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Epitaph by Bellay.

Were paths of pleasantness, and in that hour When all the perishable joys of earth

'QUAS potius decuit nostro te inferre sepul- Desert the desolate heart, he had the hope, chro The sure and certain hope, of joy in heaven."

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Epitaph.

"THE tenant of this grave was one who

lived

Remembering God, and in the hour of death
Faith was his comforter. O you who read,
Remember Creator and your Judge,
your
And live in fear that you may die in hope."
R. S.

Lambs-Conduit Street, January 1, 1798.

A bad Action of Henry the Fourth.

1599. "IN the country of Mayne was seen a peasant named Francis Trouillu, aged thirty-five years, who had a horn growing upon his head, which began to appear when he was but seven years old. It was shaped almost like that of a ram, only the wreathings were not spiral but strait, and the end bowed inwards towards the cranium. The fore part of his head was bald, his beard red, and in tufts, such as painters bestow upon satyrs. He retired to the woods to hide this monstrous deformity, and wrought in the coal pits. The Mareschal de Laverdin going one day a hunting, his servants spying this fellow, who fled, ran after him, and he not uncovering himself to salute their master, they tore off his cap, and so discovered his horn. The M. sent him to the King, who bestowed him upon somebody that made money by shewing him to the people. This poor fellow took it so much to heart to be thus bear-led about, and his shame exposed that he soon after died."—MEZERAY. Hento the laughter and censures of all the world,

ry IV.

Philip Augustus reconciled to his Queen.

"PHILIP AUGUSTUS had put away his wife Gelberge, sister to the King of Denmark, and in her place married Mary, the daughter of the Duke of Moravia. The King of Denmark pursued vehemently in the court of Rome, for the honour of his sister thus rejected. Philip, not able to avoid the decision of the cause, and yet resolute not to receive Gelberge, prepares his advocates to show the reasons which had moved him to put her away. The cause was to be pleaded before the Pope's legate in the great hall of the Bishop's palace at Paris; thither they run of all sides. In this great and solemn assembly, Philip's advocates pleaded wonderfully well for him against his wife, but no man appeared for her. As the cryer had demanded three times if there were any one to speak for Gelberge, and that silence should be held for a consent, behold a young man unknowne steps forth of the press, and demanded audience. It was granted him with great attention. King Philip assenting, every man's ears were open to hear this advocate, but especially Philip's, who was touched and ravished with the free and plain discourse of truth which he heard from the mouth of this new advocate, so as they might perceive him to change countenance. After this young man had ended his discourse, he returns into the press again, and was never seen more, neither could they learn what he was, who had sent him, nor whence he came. The judges were amazed, and the cause was remitted to the council. Philip, without any stay in court, goes to horse, and rides presently to Bois de Vincennes, whither he had confined Gelberge; having embraced her he receives her into favour, and passed the rest of his days with her in nuptial love." -DE SERRES. Philip II. 1193. Pontanus calls her Ingeburga.

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Custom on the Isle of Man. "THE women of this countrie, (Isle of Man,) whensoever they goe out of their

doores, gird themselves about with the winding sheet that they purpose to be buried in, to shew themselves mindful of their mortalitie. Such of them as are at any time condemned to die, are sowed within a sack, and flung from a rock into the sea.”—A Prospect of the most famous Parts of the World. 1646.

Half-christened Irish.

"In some corners of Connaught, the people leave the right armes of their infants end that at any time afterwards, they might male unchristened (as they terme it) to the give a more deadly and ungracious blow when they strike; which things doe not onely show how palpably they are carried away by traditious obscurities, but do also intimate how full their hearts be of inveterate revenge."-—Ibid.

Cypresses.

"THE duration of the cypress is equalled only by that of the oak; they are seldom seen in forests. In cemeteries and the environs of palaces, six feet is a circumference not uncommon, with a height proportioned to a pyramidal shape."-DALLAWAY'S Travels.

Turkish Fountains.

"THE frequent fountains, all built by useful piety, are placed at certain distances, and measure plains which seem to widen as we advance. In those situations, if not picturesque, they are characteristic, and highly so, when connected with the shade of an umbrageous plane tree. It was interesting to pass one of these at mid-day, and to remark the devout Mussulman, after his ablutions, prostrating himself on his carpet, and repeating in a still voice those addresses to the Deity which are prescribed by his prophet."—Ibid.

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FEB. 16. The earliest buds on the elm, is suddenly caught from the ground, and giving a reddishness to the boughs.

Feb. 26. The beech preserves its leaves. The motion of the river reflected upon the arch of the bridge, rolling in waves of checquered light.

Feb. 28. Withey bed red.

We think the mists of the morning hide some beauty from us. At night we dread the precipices that they may conceal. Such is the difference between youth and age!

The flame in passing through brass bars becomes green.

March 3. Bright green of the ivy. Dark appearance of the yew trees in the wood.

Ruined dwelling house, why more melancholy than the ruins of the castle, convent, and palace.

Clattering of the ivy leaves against the

tree trunk.

A church seen at night-its solemn massiness.

The buds of the elder appear in circular tufts.

Whiteness of a shower swept by the wind.

Large buds of the horse chesnut terminating each branch.

April 19. White blossoms of the thorn like snow, without one green bud.

