions with the serjeant, he took the way to the place of rendezvous. In the mean while, Winnifred hastened to her chamber, and arming herself with a pair of small pistols, which she loaded. with great care, quitted the house by a back door, and passing through the garden arrived, without being perceived, in the lane leading to the chapel. The high-spirited girl, roused almost to madness by the cruelty with which her brother had been treated, and burning with a desire to revenge the insult that had been offered her by the insolent and sanguinary Baskerville, had resolved to extort from him a promise to spare her brother, or to pistol him at the place of meeting. Yes, she who was lately all gentleness and mercy-she whom the screams of the lacerated hare, or the struggles of a wounded partridge, had filled with pity and sympathy, was now meditating the destruction of a bold villain, who was dreaded by his whole regiment. Her design was prevented. The lane up which she bent her steps was shaded from the sun partly by the high banks which rose abruptly to the height of forty feet, and partly by the tall shrubs and trees which clothed their sides. A thousand birds were pouring out their various notes, and the soft breeze, as it played with the ringlets of her hair, was perfumed by the odour of the violets and primroses that spangled the bank on either side, She had proceeded, with a hurried nervous step, about half-way up this delightful lane, through which she had often strolled in happier days, when a crashing of the branches above interrupted the painful reverie in which she was absorbed :— she turned to the spot, and, oh, blessed sight, her brother Francis, swinging himself from bush to bush, jumped into the lane, and clasped her in his arms. "Oh, Frank," said the maiden, hiding her face in his bosom, and bursting into tears, "God be praised for this meeting! you may escape from these ruffians." Surprised and alarmed at her words,` Francis eagerly demanded an explanation of them, which Winnifred, in a voice interrupted at intervals by tears and sobs, hastily gave him. Frank Burbage heard her story with astonishment, and he swore deeply to be revenged on the villain who had thus invaded his happiness. Winnifred," said he, after a short pause, during which he bit his lips and beat the ground with his high-heeled boot," you are a bold horse woman— you must ride with all speed to the general at Guilford, and tell him that Francis Burbage is in danger-is lost, if he stir not in his favour. Let me help thee up this bank: my horse is on the other side, and do thou stint not the whip, or we are all lost." He hurried the trembling girl up the bank, on the summit of which he had left his horse. Winnifred was quickly mounted and on her way to Guilford; while Francis Burbage hastened to meet the brutal captain, who waited with impatience the arrival of his intended victim. "Noble wench !" exclaimed Francis as he hurried along; " 'tis glorious to fight for thee, who would'st perish rather than dishonour thy family: I feel as secure of victory as though my foot were |