of that language in the Romaic: but for all this I rely on writers whose means and opportunities of knowledge are far better than mine. A short time ago, I met with the Rambles in Ireland of M. Latocnaye, in two volumes, small 8vo. London, 1799, translated from the French. The following passages, which I think worthy of notice, are extracted from that work, though I have no means of ascertaining the precise quantum of credit due to M. Latocnaye's relations; or how much he has borrowed from sir L. Parsons or general Vallancey. In the bog near Cullen, swords of brass were found, perfectly resembling those supposed to be used by the Carthaginians. The master of the mint at London, after comparing these brass swords with those which sir W. Hamilton some years ago caused to be dug up at Cannæ, declared that the resemblance was so great, both as to the quality of the metal and the shape of the swords, that he was of opinion they had been melted in the same furnace, and cast in the same mould. p. 82. General Vallancey, as I mentioned before, has explained the speech of the Carthaginian general in Plautus, and thus proved that these republicans spoke a language very similar to the Irishi. The colony which they call Shiloes at Tunis, are supposed to be descended from the Carthaginians who escaped after the destruction of their empire, and fled to the mountains distant from the sea coast. Some years ago, a Tunisian merchant, who was acquainted with the language of the Shiloes, came to Dublin on some commercial matters: the deceased Mr. Burton Conyngham, who wished to be sure of the analogy between both languages, invited general Vallancey to breakfast, and introduced him to the Tunisian, without previously informing him he was to be there: to his great surprise, they soon entered into a conversation with each other, and seemed to be at no loss to comprehend what was said. This merchant had an old woman with him, who was a Shiloe. She conversed, without the least difficulty, with the irish, and made herself understood, though her accent and mode of expression were different. General Vallancey has been travelling through Ireland these ifteen years, and has drawn maps of the counties on a large scale. Government, as a reward for his labour, has given him the post of commander of the port of Cove, which he has so fortified as to prevent any hostile vessel from entering. It must be confessed he has served the state in more respects than one; for he has had twelve children by his first wife, ten by his second, and twenty-one by his third. p. 132. At the time of the birth of the last he was upwards of ninety years of age. drink. Whiskey is from the Phenician and Hebrew hiska, drink, to C. AN AUTHOR'S EVENINGS-FOR THE PORT FOLIO. MARY QUEEN OF SCOTLAND, the most celebrated woman of her time, died upon a scaffold. The beauty of her person, and the possession of the throne of Scotland, excited the jealousy of Elizabeth, who to all the qualities of a great monarch, united the foibles of a weak woman. Mary regretted all her life the French court, where she had lived with the respect and attention due to the wife of Francis the second, and where she had become the admiration and delight of all ranks. Her reputation for letters, which she loved and cultivated with success, was deservedly great, and she would have descended to posterity with merited distinction as a woman of learning, had not her misfortunes made her more celebrated. At the age of thirteen or fourteen, she recited, at the Louvre, in the presence of Henry the second, and the whole French court, a discourse in Latin, written by herself, in which she suc cessfully combatted the idle prejudice that would exclude the female sex from the study of the belles lettres. It was a spectacle as interesting as it was singular, to see a princess so young and so handsome, filling the office of an orator, and proving, as well by reason as example, that knowledge added a new charm to beauty. She passed for an agreeable writer in prose, and the few poetical pieces which she has left, prove, that in another age, she had, perhaps, gained a distinguished rank among the French poets. To the merit of a literary character she joined every female accomplishment. She was an excellent dancer, a good musician, and possessed of every amiable talent: these, united to the charms of her wit, would have rendered her greatly superior to all the women of the age, in which she lived, though Nature had not lavished upon her the choicest of her favours. These attractions, of which Elizabeth frequently heard, fatigued her jealous ears, and were, perhaps, the sole cause of Mary's misfortunes. Elizabeth, conversing one day with Melville, ambassador from Scotland, asked him if Mary was not a finer woman than herself: the cautious courtier, unwilling to offend, and wishing to avoid a direct answer, replied that Elizabeth was the finest woman in England, as Mary was the finest woman of Scotland. This answer did not satisfy Elizabeth, who wishing to gratify her vanity, by hearing an acknowledgment of her