fession, and not a few are men of exalted and poetical imagination, and full of refined and generous feeling. With such materials for convivial enjoyment, the hours flew like moments. The delicious wines and fruits of southern Italy, the guitar, the song, the tale, and the repartee, the bright eyes and brighter wit of lovely women, and the speaking glances of youthful lovers; such were our elements of pleasure, and the evening passed as swiftly as a pleasant dream. It was an hour after midnight, when, during a brief pause in the conversation, the melodious voices of Tolomeo and his queen burst like Arcadian flutes upon our ravished ears, and sang in thrilling harmony a joyous and appropriate strain, the chorus of which was chaunted with exulting enthusiasm by all assembled.

We now arose to depart in a glowing tumult of friendly and social feeling. It was a night of surpassing splendour, and we walked homeward in the brilliant light of the full-moon, singing in chorus as we skirted the still waters of the Tiber. We moved in gay procession under triumphal arches, and amid ruins of shadowy grandeur, until we reached the Tarpeian rock, where we paused a moment, and separated amidst cordial and resounding wishes of "Felicissima Notte."

DAW'S REMINISCENCES.

MR. EDITOR, I want to know from you, for I think it is in your line of business, how much money it may fetch me to publish my Reminiscences. If you back me, I will set-to, and cudgel my knowledge-box for as pleasant a " Life and Times" as ever was writ by that play-wright Reynolds, or the arch-composer Michael-and by George! I'll beat them hollow, even on their own stage.

By the law! I've as big a budget of the like characters to show off, as would feed a hungry author for a twelvemonth. None of your flash adventures, to make people laugh, like comical story-books, but downright serious things, that happened to myself during my eventful

life. But the mischief is, I never had much scholarship; elegance of style, therefore, I won't lay claim to-nor fine grammar either; at least, not that I know of-for to say truth, I never could write-that is, small text, having spoilt my hand by beginning with letter-writing on a large scale. Yet my works have been read by all the world, and my midnight lucubrations have gone through numberless editious; nevertheless, I'm as innocent of grammar as the child unborn. Fact was, I never had occasion to write, but with a whiting-brush on dead walls, but I never heard that any critic ever found fault with my Syntax.

You will observe, therefore, that I employ an amanuensis, who is answerable for the bad spelling and grammar of my memoirs. He blows me up, by telling me, that 'twas he who edited for some of those life-writing folks, who had no more school-learning than I-but, however, I insist on his being particular, and not cramming in too many fine words of his own, lest people should suspect the hodge-podge not to be genuine, and lest I should not be able to understand my own book, as happened to some of his employers. He promises to put a dash under such wares as he furnishes himself, and to write down verbatim nothing, but what I comprehend after his explaining it— so that I shall speak for myself, though in his words.

The main point is to lay before you in brief, who, and what I am, that you may judge how far I am fit to write a book, bigger than the History of England, of myself and the nobility and rabble with whom I kept company. I am both a musician and a comic actor by profession, though not on the books of either house; but for all that, my business has given me as many opportunities of observing the Great and Little, as ever any of those gentry had. I once was manager of a theatre as popular as any in London; but this is anticipating, as my amanuensis says; for that, if I mean to spin out two volumes, I must begin as far back as I know any thing about my origin. I shall then give you a hurried sketch of my career, from the time when I was first thought on till now; and beg you to inform me, whether it will be a good spec; as it won't answer me to be keeping an amanuensis here in the compter, at eleven pence three farthings a day, tobacco, snuff, and ale not included, without which we should never feel any inspiration, as he says.

