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the clofe of the last century, having had his house confumed by lightning, fent the following ingenious card to Lewis XIV. on the occafion. The Monarch at once felt the delicacy of the Poet's verfes, and the diftrefs of his fituation, and cheerfully ordered him the one thousand crowns, which were the object of his demand.

To engage in your matters belongs not to me,
This, Sire, inexcufable freedom would be ;
But yet, when reviewing my miferies past,
Of your majesty's income the total I caft,
All counted (I've ftill the remembrance quite clear,)
Your revenue's one hundred millions a year;
Hence one hundred thousand per day in your pow'r,
Divided, brings four thousand crowns to each hour;
To answer the calls of my prefent distress,
Which lightning has caus'd in my country recefs,
May I be allow'd to request, noble Sire,
Of your time fifteen minutes, before I expire.

CURIOUS PROCLAMATION.

A, B, C, D.

WHEREAS a multiplicity of dangers have often occurred by damage of outrageous accidents by fire: We, whose names are here underwritten, have thought proper that the neceffity of an engine ought by us, for the better extinguishing of which aforefaid outrageous accidents of Almighty God, may unto us happen, to make a rate to gather alms and benevolence for the better propagating of which good inftrument.

NUTTING, Mayor.

This was iffued fome years ago by a Mayor of Cambridge,

Cambridge, in confequence of the frequency of fires, and no engine being in the town.

ANECDOTE OF THE LATE KING OF POLAND.

His Majefty, who was always an enemy to fuperAuity, clearly evinced this difpofition in the following inftance. A fhoemaker being recommended to this monarch before he left Warfaw, actually made his appearance in a fuit of embroidered velvet. The King, till he was better informed, mistook the fon of Crifpin for one of the grandees of the kingdom, but difcovering his error, difmiffed him with this reproof-" That if his hoemaker wore velvet, it would require fome confideration on his part, to think of some external diftinction between them.

WISDOM IN A MONARCH AND IN A SUBJECT.

JAMES the First, in one of his addreffes to his parliament, curiously remarks" That wisdom in a fub. ject is as inferior to wifdom in a MONARCH, as the glittering of a nail in a horfe's fhoe is to the fplendour of a star in the firmament!" This brilliant fpeech was, no doubt, a proof of his Majesty's modefty.

ECONOMY. TWO ANECDOTES.

LADY Hardwicke, the Lady of the Chancellor, loved money as well as he did, and what he got the faved. The purfe in which the great feal is carried, is of very extenfive embroidery, and was provided, during his time, every year. Lady Hardwicke took care that it should not be provided for the feal-bearer's profit; for the annually retained them herself, having previously ordered that the velvet fhould be of the length of one of the state rooms at Wimple. So many of them were faved, that at length fhe had enough to hang the ftate room and make curtains for the bed!

THIS fame Lady Hardwicke was equally provident for the table. Sometimes it was neceffary to give a dinner, but for fish she did not chufe to give money. Venifon was accordingly fent up on fuch occafions from the park at Wimple, and this she took in her carriage to a fishmonger's at Temple Bar, exchanging it for the dainties required by her extravagant company.

ONE WAY TO WIPE OFF A DEBT.

A fire happening at a public houfe, one of the crowd was requefting the engineer to play against the wainscot; but being told it was in no danger, "I am forry for that," faid he, "because I have a long score upon it which I fhall never be able to pay."

ATTENTION TO BUSINESS.

A pawnbroker being upon his death-bed, the priest who attended him, held up a filver crucifix. The poor dying man, forgetful of his Jefus, fixing his eyes upon it, cried out in a faint tone, "I cannot lend much upon it."

EXPEDITION REWARDED.

LEWIS the Fourteenth, who loved a concise style, met on the road, as he was travelling into the country, a prieft, who was riding post; and ordering him to top, asked hastily "Whence come you?-Where are you going?-What do you want?"-The other, who perfectly well knew the King's difpofition, inftantly replied "From Bruges-to Paris-A benefice!""You fhall have it," replied the King, and in a few days presented him with a valuable living.

TO THE MEMORY OF ROBERT GRAY.

TAUNTON bare him, London bred him,
Piety train'd him, virtue led him,

Earth

Earth enrich'd him, heav'n poffefs'd him,
Taunton blefs'd him, London prefs'd him,
This thankful town, that mindful city,
Share his piety and pity,

What he gave, and how he gave it,
Afk the poor and you fhall have it.
Gentle reader, may heav'n strike
Thy tender heart to do the like;
And now thy eyes have read this story,
Give him the praife and God the glory.

Sturry.

PETRARCH'S IDEA OF BOOKS.

K.

FEW perfons know the value of books better than Petrarch. 'His friends having written him feveral apologies for not vifiting him, in which they declaimed against his love of folitude, as unnatural to a human being, and reproached him on his unfocial mode of life; Petrarch fimiled at their meffages, and made the following excellent remarks: "These people confider the pleafures of the world as their fupreme good, and not to be renounced. But I have friends of a different defcription, whofe fociety is far more agreeable to me. They are of all countries, and of all ages; they are diftinguished in war, in politics, and in the fciences. It is very easy to fee them, they are always at my fervice. I call for their company, or fend them away whenever I pleafe; they are never troublesome, and immediately anfwer all my queftions. Some relate the events of ages paft, others reveal the fecrets of nature; these teach me how to live in comfort, thofe how to die in quiet. Thefe drive away every care and increase my gaiety by the brilliancy of their wit, whilst others harden my heart against fuffering, fhow me how to restrain my defires, and enable me to depend on myself alone. In return for all thefe fervices, they only require of me a chamber, in one corner of my manfion, where they may repofe in peace.'

"

SERPENT

THE

SERPENT CHARMERS.

[From Sonnini's Travels.]

HE race of Pfylli, the people who flattered themfelves with poffeffing the quality of fetting ferpents at defiance, charming them, making them follow them at their call, and curing their bites, ftill exifts in Egypt. There is a fect called Saadis, from the name of their founder, a faint highly venerated by the Mahometans in this country. This Saadi had an uncle, a great man in Syria. Being fent one day for a bundle of fticks, when he had cut his faggot from the shrubs that grow in the wilderness, he was at a lofs for a band. After much fearch to no purpose, he bethought himself of tying together a few ferpents, and with this living cord he bound up his fticks. The uncle, delighted with his nephew's ingenuity, faid to him: " go about your bufinefs; you may now be left to yourself, for you know more than I." Immediately on this, the learned youth fet out upon his travels, charming ferpents by his wonderful and fupernatural fkill, and had a great number of difciples, to whom he communicated his talent. His tomb is near Damafcus, and is filled with ferpents and other venomous creatures, among which you may lie down and fleep, without the leaft danger.

Such is the fuperftitious origin of a very numerous fect in Egypt, every individual of which inherits the art of its founder. Every year they celebrate his feftival, in a manner fuitable to their inftitution. They walk in proceffion through the streets, each holding in his hand a living ferpent, which he bites, gnaws and fwallows piecemeal, with frightful grimaces and contortions. This feftival, however, which I had wished to fee, is celebrated in the fummer; and I was extremely defirous of a close examination of one of thofe ferpenteaters. For this purpose Mr. Forneti and I took the fame fteps as we had done in the bufinefs of the circumcifion, and a saadi came to my apartment, accom

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