his colleagues, that if he would not do it for the love of God, he ought to do it for the honour of the chapter to which he belonged. Vossius took an odd delight in having his hair combed in a measured or rhythmical manner. He would have it done by barbers or other persons skilled in the rules of prosody. A Latin treatise on rhythm, published by him at Oxford in 1673, contains this curious passage :- "Many people take delight in the rubbing of their limbs and the combing of their hair; but these operations would delight much more if the servants at the baths, and if the barbers, were so skilful in this art that they could express any measure with their fingers. I remember that more than once I have fallen into the hands of men of this sort, who could imitate any measure of verses in combing the hair; so as some times to express very intelligibly iambics, trochees, dactyles, &c., from whence there arose to me no small delight." THE CHAPLAIN'S FEAR. 66 Na storm at sea the chaplain asked one of the crew, if he thought there was any danger. Why," replied the sailor, "if this continues, we shall all be in heaven before to-morrow morning." The chaplain, horrified at these words, cried out, "The Lord forbid!" W MEN OF METTLE. HEN William III. came over at the time of the Revolution, five of the seven bishops which were sent to the Tower declared for his Highness, whereas the two others would not come to terms. Upon this Dryden said, that "The seven golden candlesticks were sent to be assayed in the Tower, and five of them proved to be prince's metal." HOW TO SILENCE WHITFIELD. 207 EPISCOPAL BARGAINS. HE Prince de Conti, speaking of the possessors of rich benefices, remarked, "That the Lord was very ill served for his money." A HARD TASKMASTER. ILLIAM COURTENAY, Archbishop of Canterbury, cited certain of his tenants for a heinous and unpardonable offence, which was "for that they brought straw to litter his horses, not on carts, as they ought, but in bags." For this abominable misdemeanour, after they had confessed their fault and made due submission, he enjoined them the following penance :- "That going leisurely before the procession, barefoot and barelegged, each of them should carry upon his shoulders a bag stuffed with straw, the straw hanging out." Upon this occasion the following rhyme was made: "This bagful of straw I bear on my back, Because my lord's horses their litter did lack; HOW TO SILENCE WHITFIELD. HE Rev. David Simpson relates, that when a certain bishop was complaining to George II. of Whitfield's great and eccentric labours, and advising him what steps it were best to take to put a stop to his preaching, his Majesty very shrewdly replied, "My Lord, I can see no other way but for us to make a bishop of him. This will stand a good chance of stopping his wild career." YOUNG'S NARCISSA. HE "Third Night" of Young's "Complaint" is entitled 66 Narcissa," from its containing the sad history of the premature death of a beautiful young lady, whom the poet designates under that name. She was the daughter of Young's wife by her first husband, Colonel Lee, and when scarcely seventeen was married to Mr Henry Temple, granduncle of the late Premier, Lord Palmerston. Soon afterwards being attacked by consumption, she was taken by Young to the South of France, which at that time, like Madeira now, was the last stage on the road from consumption to the grave; and notwithstanding Young's fatherly care, she died there about a year after her marriage. Dr Johnson, in his "Lives of the Poets,” tells us that "her funeral was attended with those difficulties painted in such animated colours in Night the Third;" and from Johnson down to Mr Gilfillan, the editor of the last edition of the "Night Thoughts," all Young's biographers have told the same story. About 1770 the "Night Thoughts" were translated into French, and the work soon became exceedingly popular among our impressionable neighbours. Inquiries were set on foot, and it was then discovered that the young lady had been clandestinely interred in the Botanic Garden of Montpellier. Ere long the grave of Narcissa became one of the treasures of the garden, and sentimental strangers from all parts of the civilised world made pilgrimages to the spot hallowed by such bitter suffering. Talma, the great tragedian, at one time contemplated erectinga magnificent tomb to the unfortunate Narcissa; but this idea was finally abandoned, and a simple monument was placed over her remains, inscribed with the words "Placandis Narcissæ Manibus." Unfortunately for all the sentiment wasted upon this harrowing story, Narcissa's stolen funeral is now proved to be an in YOUNG'S NARCISSA. 209 vention of Young's poetical genius. Narcissa never was at Montpellier-she died and was buried at Lyons. She was not denied a grave— "Denied the charity of dust to spread O'er dust; nor did Young "steal" a grave, as he asserts, but bought it and paid for it. Her name was not left unwrit, as her tombstone testifies. At the time Narcissa died at Lyons, the central square of the Hospital, or Hôtel Dieu, was used as a burialplace for Protestants, and there her remains were deposited. But the Revolution doing away with the necessity of having separate burial-places for Protestants, the central square was converted into a medical garden, and the monuments on the graves were removed. A large slab of black marble was set up against a wall, close by a Spanish mulberry tree. About 1840 the growth of this tree necessitated the removal of this stone, when, lo! it was found to contain a Latin inscription to the memory of Mrs Elizabeth Lee, daughter of Colonel Lee, &c., &c., &c.,-in short, Young's identical Narcissa. The register of the Protestant burials in that place happened to be still in existence, and there the following entry was found, putting the whole affair beyond all possibility of doubt : “Madam Elizabeth Lee, daughter of Colonel Lee, aged about eighteen years, wife of Henry Temple, English by birth, was buried at the Hôtel Dieu at Lyons, in the cemetery of persons of the Reformed religion of the Swiss nation, the 12th of October 1736, at eleven o'clock at night, by order of the provost of the merchants. Received 729 livres 12 sols. Signed, "PARA, Priest and Treasurer." From this document we learn the utter untruthfulness of Young's recital. True, Narcissa was buried at night, and a considerable sum charged for the privilege of interment, but she was not denied the "charity their dogs enjoy." Calculating according to the average rate of exchange at the period, 729 livres would amount to £35. Was it this sum that excited Young's poetical indignation so strong as to overstep the bounds of veracity? We could grant the excuse of poetical license, had not he declared in his preface that the poem was "real, not fictitious." But the whole is in keeping with Young's character, who was, “of all other men, one of the most striking examples of the sad disunion of piety from truth." A NUMEROUS FAMILY. HE celebrated Jonathan Edwards, the American divine, was born in 1703, and when his descendants were contemplating a family festival in 1832, less than a century after his death, it was found that they numbered about two thousand persons. A LIGHT UNDER A BUSHEL. GENTLEMAN who imagined that he possessed gifts for the ministry, went to consult the Rev. Rowland Hill on the subject, and talked about "hiding his talents." Mr Hill, who entertained different views of the matter to what the gentleman himself did, intimated that “for his part, he thought the closer he hid them the better." BOLDNESS IN THE PULPIT. HE reputation which the celebrated Bourdaloue very early acquired, reaching the ears of Louis XIV., his Majesty sent for him to preach the Advent sermon in 1670, which he did with such success, that he was many years retained at court. He was called the King of preachers, and the |