1 66 a child, and spake like a child; but now I'm a man, I put away childish things." Julius the Second, having raised a great army against the French, as he was going out of Rome with it, he took his keys, and threw them into the Tiber, saying, that forasmuch as the keys of St. Peter, would not serve him to his purpose, he would betake himself to the sword of St. Paul." He was instrumental of the deaths of 200,000 christians in seven years. A cardinal in Rome blamed a painter for colouring the faces of Peter and Paul too red, to whom he shrewdly replied; "that he painted them so as blushing at the lives of those who styled themselves their successors. Julius, called for his pork,(which was forbidden him by his physicians,) and said he would have it, “Al despito de Dio,-in spite of God." And having appointed a cold peacock to be reserved for him, when he missed it the next meal, he grew angry, and being requested not to be so, for such a trifle, he answered," that if God was so angry for an apple, why might he not be as angry for a peacock." Cramner, with the Earl of Wiltshire and some others, being sent by Henry the Eighth to the Pope, about his divorce from Queen Catherine, when the day of hearing was come, and the Pope sitting in his Pontificalibus, put forth his foot to be kissed of the Ambassadors, an unmannerly spaniel of the Earl, ran and caught his great toe in his teeth, so that the ambassadors, disdaining to kiss where the dog had taken an assay, let the Pope draw back his foot, and thus lost the especial favour Pope Pius Quintus said,-" When I was first in orders, without any other ecclesiastical dignity, I had good hope of salvation; when I became a cardinal, I had less; since I was made Pope, least of all." Before the Pope is set in his chair, and puts on his triple crown, a piece of tow, or wad of straw is lit on fire before him, and a person appointed to say, "the glory of the world is but a blaze." Also, one day in the year his almoner rides before him, casting abroad to the poor pieces of brass and lead, profanely abusing the scripture by saying, "silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give unto you." Pope Adrian the Sixth, having built a college at Lovaine, caused this inscrip tion to be written on the gates in gold letters," Utrecht planted me, Lovaine watered me, and Cæsar gave the increase." For this parody, a wit wrote underneath, "God did nothing." The Popes keep a book, in which the rate of any sin may be ascertained, and any crime absolved. When the Emperor Henry VII. went into Italy to reform the abuses there, a certain monk, to gratify the Pope, mixed poison with the bread of the Eucharist, and gave it to the Emperor, of which he died. Pope John the Twenty-third, calling a council at Rome against the Christians in Bohemia, when the council was set, the mass of the Holy Ghost sung, and the Pope placed in his chair, there came flying into the assembly an owl with a hooting, and set herself on a cross beam just over him, casting her eyes on him. The people, who were astonished, said, "Behold the spirit is come in the likeness of an owl!" The Pope, who was confused, dissolved the council for the present; 66 yet afterwards calling another sessions, when they were met, the owl came in as before," still looking steadfastly on him; on which he was so much distracted that he said, "He could no longer abide the sight of her," and commanded her to be driven away with bats and shoutings, but by no means could she be removed, till with the blows of the sticks thrown at her, at length, she fell dead amongst them. Biography. SKETCH OF THE LIFE PYLA. OF THE AUTHOR OF ROBINSON CRUSOE. Daniel Defoe, or Foe, as the name was sometimes spelt, was born in London in the year 1661, in St. Giles's, Cripplegate. His father, James Foe, was a butcher; and his grandfather, Daniel, the first person among his ancestors of whom any thing is positively known, was a substantial yeoman, who farmed his own estate at Elton, in Northamptonshire. The old gentleman kept a pack of hounds, which indicated both his wealth and his principles as a royalist; for the Puritans did not allow of the sports of the field, though his grandson (contra bonos mores) sometimes indulged in them. In alluding to this circumstance, Defoe says, "I remember my grandfather had a huntsman, who used the same familiarity (that of giving party names to animals) with his dogs; and he had his Roundhead and his Cavalier, his Goring and his Waller; and all the generals in both armies were hounds in his pack, till, the times tnrning, the old gentleman was fain to scatter his pack, and make them up of