Having thus fecured my papers, I felf. He had then two children; went to the houfe of a nephew of and in the items of his yearly ex mine, to whom I had given a credit penditure before the commiffioners of five hundred pounds juft to enable (which he unblushingly called necef him to begin the world as a furgeon, Jary expences), there appeared annuand who has not as yet been a twelve- ally fo much for two lottery ticketsmonth in a house of his own-but the repairs of a gig-and a trip what was my aftonishment when I for himself and family to the Giants' found out from his apprentice, a Causeway. fmart youth, the fon of a neighbour, with whom he got a fee of three hundred pounds through my recommendation, that he was alfo gone to a watering-place--forfooth ! Good G-d!' favs I, is the poor lad ill?-Has he got any diftemper in the diffecting-room of the hofpital? For heaven's fake do-tell me honeftly what is the matter with him?' - O, dear fir, don't be alarmed!' fays the boy; mr. B is perfectly well; he's only gone for a fortnight's trip, to recruit the fatigues of the winter.' The fatigues of the winter, quotha! and pray who is to attend his patients all this while!' O, fir, this is not the fickly time of the year befides, if they thould want any little affiftance, dare fay mr. Blifter, the apothecary at the end of the street, would aflift me in the bufinefs.' Very well!' quoth I: fo much for my attorney and my nephew Bob; the one I have got entirely rid of, and the other I that as afluredly get rid of, if he does not mend his manners moft fpeedily.-What the dhave people to do with watering-places who can hardly maintain themfelves in any one place whateverwhofe whole fortune is their industry, and whofe future exiflence depends on the favings of their youth?' I remember, fome years ago, a trader, who, becoming a bankrupt, owed me gool. He had not been in business above four years, got about 500l. with his wife, and perhaps might have as much more him 1 If the condition of thofe aquatic maniacs is not entirely hopeless, the publication of this letter may do good; and in that hope I remain, Your humble fervant, ABRAHAM STEDFAST. Culinary Refearches. WILD Animals are more digef tible than domeftic animals, as they are more readily and completely dif folved in the gaftric juices.-Venison, therefore, is the lightest and mot nutritious of all kinds of animal food. -Pheasants and Patridges are, for the fame featon, preferable to the domestic fowl. The Green Turtle, or Testudo Mydas, eaten moderately, proves nutritious; but abounding with fat, it is not very eafy of digeftion. The fpice added to the foup is extremely fimulant, but the fimple decoction of broth is demulcent and restorative, Frogs.-The edible, or green-water frog, is much eaten in France, Italy, and fome parts of Germany; . e. the white fleth upon the thighs. It taftes fomewhat like the feth of a chicken, but affords very little nutriment; frog's broth is prefcribed by French and Italian phyficians in confumptive cafes, but feems to have no advantage over chicken broth. Vegetables.-There is fcarcely any Animal Diet is confiderably more nourishing than a vegetable diet, because it is more readily and completeby converted into chyle; i. e. the nutritious fluid extracted by the process of digeftion: which is the fame, whatever the diftance in the fubftances, animal or vegetable.-Vegetables being lefs convertible, only form a fmaller quantity of fimilar chyle. Animal food yielding a greater proportion, is more ftimulant and heating; on which account, although it imparts more immediate vigour, it is certain that it exhaufts the conftitution fo much the fooner. The Brahmins, therefore, who live entirely on vegetable fubftances, attain the greatest age. Upon the whole, a mixed diet, partly animal and partly vegetable, is that which is bell adapted to those who live in a temperate climate. From the properties of an animal diet just mentioned, it will be easily seen in what cafes it is ufeful, and in what hurtful. It is ufeful in various cafes of afthma and dyspepfia; in cachetic, chlorotic, and diabetic cafes, in rickets and fcrophula; in warm cafes, and in certain chronic difeafes of the fkin, in which, from a miftaken affociation of thefe difeafes with fcurvy, animal food is too frequently interdicted. It is hurtful in all cafes of active inflammation; in all diforders of the head and lungs, connected with a fulness of the veffels of thofe parts; and in bilious and calculous cafes. And, generally, those who lead a ftudious and fedentary life, fhould be cautious in in dulging too freely in the use of ani mal food. Young Animals.--Their fleth containing a greater proportion of gelatine, and a lefs of fibrin, is generally not fo digeftible as when come to the adult ftate. Veal-With this meat it is fo in particular its tendency to acidity alfo difagrees with many weak ftomachs. White Meats, are lefs fimulant, as well as lefs nutritious, than brown meats. Fat, when not rendered empyreumatic by over-roafting, is wholesome, and exceedingly nourishing. Flesh Meat kept, is more readily diffolved in the ftoinach, and more ftimulant, than when eaten immediately after the animal is killed. Tainted meat, when kept till it acquires a firong fmell, not only lofes much of its nutrimental powers, but ceafes to be wholefome to man. Salted meat is much lefs digeftible and nutritious than fiefh.