in it some representation of the grosser lines of your features,those outward enormities that make you remarkable, and your picture easy to be known, which cannot be expected here so fully to the life as I could wish: he only can do that whose eye and hand have been with you in secret councils,-who has seen you at your meetings,-your sabbaths, where you have lain by your assumed shapes (with which you cozened the world), and resumed your own, imparting each to other, and both of you to your fellow-witches,-the bottom of your design, the policy of your actings, the turns of your contrivances,-all your falsehoods, cozenings, villainies, and cruelties, with your full intentions to ruin the three kingdoms. All I will say to you, is, what St. Peter said to Simon the Sorcerer-" Repent, therefore, of this your wickedness;" and pray to God, if perhaps the thoughts of your hearts may be forgiven you: and if you have not grace to pray for yourselves (as it may be you have not), I have charity to do it for you, but not faith enough to trust you. So, I remain, I thank God, not in your power, and as little at your service,

"DENZIL HOLLES,

"At S. Mere. Eglide, in Normandy, this 14th of Feb. 1647. St. V."

To Coryat, the traveller, as the prince of a more harmless class, dealers in strange sights and wondrous adventures, the facetious John Taylor, the water poet, dedicates his satirical work of "Three Weeks', Three Days', and Three Hours' Observations and Travel from London to Hamburgh, in Germany," &c. in these terms: "To the cosmographical, geographical describer, geometrical measurer; historiographical, calligraphical relater and writer; enigmatical, pragmatical, dogmatical observer; surveyor, and eloquent British Grecian Latinist, or Latin Grecian orator; the odcombyan decambulator, perambulator, ambler, trotter, or untyred traveller, Sir Thomas Coryat, knight of Troy, and one of the dearest darlings to the blind goddess Fortune."

The writer, who has comprehended the greatest number of persons by name in one dedication, is the anonymous author of a scarce poetical tract, entitled "The Martyrdome of Saint George, of Cappadocia, Titular Patron of England, and the Most noble order of the Garter,"-1614. It is dedicated "to all the noble, honourable, and worthy in Great Brittaine, bearing the name of George; and to all other, the true friends of Christian chivalrie, lovers of Saint George's name and vertues." It has been often erroneously stated, that George was a Christian name of very rare occurrence in this country until the accession of the present family to the throne. Burton

mentions George de Charnels, in the time of Edward I. and one of the brothers of Edward IV. was called George, but the name at that time was certainly less common than might have been expected, considering that St. George was the titular patron of England, that he was the patron also of the order of the garter instituted by Edward III. and especially how the Scotch and Irish have honoured their patron saints by the numberless Andrews and Patricks among them. In history, however, we find many Georges previous to the date of this work, as may be seen by consulting any of our biographical collections. Although few may have heard of George Clifford, earl of Cumberland; or George Abbot, archbishop of Canterbury, yet none are strangers to the names of George Buchanan, George Fox, George Monk, duke of Albemarle, or the profligate George Villiers, duke of Buckingham.

The Battaile of Agincourt," by Michael Drayton, is dedicated-"To you, those noblest of gentlemen of these renowned kingdomes of Great Britaine; who, in these declining times, have yet in your brave bosoms the sparks of that sprightly fire of your courageous ancestors." Although the declining times" here spoken of are but the first years of the seventeenth century, it would seem, that, in the opinion of Drayton, as the name George increased, the spirit of Agincourt departed from amongst us. Alas! for the present day, which is at least two centuries lower in the scale.

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One thing more certain than this decay of courage, was a great increase during these "declining times," (that is, during the reign of James I.) of habits of intemperance and debauchery. And hence the propriety with which Edward Calver, after dedicating his poem of" Passion and Discretion in Youth and Age," (1641) "To the right noble and truly vertuous Lady Temperance," subjoins a metrical apology for thus seeming "to invocate the winde."

Next to dedicating to a shadow, we may class dedicating to nothing and nobody. Of this we have a quaint enough example in the following lines, which present a specimen of what may be termed dedication by inference.

"To my deare Friend, Mr. Charles Aleyn.

"When Fame had sayd, thy poem should come out
Without a dedication; some did doubt

If Fame in that had told the truth, but I,

Who knew her false, boldly gave Fame the lye,
For I was certaine, that this booke, by thee,

Was Dedicated to Eternity."

"Thy true lover, ED. PRIDEAUX."

Nothing perhaps is more generally remarkable of dedications, than the little insight which they give us into the real characters of the writers. In the earlier periods of our literary history, it was so much the fashion to play the mountebank on these occasions, that we may search in vain for one line of truth in most of the portraits, or rather certificates of character, that we find prefixed by authors to their works. Who, now-a-days, for example, knows anything of Robert Baron, or the Cyprian Academy, of which he was the author? And yet, to read a letter which he has modestly prefixed to that poem, addressed to him by his uncle Howell, the wellknown writer of "The Letters," one would suppose that his fame could not so soon have perished.

"To Mr. R. Baron, at Paris.

