Fine and fat are the roes for frying, Was there ever such a fool as you, sir, 143 princess; the flying steed quickly clear- and hulu-balangs, assembled, and the ed the nether atmosphere, and having king asked them, what they advised, since reached the upper ocean, it rapidly tra- the land of Malaca was now devoid of a Eversed it; and the subjects of Raja Suran queen. The chiefs said, "the daughter « quickly perceived him. The mantri of of what raja would you choose? MenRaja Suran, perceiving on what sort of tion the name of any princess, and we animal his master was mounted, quickly will go and ask her in due form." The caused a mare to be brought to the shore king replied, "I don't want to marry a of the sea. On perceiving the mare, the raja's daughter, for any other raja may steed Sambrani quickly came to the marry a raja's daughter; but I want to shore, and as quickly did Raja Suran dis-marry one to whom no other prince can mount from him, on which he immediate-a-pire." "Inform us, then," said the no-rangement of the garden. Tun Mamed 16 4 The bird is flown, and you are only guinding the pepper (for catching it)." Tun Mamed was exceedingly surpris ed to hear a tree so skilful in making pantuns, as well as to see the whole arly returned to the sea. Raja Suran then bles, "whither your wishes tend, and we at last came up to a hall in the garden, called a man of science and an artificer, will do our utmost to carry them into ef- the whole materials of which were of and ordered the account of his descent fect." Then said the king, "I want to bone, and the roof of hair. In the balei into the sea to be recorded, and a monu- ask the Princess Gunung Ledang." Then or dais, sat an old woman, of elegant ap ment to be formed, which might serve for they asked him whom he wished to send pearance, with a plaid thrown across her the information of posterity to the day of as his messengers. He said, "I will send shoulder, with four young women before judgment. The history of this adventure the laksamana, Sang Satia, and Tun Ma- her. As soon as they saw Tun Mamed, was accordingly composed, and inscribed med." They cheerfully assented. Then they asked him, "whence do you come, on a stone in the Hindostanee language. Tun Mamed first set out with the men of and whither are you going?" Tun Ma This stone being adorned by gold and Indragiri, to clear the way to Gunung med said, "I am a Malaca man, named silver, was left as a monument, and the Ledang, for he was the head man, or pen- Tun Mamed. I am sent by the Sultan of raja said that this would be found by one gulu of Indragiri. After long journeying Malaca, to ask in marriage the lady of his descendants, who should reduce all they reached the foot of the hill, and be- Princess Gunung Ledang. This is the the rajas of the countries under the wind. gan to ascend it, but found no road; the reason of my coming. The laksamana, Then Raja Suran returned to the land of hill men, however, showed them the road, and Sang Satia also are on the hill beKling, and after his arrival he founded a for the way was excessively difficult, with neath, but unable to ascend, and have city of great size, with a fort of black violent gusts of wind, and a cold quite sent me onward. Now, please to inform stone, with a wall of seven fathoms in unsupportable. They advanced, how- me what is your name, and whence you both height and thickness, and so skilfully ever, till they reached about the middle come?" The elder lady replied, "my joined, that no interstices remained be of the mountain, when none of the people name is Dang Raya Rani, and I am the tween the stones, but seemed all of molten could proceed farther. Then, said Tun head person here of the Princess Gunung metal. Its gates were of steel, adorned Mamed to the laksamana and Sang Satia, Ledang. Whatever you want, stay here, with gold and gems. Within its circum-stop you here, gentles, and let me and I will go and represent it to the prin ference are contained seven hills, and, in ascend the bill." The others assented, cess." On this the five females instantly the centre, a lake, like a sea, and so and Tun Mamed, with two or three hear- vanished. Then there came to him an large, that if an elephant be standing on ty men, ascended as well as he could, till old woman, hunch-backed, and bent the one shore he will not be visible on he came to the bamboos, which are spon- threefold, and said to him, "Dang Raya the other; and this lake contained every taneously melodious; and all that ascend- Rani has delivered your message to the species of fish, and in the middle was an ed felt like birds flying, in the furious Princess Gunung Ledang, who desires me island of considerable height, on which