creed, before proceeding farther, that the distance from Port St Marie to Agen should in future be rated at six leagues, and insisted that the decree should forthwith be registered.

CXCII. PHYSICIANS.

Ancilloniana.-It has always been observed that physicians from time immemorial have had very little religion. It was remarked, as a singular fact, that during the massacre of St Bartholomew, although all the Calvinists who were attached to their religion, and known to be so, were marked out as victims, there was not a physician on the list, and, in point of fact, not a physician perished in that dreadful butchery.

CXCIII. QUEEN ELIZABETH.

St Evremondiana.-Queen Elizabeth loved the Earl of Essex so tenderly, that in a tender moment she gave him a ring, telling him, that if he ever should be guilty of undertaking anything against the state worthy of death, he had only to send to her that ring, in order to ensure his pardon. The Earl of Essex some time afterwards fell in love with another lady, and finally revolted, and was condemned to death. In this last extremity he intrusted the ring to this lady to be conveyed to Elizabeth. As the lady knew the secret connected with the ring, she preferred keeping it, and allowing her lover to be beheaded, to running the risk of seeing him unfaithful.

CXCIV. WRITERS AGAINST CHRISTIANITY.

Naudæana.*-When Christianity began to spread, and to efface the Pagan religion, the learned men of the latter persuasion wrote against it.

* Gabriel Naude, born 1600, died 1653.

Almost all these works have now been shipwreck→ ed in the gulf of time. Some fragments, however, have been collected by an Italian, and published in a book entitled, Dominici Mellinii, Gui donis Filii, in veteres quosdam Scriptores Malevolos Christiani Nominis Obtrectatores.

CXCV. APOLLONIUS TYANÆUS.

According to Erasmus, Vives, P. Petan, and other learned men, the Life of Apollonius Tyanæus, written by Philostratus, is a mere romance, composed with the view of opposing something to the miracles and life of Jesus Christ. It is admitted that Apollonius lived, but the prodigies attributed to him are very properly rejected. He may have been a wonderful personage, without working any of these pretended miracles. Some moderns, such as Grotius in Evang. p. 1052, Dumoulin in Vate, p. 198, and Samuel Mauseus de Antichristo, maintain that these prodigies might have been ef fected by enchantment; but this is proving what is uncertain by proofs which are still more so.

CXCVI. GREGORY VII.

We find, in Machiavel and Cardan, that Pope Gregory VII. caused most of the valuable works of the ancients to be burned. It was this Pope who burned the works of the learned Varro, to prevent St Augustin from being accused of pla giarism, the saint having stolen from him the greater part of his Treatise De Civitate Dei.

CXCVII. ALFONSO, KING OF CASTILE. Sorberiana.*-Alfonso, King of Castile, was

* Samuel Sorbiere, the translator of Sir T. More's Utopia, and the political works of Hobbes; born 1615, died 1670.

presented with a list of those servants who were useless to him, and whom he ought to dismiss, and with another containing the names of those whom he ought to retain. The King, however, resolved to retain both, saying, "I have need of these, and the rest have need of me.”

CXCVIII. CHARMS.

I saw two enchanted papers, which had been given to the Rhinegrave in Germany, one of which was to be swallowed whenever he had occasion to face the fire of musketry. They were of white paper, of the size of a wafer, with characters difficult to be traced. Crosses were figured in the centre, surrounded by a triple circle of characters which I could not read.

CXCIX. THE DUTCH.

The Dutch may be compared to their own turf, which kindles and burns slowly, but which, when once kindled, retains its fire to the last.

CC. MENAGE.

The Queen of Sweden (Christina) said of him, after he published his work on the Origin of the French Language, "Menage is undoubtedly a very learned and excellent person, but he is very unaccommodating; he never will allow a word to pass without its passport; he must always know whence it comes, and where it is going."

CCI. WHAT SHOULD BE DONE AT ONCE.

Shutting one's self up in a convent, marrying, and throwing one's self over a precipice, are three things which must be done without thinking too much about them.

CCII.

CHAPELAIN.

Carpenteriana.*-Chapelain, the author of the Pucelle, was called by the academicians, the Knight of the Order of the Spider, because he wore a coat so patched and pieced, that the stitches exhibited no bad resemblance of the fibres produced by that insect. Being one day present at a large party given by the great Condé, a spider of uncommon size fell from the ceiling upon the floor. The company thought it could not have come from the roof, and all the ladies at once agreed that it must have proceeded from Chapelain's wig; the wig so celebrated by the well-known parody. He was so avaricious, that though he had an income of 13,000 livres, and more than 240,000 in ready money, he used to wipe his hands on a handful of rushes, in order to save towels. His avarice was the cause of his death; he preferred crossing the street, while inundated with water, to paying a liard for the use of a plank which was laid across. He caught a cold and oppression of breathing, of which he died.

CCIII. CALVIN.

Calvin, while minister at Geneva, had a salary of 300 livres only. He was subject to eight different disorders, which afflicted him unceasingly, and rendered his temper almost insupportable; and induced the Germans to say, that they would rather go to hell with Beza than to heaven with Calvin. Every day he taught theology, preached, and held various conferences; but notwithstanding his diseases and his numerous avocations, he has left

•Francoise Charpentier, member of the French Academy, born 1620, died 1702.

us nine volumes of his works in folio. Among these, some are very good, such as his work on the Trinity, against Servetus, and that on the twelve lesser Prophets. He was well acquainted with Latin, and was one of the best French writers of his time. He died at Geneva in 1594, aged 55.

CCIV. ROME.

Some one telling the famous Jerome Bignon, that Rome was the seat of faith; "That is true," said he; "but then faith is like some people, who are never to be found at home."

CCV. APPREHENSION.

M. de Turenne said of a coward, that, of the three operations of the mind, the only one he possessed was apprehension.

CCVI. FINANCIERS.

A person, who had some small interest in the farming of the taxes, was one day pronouncing an eulogium upon the financiers, maintaining that they alone were the support of the State. "Yes," replied his antagonist, "as the rope supports the criminal-by hanging him."

CCVII. PAPER AND PRINTING.

Longueruana.*-The use of paper is recent, being of no older date than the time of Philippe de Valois. Before that time, parchment was employed. The Chinese possessed the art of printing long before it was known to us. But their printing is performed by means of entire plates; and when

• Louis Dufour de Longuerue, born in 1652; died in 1733, Abbot of Sept Fontaines and Iard.

+ As in stereotype.