lasting; by learning to check them, they, did not shew themselves visibly. In trouble, in sickness, her temper was never affect ed.

Above prejudice, no woman knew so well as herself what the sex owes to public opinion. Although always indisposed, and always at home, she was attentive in adopting the newest fashions.

Madame d'Epinay had no prudery about her; but sensible of the danger of first im- || pressions, she thought that the early habits of a young person could not be too austere. Her character may be well judged of by the following portrait, drawn by herself in 1759, when she was thirty years old:

"I am not pretty, neither am I ugly; I am little, slender, and very well made. I have a youthful air, though not blooming; noble, mild, lively, sensible, and interesting. My imagination is tranquil, my wit slow; my understanding just, reflective, though inconsequent. My mind is vivacious, courageous, strong, elevated, yet excessively timid. I am sincere without being frank. I have cunning enough to arrive at the end I have in view, but not sufficient to penetrate into the designs of others. I was born tender and sensible; constant, and not given to coquetry; but the facility with which I have been known to form connections, and to dissolve them, has given me the reputation of inconstancy and caprice. My vanity, without allowing me to nourish the hope of becoming perfectly wise, makes me yet aspire to the title of a woman of extraordinary merit."

with every requisite for her situation. The child, however, which she brought into the world lived but six weeks, and Mademoiselle des Jardins chusing rather to remain where she was than to return back to Alençon, cultivated with care, her natural talent for poetry, for which she had already acquired some reputation. The tragic comedy of Manlius falling into her hands, composed by the Abbe d'Aubignac, she put it into verse, and it was acted at the Hotel de Bourgogne, with astonishing success. She next took to writing romances, and penned several of the most celebrated in France. An officer of infantry, of the name of Villedieu, was a great admirer of this lady, and was preferred by her before many of his more wealthy rivals: his person was elegant, and his manners captivat ing; but Mademoiselle having already suffered by an illicit engagement, firmly resolved never to form any other with the opposite sex, but such as was authorised by honourable marriage; and no sooner did she make known her determination to Monsieur Villedieu, than he informed her he was already married to the daughter of a notary at Paris: she endeavoured then to persuade him to set aside this marriage, as he had been only obliged to contract it in obedience to the authority of his parents, very much against his inclination. Villedieu, who had long been weary of his wife, tried every means he could think of to shake off his matrimonial fetters; and being too impatient to wait the decision of the law, he ordered his banns of marriage to be published with Mademoiselle des Jardins. THIS lady, who was eminent for her This soon reached the ears of his wife, who great literary talents and sterling wit, was immediately presented a petition to the born at Alençon, in the year 1640; her Queen: and Mademoiselle des Jardins folmaiden name was Des Jardins, and during ||lowed Villedieu when he went to join his her earliest youth she gave signal proofs of regiment. How the marriage was concludher abilities, but shewed at the same time ed was unknown, but she returned to Paris a propensity to gallantry and intrigue; and as Madame Villedieu: soon after, her husshe formed a very tender intimacy with a band neglected her for some new object, cousin of the same age and disposition as and she complained most bitterly of him, herself; till the dread of the consequences both in her works of poetry and prose. attendant on this connection, compell- Finding her lamentations not productive of ed her to quit her father's house, and any effect, she was resolved to be revenged, repair to Paris: she there implored the by making reprisals; and Villedieu being protection of the Duchess de Rohan, obliged to join the army, was killed in who, taking compassion on her ex- a skirmish, and the pretended widow had treme youth, took care to protect her from now an opportunity of indulging her taste the anger of her parents, and provided her ⇓ for gallantry and literature. She composed

MADAME DE VILLEDIEU.

