he would accept a commission in their service, he might have it. “No,” said he, "were I to accept of your offer, it would be with the determined purpose to return to my own country. But I will not accept it, for I would not have my own countrymen suspect that I should be one moment unfaithful." He remained in the dungeon.

77. Philosophy defined and exemplified.-Father Castel, a French writer, observed, "The genius of a philosopher is startled at nothing; he foresees all, expects all, and perceives the effect in its cause. We admire and fear only what we do not understand. The fall of the universe would crush without astonishing the true philosopher. Where will you find a greater philosopher than one of our generals, who in the heat of a battle asks a pinch of snuff from one of his staff, and as the latter in the act of presenting the box had his head severed by a cannon-ball, turned to an officer on the other side, and said he would trouble him for a pinch, as their friend had carried the box along with him?”

78. Anecdote of the Lord Chief Justice Holt.-In the reign of Queen Anne, in 1704, several freemen of the borough of Aylesbury had been refused the liberty of voting at an election for a member of parliament, though they proved their qualifications as such: the law, in this case, imposes a fine on the returning officer £100 for every such offence. On this principle they applied to Lord Chief Justice Holt, who ordered the officer to be arrested. The House of Commons, alarmed at this step, made an order of their house to make it penal for either judge, counsel, or attorney, to assist at the trial; however, the Lord Chief Justice, and several lawyers, were hardy enough to oppose this order, and brought it on in the Court of King's Bench. The house, highly irritated at this contempt of their order, sent a serjeant at arms for the Judge to appear before them; but that resolute defender of the laws bid him begone, on which they sent a second message by their speaker, attended by as many members as espoused the measure. After the speaker had delivered his message, his lordship made the following reply: "Go back to your chair, Mr. Speaker, within these five minutes, or you may depend upon it I'll send you to Newgate. You speak of your

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authority, but I tell you, I sit here as an interpreter of the laws, and a distributer of justice; and were the whole House of Commons in your belly, I will not stir one foot." The Speaker was prudent enough to retire, and the house were equally prudent to let the affair drop.

79. Lord Thurlow.-Mr. Pitt, when in office together with Lord T. was very notorious. for the positiveness with which he delivered and supported his opinions. Lord Thurlow once rebuked him in his own way. Mr. Pitt was declaiming, at a cabinet dinner, on the energy and beauty of the Latin language; and, amongst other things, mentioned as a peculiar elegance in it, that two negatives made a thing more positive than one affirmative possibly could. "Then," said Thurlow, "your father and mother must have been two negatives, to have made such a positive fellow as you are.”

80. The Justice puzzled, a true tale.-Some time since two persons in Cumberland went with an artist before a Justice at Penrith, with a very grievous complaint against the latter, which was, as they said, for keeping the commandments. This was so uncommon a case, the Justice requested an explanation.—The two men said, they were Churchwardens, and as their Church had been lately rebuilt, they wanted the commandments painted anew, and had given them to this man to be done. To induce him to do them well, they had paid half the money agreed for in hand, and the balance was to be paid when he had finished the job; but they had called on him time after time for two or three years past, but for all they could say or do, he would keep the commandments. 81.-American Poetry.

With a Yankee so meek, a bold Briton so proud,

In a stage-coach, one hot summer morning conversed;
John Bull in the praise of Old England was loud,
While her fleets and her armies he strongly rehearsed.

Of Columbia he spoke with a scornful smile

Her sheep were all goats, and her horses but donkeys;
Compared with the folks of his favourite isle,

Her men were mere apes, and her women but monkeys.
Her sun, when he rose in the western seas,

Seemed nought in his eye but a dim pewter dish;

Her moon was no more than a bit of green cheese,

And her gleams like the glance of a half-putrid fish.
Just then a black cloud from the west was ascending,
The lightning flashed frequent with horrible glare;
Whilst near and more near, a fierce tempest portending,
The thunder rebellowed along the rent air.

An oak by the way side Jove's bolt made a dash on,
With a peal that knock'd horses and trav❜llers all flat-
"There, hang you," cries Jonathan, quite in a passion,

"Have you got better thunder in England than that?” 82. Bon Mot.-A lady of rank complaining to her husband, that he was dead to fashionable amusements, replied, "But faith, my dear, you

make me alive to the expence."

83. Lord Hood.-Admiral Lord Hood, who died at the very advanced age of 92, was supposed to have one of the largest and longest noses in the kingdom. One day, when he was dividing in the House of Commons, an acquaintance said to him, "I am surprised to see your name amongst the Ayes; I should have thought you would have been led by the Noes."

84.-An Epigram, on two spiteful Brothers.
With sobbing voice, upon his death-bed sick,
Thus to his brother spake expiring Dick,
"Tho' during all my life, in Poverty,
"Thou never, Neddy, show'dst concern for me,
"I hope thou wilt take care, when I am dead,
"To see me bury'd."—" That I will," quoth Ned,
"We'll lay thee deep enough," Dick, "never fear;
"Thou shalt no longer be a nuisance here;
"And as a fit memorial, on thy grave

"I'll write this Epitaph,-Here lies a knave.”

This sting pierc'd deep; and keen surprising pain

Call'd Dick's departing spirits back again :

Sarcasm so bitter, would not let him die,

Till thus he made as bitter a reply;

"And when thou shalt be laid by me,-dear brother,

"Some friend, I hope, will write,-Here lies another."