- Roaft. meat is more easily digefted, and more nourithing, than the boiled, which lofes of its nutritive parts by diffolution in the water. Over roafting or boiling renders the meat lefs digeftible and nutritious, Origin of the term, a Man of Straw. SEGRAIS, who wrote in the fe- . venteenth century, relates a whimsical anecdote of an Avocat, who, poor and proud, was anxious to preferve appearances equal to his neighbours. For this purpose, monf. L'Avocat procured a carriage and a couple of horfes fitter for the hounds than the road, yet found himself flid at a lois for a footman: to make up the deficiency, he had an effigy of fraw dreffed in livery, and fuck up behind his equipage; a few days atter, in a proceffion, the horfes of the carriage following { IT is furprising how little Charles fufpected that the parliament could have defigns upon his life; he difre garded the warnings which he often received from his friends, with a kind of philofophy, which feemed to border on ftoicifm. Longuerue, a French author mentions a circumftance which he heard from a friend of his refident in England in the time of the civil wars. This gentleman mixed in the higher circles, and was on terms of intimacy with a lady eafy of accefs, the wife of one of Charles's bittereft enemies. In a moment of dalliance, he learned from her the intention of the republican party to bring the monarch to the fcaffold, and immediately went to the French ambafador, to inform him of it. The ambaffador gained admittance to the king, who was amufing himfelf with fuch entertainments as were permitted him. Charles obferved, that he had juft feen performed a very pleating comedy; but the ambaffador with much gravity anfwered, that the bufinefs he came on was very tragical, and then related the intentions of the chiefs of the party. The philofophical monarch, when urged to escape, answered very coolly→He who lies on the ground is not in dan ger of falling.'True, replied the Frenchman, but whilft he is lying on the ground they may cut off his head !' Book Collectors. THIS paffion of book collecting arifes as often from folly and vanity, as from a real defire to poffefs a work of unique value. One purchafes à book because it is the first edition: another because it is the last; another learned collector purchafes a work, not because he cares for the author, but because fome learned man's name or antograph, according to the modern fafhionable literary nomanclature, is written on the titlepage. This rage for collecting is not confined to Europe alone, but Afia and Africa has been ranfacked for manufcripts, whofe fole value was, that nobody could understand them. It was, however, perhaps more prevalent in the feventeenth century than in the prefent at that time fome ingenious gleaners in the literary harvest-home, brought to Paris a number of very valuable Arabian manufcripts, well preferved and labelled, with names of high import and founding fame. The collefters rufhed to the fcene of action, eager to purchafe and out-bid each other, and the fellers well knew how to feek advantage of this empreffment literaire; high prices were asked and given, and happy was he who could add to his library a book which he could notunderstand. The Surbone, the academy royal, and all the Seavans, were in raptures with their acquifitions; when at length their exteffive joy permitted them to trust thefe morceaux precieux to the infpection of thofe who really understond the Arabic language, it appeared that the manufcripts certainly contained accounts of great value, for they were the ledgers of Pertian and Arabian merchants in Baffora and Bagdat! Ne Sutor Ultra Crepidam. THE claffical ftory of the colder of Athens ftands not alone, but had a counterpart at Rome, in the cardinat d'Offoni, who engaged the most famous ftatuary of the time, to form a ftatue which fhould be a chef d'œu Now, indeed, Angelo, you have made it perfect, it is now a model of inimitable grace!' ure of the art. When finished, the gyrics, which became so much praifcardinal proceeded to the workshop ed, that the cardinal, one evening in of the artift, when he had tafte converfation with Louis, obferved -enough to perceive that the ftatue was that he himself paid much attention in reality a morcean of tafte and ele- to the elegancies of literature in his gance: yet fuppofing that unqualified juvenile days; that he had compofed praife was beneath a critie, he pre- many admired fonnets; and that, in tended to examine the figure with the fhort, he had been at the papal court most scrupulous and penetrating eye. exactly what Bonferade now was at Anxious to display his fkill, yet fear- Verfailles. Benferade was informed ful to commit a blunder, the accurate of this poetical gafeonade by fome of cardinal hesitated in his cenfure, until his friends, and, though late at night, he came to the nofe, which he found immediately proceeded to the cardi rather aquiline, and which ought to nal's chamber, who had just retired have been more Grecian. Stating to reft. The attendants refused him this important criticifm to the artift, admittance; however, he perfisted, the latter, to gratify him, offered to and made fuch a bruit, that the carremedy it; then taking up fome mar dinal himself ordered him to enter. ble duft in his hand, he pretended to He immediately ruthed to the bed apply his chifel to the part, and whilft where his eminence lay, and fell on going through the motions, let the duft his knees in apparent tranfport, enat