gusts of wind, and the clouds closed to say, that if the Raja of Malaca wishes the mists continually rested. The island round so near, that one might touch for me, he must first make a flight of was planted with trees, flowers, and all them; and the sound of the musical bam-stairs of gold, and another of silver, from kinds of fruits, and whenever Raja Suran boos was extremely melodious; and the Malaca to Gunung Ledang; and in askwished to divert himself, he used to fre- very birds lingered to hear their music; ing me, he must present a gnat's heart sequent it. On the shore of this lake was a and the forest deer were all enchanted by ven platters broad, a moth's heart seven large forest, stocked with all sorts of wild their melody; and Tun Mamed was so platters broad, a vat of human tears, and a beasts, and whenever Raja Suran wished delighted with their sound, that he could vat of the juice of the young betel nut, to hunt, he mounted his elephant and not prevail on himself to advance on his one phial of the raja's blood, and one proceeded to this forest. The name of journey for some time. Again, however, phial of the Prince Raja Ahmed's blood; this city was Bijnagar, which, at the pre-he proceeded slowly, till at last he reach- and if the raja performs this, the Princess sent time, is a city in the land of Kling. ed a garden of wonderful beauty, such as Gunung Ledang will assent to his desire." Such is the account of Raja Suran, but if had never been seen. It was full of all As soon as she had spoken this she vaall his adventures were to be related, they kinds of flowers and fruits which are to be nished, so that nobody could perceive would rival those of Handah.' found in the whole world, arranged in where she had gone. According to some plots of divers kinds. As soon as the accounts, however, the elderly lady who birds of the garden observed the approach conversed with Tun Mamed, was the of Tun Mamed, they uttered all kinds of Princess Gunung Ledang, who had ascries, some like a man whistling; others sumed the appearance of an old woman. like a person playing on a pipe; others Then Tun Mamed returned and descendlike a person playing on the sirdam; ed to the laksamana and Sang Satia, and others like a person reciting verses; informed them of what had passed; after others like persons bersaluca, or joyous; which they all returned and related the others like persons ber-gorindam, or con- whole of the old woman's conversation to versing in dialogue. The large lenons Sultan Mahmed Shah, who said, "all made a loud noise, the grapes giggled, these requests may be complied with, but and the pomegranates smiled, and the the taking of blood is an unpleasant bu-, warasac laughed aloud, while the rose re-siness, and I have no inclination for it at peated pantuns, in the following style:- all."' "The teeth are grating against each other, They wish to eat the fish of the tank; Our next story, and with which we shall conclude, is, in the highest degree, romantic,, and would furnish a fine subject for a fairy tale, at Covent Garden Theatre: It is related, that the wife of Sultan Mahmud, and mother of Rajah Ahmed, returned into God's mercy, and the king was extremely afflicted! and how long it was that, through grief, he would not have the nobuts sounded! All the chiefs likewise looked gloomy, at seeing the grief of the prince; and all their attempts to console him proved ineffectual, and could not remove the impression from his breast. One day, all the nobles, mantris, The Gossips 1 tian friendship to the manes of our deceased cotemporaries. cause of complaint whatever.Mr. Rowe barous age have not failed to inform us, To the Queen in sorrowful mood, Crying that witches have no power 'B-n, L-d. A dark and powerful ALTHOUGH we are now› only in the poet of the same age. He was born in a third year of our editorial age, yet, inTheir spells were vain. The hags return'd charnel-house, and at an early period fell that period, we have seen a host of coin love with a death's head and cross temporaries, who started with more apbones. Disappointed in this elegant atWhere there is rown-tree wood.'t tachment, he became melancholy, wrote parent vigour than ourselves, consigned to the tomb of the Capulets.' The given to the witch by the sailor's wife, nally married a mere woman, in a fit of A rown tre was certainly the answer stanzas to worms and sextons, and fiIndicator' no longer points out the and plainly means, I have a charm hypochondria. He was undoubtedly sweets of literature; the spell of the against all your power, and defy you to somewhat licentious; having seventeen • Talisman' is broken; we are com- injure me, so begone, and do your worst:" mistresses in his