one of her canting vampires, and the Lord send a host of you within her clutches,-better take shelter under the hammers of a fulling mill.”

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Thy tongue is as the tail of the scorpion, and thy breath as the venom of the asp. The injuries of that patient sister in the Lord, will rise up against thee, in the days that are numbered, thou vile apocryphal bibliopolist."

"Come, a truce my worthy friends," said Matt. with affected gravity. "This is not language fitting for Christians,-and pray what brought you hither, Master Waller.”

"I came to spight that pious-meek sister of mine, Master Barlow, to purchase a Kings-head, a Royal-oak, a Tumble-down-Dick, or any

* Tumble-down Dick. This sign which became very general, particularly amongst the ale-house keepers, was invented to ridicule the imbecile Richard Cromwell, the lord protector, who was elected to the government, and proclaimed shortly after the death of his father.

"Next him his son and heir apparent
Succeeded, though a lame vicegerent;
Who first laid by the parliament,
The only crutch on which he leant:

other loyal sign. For, if I do not shame those canting, ranting spongers from my house, a

And then sunk underneath the state,
That rode him above horseman's weight."

It is known to all that Richard Cromwell was obliged to abdicate. His incapacity was notorious, and he went to sojourn awhile on the continent. Whilst there, he proceeded from place to place under an assumed name, and made a visit incog. to the prince of Conti, who received all foreign strangers with courtesy, but particularly the English.

"Finding that the ex-protector was an Englishman, the prince began to discourse of the affairs of England," says Lord Clarendon," and asked many questions concerning the king, (Charles II.) and whether all men were quiet, and submitted obediently to him?” Which the other answered according to the truth. "Well," said the prince, "Oliver, though he was a traitor, and a villain, was a brave fellow, had great parts, and great courage, and was worthy to command. But for that Richard, that coxcomb, coquin, poltroon, he was surely the basest fellow alive; what has become of that fool, Sir? How is it possible he could be such a sot?" He answered that he was betrayed by those he most trusted, and who had been most obliged by his

murrain take me, if I will not dispose of stock, shut up my shop, and quit trade altogether in toto. I will! aye-as sure as my name be Walter."

"Out with thee, thou son of Belial," said old black-cap. "Thou art too fond of the flesh

father. So being weary of his visit, he quickly took his leave, and next morning left the town, out of fear that the prince might find out, that he was that very fool and coxcomb he had mentioned so kindly, and two days after, the prince did come to know who it was he had trcated so well.

"What's worse Old Noll is marching off,
And Dick his heir apparent,

Succeeds him in the government

A very lame vicegerent;

He'll reign but little time, poor tool,

But sink beneath the state;

That will not fail to ride the fool,

'Bove common horseman's weight."

Butler's Cobler, and Vicar of Bray.

There is a sign of the Tumble-down Dick, at a public-house, on the Surry side of London Bridge, entering the Borough.

pots of Egypt, to forego thy wordly pursuits, thou extortioner. Do thou so, and I and the remnant of the brethren in the spirit, will raise her up a tabernacle of strength; yea, her dwelling shall be propped with the shoulders of the righteous, and thy afflicted sister shall flourish in commerce, and abound in spice, frankincense, and myrrh, like queen Sheba, or the merchants, daughters of Sidon and Tyre.”

"Prop her up!" exclaimed old Waller, his teeth chattering with rage. "The brethren in the spirit! Eat her up, that is more likely, a parcel of sanctified cormorants, vultures, that feed upon the credulity of the weak in the flesh; out upon thee, thou old Guy Faux, I'll warrant me thou hast a dark lantern, and other combustibles under thy cloak, ready to blow up the parliament house again; but, the king is about to do his work, and I shall live to see the whole kit of you hymning it on hurdles to Tyburn. I shall hold no more discourse with thee, old Guy,-ha-ha-ha. Take care of thy tinder box, Master Guy, the meek Mistress Abigail will furnish brimstone enough for matches, I'll warrant." So having given the puritan, as he

supposed, a Rowland for his Oliver, he turned him to Barlowe, saying, "What wilt thee charge me as a neighbour for one of these King's-heads? one of this size, I should desire to have it of large dimension, to stare the traitor saints in the face; I'll down with the eagle."

"Yea do thou so," said the Puritan, "for as the word has recorded, and it shall come to pass, that the eagle of the mountain shall be debased from her high seat, and the goose shall be exalted to her place."

"Curse and confound thee for a false prophet," exclaimed the enraged bibliopolist, strutting up to the mock saint. "I give thee the lie in thy teeth, thou incendiary-thou wily slanderer, it is thee, thou perfidious babbler, that hath put that insulting thought in sister Abigail's head. Yes, Master Barlowe," added the enraged bookseller, "now I have traced the fox to his den--yes, thou traitorous old powder plot, thou damnable old Guy, it is thee that hast brewed this fury 'twixt natural flesh and blood. I'll have thee trounced, thou traitor, thou peace breaker-thou devil incarnate, off