little too much to his prodigious memory, has occasionally fallen.]

I. A SELECT AUDIENCE.

I SAID of a professor who had no one in his class, that this was "the voice of one crying in the desert." This puts me in mind of one who, in order to make up an audience, was obliged to request his friends to be present. Happening to ask one of them who had been absent, the reason of his stay, he told him that he was afraid of breaking in upon his solitude.

II: MADAME CORNUEL.

Madame de Ville Savin having died at the age of ninety-three, Madame Cornuel, who was only six years younger, observed-" Alas! she was the only one left between death and me.”

III. IMPROMPTUS.

It is a difficult matter to make a good impromptu. I believe, for my own part, that none are good but those that are made at leisure.

IV. THE THREE RACANS.

One of the best of Bois Robert's stories was that of the Three Racans. Two friends of the Marquis de Racan were aware that he intended waiting upon Mademoiselle de Gournai. She was of Gascony, of a temper somewhat lively and passionate; and being a woman of talent, had expressed considerable impatience, on arriving at Paris, to be introduced to Racan, whom she had never seen. One of these gentlemen anticipating, by an hour or two, the period of the intended visit, ordered the servant to announce M. Racan. He was received with transport. He talked for a long time of Mademoiselle Gournai's works, which he had studied

on purpose, and took his departure, leaving her quite delighted with the conversation of M. Racan. Scarcely had he gone, when the servant announced another M. Racan. She thought at first that her visitor had forgot something, and had returned on that account. She was just preparing to address him, when a stranger entered and saluted her with much gravity. Mademoiselle de Gournai could not help asking him several times over, whether or not he was really Racan, and related to him what had passed. The pretended Racan affected to be very much annoyed by the trick which had been played him, and threatened vengeance against the perpetrator. In fact Mademoiselle de Gournai was still better pleased with this visitor than the last, for he praised her works still more warmly. He had scarcely effected his retreat, when the real Racan was announced. The lady lost all patience. "What !” said she, "more Racans still-show him up, however." The moment he entered, Made moiselle de Gournai, assuming a high tone, asked whether he came there for the purpose of insulting her. M. de Racan, who was not a very ready orator, and who had anticipated a very different reception, was so confounded, that he could only stammer out a reply. The lady, conceiving that this was really some person who had been sent for the purpose of insulting her, now lost all temper, and pulling off her slipper, belaboured the unfortunate author, till he was glad to make a precipitate retreat from the house.

V. MOLIERE.

A poet once presented to the Prince an epitaph on Moliere. "I had much rather," said the Prince, "that it was he that brought me yours."

VI. A DISAGREEABLE HYPOTHESIS.

Two persons were once engaged in an argument. "Suppose," said one of them, "that you owe me two thousand crowns." "I wish," replied the other, "that you would suppose some other hypothesis."

VII. M. MARTINON.

M. Martinon, advocate, was extremely dark. He had his picture painted by Legoux of Angers, and allowed it to remain for a long time with the painter, before he sent for it. Legoux said to him one day, "Sir, I think you had better send for your portrait, for the landlord of the Moor's Head has been applying for it."

VIII. ADAM.

An advocate of Thoulouse, named Adam, was in the habit of composing the speeches delivered by the Advocate General; but having on one occasion fallen sick, the Advocate General was obliged to make his speech in the best way he could. While he was delivering his oration, a counsellor, who saw that he was terribly at a loss, rose up, and exclaimed, " Adam, where art thou ?"

IX. M. DE BAUTRU.

"It is a strange thing," said M. de Bautru, "that the Friars of the Minimes eat nothing but fish, and yet that they always smell of shoulder of

mutton."

X. M. LAUNOI.

It is rather odd that Launoi, who was so expert at discovering the dates of antiquity, should have omitted that of his own testament.

serted the year, but forgot the day.

XI. APOPLEXY.

He in

A slight touch of apoplexy may be called a retaining fee on the part of Death.

XII.

THE LATEST INFORMATION.

M. de E was relating a story. M. de B——— said to him, “That cannot be, for I have a letter of the 31st, which says the contrary." "Ah," replied the narrator," but mine is of the 32d!"

XIII. IMMORTALITY.

Bautru, in presenting a poet to M. d'Hemery, addressed him, "Sir, I present to you a person who will give you immortality; but you must give him something to live upon in the meantime."

XIV. THE CURATE OF ANJOU.

A curate in Anjou, a man of very disorderly habits, had a quarrel with a sergeant of the neighbourhood. The sergeant having suddenly disappeared, every one suspected the curate, his avowed enemy, of having made away with him. It happened that a criminal, who had been executed, was exposed on the gallows, within a league or two of the curate's residence. His relations took down the body secretly, and threw it, with the cord about its neck, into a neighbouring pond. Some fishermen found the body in their nets, and the matter being taken up by the police, every one flocked to see the corpse of the criminal. As it was extremely disfigured, the prejudices which were universally entertained against the curate, led them to believe that this must be the body of the sergeant. The curate was immediately arrested, tried, and condemned to be hanged. When he saw that death was inevitable, he thus addressed his judges. "It is true that it was I that murdered the sergeant; but I am unjustly condemned, and all those who have given evidence against me are false witnesses. The body which you have found, and on account

of which I have been tried, is not that of the sergeant. The real corpse of the sergeant will be found in a certain part of my garden, along with that of his dog." The judges immediately instituted a search within the garden of the curé, and everything was found to be as he had described.

XV. THE RETORT COURTEOUS.

M. le Comte de was, like many others who take the name of Count, without the property. In a company where I was present, he once endeavoured to turn into ridicule an abbé, who, according to custom, had assumed the name, without possessing a benefice. "It is strange," said he, "that we should have known each other so long, and yet that I don't know whereabouts your abbey lies.' "What!" said the abbé, "don't you know? It is within your county."

XVI. AN AGREEABLE ANTAGONIST.

We are never so well pleased with an antagonist, as when he makes an objection to which we are provided with a good answer.

XVII. CASAUBON.

Casaubon being present during the discussion of a thesis in the Sorbonne, listened to a very long and stubborn dispute, which was carried on in a style so barbarous and unintelligible to him, that he could not help remarking, as he left the hall, "I never listened to so much Latin before without understanding it!"

XVIII. M. DE L'ESTANG AND MAROLLES.

M. de l'Estang is the author of the Portroyal Règles de bien Traduire. He has selected all his specimens of good translation from the works of Dablancourt or Portroyal, and those of bad translation from the writings of Marolles, who, in