native country, (eight pelled to take our breakfast without a and then the subsequent resolution of the of whom were actresses, and the remainDejeuné,' and silenced is the tongue hag becomes perfectly natural, who in re- der, maids of honour,) besides a seraglio of the Gossip,' A host of reviews, turn argues thus, "I cannot be reveng'd or two in Greece and Albania, established journals of literature, &c. have fretted on the charm-guarded rump-fed ronyon, during his travels in search of a skull catheir hour, and are now but her husband is open to my power; he pacious enough to hold a gallon of Greek · while we (thanks to a good constitu- fore on him I'll vent my spite." no more, has no charm to protect him, and there- wine. He is said to have possessed a peculiar felicity in swimming, and at one tion and the nursing kindness of our 'Some of the very learned commenta-period crossed the Hellespont three times friends) live to perform an act of chris-tators on this passage have very absurdly a day during several months for an appe supposed that the rump-fed woman was tite. Of these feats we find mention' charitably fed from a great man's kitchen, in upwards of fifty passages throughout The Gossip' was born on Saturday because in ancient times "rumps, kidney's his works. 'His Lordship made a vain attempt to the 3rd of March, 1821, about eight fat, and trotters," were the perquisites of the cook, and sold to the poor. Now rebuild the temple of Jupiter Olympus o'clock in the morning, and expired Shakspeare only meant to convey the with pebbles, and a cement of powdered at about the same hour on the 11th of idea of a fat, indolent, and unwieldy sai-bones. Drank himself delirious at the August, to the inexpressible grief of lor's wife, of whom fac-similes may, at fountain of Dirce, and expired at length numerous friends and acquaintance. this day, be seen in every sea-port of in the catacombs of Egypt, dancing the Thel' Gossip' was a light, amusing, Great Britain. Besides, Shakespeare tells giuacca among the mummies. and unassuming little weekly periodi- us, that her husband was gone to Aleppo, cal, and though only a two-penny tract, "master of the Tyger," which is more was not two-penny trash.' The a proof of riches than poverty.' twenty-four numbers now before us, for Anticipations of public opinion in the that was the extent it reached, conyear two thousand three hundred on tain some articles, which the poets of the present day. we think ought to have saved it from annihila- and novelist of the 19th century. He 'S-t, Sir W-r. An eminent poet tion; and, although we know it is ex-published 2000 volumes in prose and died tremely uneditorial to acknowledge merit in a cotemporary, yet we venture to do it, and quote the following articles in support of our opinion: VCONJECTURE on ShareSPEARE. First Witch. A sailor's wife had chesnuts But in sieve I'll thither sail, For the following conjectural, but very plausible, amendment, we are indebted to an edition of the play of Macbeth, published at York, in 1797, by Mr. Harry Rowen It certainly appears very strange, that a witch (a being remarkable for mischief and revenge for insults) should not inflict punishment upon the sailor's wife who affronted her, instead of purposing to take a long voyage to rent her malice on the offendant's husband, who, it does nct appear, had in himself given any pez per, at length of a broken heart, from the cir- He was shrouded in proof sheets of his In the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is still very common to preserve a piece of stick (of what wood we know not) and wear it in the pocket, as a charm against the power of witchcraft.ED. 'S—y, R—t, Poet and biographer. This author, produced an infinite number of stupendous poems, some of which it is said were to be seen in the libraries of the curious about a century ago, but are now totally obsolete and forgotten. He pubpoems to be produced in as many suclished proposals for nine hundred epic cessive weeks, but after writing six months without sleep, was seized with an unaccountable drowsiness froin' which he ne ver recovered; and it was ever afterwards remarked that his works had sympathetically imbibed the power of producing similar torpid sensations on others. He died in a fit of blank verse, having accomplished little more than half his proposed task. A malicious story is told of this writer being at one time the King's Jester, or Court Buffoon, with the singular title of Poet Laureate, a name, as is now generally supposed given in derision to those contemptible creatures who wrote bombastic verses in praise of the king and court. But this is a mere traditionary rumour, and in all probability far from being