"GENTLE SIR,

"I received and presently ran over your Cyprian Academy with much greediness, and no vulgar delight; and, sir, I hold myself much honoured for the dedication you have been pleased to make thereof to me, for it deserved a far higher patronage: truly, I must tell you, without any complaint, that I have seldom met with such an ingenious mixture of prose and verse, interwoven with such varieties of fancy and charming strains of amorous passions, which have made all the ladies in the land in love with you. If you begin already to court the Muses so handsomely, and have got such footing on Parnassus, you may in time be lord of the whole hill and those nice girls; because, Apollo, being now grown unwieldy and old, may make choice of you, to officiate in his room and preside over them."

"The "Pocula Castalia," another work by the same Robert Baron, has prefixed to it some more lines of praise from his uncle; in which, by way of diversity of phrase, he thus puns on the name of him who is to be "in time lord of the whole hill and those nice girls."

"You may in time, where now old Phoebus sits,

Be Lord Chief Baron of the Court of Wits."

In modern times, plainness and sincerity have come more into repute than they were in the days of the "Lord Chief Baron;" and we do occasionally meet with very lively traits of character substituted for the customary adulation. Where, for example, in all Dr. Delany's works, has he left us a juster picture of himself than in the following dedication of his "Fifteen Sermons upon Social Duties" to the Lady Grace, the first Viscountess Carteret and Countess Granville?

"The author of these discourses pretends not to acquit himself of ambition; he hath perhaps as strong a bias of original guilt that way as any mortal; but the truth is, it was early checked, and entirely turned from all hope or prospect of preferment, to the sole view of endeavouring to deserve it. In this situation he was found by your son, near twenty years ago, in an honourable obscurity; and drawn thence, with some distinction, (though without any suit or solicitation on his side,) a little more into the light-at least, into the hurry of the world, where he hath continued to this day-unhonoured, indeed, but (I thank God) unreproached, and (what is perhaps matter of more vexation than vanity) not unenvied; though he stood in no man's way, nor was rival to any mortal, during the whole time, either for wealth, preferment, or power. He had been long before this a constant preacher; nor did his natural vehemence allow him to be indolent, or uninterested in what he delivered. His condition of life, and the circumstances of some particular friends, led him early to the consideration of almost all the following subjects; and a thousand subsequent occasions drew him frequently into repeated re-consideration of them; so that what he now presumes to present to your ladyship, are very truly the first fruits of his early labour and unwearied zeal in the service of religion."

ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS.

I.

"AT the White Hart, in Gray's Inu Lane, near the Queen's Head, liveth Mrs. Stothards, who answers all lawful questions; as, whether life shall be happy or unhappy? and what manner of person one shall marry? and when? and whether the best time be past or to come? and whether a friend be real or not? and all other rational demands: and, knowing their nativity or time of birth, discovers what accidents shall be likely to happen in all their lives. She tells the signification of moles in any part of the body, and gives a very excellent interpretation of dreams, discovering what events are likely to happen thereby.-Advice for 6d.

"Go up one pair of stairs without asking.'

Harleian MSS. 5931.

There is no date to this advertisement, but it appears to have been about

the reign of Queen Anne.

II.

Noble or ignoble, you may be told any thing that may happen to your elementary life, as to what time you may expect prosperity, or, if in adversity, the end thereof; or when you may be so happy as to enjoy the thing desired. Also, young men may foresee their fortunes as in a glass, and pretty maids their husbands, in this noble, yea, heavenly art of Astrologie. "At the sign of the Parrot, opposite to Ludgate church, within Blackfriar's-gateway."*

III.

"In Nova fert Animus.

Harleian MSS. 5931.

"These are to give notice, (for the benefit of the public,) that there is newly arrived from his travels, a gentleman, who, after above forty years' study, hath, by a wonderful blessing on his endeavours, discovered, as well the nature as the infallible cure of several strange diseases, which (though as yet not known to the world) he will plainly demonstrate to any ingenious artist, to be the greatest causes of the most common distempers incident to the body of man. The names of which take as follow:

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The strong fives
The marthambles
The moon-pall

The hockogrocle.

Now, though the names, natures, symptoms, and several cures of these diseases, are altogether unknown to our greatest physicians, and the particular knowledge of them would (if concealed) be a vast advantage to the aforesaid person; yet, he well knowing that his country's good is to be preferred to his private interest, doth hereby promise all sorts of people, a faithful cure of all or any of the diseases aforesaid, at as reasonable rates as our modern doctors have for that of any common distemper.

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He is to be spoken with at the ordinary hours of business, at the Three Compasses, in Maiden-lane."

IV.

Ibid.

"Simon Dring desireth to give full satisfaction to all and every one of England, or elsewhere, that can justly accuse him that he hath defrauded him in bargains, or any other way wronged him, that so he may owe nothing but love. Published by my order, from the next house to the Harrow, in Watlingstreet, in London, so called. SIMON DRING,-1654.'

* This bill is headed with the sun, moon, and seven stars.