to be cured. There are two of these stone deities in the Scilly Islands, but the most remarkable is one situated in the tenement of Méu, in the parish of Constantine, Cornwall; it is a vast pebble of oval form, placed upon the points of two natural rocks; it is placed due north and south, and its longest diameter is thirty-three feet. Cromlech is a name derived from the Hebrew, and signifies a devoted stone; they were used as altars for the sacrifice of human and other victims, and the northern countries they are denominated blod, that is, blood stones. The cromlech is generally a large oval stem supported upon others, and is to be met with in many places in Cornwall, Wales, and other spots in England and Ireland. One is in existence near the Kennel avenue of Abury, and another at Rollrich; but the one best known is that called Kit's Cotty-house on the downs between Maidstone and Rochester. Some antiquaries, however, suppose these stones to have been a distinct class from the altars, and to have been used for giving oracular responses, like those of Delphos and Dodona; and there is a tradition respecting the upper stone of a Cornwall cromlech, which was removed to serve as a bridge over a neighbouring brook, which gave to it the power of speech, but, at one time, when making an oracular effort it cracked, and has ever since been silent. Logan, or rocking-stones, are, if possible, still more curious than any of the preceding classes; some of them are enormous masses of stone, placed upon the peaks of rocks, others are placed upon the level ground, and others again on rocky eminences, both on the coast, and in the interior; many of them vary from eighty to one hundred tons; but are yet so accurately poised as to vibrate upon the slightest pressure of the hand, or even a strong puff of wind. They were in all probability used as ordeals for the detection of criminals, the priests having sufficient dexterity to persuade the ignorant multitude that these stones were inspired by the deity. Mason alludes to this in his Caractacus: Behold yon huge And unhewn mass of living adamant, The most celebrated Logan is one situated near the Land's End, Cornwall, which some years back was displaced by a Lieutenant Goldsmith, the commander of a revenue cutter, and some of his men; but in consequence of the general indignation excited in Cornwall in consequence of this mischievous frolic, it was replaced with much difficulty and labour by the same Lieutenant, and now rocks as before. It is an enormous block of granite, weighing between eighty and ninety tons. Cairns. In many parts of the British Isles, and more particularly in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, and also in other northern countries, are conical heaps of small, irregular stones, generally surmounted by a flat stone of larger dimensions; the name is derived by Rowland from the Hebrew Kerew-Ned, a cooped heap: they are sometimes sepulchral monuments, but more generally we believe as altars, upon which in olden times the fires were kindled in honour of Beal or Apollo on May Eve, and the other Druidical festivals, and in the Highlands of Scotland, and in some parts of Ireland May-day is still called Bealtine, or La Bealtine. We have now briefly reviewed these extraordinary remains of the ancient Britons; but as the subject is one of great interest, we may possibly refer to it again. CHARLES BARCLAY WOODHAM. THE year during which Carrera's Treatise on Chess appeared, was productive also of the work of Gustavus Selenus. This is a fictitious name adopted by the author, Augustus, duke of Brunswick Lunenberg. This work which is a large quarto of 550 pages, was printed at Leipsig, in 1616. He appears to have been an indefatigable player: he has analysed with great perseverance and attention some of his favourite games; and he occasionally displays considerable skill in his deviations from the models laid down by other players. He strongly reproves several of Damiano's moves; but Sarratt is of opinion that the duke has committed the same mistake as Ruy Lopez in venturing to criticise a better player than himself. A considerable portion of his work is occupied by a long and uninteresting description of the game called the Battle of Numbers, or Rhythmomachai. It also contains some futile attempts to improve the game of chess; and, among these, there is one which is as remarkable as it is ridiculous. It is extracted from a work (deservedly consigned to oblivion), written in German verse by James Mennels, and published at Costentz in 1507. Mennels has favoured the world with many situations in which check-mate is effected by a pawn: some of these present a ludicrous appearance; one party having six, and sometimes seven queens; but it must be observed, that this same Mennels has deemed it meet to deprive the queen of her horizontal and perpendicular powers: he allows her to move only in a diagonal direction; so that supposing the king to be on his own square, if the adversary's queen, giving check, the king by removing to his bishop's square, properly supported should take the king's bishop's pawn, or to his own second square, will be secure from all danger! SARRATT. the courier game as practised at Ströbeck, a village Gustavus Selenus also mentions the method of playing situated between Halberstadt and Brunswick, at a distance of about six miles from the former place; and celebrated for some centuries on account of its inhabitants being good chess-players. The introduction of chess into this village, is due to the following