a

librarian, and the French their sciences, or black art, as it was livre, for book, from this source. called, was supposed to have arAntiently, instead of folding this rived at great perfection, and bark, as we fold our paper, they which in that credulous age was rolled it round a stick according in great vogue

with
persons

of all as they wrote on it. Thus rolled, religions, they found no difficulty they were called each a volumen. to maintain themselves, by preThis has passed into our language, tending to tell fortunes and future and we say a volume or volumes, events.” although our books are composed of pages cut and bound together. Varro says, that palm leaves were

Dumour. at first used to write on, from whence the word began and continued to signify the leaf of a A sporting schoolmaster, a few book, as well as of a tree or plant. days since, bought a dog of the

pointer breed; but the animal, on

trial, not possessing the necessary Origin of the Gypsies. The qualifications, was returned by late Dr. Smollett, in speaking of the purchaser, accompanied by a Egypt, says, “It was from hence note, quaintly stating, that the that the vagrant race, called Gyp-“ dog knew nothing of punctuasies, came, and dispersed them- tion !" selves into every kingdom of Eu- A gentleman calling on a friend rope and Asia.

They were origi- in the city, who was attended by a nally called Zenzunees, from their physician, from the west end of captain Zenzaneus, who, when the town, asked the doctor if he Sultan Selim made a conquest of did not find it inconvenient to Egypt, about the year 1517, re- come to his friend from such a fused to submit to the Turkish distance. “Not at all, Sir," reyoke, and retired into the deserts, plied the son of Esculapius, "for where they lived by rapine and having another patient in the adplunder, and frequently came down joining street, I can kill two into the plains of Egypt, commit-birds with one stone."-" Can țing great outrages in the towns you so," rejoined the sick man ; on the Nile under the dominion of then you are too good a shot for the Turks. But being at length me," and dismissed him. subdued and banished Egypt, they A swindler lately sent to the agreed to disperse in small parties, tread-mill, desired bis friend to into every country of the known tell all those who called to inquire world; and being natives of E- after him, that he was gone out gypt, a country where the occultl upon a long walk.

of turrets and stạir-cases, bars, and Peetry.

trap-doors, Straw pallets, and jailors, full three or

four scores; RECEIPT

Of convents, and friars, and spectres FOR WRITING ROMANCES.

so pale, Volume I.

Be sure you have plenty to keep on Take a hero and heroine deeply in

the tale; love,

Let poison and opiates always attend, And at first quite in peace let them It's so handy your Volume the second ramble the grove ;

to end. Then three or four tyrants, appalling

Volume III. their joy,

Let Volume the Third with a battle Who must ever be wakeful their peace

begin, to destroy;

For trumpets and drums make a terriThen three or four castle-clocks strik.

ble din; ing just “ one,”

Then he who has taken the wickedest To inform you some terrible deed is

part, begun;

Be sure you have stabb'dbut not Then three or four shrieks, and half a

quite to the heart; score groans,

Then on his death-bed let the tyrant That would melt e'en the hearts of in

be laid, sensible stones ;

And mind that remorse must his con. Three or four flashes of lightning so

science invade, bright,

The whilst he confesses his murAnd thunder sufficient to kill you with

ders-despair fright.

Must induce him to pull from his head Then torrents of rain must begin to all his hair ; descend,

Whilst horror and madness both glare And the screams of the night-bird some omen portend.

Let him make a mad speech, and in Let a strong gust of wind then puff

speaking it die ; your lamp out,

Then let all your good characters join And leave your fair readers in wonder

in a dance, and doubt ;

Which ends the last Volume of this And, when with impatience they're

your Romance. ready to burst,

J. T. B. J. Is the critical time to end Volume the

First.

in his eye,

Volume II.

A HOT DAY. Let Volume the Second begin with a

Supposed to have been written by the ghost,

late Lord Erskine, when on a And of daggers and pistols a terrible

visit at the house of a friend. Take three or four dungeons, and three What a plague's a summer breakfast, or four chains,

Eat whate'er you will! Then of music ethereal three or four Cold butter'd bread's a nasty thing, strains:

Hot toast is nastier still!

host;

thine ;

a

Then, how to pass the time away,

Some busy foe Till dinner, there's the doubt :

Should bid me know You're hot if you stay in the house, “Another basks in my love's smile," You're hot if you go out.

The tale I'll heed not of thy guile, And after dinner what to do,

Thou can'st not change-l fear thee Not knowing where to move,

not. The gentlemen are hot below,

No! falsehood can assail thee notThe ladies hot above,

'Twas not the excess And now the kettle comes full trot

Of loveliness That's not the way to cool one; What hems thee round, first made me Tea make's an empty stomach hot, But hotter still a full one.

But thy pure soul,--thy love divineWell, then an evening walk's the And truth and these can fail thee not. thing

Then let our parting grieve thee not, Not if you're hot before;

But quell that sigh, For he who sweats when he stands

And from thine

eye still

I'll kiss away the gathering tear, Will, when he walks, sweat more.

And think !--in one short fleeting year So now the suppers comen--and come I shall return to leave thee not! To make bad worse, I wot;

But ah! should truth pervade thee not! For supper, while it heats the cool,

I could not brook Will never cool the hot.

Thine alter'd look : And bed, which cheers the cold man's But like a bud by unkind sky heart,

Nipp'd timeless, I should drop and die Helps not the hot a pin;

In silence-but upbraid thee not!
For he who's hot when out of bed,
Heats ten times more when in.
X. Y. Z.