more dog-like sirnames.' It was probably from this relative that Defoe inherited a freehold estate, of which he was not a little vain; and which seems to have influenced his opinions in his theory of the right of popular election, and of the British constitution. His father was a person of a different cast-a rigid dissenter; and from him his son appears to have imbibed the grounds of his opinions and practice. He was living at an advanced age in 1705. The following curious memorandum, signed by him at this period, throws some light on his character, as well as on that of the times: Sarah Pierce lived with us, about fifteen or sixteen years since, about two years, and behaved herself so well, that we recommended her to Mr. Cave, that godly minister, which we should not have done, had not her conversation been according to the gospel. From my lodgings, at the Bell in Broad Street, having lately left my house in Throgmorton Street, October 10, 1705. Witness my hand, JAMES FOR.' Young Defoe was brought up for the ministry, and educated with this view at the dissenting academy of Mr. Charles Morton, at Newington-Green, where Mr. Samuel Wesley, the father of the celebrated John Wesley, and who after wards wrote against the dissenters, was brought up with him. Whether from an unsettled inclination, or his father's inability to supply the necessary expenses, he never finished his education here. He not long after joined in Monmouth's rebellion in 1685, and narrowly escaped being taken prisoner with the rest of the Duke's followers. It is supposed he owed his safety to his being a native of London, and his person not being known in the west of England, where that movement chiefly took place. He now applied himself to business, and became a kind of hose-factor. He afterwards set up a Dutch tile-manufactory at Tilbury, in Essex, and derived great profit from it; but his being sentenced to the pillory for his Shortest Way with the Dissenters, (one of the truest, ablest, and most seasonable pamphlets ever published,) and the heavy fine and imprisonment that followed, involved him in distress and difficulty ever after. He occasionally, indeed, seemed to be emerging from obscurity, and to hold his head above water for a time, (and at one period had built himself a handsome house at StokeNewington, which is still to be seen there,) but this show of prosperity was of short continuance; all of a sudden, we find him immersed in poverty and law as deeply as ever; and it would appear that, with all his ability and industry, however he might be formed to serve his country or delight mankind, he was not one of those who are born to make their fortunes; either from a careless, improvident disposition, that squanders away its advantages, or a sanguine and restless temper, that constantly abandons a successful pursuit for some new and gilded project. Defoe took an active and enthusiastic part in the Revolution of 1688, and was personally known to King William, of whom he was a sort of idolater, and evinced a spirit of knighterrantry in defence of his character and memory whenever it was attacked. He was released from prison (after lying there two years) by the interference and friendship of Harley, who introduced him to Queen Anne, by whom he was employed on several confidential missions, and more particularly in effecting the Union with Scotland. His personal obligations to Harley fettered his politics during the four last years of Queen Anne, and threw a cloud over his popularity in the following reign, but fixed no stain upon his character, except in the insinuations and slanders of his enemies, whether of his own or the opposite party. It was not till after he had retired from the battle, covered wih scars and bruises, but without a single trophy or reward, in acknowledgment of his indefatigable and undeniable services in defence of the cause he had all his life espoused. when he was nearly sixty years of age, and struck down by a fit of apoplexythat he thought of commencing novelwriter, for his amusement and subsistence. The most popular of his novels, Robinson Crusoe, was published in the year 1719, and he poured others from his pen, for the remaining ten or twelve years of his life, as fast, and with as little apparent effort, as he had formerly done lampoons, reviews, and pamphlets. The time of Defoe's death has been variously stated, but it took place upon the 24th of April, 1731, when he was about seventy years of age, having been born in the year 1661. Cibber and others state that he died at his house at Islington; but this is incorrect. The parish of St. Giles, Cripplegate, in which he drew his first breath, was also destined to receive his last. This we learn from the parish register, which has been searched for the purpose; and farther informs us, that he went off in a lethargy. He was buried from thence, upon the 26th of April, in Tindall's Buryingground, now most known by the name of Bunhill-Fields. The entry in the regis ter, written probably by some ignorant person, who made a strange blunder of his name, is as follows: 1731. April 26. Mr. Dubow. Cripplegate." His wife did not long survive him. Notices of New Works. The Sidney Anecdotes, Part I.