With submission to Mr. Britton, is there no similitude here? "Is it not like the King," Mr. Editor?

"Aye, Mr. Higins, as thou art to thyself."

A little onward Mr. Britton adds,

"Besides, the writings of Sterne will be long read and admired, after those of Burton and Ferriar are forgotten or disregarded."(485.) This is what Burke calls "high matter," and such as I dare not contradict. Not having any of the spirit of prophecy myself, and the history of the next hundred and fifty years being at present extremely imperfect, I am compelled to believe in Mr. Britton's assertion, till time, which is said to prove all things, shall have ascertained its validity. In the mean time I beg the editor of "The Beauties of England and Wales," to "read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest" the following modest apology of Robert Burton for his labours.

"As a good house-wife out of divers fleeces weaves one piece of cloath, a bee gathers wax and honey out of many flowers, and makes a bundle of all;

Floriferis ut apes in saltibus omnia libant;

I have laboriously collected this cento out of divers writers, and that sine injuria; I have wronged no authors, but given every man his own. I have not stole whole verses, pages, tracts; as some do now-a-daics, concealing their authors' names, but I still said, this was Cyprian's, this Lactantius', thus far Arnobius, &c.; which still I must and will use, however some illiterate scribblers accompt it pedanticall, and as a cloake of ignorance.-Sumpsi, non surripui." Introduction to “ Anat. of Melancholy," page 8. Ed. fol. 1632.

En passant, Mr. Editor; Prestwold-house is said to "contain several good pictures, by Vandyk, Sir Peter Lely, and Sir Godfrey Kneller. Among these is Jane Shore, supposed to be an original," (page 417). Some of your readers, who are learned in Chronology, will perhaps have the goodness to identify the artist to whom "ye gentle mistris Shore" is thus highly indebted. Pardon, sir, this tedious intrusion on the part of

St. Mary Axe.

Your devoted vassal,

JOHN THOMAS Higgins.

SWIFT'S MS.*

THE TOPER

A SOLILOQUY.

Lolling in an Arm-Chair, before a Fire-Bottles and Glasses on the Table --Time, Twelve at Night.

WELL, thank Heaven, my wife's gone to bed, and I'll sit here for an hour or so, and have a little enjoyment.-But, alas! there's no sweet without a bitter-I must go to bed too by-and-bye!— Now, let's see-nothing will serve my wife, but I must buy an estate and retire into the country-curse the country-a week in the country is a month in town. What are hills and dales, fields and farms to me,-alderman of Portsoken-ward, freeman of the Vintner's company, and member for Newport! What interest have I in trees or cows, beyond burning one, and eating the other --and that I can do very well in town-besides, I am for the best part of the creation, and we are all agreed upon what part that is —that's ourselves! If monkeys could talk, they would say the same! Then comes the winter,

"To bridle up the floods,

"And periwig with snow the bald-pate woods t.”

! Oh!! how I shudder!-but I must go, for the Devil drives! Where, where shall I go to? She will not leave England, or, inethinks I should like Lisbon, and I could have no objection to Madeira. As to views, what are they?-There is but one growth that I care any thing for, and that's the vine-there's no sea like the Red Sea, no prospect like the Devil's Punch-Bowl; no lake like the Lake of Geneva; and as to water in general, there's none like eau de vie, in particular! If, now, I could have all these combined with a fine Champaign country, I should not think the country such a bad thing.

(His wife hears his last three words, and cries)—

What are you saying about me?-Come to bed, you sot!

(The husband taking up the candle and going)

My time is come! Town or country, what signifies which-I must go to bed after all!

**

Our Correspondent says, that this scrap was found with the other MSS. in St. Patrick's Abbey, but he thinks its character very suspicious.

Sylvester Dubartas.

NOTES ON ATHENÆUS.

BY GRÆCULUS.

No. XVI.

LIB. 18. cap. 11. E. p. 564. Pindar-for μsλaway read μthavari and θαλλος for καλλος ερωτων.-See Iliad. s. v. 87. The poetical compliment paid by Ibycus to Euryale at F. is beautiful-O Euryale, the Queen of Love and dove-eyed Persuasion reared thee in their rosy (i. e. beauteous) arms!-reading ayxwos Jes↓av, for ανθεσι τρεψαν. Το λαμπει δ' επι πορφυρίαις παρεΐσι φως Ερωτος, we have something of Virgil's

Purpureum.