founded on truth. Wds-th. A poet. None of whose multifarious productions have reached our age, with the exception of and extreme simplicity, have for many a few passages, which, for their prettiness years found a place in the London Primer and modern Reading made-Easy. He formed his style when a child, and never departed from it, the simplicity of the nursery being obvious and apparent through the whole range of his more mature-et "The uniform tendency of his writings | French Verbs simplified. By M. Patewas to throw down (at least in the poetical world) all distinctions of men and things. To render the mishaps of a plough boy of equal importance with the calamities of a monarch, and a lamb bleating on the mountains an object of as spirit-stirring as a victorious army. From cotemporary writings preserved by the lovers of ancient trash, we learn that W-ds-th either wrote or planned a poem of some magnitude, named “The Excursion," consisting of one hundred cantos, and an introduction in fifty parts; this work, if accomplished, has long been forgotten. He was the inventor of rebusses and conundrums; and in his extreme old age is said (we know not how truly) to have thrown the adventures of "Jack the Giant Killer" into blank verse, with a prefatory essay on true simplicity of style. We have likewise met with the titles of various other works attributed to this now forgotten bard; such as "Tommy Hickathrift." "The Bloody Gar dener;" "The White Doe," &c. &c. But how far tradition may speak correctly on these points it would at this distance of time, be useless to inquire.' A Letter to the Rev. W. L. Bowles in reply to his Letter to Thomas Campbell, Esq. and to his two Letters to the Right Hon. Lord Byron. By Martin McDermot, 8vo. pp. 86. London, 1821. nôtre. 8vo. pp. 58. London, 1821. THE French student will find a knowledge of the principles of the language considerably facilitated by the little manual of M. Patenôtre, which we therefore recommend to his attention. The Meditator, AN OCCASIONAL PAPER, The manifest use of a Dedicatee is this, vide licet: That the readers may be so blinded by the lustre of a splendorous name, that they shall consider all the Author's faults as so many palpable beauties; or, at all events, as real though unintelligible perfections. ANON. And, if this be looked into, it will be found to resolve itself into the distinction between knowledge and truth.. We may assert generally, that the exposition of knowledge never can be injurious, but must be always beneficial: the exposition of truth may frequently be highly detrimental. There is no Original Tales of My Landlord's stronger instance of this than the use School. By Wm. Gardiner, 12mo, to which the Holy Scriptures have pp. 146. London, 1821. been put by weak or designing men. The Sacred Volume is a book of truths, This is a good Christmas present for a child of six or eight years of age; and Explain these truths properly, and is embellished with engravings on then they become knowledge, which wood, from designs by G. Cruick-never can but redound to the honour shank. of God and the utility of mán; leave them unexplained, or explain them improperly, they are then bare truths, (for the sacred propositions are true in themselves, however falsely explained,) and lo! into what sects, factions, faiths, opinions, and beliefs is the world divided! The assertion, that things are so, which is truth, may set foolish or depraved minds on a train of false reasoning: the assertion that things are so, and the explanation, why they are so, which is knowledge, pats an end to further disquisition, and the possibility of error therefrom, which is the only ill effect to be dreaded. In the same way, just satire is knowledge, just libel is truth. In this case also, we see that truth is injurious, knowledge is useful. Satire opens the springs of the human heart, shews where the true sources of vice and folly too nearly touching the sensitive per- are to be found, and by this means son of royalty, matter of private libel, teaches us how to diminish and dam or of public defamation. But the least up the vicious currents. Libel points attention to the difference between sa- out with invidious hand the folly or the tire and libel, will always preserve an vice, but gives us no knowledge of its author from the above danger, much source, or the manner of preventing it. better than the concealment of his per-Libel deals with facts alone, satire with son. Satire is drawn from general views their origin. The one is the office of of the follies, the singularities, and the the villain or the knave, the other is vices of human nature. Libel from a par- the business of the philosopher. cular, and frequently from