Ah! no-No mortal voice e'er sung No chord such witching numbers rung, Some seraph, wanderer of the sky, In vesper hour no requiem swell, On which the pious crowd would dwell, E'er threw around such magic power, That song is o'er; the breeze of night And, ah! that breath, so soft, so light, Thy trembling chords no more shall sigh, Farewell, sweet harp! for damp decay The breeze flits by, the music's o'er, A. DEATH OF CAMOENS. THERE is a rare copy of Camoens, in the possession of lord Holland, which M. de Souza alleges must have been in the hands of the poet himself. At the bottom of the title page, the following curious and melancholy testimony of his unfortunate death is written in an old Spanish hand, which states, that the writer saw him die in an hospital at Lisbon, without even a blanket to cover him. 66 Que cosa mas lastimosa que ver un tan grande ingenio mal logrado! yo lo bi morir en un hospital en Lisboa, sin tener una sauana con que cubrirse, despues de aver triunfado en la India oriental, y de aver navigado 5500 leguas por mar: que auiso tan grande para los que de noche y de dia se cançan estudiando sin provecho, como la arana en urdir tellas para cazar moscas!" ENGLISH LETTER AND POEM, BY VOLTAIRE. THE subjoined letter is copied literally from the autograph of Voltaire, formerly in the possession of the Reverend Mr. Sim, the editor of Mickle's Poems. Sir, j wish you good health, a quick sale of yr burgundy, much latin, and greeke to one of yr Children, much Law, much of cooke, and littleton, to the other. quiet and joy to mistrss brinsden, money to all. when you'll drink yr burgundy with mr furneze pray tell him j'll never forget his favours. But dear john be so kind as to let me know how does my lady Bollingbroke. as to my lord j left him so well j dont doubt he is so still. but j am very uneasie about my lady. if she might have as much health as she has Spirit and witt, Sure She would be the Strongest body in england. pray dear st write me Something of her, of my lord, and of you. direct yr letter by the penny post at mr Cavalier, Belitery Square by the R. exchange. j am sincerely and heartily yr most humble most obedient rambling friend to john Brinsden, esq. by charing cross. VOLTAIRE. THE following stanzas, which are easy and natural, and display a greater command of the English language than the above letter would lead us to expect from the author, first appeared in some letters and poems of Voltaire, printed in Paris in 1820. They were addressed to lady Hervey, during the author's stay in England, about the year 1726. TOLERATION. (From "THE CHRISTIAN DISCIPLE," an American Publication.) 66 In a conversation with a few friends on church government, a clergyman who was of the party said, No one was entitled to administer the offices of the church, who had not received episcopal ordination; for wherever the episcopal succession is preserved, there only is a true church:""Nulla ecclesia sine episcopo." Tertullian. The opinion of another gentleman being required, he replied, "There is in the history of one of the Indian tribes, in America, an anecdote somewhat analogous, which, with permission, I will read." Taking down a book, he apparently read from it; but, in truth, repeated from memory the following pleasing apologue of his own composition. "As the sun was hastening to cool himself in the placid waters of Lake Erie, Commemoroonah, sachem of the Tuscaroras, sat at the door of his wigwam, scouring his red-rusted scalping-knife. Bambarrah, his faithful squaw, was preparing hominee for the supper of her lord; whilst their sons were striving, who, with truest aim, could direct the tomahawk. At this interesting moment, three envoys approached, bearing a talk from Alpequot, the renowned sachem of the Chippewas, which they thus delivered: "Brother, when the great Spirit created tobacco for the solace of red men, he delivered to Animboonah, father of the Chippewas, a torch, which he had lighted at the great daystar. The Chippewas have not suffered this celestial spark to be extinguished; but from it have all our pipes been ignited for ninety-nine thousand five hundred and fifty moons. This therefore, and this only, is the true canonical fire; all other is unholy and damnable. (A belt of wampum.) 66 6 Brother, I send you a portion of this sacred fire, preserved by uninterrupted succession, that with it you may light your pipe, and diffuse the blessing through your nation. (A belt of wampum.) 