me with a mixture of surprize and contempt; and assured me, on his honour, that he well knew Baron Trenck personally, and that he had modelled the face of his figure from the Baron himself at Frankfort.

I said nothing before the company, but took him aside into another room, and discovered myself.— The poor fellow was ashamed and frightened; offered in excuse the artifices of people of his profession to gratify the curiosity of the public; assured me that he had got a great deal of money by me; that he had sent a similar figure to London with the same view; and prayed me to favour him with half an hour's sitting, that he might copy my real face. This request, however, for sufficient reasons, I did not think fit to grant. The original being now at Paris, the figure would no longer answer the purpose of Mr Curtius in that city; so it was conveyed to Madrid. Life of B. T. v. 4.

IN the island of Ceylon, the natives formerly paid their adorations to the most fantastic deities. Amongst others, a magnificent temple was erected,. and daily sacrifices were offered to the all-powerful spirit supposed to reside in a monkey's tooth. On the continuance of any drought, or the prevalence of any epidemic disorder, the sacred tooth was always brought forth, and borne in solemn procession; and the return of rain and health was constantly attributed to its powerful influence. But shortly after the Dutch had taken possession of the island, by one of those accidents against which no human prudence can guard, the hallowed tooth was

mislaid, and baffled the most diligent search, both of the priests, its guardians, and the natives. So ominous a calamity occasioned a general mourning; and the negligent depositories of the sacred relic were decreed to suffer death, when De Groot, a crafty Hollander who had seen the deity, produced to the superstitious people a tooth entirely similar, which he assured them the god Whyhang had presented to him in a dream. It was received with enthusiastic gratitude; and De Groot was rewarded with goods to the value of twenty thousand pounds, with which he returned to his own country. He ever afterwards spoke of the East India Deity with becoming veneration, and in testimony of his thankfulness, never omitted giving as the first toast after dinner every day, "The Monkey's Tooth."

Light Reading at Leisure Hours, p. 339.

SATIRE is a sort of glasss, wherein beholders do generally discover every body's face but their own; which is their chief reason for that kind reception it meets with in the world, and that so very few are offended with it.

Swiftiana, v, 1, p. 142.

THE remarks of Fuller, in his Worthies of England, relative to Spenser, Jonson, and Shakespear, are well selected, by M. D'Israeli:

He observes on Spenser, "The many Chaucerisms used (for I will not say affected) by him are thought by the ignorant to be blemishes, known by the learned to be beauties, to his book; which not

withstanding had been more saleable, if more conformed to our modern language."

On Jonson-" His parts were not so ready to run of themselves, as able to answer the spur; so that it may be truly said of him, that he had an elaborate wit, wrought out by his own industry. He would sit silent in learned company, and suck in (besides wine) their several humours into his observation. What was ore in others, he was able to

refine himself.

He was paramount in the dramatic part of poetry, and taught the stage an exact conformity to the laws of comedians. His comedies were above the volge (which are only tickled with downright obscenity) and took not so well at the first stroke, as at the rebound, when beheld the second time; yea, they will endure reading, so long as either ingenuity or learning are fashionable in our nation. If his latter be not so spriteful and vigorous as his first pieces, all that are old will, and all who desire to be old should excuse him therein."

On Shakespear" He was an eminent instance of the truth of that rule, poeta non fit, sed nascitur; one is not made, but born a poet. Indeed his learning was but very little; so that as cornish diamonds are not polished by any lapidary, but are pointed and smoothed even as they are taken out of the earth, so nature itself was all the art which was used upon him.

Many were the wit-combats betwixt him and Ben Jonson, which two I behold like a Spanish great galleon, and an English man of war. Master Jonson (like the former) was built far higher in

learning; solid, but slow in his performances. Shakespear, with the English man of war, lesser in bulk, but lighter in sailing, could turn with all tides, and take advantage of all winds, by the quickness of his wit and invention."

Curiosities of Literature, v. 2.

THE whimsical questions of queen Caroline to Dr. Clarke, have been mentioned; one of her requests was, that he would tell her faults.

After evading this delicate and dangerous business so long as he could do it without offence, the doctor observed; "As I am compelled. will your majesty pardon my saying, that when people from the country come to St. James's chapel, for a sight of the royal family, it is an example, not very edifying, for them to see your majesties talking during the whole time of divine service?" The queen blushed, told the doctor he was right, and a hearty laugh ensued. "Well, doctor, now tell me another fault: "No, madam, excuse me, when I see your majesty has amended this, it will be time enough to talk of another." Lounger's Common-Place Book, v. 1, p. 386.

BOWDEN, who was a very fat man, being in Germany, while he was an officer in the guards, happened to be sent on what is called a flying party, of which he gave his father (who was nearly as fat as himself) the following laconic account:

DEAR SIR,

Our general has thought fit to select me for a flying party; and as you seem to have the same

family talents for enterprises of this description, I shall not be much surprised if I hear that they have engaged you to play Harlequin next winter at Drury-lane.

The same facetious gentleman dining one day at the house of Thrale, the member for the borough, and seeing nothing to his liking in the first course, answered only, when asked to be helped to any thing, I will wait for something else." A neck of mutton being the last thing, he refused it also. Mrs Thrale, in some confusion, apologized for her dinner, by saying, "that the high winds had that morning thrown down the kitchen chimney, and she was afraid there was nothing else but some pastry." Bowden, roused at this, and seeing the mutton on the point of being carried from the table, stuttered out to the servant as well as he could, "Holloa, master! bring that back again: I now begin to find it is neck or nothing!"

Foote's Memoirs, v. 2, p. 93.

AT the western extremity of Leominster, is an ancient building erected for an alms-house; on the front of which are the remains of a figure which in its better days supported a hatchet in one hand, and above its head had the following inscription:

He that gives his goods before he's dead,

Let him take up this ax and chop off his head. a piece of advice by no means so absurd as may at first appear to many, when it is recollected how little gratitude for favours received prevails in the bosoms of a large portion of mankind; and likewise when they are informed that the person whose