Epitaph To the Editor of the Oxford Enter- On John Viscomti, an Italian Prince. taining Miscellany.

Passenger, would'st thou know the Sir,

nothingness of all human power and If you think the inclo- grandeur, learn what I was, and behold

what I am! I was in possession of imsed worthy a place in your Enter

mense treasures ; vast palaces; superb taining Miscellany, the insertion cities; my name alone made all Italy of it will oblige

tremble! Of what use is all this to Yours, &c. me now? Behold me shut up within

a stone, and devoured by worms ! PARTING.

· TO CORRESPONDENTS. I cannot live, and love thee not ! When far away

“ A SUBSCRIBER,” and “Anda."

in our next. From thee I stray,

We thank our Correspondent “G.” Should slandering tongue of rival for his Communication, but it is too youth,

long, on such a subject, to be inserted, Or jealous maid belie my truth,

C. M.

$

66

Select Biography. I had förmed of modern manners,

of literature, and criticism, I got “No part of History is more in'structive and delightful than the Lives

from the Spectator. These, with of great and worthy Men.”

Pope's Works, some Plays of BURNETT. Shakspeare, Tull and Dickson

on Agriculture, the Pantheon, ROBERT BURNS, THE POET, Locke's Essay on the Human Un

(Continued from page 152.) derstanding, Stackhouse's History

My father struggled on till he of the Bible, Justice's British reached the freedom in his lease, Gardener's Dictionary, Bayle's when he entered on a large farm, Lectures, Allan Ramsay's Works, about ten miles farther in the Taylor's Scripture Doctrine of country. The nature of the bar- Original Sin, a Select Collection gain he made was such as to of English Songs, and Hervey's throw a little ready money into Meditations, had formed the whole his hands at the commencement of my reading. The collection of of his lease, otherwise the affair songs was my vade mecum. I would have been impracticable. pored over them, driving my cart, For four years we had lived com- or walking to labour, song by fortably here, but a difference song, verse by verse ; carefully commencing between him and his noticing the true tender, or sublandlord as to terms, after three lime, from affectation and fustian. years tossing and whirling in the I am convinced I owe to this pracvortex of litigation, my father was tice much of my critic-craft, such just saved from the horrors of a as it is, jail, by a consumption, which af

" In my seventeeth year, to ter two years' promises, kindly give my manners a brush, I went stepped in, and carried him away, to a country dancing school. My to " where the wicked cease from father had an unaccountable antitroubling, and the weary ase at pathy against these meetings, and rest!"

my going was, what to this mo“ Įt is during the time that we ment I repent, in opposition to lived on this farm, that my little his wishes. My father, as I said story is most eventful, I was; at before, was subject to strong pasthe beginning of this period, per- sions : from that instance of dishaps, the most ungainly and awk- obedience in me, he took a sort of ward boy in the parish ; ņo soli- dislike to me, which I believe was taire was less acquainted with the one cause of the dissipation which ways of the world. What I knew marked my succeeding years. I of ancient story was gathered from say dissipation, comparatively Salmon's and Guthrie's Geogra- with the strictness, and sobriety, phical Grammars; and the ideas and regularity of a Presbyterian

Bb

a

country life; for though the will beart was completely tinder, and o-wisp meteors of thoughtless was eternally lighted up by some whim were 'almost the sole lights goddess or other; and, as in every of my path, yet early ingrained other warfare in this world, my piety and virtue, kept me for se fortune was various ; sometimes I veral years afterwards within the was received with favour, and limits of innocence. The great sometimes I was mortified with a misfortune of my life was the repulse. At the plough, scythe, want of aim. I had felt early or reap-hook, I feared no compesome stirrings of ambition, but titor, and thus I set absolute want they were the blind gropings of at defiance; and as I never cared Homer's Cyclops round the walls farther for my labours than when of his cave.

I saw my father's I was in the actual exercise, I situation entailed on me perpetual spent the evenings in the way aflabour. The only two openings ter my own heart. A country lad by which I could enter the temple seldom carries on a love-adventure of fortune, was the gate of nig- without an assistant confident. I gardly economy, or the path of possessed a curiosity, zeal, and inlittle chicạning bargain-making. trepid dexterity, that recommend The first is so contracted an aper- ed me as a proper second on these ture, I never could squeeze ny- occasions, and I dare say, self into it the last I always much pleasure in being in the sehated--there was contamination cret of half the lovers of the pain the very entrance !--Thus, a- rish of Tarbolton, as

ever did bandoned of aim or view in life, statesmen in knowing the inwith a strong appetite for sociabi- trigues of half the courts of Eulity, as well from native hilarity, rope. The very goose-feather in as from a pride of observation and my hand seems to known instincremark; a constitutional melan- tively the well-worn path of my choly of hypochondriasm that imagination, the favourite theme made me fly solitude; add to these of my song; and is with difficulty incentives to social life, my repu- restrained from giving you a cóutation for bookish knowledge, a ple of paragraphs on the love adcertain wild logical talent, and a ventures of my compeers, the strength of thought, something humble inmates of the farm-house like the rudiments of good sense, and cottage--but the grave sons and it will not seem surprising of science, ambition, or avarice, that I was generally a welcome baptize these things by the name guest where I visited. But far of Follies. To the sons and daughbeyond all other impulses of my ters of labour and poverty they heart, was un penchant a l'adora- are matters of the most serious ble moitié du genre humain. Myl nature; to them the ardent hope,

I felt as