I suppose these extracts to be taken from the book above quoted, A Prospect, &c. but I have not the means of verifying the Quare's. In a note to Joan of Arc, SOUTHEY tells us the first part of the book wants a title. It was printed for William Humble, in Pope's Head Place, 1646.-J. W. W.

carried as it were flying in the ayre, into some desert vallics, where he feedeth upon grasse, drinketh water, hath some use of reason, but not of speech, is ignorant of the present condition he stands in, whether good or bad, yet at length shall be brought to his own home, being caught with the helpe of hounds and hunters."—Quære ?

Mule Monsters.

"AFRICA every year produceth some strange creature before not heard of, peradventure not extant. For so Pliny thinks, that for want of water, creatures of all kindes at sometimes of the yeere gather to those few rivers that are to quench their thirst; and then the males promiscuously enforcing the females of every species which comes next him, produceth this variety of forms, and would be a grace to Africa, were it not so full of danger to the inhabitants, which, as Salust reports, die more by beasts than by diseases."-Quære?

Apparition of Offa.

"NOT farre from Bedford sometime stood a chappell upon the banke of Ouse, wherein (as Florilegus affirmeth) the body of Offa, the great Mercian King, was interred, but by the overswelling of that river was borne downe, and swallowed up; whose tombe of lead (as it were some phantasticall thing) appeared often to them that seeke it not;

but to them that seeke it (saith Rossc) it is there is heard above a sound of cymbals, invisible."-Quære?

Streams of Glamorganshire.

"GLAMORGANSHIRE upon whose hills you may behold whole herds of cattle feeding, and from whose rocks most cleare springing waters thorow the vallies trickling, which sportingly doe passe with a most pleasant sound, and did not a little revive my wearied spirits among those vast mountains; whose infancie at first admitted an

easie step over, but growne unto strength more boldly forbade me such passage, and with a more sterne countenance held on their journey unto the British seas. Tave among these is accounted for a chief."Quære?

Strange Cavern.

"BUT things of strange note are these, by the report of Giraldus, who affirmeth, that in a rock or cliff upon the sea side and lland Barry, lying near the S. E. point of this countie, is heard out of a little chinke the noise as it were of smithes at their worke, one whiles the blowing of bellowes to increase the heat, then the stroakes of the hammer, and sound of the anvile; sometimes the noise of the grindstone in grinding of iron tooles, then the hissing sparks of steel-gads, as they flie from their beating, with the puffing noise of flames in a furWhether this is the place whereof Clemens Alexandrinus speaketh, I determine not, where in his writings he hath these words, "they that have recorded histories (saith he) doe say that in the Ile of Britaine, there is a certaine hole or cave under the bottome of an hill, and on the top thereof a gaping chink, into the which when the winde is gathered and tossed to and fro in the wombe or concavitie thereof,

nace."

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for the wind being driven backe from his hole, is forced to make a loud sound at her vent."-Quare?

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"JUST over against the river Conway, where it issueth into the sea, there sometimes stood an ancient city named Diganby lightning, and so made utterly desolate. wey, which many years agoe was consumed Touching those two other miracles, famoused by Giraldus and Gervasius, that on these high hills there are two pooles called the Meares, the one of which produceth great store of fish, but all having onely one eye; and in the other there is a moveable iland, which as soon as a man treadeth thereon, it forthwith floateth a great way off, whereby the Welsh are said to have often scaped and deluded their enemies assailing them; these matters are out of my creed, and yet I

thinke the reader would rather beleeve them,

than to goe to see whether they be so or

no."-Quære?

Noah's Ark.

"ON Mount Ararat (called Lubar, or the descending place) is an abbey of St. Gregorie's monks. These monkes, if any list to beleeve them, say that there remaineth yet some part of the arke, kept by angels; which, if any seeke to ascend, carrie them backe as farre in the night, as they have climbed in the day."-PURCHAS.

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"AGNOSCIT Acastum

Horrentem jaculis, et parma luce coruscum."

In the tempest.

66

Ibid. v. 486.

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Suicide of the Spanish Tyrannicide. "LUCIO PISON, Pretor de la España Citerior, con imposiciones nuevas, y muy graves, que inventò, alborotò los animos de los na

Magnanimus spectat pharetras et inutile turales, de suerte, que se conjuraron y her

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manaron contra el. Llegò el negocio a que un labrador Termestino en aquellos campos le dio la muerte. Quiso salvarse despues de tan gran hazaña; pero fue descubierto por el cavallo que dexò cansado; hallado y puesto a question de tormento, no pudieron hazer que se descubriesse los compañeros de aquella conjuracion, dado que no negava tenerlos. Y sin embargo, por rezelarse que la fuerça del dolor no le hiziesse blandear, el dia siguiente, sacado para de nuevo atormentarle, se escapo entre las manos a los que le llevavan, y con la cabeça dio en una peña tan gran golpe, que rindio el alma. Tanto pudo en un rustico la fee del secreto, y la amistad. Esto sucedio en Espana el año veinte y seis de Christo."-MARIANA.

Spaniard swallowed up like Amphiaraus. "EL enemigo (Almançor, Capitan de Abderrahman Rey de Cordova) tenia sus reales

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