||

many pieces for the theatre, which gained from being cruel. This he said in hearing her great applause; but the death of a fa- of a man who lived in that town, and who vourite friend so oppressed her mind, that || had a very handsome wife, of whom he was she resolved on retiring to a convent. remarkably jealous: he immediately took Monsieur de Harlay, Archbishop of Paris, || fire, and hastily asked whether the gentlecharmed with her conversation, placed her man had ever experienced any peculiar in a convent, where, for a short time, her favours from the ladies of Montpellier? life was exemplary; but a brother of one The other coolly answered, he spoke from of the nuns, who was formerly acquainted proof and experience, having spent a with Madame Villedieu, indiscreetly related happy winter amongst them, and was to his sister the particulars of her life. blessed by the possession of some of the The community, therefore, informed the most considerable ladies there, and was Archbishop that they did not think her a well acquainted with the amours of many proper person to be admitted into their others. The jealous husband, with much holy mansion. After her dismission from || agitation, requested to know the name of the convent, she found an asylum in the one or two of those ladies. The mischievhouse of her sister-in-law, Madame de St. ous nobleman then named to him his own Romain, and in a very short time all her wife. "You are mistaken, Sir," said the native disposition to gallantry returned: || husband angrily; "she is not the sort of amongst other persons of distinction who woman you mention!" Yet he could not visited her sister, was the Marquis de la || sit easy, and again asked the gentleman Chatte, about sixty years of age; a charac- to describe the person of the lady who ter well known for dissipation and futility: bore this name; while no one could forhe was soon caught by the charms and co- bear laughing to see the mortified husband, quetry of Madame de Villedieu, and obtain- || listening to hear his wife's picture described her consent to a matrimonial union, ed. The nobleman then added, that she though already married to another woman. was extremely fond of dancing, that she Looking on herself as destined to espouse frequented every ball; "five or six," added only married men, she sought now how to he, "were peculiarly brilliant, and given in avoid the difficulties she had before ex- honour of her by a man who adores her." perienced in a similar situation, and there- He then named the lover. "Ah!" said fore went a dozen leagues from Paris; and the husband, "this part of the picture when, some time after, she returned, the bears no resemblance, I am sure that man Marchioness was delivered of a son, to was never in my house; and I am certain whom Monsieur, the Dauphin, and Made- that you have taken another woman for my moiselle de Montpensier stood wife.". sponsors: "She has a pretty snug house in the child lived about a year, and the Mar- the country," continued the stranger, with quis soon followed. The widow's grief at an air of indifference, "where she spends first was excessive, but soon subsided; and most of the summer; it was there I first saw what is extraordinary, she quitted the name her: she has there, amongst other curious of La Chatte, and resumed that of Villedieu. things, a cabinet filled with the most rare This imprudent woman, rendered in- antiquities."-" Ah! that bears too near a teresting by the elegance and celebrity of resemblance,” cried the tortured husband; her works, terminated her days at the age "without doubt she is the coquette you of forty-three, by drinking large potions now speak of." Upon this all the passenof brandy, even at her meals. gers set up a loud laugh, and the poor man was so disconcerted, that he went and sat down, the picture of despair, at the other end of the boat. But the gentleman who had thus tormented him, went up to him and most solemnly protested, that all he had said had no foundation in truth, but was merely by way of water conversation, where there is a sort of liberty allowed, that would not be pardonable on shore.”

Madame Villedieu used to relate little adventure, in which she was a party, with much wit and humour. 66 Amongst those who accompanied us, (said she) in the ́coche d'eau, (canal-boat) was a gentleman, who appeared quite the nobleman, attend ed by his servant. Speaking of some of the towns of Languedoc, he very imprudently said that the ladies of Montpellier were far

SELECT ANECDOTES.

SIR WILLIAM BROWNE AND BISHOP WAR

BURTON.

though the weather was unfavourable, went through this long walk with the greatest ease.

CHANCELLOR COWPER.

COWPER, when Chancellor of England, was desirous of obliging the Quakers to take an oath on occasion, like other citizens. One who was at the head of this persuasion said to him, one day, very gravely, "Friend Chancellor, thou oughtest. to know that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, has forbid our asseveration to be more than Yea, yea, or No, no. He has also expressly said, Thou shalt not swear by heaven, because it is God's throne; nor by the earth, because it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the Great King; nor by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. This, friend, is a positive command; and we are not going to disobey our God to please thee or thy parliament."

WHEN the worthy old Knight, Sir William Browne, M. D. was at Bath, he paid a visit to Bishop Warburton, at Prior Park; to whom he sent word he should be glad to have the honour of kissing his hand. Dr. Warburton, who judged it could be no other than the famous physician, whom he had never seen, went down into the drawing-room; where he was accosted by a little round well-fed looking gentleman, with a large muff in one hand, a small Horace, open, in the other, and a spyingglass dangling from a black ribbon at his button. After the first salutation, Sir William informed the prelate that his visit was indeed to him, but principally to Prior Park, which had so inviting a prospect from below, and he did not doubt but on examination it would sufficiently repay the trouble he had given himself of going up to it on foot. The gentlemen then sat down; and the first thing Sir William said, "You have well spoken," replied the was to propose a doubt to the Bishop conChancellor; "but let me tell you a fable. cerning some particular passage in Horace, One day Jupiter ordered that every beast which all this time he had still open in his of burthen should be shod with iron; hand. Before the Bishop could answer, he horses, mules, and even camels obeyed the gave him the solution of this long mis- edict; the asses alone protested against understood passage; and in support of his it; and set forth so many reasons that explanation he repeated his own paraphrase Jupiter was good enough to say to them, of it in English verse, which, he said, had|| Well, gentlemen asses, I grant your requests; just then come hot from his brain. They you shall not be iron-shod, but the first false then took chocolate, and Sir William step you make you shall have a hundred having seen all that he wanted of the pre-strokes with a good cudgel." late, requested to see more of his country seat; and particularly what he called the Monument, which was the Prior's Tower. A servant was ordered to attend him thither; and when he had satisfied his curiosity he went out by the garden into the road; his design being answered, which was to be admired.