—Folly. THE external appearance of this little work is somewhat similar to that of the "Percy Anecdotes," and we are convinced that it will become as popular. Here, gentle reader, besides a multitude of amusing anecdotes, you have for halfa-crown, a cleverly engraved portrait of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, the centre of folly in the time of our first James; together with several illustrative wood-cuts, executed by the ingenious hand of Mr. Sears, who will, we have no doubt, ere long, rank high amongst our engravers on wood. Of the literary portion of the work we have only to say, that it presents such a register of human folly, that we blush scarlet for our fellow bipeds, for the fooleries of the ancients, as well as those of many individuals now living are here given. It contains a list of the absurdities of all fools, from Nabel the first on record, down to my Lord we leave a blank for the name, as so many candidates press forward for the honour. The mass of anecdotes is well arranged, but in one or two instances, we thought we discovered something like carelessness in the relation. We have been thus free in giving our opinion of the merits of this little work, but we should be wanting in candour if we were to deny that it is likely to become a great favourite with all ages. We cordially wish it success, and earnestly recommend it to the attention of our readers. The following anecdotes are taken at random: "A Barrister puzzled by a Bumpkin. On a trial at Cambridge, about 1810, in a case where there was a dispute about felling some trees, for the purpose of widening a river, at an improper season of the year, when the wood was not in a fit state to be cut down, one witness appeared so very ignorant, that he could not say whether it took place on or before Lady-day, Midsummer, Michaelmas, or Christmas. The counsel, as usual, took advantage of his ignorance, to banter him not a little: "What a pretty fellow you are to come into a witness's box, and cannot tell which are the names of the quarter days, and so on. The bump kin, scratching his head, said he didn't know much about what the gentleman meant, but he believed the trees were cut about Hallowmass. 'Hallowmass !' exclaimed the barrister; when is that?' Why, doesn't thee know that, sir?' said the witness. A general laugh ensued, in which the judge could hardly refrain from joining, and was compelled to call who continued to disturb the court. the tipstaves to take any one into custody 66 Folly of Napoleon. It is well known that Buonaparte anxiously wished to see all his brothers on thrones, and was displeased with LUCIEN, because he would not accept of a crown. At last, Lucien, tired of his importunities to become one of the Napoleon dynasty, so far complied by telling him, that he would consent to be a king, if his brother would give him his choice of a kingdom, Choisissez, mon frere!' exclaimed the overjoyed Napoleon, prouvre que vous soyez un de notres, tout est a vous.' Lucien then demanded the throne of England! The demand was significant, and the boasting emperor felt deeply the keen irony it conveyed. "Vanity of Napoleon.-When Buonaparte was at Schoenbrunn, he occasionally amused himself with a game at vingt et un. One evening, having been fortunate, and won a small sum, he boastingly shook the pieces in his hand, saying, The Germans love these little Napoleons, don't they?' 'Yes,' answered General Rapp, they do, sire, but they are not at all fond of the great one." "Notions of Seafaring Men.