intervals fall through his hand. In treating his pardon for his untimely a few minutes, prefenting it again to disturbance, but declared that his the critical prieft, the latter exclaim- rapture was fo great at hearing what ed with felf-approving rapture, his patron had faid, and his pride and gratitude were fo exceffive, at being fuppofed to have the flightest resemblance to his eminence in poetic talents, that if he had not been permitted to enter, he must have expired. He concluded his rapturous ado. THE greatest men are fufceptible ration by hinting, that to be fure he of flattery, and it is not only a weak- was not rich, but would now die nefs in itfelt, but it is alfo in general contented. The poetic cardinal, demoft fuccefsful when applied to their lighted with his ardour, and humbugweakeft fide. Cardinal Mazarine, ged by his flattery, moft graciously in the midit of his political greatnefs, affured him of his protection, and a was not unambitious of literary few days afterwards prefented him fame; for this purpofe, he patronifed with a confiderable penfion. the poets and franvans of the day, who attached themfelves to the prime minifter with equal eagerness, though in return they received little but his public civilities, and the honour of being the friends of Mazarine. The witty Benferade was amongst the number, and felt anxious to receive fome more folid marks of the minif. terial patronage; during his daily attendance at court, he became much admired for his lufcious love verfes, and the elegant flattery of his pane.. September, 1808. Literary Flattery. Puzzling Queftion. THE well-known law-cafe of Bullam verfus Boatum, is equalled by a queftion which engaged the logical acuteness of the fophifts in the fixteenth century. It was thus put : When a hog is led to the market, by a rope tied round its neck, which is held at the other end by a man; quere, whether is it the man or the rope that carries the hog to market? 4 A N. B. N. B. A logical folution of this from fome of our learned correfpondents would not be unacceptable. Ed. Advice to Sportmen. AN ancient philofopher recommended that advice fhould be always well-timed; it is, therefore, fit, and appropriate, that I fhould addrefs myfelf, gentlemen, to you on the firft of September; yoicks! hark for ward!--the game is in view, and a fcentlying morning, but fo plentiful! that it requires a ftaunch hound to follow through all the doublings and crofings.-Hark, Rover!-to him, Sweetlips to drop the metaphor, there are fo many portfmen, and fo many kinds, that we can only offer general advice, with here and there a few hints in detail. To thofe who have thought of nothing but hunting, thooting, and fifhing, all their lives, it might appear impertinent to give advice, but as I thould be forry to have mine thrown away, I thall only offer it to thofe to whom it may be useful. I fhall, therefore, fuppofe my Eleve arrived at that happy period, when having realized fomething comfortable, and bid adieu to a bustling world, he has retired from the din and duft of the city, to fome ancient hall, whofe proprietor has found it convenient to tranfmute their dirty acres into the drofs of Lima and Potofi. To acquire notice and attentionpromote conviviality and good ac quaintance--and, above all, to chafe away that dull fiend ennui, you must engage in the fparts of the country, though you know not a fox from a hare, unless, indeed, they were roaft ed. To promote the initiation of grown fportimmen into the field, has often engaged my reflections, and after much confideration, it appears to me, that the readieft way, would be to reftore fome of the institutions of all cient chivalry !-Previous to the introduction of the young candidate for military fame, into the field of Tourn ament, it was customary to exercise him on a wooden horfe, fitted on caftors, to accuftom him to the shock of contending knights of thefe quiet animals, the breed is not extinct, but fome fpecimens are still left, which, I make no doubt, you have feen when conducting your country coutins to fee the lions washed:now could we procure one of these, our fyftem of education might inftantly commence; but in this age, when it is fo fashionable to dethrone living kings, I fhould be very forry to countenance any of thofe innova. tions by even difmounting a dead one. We muft, therefore, have recourfe to fome of the horse manufacturers, who could foon furnith us with a fet of quiet cattle for young fportf men, and grown up children. Our hunter being thus procured, we might pro tempore, make up a pretty good kennel, by means of the turnfpit, the houfe dog, mafter Jackey's pug, and madam's lap dog; to hunt with thefe, on a trail, a dead cat, or a falt herring, might fuffice; but as the horfe would have no great inclination to follow, the ftimulus which cannot be applied to him, must be applied to his rider; the most attractive fcent in this cafe would be a bafon of mock turtle, or a hot beeffteak; but as young dogs are always broke-in to a true feent of their game, fo we fhall commence our breakingin with a roaft hare. Our pupil having been exercifed half an hour on his wooden horfe, we may introduce Molly, the cookmaid, as whipper in, and the juvenile fportfman being thus accustomed to the cry of the dogs, it will be proper to reward him with a hearty dinner off the object of his purfuit. Having thus furmounted your first difficulties, you may proceed to actu al 2 f 15 C |