circumstance:-Towards the end of the fifteenth century, a dignitary of the cathedral at Halberstadt was exiled to Ströbeck; and being deserted by his former friends, he became the more attached to the inhabitants of the village, who had received him so 1841.] kindly that he was at a loss how to testify his gratitude. After much consideration he determined on teaching them the game of chess. He did so, and was delighted to find that they became partial to it, and made great progress in it. He soon felt amply rewarded for the trouble he had taken, for not only did they become proficients in the game, but it afforded him many opportunities of improving their morals and behaviour, which improvement became apparent in their intercourse with their neighbours. After some time, the exile was honourably recalled to his cathedral, and eventually became Bishop of Halberstadt. His prosperity did not make him forget his village friends-his Ströbeck, as he used to say-but on the contrary, he often went there and conferred many benefits on the community, amongst which he founded a free-school. A special injunction was laid on the masters of this school, to instruct all their pupils in chess, and to distribute prizes (consisting of chess boards and sets of pieces) at the end of every year, to the best players. In thus encouraging the game of chess, the worthy bishop had a higher object than mere amusement: he saw that by encouraging a game which draws so largely on the mental powers, his villagers would not be attracted by games of chance, nor injured by the vices and His object was dissipations which accompany them. happily gained; and we cannot but express a hope that ere long, the study of chess will be considered a necesand, as such, introduced sary part of education, universally into schools of every description. It would be indeed delightful to see the same effect produced in our villages by the introduction of this game, as was witnessed at Ströbeck. The villagers devoted most of their leisure time to chess: the knowledge of the game became hereditary: mothers taught it to their daughters; fathers to their sons; the old men bequeathed the paternal chess-board to their children; there was an innocent emulation among families, each trying to surpass the other. The fame of Ströbeck extended throughout Germany, and many a chess player visited it to try his skill. It is said that the villagers After a time the evil generally proved victorious. custom of playing for money was introduced-the villagers grew vain of their skill, and wanted such a lesson as was given to them by the celebrated Silberschmidt, who visited them as a stranger, and agreed to play a match for a considerable sum of money. vanquished their champion elect, and the villagers paid the money, but would not grant a certificate required "Take the by the conqueror attesting their defeat. gold," said they, "but leave us our glory." "Good people," replied Silberschmidt, "the money I have won school; from you I give to your poor and to your on one condition, namely-you must swear that you will never more play for money. The noble science of chess carries its interest in itself; a single game won, is a treasure of satisfaction to the winner." The villagers took the oath, gave the certificate, distributed the money as was proposed, and never again staked any thing but their skill on the chess board. He but Mr. Lewis visited this interesting village in 1831. He describes it as lying in a hollow about a mile from the high road, and containing about one hundred and twenty houses. Mr. Lewis walked to the village and introduced himself to the resident clergyman, whom he found an obliging and well educated man: the inhabitants were then in the fields gathering in the harvest, but a subsequent day was named for a trial of skill. He informed me, (says Mr. Lewis,) that the game is still much played there, and that they have several strong players; though himself no player of the game, yet he is so persuaded of the advantage of cultivating it, that he encourages the children who attend the school, to practise it at proper times, and has succeeded in obtaining the grant small sum annually from the community, for the purchase of six chess boards and men to be given to the of a best six players among the scholars, the number of whom amounts to forty-eight; the method of ascertaining who are the best is, in the first instance, to have two sets of tickets, each numbered from one to twenty-four; these are drawn by the boys; then the two ones, two twos, &c., &c., play together; those who lose go out, and the remaining twenty four draw numbers in a similar way, and so on, until only six winners remain, to whom the boards are given. In part of the village public house, Mr. Lewis observed the sign of a chess-board in the wall; it was rudely made up of stone: in the public room were hung three boards,-one the common chess-board, and the others larger for the use of those who play the courier game. up At his next visit, Mr. Lewis called on the syndic of the village, who accompanied him to the public house and showed him the old chess-board and men, which were kept carefully locked up. The board is of large size, being above two feet square, including the border, which is about four inches broad; on the border is a representation of the village of Stropcke, (it is spelt thus,) but not in bas relief, according to Mr. Silberschmidt's account, but rather in rude Mosaic; there appear to have been at that time three towers or steeples in the village, two only