-lumenque Juventa,

At p. 604, the epithet purple is objected to, and defended by Sophocles, who is, at p. 603, pronounced a very merry fellow over his wine.

We learn, p. 565, that men first began to shave their beards in the time of Alexander. At Athens the introduction of the cus tom occasioned the cognomen of The Shaver. Diogenes seeing one without his beard, said, "Do you complain of Nature, because she made you a man instead of a woman?" Some other curious remarks on the subject may be read in this page, which, towards the end, turns on the estimation in which masculine beauty was held by the ancients. At Elis, judges were appointed, and the most beautiful, according to their judgment, bore the sacred vessels; the next led the ox; the third had the placing of all the rest of the things necessary to the sacrifice. Heraclides Lembus relates, that in Sparta the most beautiful man was more admired than the most beautiful woman. Euripides pronounces beauty worthy of dominion. Athenæus continues (p. 566.) to observe, that many people elected kings for their beauty; and it is fit (says he), for beauty is kingly. The god desses contended about beauty, and Ganymede was, through his beauty, numbered amongst the Immortals. The beauty of men has seduced the goddesses, witness Aurora, Venus, &c.; and Jove, the greatest of the gods, frequently metamorphosed himself in consequence of it; as, for instance, into gold, for Danaë, a scheme which lovers have since often practised with success; and P P-VQL, IV.*

into a bull, for Europa, a metamorphose occasioned by beauty, which is by no means uncommon in our days!

It has been said that there is a time for all things, but on that universal business, Love, Timon thus expresses himself, (p. 601): "There is a time for love, and there is a time for marriage, and a time when it should be left off."What is to be left off is, I sup pose, love, and the time, (according to what we see), when you

marry.

T

Euripides has been called a woman-hater, therefore, Dalechamp would have us read μiooyuvns for Qiaoyons, a lover of women, E. p. 603. but how does this square with Sophocles' epigram on him in the next page F

I see in the Mirror for September, p. 162. that Sir Richard Phillips, the Bookseller, was once singularly attached to a young heifer, or calf, and it is not improbable that the passion was mutual, for I find here, p. 606. several instances of the kind. Lacydes, a philosopher, was loved by a goose, and this goose, according to Pliny, never left him, day or night, in public or in the baths, in which latter place she must have been quite at home. The love of Sir Richard for the calf, seems to have been founded on a natural principle, which was strongly marked by their desire of mutual-preservation, both being equally disinclined to eat one another. Whether the philosopher above-mentioned had the love for, or objection to goose, does not appear.

At p. 608. D. for иngoxęwres read иngoxewτos, and put the comma after 8oo. See Anacreon, 28.7. In E. read σnual for σωμα,and in F. κρίνεσιν for κρινοισιν.—κρινον has κρίνεσι as if from

κρίνος.

November 3.

COATS OF ARMS.

THE bearing coats of arms was first introduced, and became he reditary in families in England, about the year 1192, owing to Knights painting their banners with different figures to distinguish them in the crusades.

P.

SIR,

MUSIC.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MONTHLY MIRROR.

WHATEVER opinion may be entertained of national music *, presume that the harmony of the feathered choir will be found equally interesting to all.

The subsequent little table appeared in the Philosophical Transactions, Vol. 63, No. 31, authenticated by the name of the Hon, Daines Barrington.

Mellowness. Sprightly. Plaintive. Compass. Execution.

6

16

12

Wren

12

The preceding was formed, with a reference to No. 20. as the point of perfection. The science of music has been treated of in one or two letters, published in the Monthly Mirror; and to such readers it may offer a subject of useful speculation.

October 10, 1808.

$.

BOOKS.

The first book that was printed was the Vulgate Edition of the Bible, in 2 vols. folio, A. D. 1462.

The Second was Cicero de Officiis, 1466. In the reign of Edward VI. all books on Astronomy and Geometry were destroyed in England, as infected with magic.

P.

*I allude to the following singular trait of French vanity :-" Dans la musique, Hispani latrant, Germani boant, Angli sibilant, Itali caprisant, Galli---cantant " Castel-Lettres sur la Musique.

Compare the noted proverb of Charles V...." Francese ad un amico, udésco al suo cavallo, Italiano a sua signora, Spagnuolo a Dio, Inglese a gli uccelli."--Except in the case of the Spanish, the estimation of the respective languages will tolerably