the prophetess, and a tattered old man, apparently the ruler of the tribe, to their profitable avocations, I once more returned to the Fair itself. Here there were decisive marks of the approach of even, and of the finishing of this grand gala. The swings, relaxing in their rapid motion, moved heavily and slowly to and fro, like the pendulum of a huge family clock, that may be seen in the corner of some fragrant kitchen, gleaming in all its rich japannery, and, with one mighty well-known tick, informing the ruddy-faced perspiring scullion, that the potatoes have boiled enough. The lately stentorian voices of the showmen died away in their throats, with a gurgling murmur resembling the sound of distant waters. The venerable patriarchs were rising one by one, with slow gravity, from their verdant seats, and with one last look at the empty jug, each buttoned up his capacious flowing doublet, raised with a shrug the waistband of his breeches, shouldered his club stick, the trusty supporter of his steps, and wended on his way homeward. The tea-pot of the merry dames, dramed to its lees, stood idly on the table, the cups and saucers ceased to rattle, and silence was reigning over that festive board, that had lately resounded with the laugh of pleasure and delight, as some wellfraught tale was ended, or some acute observation burst forth with a wink and a nod from the lips of the company. The bustling matrons themselves were reclining on the still stout arms of their spouses, or dragging away their giggling daughters, who on every possible opportunity turned their heads to catch one last glance of, or blow a kiss to, their affianced lovers. There might be seen too, some with an air of merriment, others with an expression which strove to be genteelly melancholy, wandering back to their humble. cots, with thoughts divided between the hardship of to-morrow's ploughing, and the enumeration of how many pigs, how many fowls, and how much stock, they must possess, ere they can hope to have their ardent passion rewarded, and their liberty subjected to the bonds of Hymen. The cudgels lay shattered on the grass; their owners had retired to meditate on the broken head which they had given "All's lost! All's lost! Not a penn'orth o' copy is come per post! Not a line in hand, The Press at a stand! That the Number will never be out to its day Though he looks so demure, For, day after day, And promises breaking, "Abus d and maltreated in this sort of fashion, By his Majesty's crown I shall be in a passion : Has a marvellous ache? When I sigh for a steak? And late on my pillow? If a man is of use, He has for his pay The Number is sure to be out to its day. To be laugh'd at by all but the Vandals and Huns; Hurra!-Hurra! The Number is sure to be out to its day!' BEAU TIBBS. venison will fatten; and yet faith I despise the great as much as you do; but there are a great many damned honest fellows among them; and we must not quarrel with one half, because the other wants breeding. If they were all such as my lord Mudler, one of the most good-natured creatures that ever squeezed a lemon, I should myself be among the number of their admirers. I was yesterday to dine at the duchess of Piccadilly's. My lord was there. 'Ned,' says he to me, Ned,' says he, I'll hold gold to silver I can tell where you were poaching last night.' Poaching, my lord,' says I; faith you have missed already; for I staid at home, and let the girls poach for me. That's my way; I take a fine woman as some animals do their prey stand still, and swoop they fall into my mouth.' "Ah, Tibbs, thou art a happy fellow," cried my companion with looks of infinite pity, "I hope your fortune is as much improved as your understanding in such company." "Improved?" replied the other, Our pursuer now came up, and joined us with all 'you shall know,-but let it go no further, a great the familiarity of an old acquaintance. "My dear secret-five hundred a year to begin with. My Charles," cries he, shaking my friend's hand, "where lord's word of honour for it.