of which now remain, the third having been taken down, and the building converted into a saw mill. According to an inscription on the board, it appears to have been presented to the village by the Elector of Brandenburg, on the 13th of May 1651; on the other side, the board is divided into ninety-six squares, (twelve by eight,) this is intended for the courier game, which is played with the usual chess-men, to which are added for each player, four pawns, two couriers, a man and a fool, which last two are now called state counsellors. The said elector also made them a present of two sets of chess-men, one of ivory, and the other of silver, half of which were gilt; the latter set is lost, having been lent to the dean and chapter at Halberstadt, who forgot to return them; this occurred so long since, that no one now living recollects having seen them: the ivory set is much too small for the board; the pieces are in tolerable preservation, and have nearly the same shape as those commonly played with; the upper part of the bishop, instead of being shaped like a mitre, has the form of a scoop. They have only two works on chess, one of them an imperfect copy of Gustavus Selenus, the other Koch's Codex der Schachspielkunst, in two volumes; the former they have had a long time; the latter was presented to them some years since by their present worthy pastor. Mr. Lewis played three games of chess with one of the villagers of Ströbeck, and won them all. He considered his antagonist a weak player, and, from what fell in course of conversation, doubted whether there are any players in Ströbeck to whom a first rate player could not give a knight. One of the most distinguished players that we have next to notice in the order of time is Gioachino Greco, commonly called the Calabrian, from Calabria, the place of his birth. He was of very low extraction; but having accidently learned the game of chess, he improved so rapidly, that Don Mariano Marano, a celebrated player, being informed of his aptitude for chess, received him into his house, and treated him as one of his family; and under his tuition, Greco soon improved so much as nearly to equal his master. Bayle speaks of him in these terms: Greco played at chess so skilfully that it cannot be thought strange that I consecrate to him a little article. All those who excel in their profession to a certain degree, deserve that distinction. This player did not find his match anywhere. He went to all the courts in Europe, and signalized himself there at chess in a most surprising manner. He found famous players at the court of France, such as the Duke of Nemours, M. Arnaud, Chaumont, and La Salle; but though they pre tended to know more than others, none of them were able to play with him, nor could they cope with him altogether. He was at chess a bravo, who sought in all countries some famous knight with whom he might fight and break a lance, and he found none whom he did not overcome. Mr. Lewis (whose edition of Greco is the best) thinks this is certainly an exaggerated account of Greco's skill; but his work exhibits so much skill and ingenuity, and abounds with so many brilliant and instructive situations; that we know of no more fascinating work for the student in chess: It does not often happen (says Mr. Lewis), that Greco's method of attacking can be much improved, for in that part of the game he is eminently skilful, but the like praise cannot be given to his system of defence; it must, indeed; be evident that, as most of his games are won by brilliant moves, the defence is necessarily imperfect. There have been many editions of Greco's work. The first English edition was published in London, by Herringman, in 1656, and is very imperfect. In 1750 appeared an edition, "so contrived that any person may learn to play in a few days without any further assistance." On this assurance, Mr. Lewis very properly remarks:— Let not any one be led, by this promising title, to suppose that so difficult a game as chess is to be learned in a few days; considerable practice is necessary to form even a moderate player, but to become a first-rate player, genius and much study are indispensable requisites. Greco died in the East Indies at an advanced age and bequeathed all his property to the Jesuits. In 1672 was published "The famous game of chesseplay, being a princely exercise, whereby the learner may profit more, by reading of this small book than by playing of a thousand mates." The author of this book, one Arthur Saul, introduces some doggrel verses laudatory of his game: All you that at the famous game The hidden slights to understand Even all things that concern this game, Among his rules and laws of the game is the following advice: Doe not at no time that thou playest at this game (out of a conceit as I said, that anything becomes thee well) stand singing, whistling, knocking or tinkering, whereby to disturbe the minde of thy adversary, and hinder his projects: neither keepe thou a calling on him to playe, or hastening of him thereunto, or a shewing of much dislike that hee playeth not fast enough; remembering with thyselfe, that besides that this is a silent game, when thy turne is to play, thou wilt take thy owne leasure; and that it is the royall law so to deal with another, as thyself wouldst be dealt withall. PREJUDICE is an equivocal term; and may as well mean right opinions taken upon trust, and deeply rooted in the mind, as false and absurd opinions so derived, and grown into it.