considerations were so powerful in his mind, that he effected his destruction with a razor, and thus secured his property to his children.

Williams's Travels through France.

WHEN Madame de Boufflers was first in England, (said Beauclerk,) she was desirous to see Johnson. I accordingly went with her to his chambers in the Temple, where she was entertained with his conversation for some time. When our visit was over, she and I left him, and were got into Inner Temple-lare, when all at once I heard a noise like thunder. This was occasioned by Johnson, who it seems, upon a little recollection, had taken it into his head that he ought to have done the honours of his literary residence to a foreign lady of quality, and eager to shew himself a man of gallantry, was hurrying down the staircase in violent agitation. He overtook us before we reached the Temple-gate, and brushing in between me and Madame de Boufflers, seized her hand, and conducted her to her coach. His dress was a rusty brown morning suit, a pair of old shoes by way of slippers, a little shrivelled wig sticking on the top of his head, and the sleeves of his shirt and the knees of his breeches hanging loose. A considerable crowd of people gathered round, and were not a little struck by this singular appearance." Life of Johnson, v. 2. p. 420.

VIVACITY seems to be the common property of every Frenchman, and never did it appear more striking than in the following circumstance: upon

an English surgeon some years since visiting an hospital at Paris, he saw in one of the wards three Frenchmen who had received some very severe contusions by the fall of a scaffold a few days before, lying in bed; upon approaching them he found one dead, another dying, and the one in the middle sitting upright in the bed, fiddling to several invalids, who were dancing at the foot of it as well as they were able.

Carr's Travels through Holland, &c.

SIR THOMAS MORE was so remarkably attentive to the education of his daughters, and brought them up with such strict attention to every thing that can charın or be admired in a female, that 'the school of More' was praised no less for its novelty than the accomplishments of its pupils. Erasmus, from whom we derive these particulars, and who was often an inmate of that delightful society, greatly captivated with the easy manners, the animated conversation, and extraordinary accomplishments of these young ladies, could not help owning himself a complete convert to More's sentiments of female education. Yet, while he admired their improvement, and shared in the pleasures it diffused, he could not help remarking one day to his friend, how severe a calamity it would be, if, by any of those fatalities to which the human race is liable, such accomplished beings, whom he had so painfully and successfully laboured to improve, should happen to be snatched away! "If they are to die," replied More, without hesitation, "I would rather have them die well-informed

than ignorant." "This reply," continues Erasmus, "reminded me of a saying of Phocion, whose wife, as he was about to drink the poison, according to his sentence, exclaimed "Ah! my husband, you die innocent!" "And would you, my wife," he rejoined," rather have me die guilty?"

Macdiarmid's Lives, p. 32.

ENGLAND is the country for religious toleration. Of late years the worship of the old heathen gods has been revived here and Orpheus is adored instead of Christ, Homer and Hesiod instead of the prophets, Plato and Plotinus instead of the apostles? There is a story of an Englishman at Rome, who pulled off his hat to a statue of Jupiter, saying, "I beg, sir, if ever you get into power again, you will remember that I paid my respects to you in your adversity." Letters from England, v. 3, p. 164.

DEAN SWIFT, at dinner, once turning his eye towards the looking-glass, espied the butler opening a bottle of ale, and helping himself; "Ha, friend," said the dean, "sharp is the word with you, I find you have drank my ale; for which I stop two shillings out of your board-wages this week, for I scorn to be outdone in any thing, even in cheating." Swiftiana, p. 30.

RUSSIAN weather makes a man alert. It was a very severe winter, when I was first at Pleskow, and after leaving a party, I was making the best of my way to my own lodgings. "My God, how quick he runs!" called a little girl behind me.

Here, at Grodno, being obliged to sit so long in the toll-house, I took out my pocket-book, and noted some little occurrence on the road. "My God, how quick he writes!" said one of the men near Seume's Tour.

me.

The Retort.-Queen Elizabeth was provoked by one of many beggars to say, Pauper ubique jacet-the poor lie every where! when the mendicant, to her surprise, exclaimed,

In thalamis, Regina, tuis hac nocte jacerem,
Si foret hoc verum, "Pauper ubique jacet."
Thy bed then, queen!—this night I should lie

there,

If it were true, the poor

66

M. Mirror, Aug. 1808.

SOME time since the priest of Falmouth was applied to to bury a certain person from the adjoining country. Why, John," said he to the sexton, "We buried this man a dozen years ago:" and in fact it appeared on referring to the parish books of the church that his funeral had been registered a dozen years back. He had been bed-ridden and in a state of dotage all that time; and his heirs had made a mock burial to avoid certain legal forms and expences which would else have been necessary to enable them to receive and dispose of his rents. Espriella's Letters, v. 1, p

5.

CARDINAL WOLSEY was as remarkable for his artful and submissive conduct before Henry VIII. as sir Thomas More was for simplicity and

an inflexible adherence to right. On one occasion, it is said, that the cardinal, with much self-complacency, laid before More the draught of a measure which he was about to carry into execution, at the same time requesting his sentiments freely on every part of it. More, having attentively considered it, began, with his usual sincerity, to point out some things to be suppressed, others to be amended, others to be added; till at length, Wolsey, unable to suppress his mortification and wrath, asked him if he was not ashamed to prove himself a fool, by objecting to what all the other wise men of the council had approved? "Thanks be to God," replied More gravely, "that the king's majesty hath but one fool in his right honourable council!" Macdiarmid's Lives, p. 44.

It was the intention of Appius to tear the chaste Virginia from her father, under the pretext that she was the daughter of a slave, and to dishonour her. Every method for her rescue had been tried in vain; the indignation of her hoary sire and her betrothed bridegroom was the subject of ridicule to the brutal officer. The moment had arrived in which they were preparing to drag Virginia away. The father suddenly turning to the decemvir

Stop!" he exclaimed, "but one moment: pardon, Appius, the distress of a father, if I addressed thee with harshness; permit me only to put a few questions to the girl in the presence of her attendant, to convince myself that I am not her father, and then depart from the place in peace." "Thy request is granted," replied the decemvir.

86