-His lordship took me have you been hiding this half a century? Positively down in his own chariot yesterday, and we had a I had fancied you were gone down to cultivate ma- tête-à-tête dinner in the country; where we talked trimony, and your estate in the country." During of nothing else." "I fancy you forgot, sir,” cried the reply, I had an opportunity of surveying the ap-I, "you told us but this moment of your dining yespearance of our new companion. His hat was pinched terday in town!" "Did I say so ?" replied he coolly. up with peculiar smartness; his looks were pale, To be sure if I said so it was so. Dined in town? thin, and sharp; round his neck he wore a broad egad, now I do remember I did dine in town; but I black ribbon, and in his bosom a buckle studded dined in the country too: for you must know, my with glass; his coat was trimmed with tarnished twist; boys, I eat two dinners. By the bye, I am grown he wore by his side a sword with a black hilt; and as nice as the devil in my eating. I'll tell you a his stockings of silk, though newly washed, were pleasant affair about that: we were a select party of grown yellow by long service. I was so much en- us to dine at lady Grogram's, an affected piece, but gaged with the peculiarity of his dress, that I attend- let it go no farther; a secret. Well, says I, I ed only to the latter part of my friend's reply; in hold a thousand guineas, and say done first, thatwhich he complimented Mr. Tibbs on the taste of his But, dear Charles, you are an honest creature, lend clothes, and the bloom in his countenance. "Psbaw, me half-a-cron for a minute or two, or so, just pshaw, Charles," cried the figure, "no more of that if till-But hark'ee, ask me for it the next time we you love me; you know I hate flattery; on my soul meet, or it may be twenty to one but I forget to I do; and yet to be sure an intimacy with the great pay you." will improve one's appearance, and a course of My little beau yesterday overtook me again in one of the public walks, and slapping me on the shoulder, saluted me with an air of the most perfect familiarity. His dress was the same as usual, except that he had more powder in his hair; wore a dirtier shirt, and had on a pair of temple spectacles, and his hat under his arm. The oddities that marked his character, however, soon began to appear; he bowed to several well dressed persons, who, by their manner of returning the compliment, appeared perfect strangers. At intervals he drew out a pocket-book, seeming to take metaorandums before all the company with much importance and assiduity. In this manner he led me through the length of the whole mall, fretting at his absurdities, and fancy ing myself laughed at, as well as he, by every spectator. seen. minuet, and plays on the guitar, immensely already. I intend she shall be as perfect as possible in every accomplishment. In the first place, I'll make her a scholar; I'll teach her Greek myself, and I intend to learn that language purposely to in struct her, but let that be a secret.' Thus saying, without waiting for a reply, he took me by the arm and hauled me along. We passed through many dark alleys and winding ways; for, from some motives to me unknown, he seemed to have a particular aversion to every frequented street; at last, however, we got to the door of a dismal looking house in the outlets of the town, where he informed me he chose to reside for the benefit of the air. We entered the lower door, which seemed ever to lie most hospitably open; and I began to ascend an When we were got to the end of our procession, old and creaking staircase; when, as he mounted to "Blast me," cries he, with an air of vivacity, "I shew me the way, he demanded, whether I delighted never saw the Park so thin in my life before; there's in prospects; to which answering in the affirmative, no company at all to-day. Not a single face to be" Then," says he, "I shall shew you one of the most "No company!" interrupted I peevishly; charming out of my windows; we shall see the shics 'no company where there is such a crowd! Why, sailing, and the whole country for twenty miles round, man, there is too much. What are the thousands tip top, quite high. My lord Swamp would give that have been laughing at us, but company!" ten thousand guineas for such a one; but, as I “Lord, my dear,” returned he, with the utmost good sometimes pleasantly tell him, I always love to keep humour, " you seem immensely chagrined; but, my prospects at home, that my friends may come to blast me, when the world laughs at me, I laugh at the world, and so we are even. My lord Trip, Bill Squash, the Creolian, and I. sometimes make a party at being ridiculous; and so we say and do a thousand things for the joke's sake. But I see you are grave; and if you are for a fine grave sentimental companion, you shall dine with my wife today; I must insist on't; I'll introduce you to Mrs. Tibbs, a lady of as elegant qualifications as any in nature; she was bred, but that's between ourselves, under the inspection of the countess of Shoreditch. A charming body of voice! But no more of that, she shall give us a song. You shall see my little girl too, Carolina Wilhelmina Amelia Tibbs, a sweet pretty creature, I design her for my lord Drumstick's eldest son; but that's in friendship, let it go no farther; she's but six years old, and yet she walks a see me the oftener." By this time we were arrived as high