-HURD. We find this great precept often repeated in Plato, Do thine own work, and know thyself; of which two parts, both the one and the other generally comprehend our whole duty, and consequently do each of them complicate and involve the other; for he who will do his own work aright, will find that his first lesson is to know himself, and he who rightly understands himself, will never mistake another man's work for his own.-MONTAIGNE. THE maxim, "in vino veritas-a man who is well warmed with wine will speak truth," may be an argument for drinking, if you suppose men in general to be liars; but, sir, I would not keep company with a fellow, who lies as long as he is sober, and whom you must make drunk before you can get a word of truth out of him.-JOHNSON. CHRISTIAN CONSOLATION ON THE DEATH OF FRIENDS. It has been said, and I believe, Though tears of natural sorrow start, 'Tis mixt with pleasure when we grieve For those the dearest to the heart, From whom long-loved at length we part; As by a Christian's feelings led We lay them in their peaceful bed. Yet speak I not of those who go The allotted pilgrimage on earth, Shall ne'er in this world's pleasure share: The livid cheek, the sunken eye: And claim its kindred with the sky. Lo! where the earthen vessel lies! Aloft the unbodied tenant flies. We grieve to think, our eyes no more That form, those features loved, shall trace But sweet it is from memory's store To call each fondly-cherished grace, We grieve to see expired the race Which with their better nature strove, We grieve to know that we must roam Apart from them each wonted spot: But sweet to think, that they a home Have gained; a fair and goodly lot, Enduring, and that changeth not. And who that home of freedom there Will with this prison-house compare? 'Tis grief to feel, that we behind, Severed from those we love remain: "Tis joy to hope, that we shall find, Exempt from sorrow, fear, and pain, With them our dwelling-place again. 'Tis but like them to sink to rest, With them to waken and be blest. O Thou, who form'st thy creature's mind For sojourning a stranger here "With virtue clothed, with honour crowned, And life in bliss unites whom death no more shall part. [BISHOP MANT's British Months.] FRESH-WATER FISH. III. THE TROUT. (Salmo fario, Linn.) Should you lure From his dark haunt, beneath the tangled roots -THOMSON THIS beautiful fish is much prized and sought after, not only on account of the skill and patience required for its capture; for the trout, says Izaac Walton, is more sharp-sighted than any hawk, and more watchful and timirous than your high-mettled merlin is bold;" but also for the estimation in which it is held as an article of food: "he may justly contend with all fresh-water fish, as the mullet may with all sea-fish, for precedency and daintiness of taste; and that, being in right season, the most dainty palates have allowed precedency to him." The trout is known among ichthyologists as the yellow gray salmon with red spots, having the under jaw somewhat longer than the upper. It varies in appearance, according to the locality in which it is found; so much so as to induce the belief that several species exist. Mr. Yarrell thinks it probable that more than one species of the common trout may exist in this country; but considering the various geological strata traversed by rivers in their course, the effect these variations of soil must produce upon the water, and the influence of the water on the fish,-remembering also the great variety of food afforded by different rivers, and the effect which these causes in various degrees are likely to produce, we need not be surprised at the variations both in size and colour which are found to occur. In the midland counties, where the trout thrives according to its habit of feeding, and the nature of its food, its figure is subject to slight variations; but the greatest variety is to be found in the tinge both of its ground colour, and spots. Its general length is from twelve to about sixteen inches; its weight quite uncertain. Occasionally it has been taken of ten and twelve pounds weight, and sometimes more; but as Mr. Blaine remarks, "a four or five pounds' trout is considered a very good sized fish, and one more often sought for than taken." Its colour is yellowish gray, darker or browner on the back, and marked on the sides by several rather distant, round bright red spots, each surrounded by a tinge of pale blue gray. Sometimes the ground colour of the body is a purplish gray, the red spots much larger, more or less mingled with black, and the the belly of a white or silvery cast. The fins are of a pale purplish brown, the dorsal fin marked with several darker spots: the head is rather large, the scales small, and the lateral line straight. The female fish is of a brighter and more beautiful appearance than the male. The trout seems to appreciate the slightest changes in the weather, and shifts its ground with variations in temperature. Nothing can surpass the quickness of its expressive eye; which is assisted by what may be termed a sensibility of feeling, which enables it to detect the slightest agitation of the water. A shadow moving over the stream, the footstep of the passenger along the bank, and many similar trifles do not escape the notice of the trout. This is one reason why trout-fishing is so favourite a sport; skill, not strength, is required; so that those who love a quiet employment among the retired and beautiful scenes of nature, will continue to throw their line amid the sunny nooks which Walton describes so well:— Turn out of the way a little, good