All my ancestors, that I ever heard of, were of the mother's side, and she, good woman, was no way given to brag of them! though I have heard her acknowledge that she was indebted to her mother for all the great qualities she possessed. She was a fine woman-for her situation in life, and had, I am told, in her youth, a fine contralto voice, that sometimes was heard above every other in Covent Garden

In reality, some of her notes were so shrill, yet welcome, that even when she was walking in the streets, persons, attracted by her voice, would run to their doors, and invite her with the greatest civility to rest herself, while they commended or criticised the burden of her song. She always received some little presents from her admiring hearers, which she, for she was uncommonly high-spirited, returned in fruit and vegetables out of her garden, which was agreeably situated in the purlieus of the theatres. Indeed, I have no doubt she might have accumulated a fortune in this way, had she laid out her money to

interest, but she had a ginerous soul, and preferred all her life-time assisting public-houses-of refuge, and increasing the revenue, to laying up any provision for the morrow. Her public spirit was unbounded, and private virtues appeared ridiculous to her in comparison with the general good; not that I mean to disparage those same private virtues, for hers were private enough, God knows-more so than any miser's charities--but she was none of your over strict people, "too good on earth to stay;" for it was a common saying of her, that she was no better than she ought to be-a negative compliment to her worth, which implies her to have been quite as good as she might be, but nothing uncommon-no, by my faith! she was all the reverse of

that.

However, though I may have lost a fortune by her noble thirst for the good of the public, I have no disposition to blame her for indulging it, because it is owing to her love of freedom, that I ever was born-moreover, she threw no tedious forms, or any of the" law's delays" between me and this goodly world; but the good creature, not content with conceiving the notion of me, hastened to take out a patent or copyright, to prevent any one else from fathering her young idea, but those to whom she might assign it in her affidavit. Several gentlemen were anxious to have the forthcoming edition dedicated to them, else why did they deposit their subscriptions? but genius is wayward! my lady-mother most disinterestedly named as trustee, a gentleman who had never contributed to her production. She was the means too of bringing him into notice, by the tribute which she paid to his taste; in consequence of which, a gentleman pensioner of the parish, with a gold-laced hat and coat, waited upon him, bearing an address of congratulation, signed by the churchwardens, &c.

I did not come into the world without some such fuss as always attends the entrance of a prodigy. A great house was appointed for my mother's lying-in, and a physician was ordered to attend her free of expense, so grateful was the community for her devotion to their service. I cannot say, however, that their gratitude was without exception, for it was wholly wanting in the quarter one would have least expected; that is to say, in the person whom she had gratuitously paternized, and laid under a mighty obligation. Well! well! it's the way of the world! I won't speak ill of him, because he is my namesake, mother having, out of regard for him, honoured him by calling me by his name, a proceeding that was very useful to me in after life, as it enabled me honourably to choose which name I should prefer, of Jay or Daw, my excellent mother being familiarly called Nelly Jay, and her adopted assignee Mr. John Daw.

So clever a woman could not but have particular notions about education, and it was her system that man should become useful from his very childhood. Now as a child could not be a profitable servant in the church or law, it was useless to teach him reading or writing, when he might never live to enter those professions. At least, it was better to instruct him in any art that he could turn to immediate advantage. She soon found out one, that promised to unfold my mental and bodily powers, and produce a certain return, without the expenditure of much capital.

The alto tenore of a respectable strolling company happening to

be seized with a locked jaw, in consequence of some mistake in the rehearsal of a tragic opera, my mother applied for the vacancy for me, before indeed I could well articulate; but I was not a bit the less qualified for the part, which consisted in moving the pity of our hearers. Heaven knows how many people I made cry, at the deep pathos of my " Cherry ripe, ripe I say," and "March, march, Ettrick, &c.!" Nothing could be more melancholy than my " Buy a Broom," for it drew abundance of halfpence from buyers' pockets. But at the same time I could be airy and funny on occasions; and though it scarce becomes me to assert it, yet I have seen many a sorry fellow stop in the midst of a smart shower, to laugh at my comical delivery of Home, sweet Home." But, indeed, no one was better disposed to relish the conceit of the song than myself, for there was something very laughable in calling our abode sweet home; but the thing is plain, after travelling about for hours under the pelting storm, sometimes barefoot and half-clad, as the costume of the melodram required, it was natural to have thought "no place like home," even though it were a sty, which ours was not by any means, for pigs never go down stairs or ladders to their homes.