Vanity was the prevailing foible of Sir William Browne, and the good-natured Bishop gave him a sufficient dose of admiration; but for nothing did he afford it so sincerely as the finding him able, at past eighty years of age, to perform this expedition on foot, with all the agility of a boy; lively both in body and mind, he seemed in full possession of his faculties; and

EDWARD WORTLEY MONTAGUE.

SEVERAL years ago this celebrated character died in London. He was the son of that celebrated Ambassador to whom we are indebted for the benefit of inoculation. The details which are given of the life of this heir to so illustrious a name, are interesting and curious. Like another Alci|| biades, he conformed, with peculiar facility to the customs of the nations he lived in, and passed the greatest part of his life in travelling. In Europe he had his mistresses in every quarter, and in Asia his seraglios: he lived in the closest intimacy with Ali Bey.

THIS famous Poet, when in the bloom of early youth, was extremely beautiful. One fine summer's day, when he was a student at the University of Cambridge, having wandered into the fields, and being over-ed, unceasingly, the Poet's imagination; and come with weariness and the warmth of the weather, he fell asleep at the foot of a tree. While he was sleeping, two foreign

MUSICAL BIOGRAPHY.

(Continued from Page 16.)

"He travelled on foot to the next Gerbitants of London were so long indebted

for that admirable concert, first established "His transcendent genius soon enabled at Almack's, and afterwards removed to the him to soar high above all his competitors; Festino rooms, Hanover-square. Here it and as envy seldom fails to pursue merit, was that those masterly performers, Fischer || the German masters became so jealous of and Cramer, were first brought forward. his rising fame, that they entered into a After having, for many years, conducted kind of combination, in order to decry his these concerts with credit and reputation, compositions. the public at length grew tired of them, and the proprietors were compelled to withdraw themselves with the loss of a great sum of money. The munificence, however, of the Queen, placed Abel above want; she established a private band of music, and placed him at the head of it, with the title of chamber-musician to her Majesty, and a salary of two hundred pounds a year.

"His compositions were in general easy and elegantly simple; in his adagios, particularly, are found the most pleasing, yet learned modulation, the richest harmony, and the most elegant and polished melody. "This accomplished musician died in London, on the 20th June, 1787."

JOSEPH HAYDN,

"Master of the Chapel of his Serene Highness Prince Esterhazy, was born at Rhorau, in Lower Austria, in the year 1738. His father, who was a wheelwright by trade, played upon the harp without the least knowledge of music. This excited the attention of his son, and first gave birth to his passion for music. In his early childhood he used to sing to his father's harp the simple tunes that he was able to play. He was afterwards sent to a small school in the neighbourhood, where he began to learn music regularly; and at length was placed under the tuition of Reuter, chapel

master of the cathedral at Vienna.

"It has often been asserted that the compositions of Haydn are very unequal; that some are replete with scientific knowledge, whilst others are extravagant to excess. In illustration of this circumstance, it has been remarked that many of these pieces were written at the command of Prince Esterhazy, whose ideas of music were highly eccentric.

"The national music of the Germans is, by nature, rough, bold, and grand; and although they do not possess the softness of the Italians, yet it must be confessed, that in instrumental music, and particularly in that for wind instruments, they have excelled all other nations. The refinement of their music was left for Haydn to accom. plish; and this he has done in a very ample manner, by originality, novelty, and beautiful air, in which he has greatly excelled all his predecessors.

"Besides numerous pieces for instruments Haydn has composed many operas for the Esterhazy Theatre. He has likewise writ

ten much church music.

"In Haydns allegros there is a general cheerfulness and character of good humour, which exhilarate every hearer.

"The private character of Haydn was very amiable. As a man, he was friendly, artless, and undesigning; and as a husband, affectionate, tender, and exemplary. For several years previously to his death, he felt gradually coming upon him the infir mities of old age; and it was not without the most melancholy sensations he perceiv ed the gradual decay of his genius and faculties.

"The progress he made was so rapid, that before he was well acquainted even with the rudiments of harmony, he composed a great number of symphonies, trios, sonatas, and other pieces, in which the "He closed his earthly career at Gum early dawnings of a great genius were evi-pendorf, on the 31st of May, 1809, aged 76

dent.

"At the age of eighteen, on the breaking of his voice, he was dismissed from the cathedral.

"In 1759, he was received into the service of Count Mazarin; from whence, in 1761, he passed to the palace of Prince Esterhazy.

years."

WOLFANG AMADEUS MOZART, "Was the son of the chapel-master at Saltzburgh, and was born in that city, in 1756. When only three years of age, he was at all times delighted to be present while his sister received her lessons on the