scholar! toward yonder high honeysuckle hedge; there we'll sit down and sing, whilst this shower falls so gently upon the teeming earth, and gives yet a sweeter smell to the lovely flowers that adorn those verdant meadows. sea; Look! under that broad beech tree I sat down, when I was last this way a fishing; and the birds in the adjoining grove seemed to have a friendly contention with an echo, whose dead voice seemed to live in a hollow tree near to the brow of that primrose hill. There I sat viewing the silver streams glide silently towards their centre, the tempestuous but sometimes opposed by rugged roots and pebble-stones, which broke their waves, and turned them into foam. And sometimes I beguiled time by viewing the harmless lambs; some leaping securely in the cool shade, whilst others sported themselves in the cheerful sun; and saw others craving comfort from the swollen udders of their bleating dams. As thus I sat, these and other sights had so fully possessed my expressed it, soul with content, that I thought as the poet has happily I was for that time lifted above earth; And possessed joys not promised in my birth. We have said that the appearance of the trout varies according to the locality in which it is found; and these variations depend for the most part on difference of soil and of food. That trout should differ within a limited locality is not so easily explained. Mr. Yarrell suggests that a close examination of those parts of the fish which order to determine whether the subject ought to be conafford the most permanent characters should be made in sidered only as a variety, or be entitled to rank as a distinct species. In some of the lochs of Scotland, great variation has been observed in the trout according to the quality of the water. In some of them, where the water is clear, the fish are reddish or silvery: in others, where the loch receives the drainings from boggy moors, they are nearly black, and of small size. The most brilliant and beautiful trout are generally found in streams that flow rapidly over gravelly or rocky bottoms. They are finest in appearance and flavour from the end of May till towards the end of September: an effect produced by the greater quantity and variety of nutritious food obtained during that period. An experiment was made different kinds of food, which is thus related by Mr. some years ago, to ascertain the relative value of Stoddart: Fish were placed in three separate tanks, one of which and a third with those small dark-coloured water-flies which was supplied daily with worms, another with live minnows, are found moving about on the surface, under banks and sheltered places. The trout fed on worms grew slowly, and had a lean appearance; those nourished on minnows, which, it was observed, they darted at with much voracity, became much larger; while such as were fattened upon flies only, attained, in a short time, prodigious dimensions, weighing twice as much as both the others together, although the quantity of food swallowed by them was in nowise great. The spawning time of the trout, according to Sir Humphry Davy, is from the middle of November till the beginning of January; their maturity of roe depending upon the temperature of the season, as well as on the nature and quantity of their food. Mr. Blaine has observed, that the largest individuals of the species spawn the first. At the close of September they quit the deep water to which they had retired during the latter part of Summer, and make great efforts to gain the source of the currents: "he will get" as Walton says, "almost miraculously, through weirs and floodgates against the streams; even through such high and swift places as is almost incredible;" and having got to the end and sides of a stream, or the gravelly bottoms of lakes not yet destitute of weeds, they make beds, and deposit their ova therein. At the spawning time tne trout should not be taken: a remark which applies generally to all fish; their flesh is then insipid, and they afford but little or no sport. At other times, when the trout is in good condition, the head is small, and the body oval, the flesh of a deep red, and the general colour that of a deep olive above, and of a bright silver below: the spots are also brilliant and distinct. "A hog-back and a little head to either trout, salmon, or any other fish, is a sign that that fish is in season," is Walton's homely rule. Sir Humphry Davy says that the red hue of trout, salmon, and char, is to be attributed to a peculiar coloured oil, and that the colour may be extracted by alcohol. This, perhaps, will account for the decrease in the red colour of trout, when they are emaciated by spawning, or when they inhabit waters that are not suited to them. The weight and dimensions of this fish are, as we have said, subject to much variation. Some remarkable instances are recorded of very large individuals of the species being caught. One was taken on the 11th of January, 1822, in a little stream ten feet wide, branching from the Avon, at the back of Castle-street, Salisbury, whose weight was twenty-five pounds. Mrs. Powell, at the bottom of whose garden the fish was first discovered, placed it in a pond, where it was fed: it lived four months, and at the time of its death it had decreased in weight to twenty-one pounds and a quarter. A trout was taken in September, 1832, in the neighbourhood of Great Driffield, which measured thirty-one inches in length, twenty-one in girth, and weighed seventeen pounds. In its habits the trout is solitary and