-These men, who are daily observing the wonders of the mighty deep, and have the opportunity of tracing the natural causes of the various phenomena which pass around them, are still strangely beset with many superstitious notions; some object to sailing with a dead body on board, even if soldered in lead ;-others will not set sail on an inauspicions day ;-others believe in the virtue of certain articles worn about the person, which have a talismanic effect in preserving from danger and shipwreck; the most absurd of which, is the silly conceit they have of the power of a child's caul, for which the sum of forty guineas has been asked, and given, although of late we have seen them advertised by foolish owners, at ten, and even the reduced rate of five guineas! In this age of the March of Intellect,' perhaps they are getting wiser, or the article has become more plentiful. The grand secret is, every child is born with this membrane, or tippet, on its face and head; and we have lately read the offer of the editor of a medical work, who will engage in a wholesale traffic with the retailers, and supply them with the whole at half-a-crown each, which they may cut up to very great profit; or, he will supply as many as are required, at one shilling each. Our simple belief is, that the greatest trust is to be placed, first, in Him who rules the tempest and directs the storm;-Second, in a good and sound bottomed ship, well rigged and manned, with a pilot who knows whereabouts he is ;-Thirdly, in case of accident, a stout life boat; and, lastly, should that not be at hand, Daniel's life preserver, or even a cork jacket, would be of infinitely more service than this, by which no one was ever yet supported in the water, nor ever will." The Note Book. I will make a prief of it in my Note-book. M. W. of Windsor. ANIMAL CRIMINALS. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries animals were almost as commonly prosecuted as sorcerers. Dom Martène, in his " Voyage Littéraire," records a sentence upon a bull, (passed the 16th of May, 1499), which was found in the abbey of Beaupré, in the diocese of Beauvais; said sentence condemning said bull to be hung at the gallows (fourches patibulaires), for having by his ferocity, when in the fields, slain and put to death a young man of the age of fourteen or fifteen years." The archives of the ancient chamber of accompts at Lille contain an instance of the same description; this is a deed of the 22nd of September, 1486, certifying that on the 10th of June preceding, the deputybailiff of Bailleul has caused the jackketch of Ypres to execute a young pig, which had "murdered and devoured a child." And after the execution, the unnatural beast was exposed to public view in like manner with the bodies of human criminals. FRANCE AS IT IS. Those only who have lived in France of late years can form an idea of the utter republicanism of men's minds in that country; not republicanism as respects government, because the sole wish of the people is a limited and constitutional monarchy, no matter what monarch; but republicanism as respects all notions of distinction or difference between man and man. Except in certain veins of society, nobility is a joke, and the idea of superiority, as attached to title, ridiculous. The titular nobility, where they are neither placed nor wealthy, are treated sim CHINESE SUPERSTITION. The sorcerers of China, in spite of their faith in the elixir of immortality, are led, by apprehensions of the future, to pay a species of worship to invisible powers, and in order at the same time to derive earthly advantage from their faith, they manufacture little earthly representations of their gods, which they sell at a high price to the pious possessors of superfluous money. The teachers of this sect are honoured with the name of Tian-Szee, or the "heavenly doctors;" and their chiefs, who reside in a town in the province of Kiang-si, where they have a magnificent palace, are always complimented with the dignity of principal mandarin, and visited by vast numbers of people, some of whom consult them as physicians, and others as fortune-tellers or conjurors. The rites by which these "heavenly doctors" gratify their own superstitious propensities, or impose upon the credulity of the vulgar, resemble some of the practices of the ancient pagans of the west. They sacrifice to the spirit of darkness three kinds of victims, a hog, a fish, and a bird; and for the completion of some species of charm, the purpose of which is not described or conjectured by the missionaries, drive a stake into the earth, while they trace upon paper a singular sort of figure, accompanying every stroke of the pencil with frightful grimaces and horrible cries. Ib. DEFOE'S FIRST WORK. The first publication of this clever writer was a satirical pamphlet, called Speculum Crape-gownorum; intended to ridicule the fopperies and affectation of the younger clergy, as a set-off to some severe attacks on the mode of preaching among the Dissenters. This performance bears the date of 1682, when Defoe was only twenty-one, so that he commenced author very young. From that period he hardly ever ceased writing for