a partial view of its object. The former is useful, the latter criminal. Satire makes you despise folly and hate vice. Libel tends to make you despise and hate yourself. Satire is a silent monitor. Libel is an open accuser. You are either ignorant that satire applies to you, or you hope that others are ignorant that it does apply, and therefore endeavour to avoid the faults which entail it. You know that libel does apply to you, that every one knows it, that remedy of the fault you are accused of is impossible, that the correction of it is useless; you therefore persist in it. Thus the tendencies of satire and libel are directly opposite; the one good, the other evil. I HAVE thus given a succinct, explicit, and circumstantial description of my earthly person. Some might doubt the policy of this, inasmuch as it is a kind of Hue and Cry, and might serve as a direction to the officers of justice, THE silly controversy about the mora in case these papers were found to conlity of Pope, and the rules and invari-tain anything subversive of civil goble principles of poetry seems inter-vernment, or too nearly subversive, or minable; and if we may judge from the positive tone of the disputants is likely to remain so. After reading the letters of Lord Byron and Mr. Bowles, we got so satiated with the subject, that it was some time before we had resolution to venture on the pamphlet now before us. Mr. M'Dermot takes the side of Lord Byron, Mr. Campbell, and the Quarterly Review, respecting the poetical talents of Pope, whom they place by the side of Shakespeare and Milton. He also agrees with his Lordship in all the arguments which he has advanced against Mr. Bowles's principles of poetry, but he differs with the noble bard in granting, that images or objects are poetical per se, and contends that there is no object in either art or nature that is so. On other points Mr. M'Dermot dilates at some length, and with considerable ability, but the subject is worn threadbare, and it would be very difficult for any talent to give it a new interest, especially after Lord Byron and Mr. Campbell have written so well upon it. Having thus briefly excused myself, I proceed. If these papers contain an explicit description of my corporeal person, I think they also contain an implicit delineation of my incorporeal (begging the materialist's pardon) person; in the junction of which two different persons, consists the one person, I call myself. From hence, I think, with a spice of that sort of prophecy, usually denominated, commonsense, and with the additional information, that I dwell within lath and plaister of the nocturnal scenes of those damnable orgies, performed by shrunk lionesses and mock tygers, within three inches of the upper elements, within snore of the owls on the chimney brink, that I eat cresses, and drink the piti-servants: the poor man is the servant Original Communications. ful tears of heaven, the reader may draw DEDICATION: TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD WILDERNESSB. MY LORD,In thus fulfilling my promise of dedicating to you these papers, be assured it is my judgment and not my ambition, which directs my choice. Your title, my Lord, should never win that from me, your merit could not. Ambition may do very well in a king or a conqueror,-judgment must satisfy the philosopher. Toally myself, who am but an ape of philosophy, with a Lord, were but a sorry stretch of ambition, if I looked no farther than his title; but when I cover myself with an escutcheon of the order of merit, to which his title may give eclat, where I openly praise his qualities, I tacitly approve my own judgment in appreciating them. Believe me also, my Lord, no dedicator ever approaches his patron with more sincere conviction of the praises he was about to bestow on the great personage, than I do in the present instance. I am no worshipper for broken meats, and if the crumbs which fall from the rich man's table were to be gathered by flattery, either of him or his butler, (and in this the lord and the drawer of corks are nearly upon a par, except that I believe the latter has the fuller and more servile levee,) I would rather choose to go to bed with Lazarus, than purchase the means of life by the sale of my honesty. As the poet says I would not flatter Neptune for his trident, Nor Jove for his power of thunder.' The reverence which is paid to rank, title, and estate, is very well as a bond of society. The theory of social equality is mere Utopian. It can no more exist than a plurality of gods. If we were all lords, we should have no tinkers; for who the devil would mend a kettle, with a patent of nobility in his pocket? It may be said, if we are all equal, every