as the stairs would permit us to ascend, till we came to what he was facetiously pleased to call the first floor down the chimney; and knocking at the door, a voice, with a Scotch accent, from within, demanded " Wha's there?" My conductor answered, that it was he. But this not satisfying the querist, the voice again repeated the demand; to which he answered londer than before, and now the door was opened by an old maid-servant with cautious reluctance. When we were got in, he welcomed me to his house with great ceremony, and turning to the old woman, asked her where her lady was. "Good troth," repiied she, in the northern dialect," she's washing your twa shirts at the next door, because they have taken an oath against lending out the tub any longer.” “ My two shirts!" cries he, in a tone that faltered with confusion, "what does the idiot mean?" "I ken what I mean well enough," replied the other; "she's washing your twa shirts at the next door, because"-"Fire and fury, no more of thy stupid explanations," cried he." Go and inform her we have got company. Were that Scotch hag," continued be, turning to me," to be for ever in my family, she would never learn politeness, nor forget that absurd poisonous accent of her's, or testify the smallest specimen of breeding or high-life; and yet it is very surprising too, as I had her from a parliament man, a friend of mine, from the Highlands, one of the politest men in the world; but that's a secret." We waited some time for Mrs. Tibbs' arrival, during which interval I had a full opportunity of surveying the chamber and all its furniture; which consisted of four chairs with old wrought bottoms, that he assured me were his wife's embroidery; a square table that had been once japanned, a cradle in one corner, a lumbering cabinet in the other; a broken shepherdess, and a mandarin without a head, were stuck over the chimney; and round the walls several paltry, unframed pictures, which he observed were all of his own drawing: "What do you think, Sir, of that head in the corner, donc in the manner of Griosni? There's the true keeping in it; it is my own face; and, though there is no likeness, a countess offered me a hundred for its fellow I refused her, for, hang it, that would be mechanical, you know." The wife, at last, made her appearance; at once a slattern and a coquet; much emaciated, but still carrying the remains of beauty. She made twenty apologies for being seen in such an odious deshabille, but hoped to be excused, as she had staid out all night at Vauxhall Gardens with the countess, who was excessively fond of the horns. "And, indeed, my dear," added she, turning to her husband, "his lordship drank your health in a bumper." "Poor, Jack," cries he, "a dear good-natured creature, I know he loves me; but I hope my dear, you have given orders for dinner; you need make no great preparations neither, there are but three of as, something elegant and little will do; a turbot, an ortolan, or a-' "Or what do you think. my dear,” "of a nice pretty bit of ox-cheek, piping hot, and dressed with a little of my own sauce?"-" The very thing," replies he; "it will eat best with some smart bottled beer; but be sure to let's have the sauce his grace was so fond of. I hate your immense loads of meat, that is country all over; extremely disgusting to those who are in the least acquainted with high-life." By this time my curiosity began to abate, and my appetite to increase; the company of fools may at first make us smile, but at last never fails of rendering us melancholy. I therefore pretended to recollect a prior engagement, and, after having shewn my respect to the house, by giving the old servant a piece of money at the door, I took my leave, Mr. Tibbs assuring me that dinner, if I staid, would be ready at least in less than two hours. GOLDSMITH. ON TWO BAD WRITERS COMPLIMENTING EACH OTHER Carthy, you say writes well-suppose it true You pawn your word for him-who'll vouch for you. So, two poor knaves, who find their credit fail, To cheat the world, become each other's bail. LOVE AMONG THE LAW BOOKS. Mrs. Culpepper's "uncle the Sergeant," has fallen in love! He felt a slight vertigo in Tavistocksquare, of which he took little notice, and set off on the home circuit, but imprudently venturing out with the widow Jackson in a hop-field, at Maidstone, before he was well cured, the complaint struck inward, and a mollities cordis was the consequence. Mr. Sergeant Nethersole had arrived at the age of fifty-nine, heart-whole; his testamentary assets were therefore looked upon by Mrs. Culpepper as the unalienable property of her and hers. Speculations were often launched by Mr. and Mrs. Culpepper as to the quantum. It could not be less than thirty |