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I shall not trouble you with my various debuts in several new operas performed by our corps, nor with the names of the sonatas, cantatas, and cavatinas, in which I figured before my audience as successfully as Michael Kelly before his. I became a morning star, and was offered repeated engagements in other companies, which my mother declined for me, as she had a truly philosophical plan of education laid out for my perfectibility. She had rightly judged that the physical powers are first susceptible of development, and that youth is the season for rendering them active and pliant. The manager, who was also thorough-base of our small, select band, happened just then to be taken off by a violent attack of sore throat, which is, I have remarked, both chronic and epidemic in London, occurring once a quarter among the starving poor of the metropolis. This of course deranged the affairs of the troop, which could not be remodelled instanter, and gave my mother an opportunity of prosecuting her intentions in regard to me, without violating any stipulation. She bound me for three years to the celebrated professor of gymnastics, Will. Swing. Under him I acquired all the flexibility of limb that could be wished. I learnt to walk on my hands, as a resource in case I should ever lose my legs; to stand upon my head for variety; and to cut all manner of summersaults for exercise. Swing had a peculiar mode of teaching, that enforced his meaning on the very joint in contumacy; and I do believe, if he had lived long enough, I should not have retained one unruly bone in my body; however, he had not studied anatomy, and this proved the cause of his untimely loss to the profession. He knew no difference between the clavicle of the neck and other joints, and therefore Government decreed that he should be suspended until he was fully enlightened on that point, for having practised with intent, as it was termed, upon the vertebræ of one of his pupils. However, they were kind enough to allow him to take a benefit, and got up a platform expressly for his exhibition on the tight rope. The first fall proved fatal to him, not through want of any skill or agility, but from some defect in the

stage, and mismanagement of the attendants. Poor fellow! we all felt sore for him long after he was gone. All I inherited by his death was a red waistcoat, trimmed with copper-lace, sooty white breeches, with stockings to match, and an infinity of capers, not forgetting some black and blue ornaments of choice workmanship.

I had now picked up a number of valuable accomplishments, and, what I shall always prize most, a precious set of acquaintance, many of whom have figured in the annals of their country, and others, who will be handed down to posterity in measured lines. My genius began to expand itself in lofty flights; but my mother perceiving the bent of my talents, insisted upon my not pursuing my studies without some guide, at such a critical period of my career. I submitted to her sage counsels, and entered myself a noviciate of the college of Trappists, in the city.

Those not acquainted with the existence of that seminary, may inquire the nature of its doctrines, and its situation. The latter I am not at liberty to reveal; but it is well known to the police, as the great nursery of juvenile assessors, collectors, tax-gatherers, purse-bearers, chancellors of the exchequer, and all those other officers of the nation, who force money out of people's pockets.

The discipline of the academy is this: an image of stuffed ticken is dressed like a gentleman; and to carry on the resemblance, a corner of a silk handkerchief peeps out of the pocket; inside a small bell is suspended, that will tinkle upon the least motion. The scholar advances, and endeavours to extricate the silken commodity. If he succeed without any perceptible alarum, well and good; he is commended, and sometimes paid for his address; if not, for every tinkle he receives a severe reprimand from the lecturer. This is never a verbal one, for fear of hurting his spirit only. When he is sufficiently a proficient in these feats of adroitness, he is allowed to practise on living models. Nor are the experiments confined to silk or muslin. The higher grades are exercised upon weightier objects-purses, snuff-boxes, watch and seals, &c. that require greater sleight of hand, without which a youth is not qualified to practise this species of refined legerdemain. As I meant always to be a traveller, and explorer of unknown regions, I perfected myself in all these manoeuvres, and acquired such surprising dexterity, as put the professor himself more than once on his vigilance against the rapid flirtation of my hand. He offered to take me into business with him, and give up his college to retire into domestic life with six female friends of his; on condition that each of the eight should share a like portion of the profits. This generous offer I refused; because my mother would not allow me to incur such weighty obligations, unless she were allowed to repay him in some measure, by taking upon herself the office of receiver and treasurer. He could by no means think of encumbering her with such drudgery; and thus, through overdelicacy on both sides, the proposition fell to the ground.

It was just about this time, I got into acquaintance with some of H. M.'s ministers, and representatives of the executive. Some of them wore scarlet, and bore coronets, and all of them had insignia of great consequence about them. None of them were lord high marshal, nor constable of the tower, I am sure; but still many of them were constables and marshals of other places. I say nothing in disparagement of