lord would mend his own kettle, Ab surd! we must have tinkers as well as lords. Wherever there exists society, there must be laws to bind it; where there are laws, there must be law-makers; and the ablest law-maker will be the greatest man in the community. This is the origin of rank and degrees of state. In one respect indeed, we are' all' on an equal footing; we are all of the lord, and he, in his turn, is but But the cones of particular societies, such as nations and empires, differ from the great cone of the universe, in other particulars besides magnitude. In this especially, that whereas in the latter, the place of each individual is founded on attributes proper and in trinsical to the individual himself; in the former it is estimated by circumstances (most frequently) purely accidental and extrinsical. The difference between the beggar and the king, lies not in the men, but in their offices. The apex and the base of these cones, are not blind matter and omniscience, but a reasonable creature in rags, and another of the same species in ermine. Hence, the reverence I spoke of above, is for the vulgar. By it, a proper degree of subordination is preserved, but the philosopher looks upon such miserable and accidental distinctions with contempt. Your Lordship's $ Whisht ladren, for gin you ought start He shook her, and swore muckle dool, On sie a day? Ye'er tippanizing scant o' grace,' Syne wi' her nails she rave his face, Made a' his black baird bloody Wi 'scaits that day. A gilpy that had seen the faught, ploy him usefully, laboriously, or dis- The person thus subjected to disho- with public economy, to guide which they are incompetent, raise clamours against efficient officers, increase the discontents of the poor, and do injury where they intended none. Lam, sir, your's, &c. Dec. 18. A PARISH OFFICER, RIDING THE STANG." To the Editor of the Literary Chronicle. SIR-Your correspondent, Ephraim Wood, wishing for some information relative to this singular custom, I have extracted the following account from a work, entitled Popular Pastimes, or the Customs and Amusements of Great Britain in Ancient and Modern Times,' which, if you thinks worthy of notice, you will oblige me by inserting Your's, &c. The glossary to Gawin's Doug las's Virgil, informs us that riding the stang, is when one is made to ride on a pole for his neighbour's wife's fault. The word stang, says Rey, is still used in some colleges in the uni versity of Cambridge: to stang scholars in Christmas time, being to cause them to ride on a colt-staff or pole, for I am informed,' says Dr. Jameson, that in Lothian, and, perhaps, in other counties, the man who had debauched his neighbour's wife was forced to ride the stang: yet this punishment was not exclusively inflicted on gallants detected in criminal amours. The virago who had beaten her husband was also subjected to ride the stang, not in person, however, but by substitute, as we learn from Allan Ramsay's admirable continuation of Christ's Kirk on the Green, canto 31, where, after the mar riage, the visitors became inebriated, F. W and the conduct and punishment of a -Riding the Stang (according to Dr.graceless vixen are thus humourously Jameson,) is the remains of a very and cient custom among the Goths, who were wont to erect what they called nidstaeng, or the pole of infany, with the most dire imprecations against those who were thought to deserve the reprobation which this act implied. drawn : I wat, he was nae lang, Ane mounted wi' a bang, On her that day. Like bumbees frae their bykes; Gart a' the bale town tykes Yamph loud that day, of Leeds, it was customary, about sixty In Yorkshire, in the neighbourhood years ago, to ride the stang' on the man who had beaten his wife; but this practice was pursued only by the lowest. of the vulgar. ON THE PRESENT STATE OF THE To the Editor of the Literary Chronicle. MR. EDITOR,It is but natural that we should wish to encourage and support whatever affords us pleasure and improvement: this consideration it is, that causes me to regret, that my abi lities are not equal to my inclination, in contributing a subject that might excite an interest in your excellent li terary miscellany. The perusal of it never fails to produce a train of reflec tions, which I sometimes commit to paper; but as I do not observe any of my sex have favoured you with their lucubrations, (in prose) I feel diffident in stating my opinions, either to obtain further information, or truths I may have discovered in the course of my own reflections, and which P should present to you in the form of essays. Some of my late reflections have been on the present rage for spectacu--lar amusements, at those theatres which |