predacious. It avoids man; although there are instances in which it has lost much of its wildness by domestication. Mr. Daniel relates an anecdote in proof of the familiarity of the trout. He says: The garrison of Dumbarton Castle, in Scotland, was [in 1808] thrown into general lamentation by the sudden loss of its oldest veteran, who had served therein, a general favourite of the various regiments who annually change their quarters, while he remained on permanent duty, without any alteration in rank or condition, for the long period of twenty-eight years. He was, however, always deemed an odd fish, being neither more nor less than a trout, which having been caught by an officer in the river Leven, was brought alive and put into the garrison well, that flows to the surface, where in time it became so tame as to receive its food of bread, &c., from the hands of the soldiers, in the water. When first taken it weighed little more than a pound, and (from the quality of water, as is supposed,) it never afterwards increased in size. The loss of this extraordinary favourite, was, we are told, much regretted by those who compose the present garrison of Dumbarton Castle, and will probably be so by many others, who in former years have been equally diverted by the pleasing intercourse with their aquatic comrade. The sensitive nature of the trout makes it very choice in the quality of its pasture, and causes it to be affected by any impurity to which its haunts may be subjected. It cannot endure salt-water, and any mineral impregnaA few lumps of lime thrown into a pool will soon destroy all the trout contained in it; they depart also from the brooks which flow through fields which are manured with lime. They die in the water in which flax is steeped, and the drainage of a mine is often sufficient to banish all the trout from a considerable stream. tion is also unfavourable to it. In Ireland the gillaroo or gizzard trout is much esteemed. They are found in the Irish lakes, such as those of Galway, and are particularly remarkable for the great thickness of their stomachs, which bearing some slight resemblance to the organs of digestion in Their food is chiefly birds, are called gizzards. shell-fish and snails, but they rise readily at a fly. In Canada there are trout of an enormous size, some of them, according to Mackenzie, measuring five feet in length; yet of a delicate flavour. In Lake Superior, trout have been taken of fifty pounds' weight. The trout should be cooked, if possible, on the day on which it is caught, and be kept as cool as possible until everything is ready for cooking. A large handful A trout of about a pound of salt must be put into a kettle of water, and when this boils the fish is to be put in. weight will be properly cooked in about ten minutes. It should be served up immediately, and eaten with mustard and vinegar only. THE TROUT PRESENT time and future may be considered as rivals; and he who solicits the one, must expect to be discountenanced by the other.-REYNOLDS. EVERY man is rich or poor, according to the proportion between his desires and enjoyments. Of riches, as of everything else, the hope is more than the enjoyment; while we consider them as the means to be used at some future time for the attainment of felicity, ardour after them secures us from weariness of ourselves, but no sooner do we sit down to enjoy our acquisitions than we find them insufficient to fill up the vacuities of life. Nature makes us poor only when we want necessaries, but custom gives the name of poverty to the want of superfluities. It is the great privilege of poverty to be happy unenvied, to be healthy without physic, secure without a guard, and to obtain from the bounty of nature what the great and wealthy are compelled to procure by the help of art. Adversity has ever been considered as the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, particularly being free from flatterers. Prosperity is too apt to prevent us from examining our conduct, but as adversity leads us to think properly of our state, it is most beneficial to us.-JOHNSON. A MAN who has been brought up among books, and is able to talk of nothing else, is a very indifferent companion, and what we call a pedant. But we should enlarge the title, and give it to every one that does not know how to think out of his profession and particular way of life. What is a greater pedant than a mere man of the town! Bar him the play-houses, a catalogue of the reigning beauties, and you strike him dumb. The military pedant always talks in a camp, and in storming towns, making lodgements, and fighting battles from one end of the year to the other. Everything he speaks smells of gunpowder; if you take away his artillery from him, he has not a word to say for himself. The law pedant is perpetually putting cases, repeating the transactions of Westminster-hall, wrangling with you upon the most indifferent circumstances of life, and not to be convinced of the distance of a place, or of the most trivial point in conversation, but by dint of argument. The state pedant is wrapt up in news, and lost in politics. If you mention either of the sovereigns of Europe, he talks very notably; but if you go out of the gazette, you drop him. In short, a mere courtier, a mere scholar, a mere anything, is an insipid, pedantic character, and equally ridiculous.-The Spectator. LONDON: JOHN WILLIAM PARKER, WEST STRAND. PUBLISHED IN WEEKLY NUMBERS, PRICE ONE PENNY, AND IN MONTHLY PARIS, PRICE SIXPENCE. Sold by all Booksellers and Newsvenders in the Kingdom. |