the rest of his life; and a list of his works would alone fill a long article. Edin. Review. SOLOMON'S POSTHUMOUS REIGN. A Turkish tradition recounts, that the wisest of the sons of men died sitting upon his throne of lions; and as his body sat upon the high place of dominion, clad in regal apparel, men and brutes, genii and demons, still maintaining their accustomed respectful distance, and unaware that the vital spark had taken wing, continued to do him homage. However, the staff against which Solomon rested his lips, being perforated by the woodlouse, snapped in twain, and brought the corpse to the ground; but it was not until this occurrence that his death was ascertained, and the world thrown into confusion ! F. Lit. Gaz. Customs of Warious Countries. CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES IN IRELAND. “The festivities and customs peculiar to certain seasons of the year are many of them curious, and may be novel to the English reader," says Mr. Croker, in his valuable and interesting Researches in the South of Ireland.' 66 They resemble in a great degree those of the Scottish peasantry, and are, as in the Highlands, more vigorously observed than in Eng: land, where civilization has destroyed most of the ancient and mysterious feelings productive of such rites. On the last night of the year, a cake is thrown against the outside door of each house by the head of the family, which ceremony is said to keep out hunger during the ensuing one; and the many thousand practical illustrations of the fallacy of this artifice have not yet succeeded in producing conviction of the same. On the anniversary of St. Stephen, (the day after Christmas day,) it is customary for groups of young villagers to bear about a holly bush adorned with ribbons, and having many wrens depending from it. This is carried from house to house with some ceremony, the 'Wren boys' chaunting several verses, the burden of which may be collected from the following lines of their song. "The Wren, the Wren, the king of all birds, St. Stephen's day was caught in the furze, Although he is little, his family's great, I pray you, good landlady, give us a treat. My box would speak if it had but a tongue, And two or three shillings would do it no wrong, Sing holly, sing ivy-sing ivy, sing holly, A drop just to drink, it would drown melancholy. And if you draw it of the best, I hope in Heaven your soul may rest; It won't agree with the Wren boys at all.' &c. A small piece of money is usually bestowed on them, and the evening concludes in merry-making with the money thus collected. "On the eve of St. John and some other festivals, a broomstick dressed up as a figure, and called a Bredogue, is borne about in the twilight from one cabin to another, and suddenly pushed in at the door. The alarm or surprise occasioned by this feat produces some mirth." Anecdotiana. A TAR'S REASON. Two jolly tars happened to be passing the Admiralty a short time after the appointment of the Duke of Clarence, an appointment which was hailed with the utmost joy throughout the navy." Hollo!" said one to the other, rolling his quid, and turning up his eyes in astonishment, why, here's been a devil of a lot of alterations, since I clapped eyes on the old place afore! I wonder what's the reason of the Duke taking away the two pillars that used to stand here?" "Pillows!" echoed the other, " Pillows!why he's put them out o' commission, just by way of showing that he's no feather-bed tar! that's all my bo'!"' SHERIDAN ON HIS KNEES. When Sheridan lost his election for Stafford, his friends were assembled for the purpose of dining after the fatigues of the poll, when no host was forthcoming to preside at the not very festive board. Amongst the party, however, was a very fascinating young lady, who had taken great pains in forwarding the interests of the defeated candidate, and who was so much moved at his mishap, that, like another Niobe, she was melting into tears at the failure of her favourite, when he unexpectedly entered the room. Being made acquainted with the cause of the fair mourner's sorrow, he fell on his knees before her, and breathed forth the following gallant impromptu : "O what will become Of me, a sinner! I've lost my election, My heart, and my dinner!" SPECIMEN OF ORTHOGRAPHY. The following is a copy (literatim) of a note sent to the clerk of a parish, not a hundred miles from hence :-"Mister, my wief is ded, and wants to be berrid tomorror at wonner clock. You knows where to dig it, close by my other wief; but let it be dip."-North Country Paper. NAIVETE. Imitated from the French. Our Pastor oft, my faith to prove, |