own superiority, again pressed Melville for a more decided reply; who confessed that he thought Mary a finer woman than herself. This reply, as unexpected as it was true, greatly chagrined Elizabeth. The goodness of Mary's heart corresponded with the beauty of her person, and the charms of her wit. Though always persecuted, she was always tolerant; to the inconstancy of her enemies she opposed a firm and steady adherence to herown engage. ments:-in fine, she was destined to be equally celebrated for her wit, her beauty, and her misfortunes. To testify her deep regret at leaving her connections in France, she composed the following farewell address to that country, which serve as a proof of her poetical talents. CHANSON. Adieu plaisant pays de France! O ma patrie, La plus cherie, Qui as nourri ma jeune enfance! Adieu France! adieu mes beaux jours; La nef qui disjoint nos amours, N'a c'y de moi que la moitié: Une parte te reste, elle est tienne; Je la fie à ton amitié Pour que de l'autre il te souvienne. Ah, pleasant land of France, farewell! My country dear, Where many a year, Of infant youth I lov'd to dwell! Farewell, forever, happy days! The ship that parts our loves, conveys I leave with thee, dear France, to prove And bring the other to thy mind. DRYDEN-The attack upon the immorality of the stage by Jeremy Collier and sir Richard Blackmore is, perhaps, the most memorable era in the history of the English drama. In this honest and undistinguishing attack upon theatrical profligacy, Dryden bore a considerable share of rough treatment, and though he revolted at Blackmore's indiscriminate censure, yet to the chastisement of the rude Jeremy, in the spirit of a gentleman and a christian, he replied in these terms: "I shall say the less of Mr. Collier, because in many things he taxed me justly, and I have pleaded guilty to all thoughts and expressions of mine, which may truly be argued of obscenity, profaneness, or immorality, and retract them. If he be my enemy, let him triumph; if he be my friend, as I have given him no personal occasion to be otherwise, he will be glad of my repentance. It becomes me not to draw my pen in the defence of a bad cause, when I have so often drawn it for a good one." Immediately after this controversy Dryden died, and on that event the following lines were printed, having reference to the abuse of Blackmore and Collier. John Dryden, enemies had three, Sir Dick, old Nick, and Jeremy: The doughty knight was fore'd to yield, He'd foil'd the devil and the Collier. THE LOVE OF NOVELTY Combined with a pernicious contempt for established usages, and as pernicious a rage for rash expedients, has certainly produced most dreadful effects, not only in the great republic of Europe, but in the habits of private life; yet like most of our natural desires, if restrained within proper bounds, and directed to suitable objects, it may be lawfully indulg ed.-For instance-propriety may suggest the want of a new garment, accommodation may hint the expediency of following a new fashion, or lassitude may indicate the utility of a change of occupation; in all these, variety is lawful as well as charming. But let us not be craving for new religions, new governments, new systems of morals, and new codes of laws. STATE SUPER VIAS ANTIQUAS. Some of these things are in their nature invariable, and others are enhanced in value by that antiquity which has recorded their wisdom and utility. Nor may the love of novelty extend to the desire of a new husband, a new wife, a new lover, a new friend or a new servant. Instead of indulging fictitious desires and fastidious dislikes, let us examine the real value of what we possess; remembering that nothing human can be perfect; that the failings to which we have long been accustomed have become so familiar to our habits that they may be borne; and the virtues which we have so long proved, are rendered so necessary to our comforts, that we cannot be deprived of them without experiencing a painful void. Among other idle phantasies which prevailed among the ancients, it was believed that the sun was carried from east to west in a golden cup. See Athenæus, p. 469, E. and Casaubon's Animad. p. 789, where something equally wise is recorded, namely, a belief that the sun and moon were ships, in which the souls of the dead were transported to the blessed regions. This imagination, however, is not, I think, so ingenious as it might have been. The peaceful moon should have borne the blessed souls to the Elysian fields; and the burning sun, without the preparation of Phaeton, pater ora qui sacro medicamine nati Contigit, et rapid fecit patientia flammæ, might have carried the condemned to Tartarus. Having mentioned the sun and moon, I shall for more general amusement, say a word or two of these great luminaries. The sun, according to CICERO, de Nat. Deorum, n. 68, is called Sol, “quia cùm exortus, obscuratis omnibus, solus apparet;"-because when risen, it obscures all the lesser lights, and appears solus. How true this definition may be, I cannot tell; modern languages give |