66 6 Accept this, and the Chippewas and Tuscaroras will smoke together the calumet of peace, as long as the Wabash shall pour its silver waters into the dark torrent of the Ohio. Reject it, and instantly shall the red war-hatchet be dug from its repose; and the warriors of Tuscarora shall be given as a feast to the sons of Animboonah. (A belt of wampum.) Decide! for Alpequot will suffer no pipe to be smoked that is not lighted from the fire uninterruptedly derived from the great day-star.' (Three belts of wampum.) "To this courtly message, Commemoroonah returned this talk: 66 6 Brothers! Chinquolinga, my grandfather, whose girdle was always hung with the scalps of Chippewas, received from William Penn, the white sachem, an amulet, which enables us to draw fire immediately from the great day-star. With this the Tuscaroras are accustomed to light their pipes. (A belt of wampum.) "Our young men are expert at the tomahawk; our squaws are ingenious at roasting prisoners; and the arm of Commemoroonah has not lost its vigour.' (Three belts of wampum.) "In the succeeding moon, the scouts of Tuscarora gave notice of the approach of Alpequot; Commemoroonah prepared an ambuscade; a battle was fought; and the bones of the Chippewas now lie bleaching on the plains of Muskingum." HIGH PRICE OF BOOKS. THE first legislative enactment that was made for the encouragement of learning, was in the reign of Richard III. when books were exempted from the restrictions imposed on the importers of every other species of merchandize. Printing was at this time unknown in England. King Henry VI. at his own expense, brought over several printers and their presses into this country, and from that time the art of printing began to be practised here. In the year 1553, it was so well understood, that Henry VIII. deemed it expedient to repeal the act of Richard; and, accordingly, the 25 Henry VIII. c. 15. was passed, which, while it protected the native printers, prevented them from imposing on the rest of his subjects. This act was entitled "An Act for Printers and Binders of Books :" the fourth and last section is as follows: "Provided always, and be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if any of the said printers or sellers of printed books, inhabiting within this realm, at any time hereafter happen in such wise to inhance or increase the prices of any such printed books, in sale or binding, at too high and unreasonable prices, in such wise as complaint be made thereof unto the king's highness, or unto the lord chancellor, lord treasurer, or any of the chief justices of the one bench or of the other; that the same lord chancellor, lord treasurer, and two chief justices, or two or any of them, shall have power and authority to enquire thereof, as well by the oaths of twelve honest and discreet persons as otherwise by due examination by their discretions. And after the same inhancing and increasing of the said prices of the said books and binding shall be so found by the said twelve men, or otherwise by examination of the said lord chancellor, lord treasurer, and justices, or two of them; and then the same lord chancellor, lord treasurer, and justices at the least, from time to time, shall have power and authority to reform and redress such inhancing of the prices of printed books from time to time by their discretions, and to limit prices as well of the books as for the binding of them; and over that the offender or offenders thereof being convict by the examination of the same lord chancellor, lord treasurer, and justices, or two of them, or otherwise, shall lose and forfeit for every book by them sold, whereof the price shall be inhanced for the book or binding thereof, three shillings four-pence; the one half thereof shall be to the king's highness, and the other half to the parties grieved, that will complain upon the same in manner and form before rehearsed." A similar act was passed in the 8 Anne, cap. 19, § 4; but enforcing a penalty of five pounds for every book sold by the printer or bookseller at a higher price than the justices, &c. should fix it. This latter act was repealed by the 12 Geo. II. cap. 36, § 3; but that of Henry VIII. above quoted, remains in force, for it has never been repealed by any express law, and it would be ridiculous to contend that the act of Anne, enacting a higher penalty, has virtually repealed that of Henry, which it never mentions. If any doubt existed on this subject, we think Ruffhead would decide it: those gentlemen who are acquainted with his works well know, that such acts as have been repealed are invariably so noticed in the margin: such a note is affixed to the act of Anne, and a reference to the statute which repealed it; but not so to that of Henry VIII. which still remains the law of the land. MISERIES OF ROYALTY. THE following elegant and affecting letter was handed about in MS. in Paris, at the time of the event to which it alludes, and was confidently said to have been written by the princess Louisa, (younger daughter of Louis XV.) to the dauphiness, upon the marriage of the latter. |