not congratulatory ones; not affuring me of fuccefs and favour; but pregnant with bodings that might fhake even fortitude itfelf. One gentleman affures me, he intends to throw away no more three-pences in purchafing the BEE, and what is ftill more difmal, he will not recommend me as a poor author wanting encouragement to his neighbourhood, which it feems is very nume rous. Were my foul fet upon three-pences, what anxiety might not fuch a denunciation produce! But fuch does not happen to be the present motive of publication; I write partly to fhew my good-nature, and partly to fhew my vanity; nor will I lay down the pen till I am fatisfied one way or another. Others have difliked the title and the motto of my paper, point out a miftake in the one, and affure me the other has been configned to dullness by anticipation. All this may be true; but what is that to me? Tiles and mottos to books are like efcutcheons and dignities in the hands of a king. The wife fometimes condefcend to accept of them; but none but a fool will imagine them of any real importance. We ought to depend upon intrinfic merit, and not the flender helps of title. Nam qua non fc ́cimus ipfi, vix ca noftra voco. For my part, I am ever ready to miftruft a promifing title, and have, at fome expence, been inftructed not to hearken to the voice of an advertisement, let it plead never fo loudly, or never fo long. A countryman coming one day to Smithfield, in order to take a flice of Bartholomew-fair, found a perfect fhew before every booth. The drummer, the fire-eater, the wire-walker, and the falt-box were all employed to invite him in. Juft a going; the court of the king of Pruffia in all his glory; pray, gentlemen, walk in and fee." From people who generoufly gave fo much away, the clown expected 04 66 a monstrous a monstrous bargain for his money when he got in. He steps up, pays his fixpence, the curtain is drawn, when too late he finds, that he had the best part of the fhew for nothing at the door. A FLEMISH TRADITION. EVERY country has its traditions, which, either too minute or not fufficiently authentic to receive hiftorical fanction, are handed down among the vulgar, and ferve at once to inftruct and amufe them. Of this number the adventures of Robin Hood, the hunting of Chevy-chace, and the bravery of Johnny Armstrong among the English; of Kaul Dereg among the Irish; and Creigton among the Scots, are inftances. Of all the traditions, however, I remember to have heard, I do not recollect any more remarkable than one ftill current in Flanders a ftory generally the firft the peasants tell their children, when they bid them behave like Bidderman the wife. It is by no means, however, a model to be fet before a polite people for imitation; fince if on the one hand we perceive in it the fteady influence of patriotifm; we on the other find as ftrong. a defire of revenge. But, to wave introduction, let us to the story. ; When the Saracens over-ran Europe with their armies, and penetrated as far even as Antwerp, Bidderman was lord of a city, which time has fince fwept into destruction. As the inhabitants of this country were divided under feparate leaders, the Saracens found an eafy conqueft, and the city of Bidderman among the reft became a prey to the victors. Thus Thus difpoffeffed of his paternal city, our unfortunate governor was obliged to feek refuge from the neighbouring princes, who were as yet unfubdued, and he for fome time lived in a ftate of wretched dependance among them. Soon, however, his love to his native country. brought him back to his own city, resolved to ref cue it from the enemy, or fall in the attempt: thus, in disguise, he went among the inhabitants, and endeavoured, but in vain, to excite them to a revolt, Former misfortunes lay fo heavily on their minds, that they rather chofe to fuffer the moft cruel bondage, than attempt to vindicate their former freedom. As he was thus one day employed, whether by information or from fufpicion is not known, he was apprehended by a Saracen foldier as a spy, and brought before the very tribunal at which he once prefided. The account he gave of himself was by no means fatisfactory. He could produce no friends to vindicate his character; wherefore, as the Saracens knew not their prifoner, and as they had no direct proofs against him, they were content with condemning him to be publickly whipt as a vagabond. The execution of this fentence was accordingly performed with the utmoft rigour. Bidderman was bound to the poft, the executioner feeming difpofed to add to the cruelty of the fentence, as he received no bribe for lenity. Whenever Bidderman groaned under the scourge, the other redoubling his blows, cried out, " "Does the villain murmur ?" If Bidderman entreated but a moment's refpite from torture, the other only repeated his former exclamation, "Does the villain murmur ?" From this period revenge as well as patriotifm took entire poffeffion of his foul. His fury ftooped fo low as to follow the executioner with unremitting refentment. refentment. But conceiving that the best method to attain these ends, was to acquire fome eminence in the city, he laid himself out to oblige its new mafters, ftudied every art, and practifed every meannefs that ferve to promote the needy, or render the poor pleafing, and by thefe means in a few years he came to be of fome note in the city, which juftly belonged entirely to him. The executioner was therefore the firft object of his refentment, and he even practifed the loweft fraud to gratify the revenge he owed him. A piece of plate, which Bidderman had previoufly ftolen from the Saracen governor, he privately conveyed into the executioner's house, and then gave information of the theft. They, who are any way acquainted with the rigour of the Arabian laws, know that theft is. punished with immediate death. The proof was direct in this cafe; the executioner had nothing to of fer in his own defence, and he was therefore condemned to be beheaded upon a fcaffold in the publick market place. As there was no executioner in the city but the very man who was now to fuffer, Bidderman himself undertook this, to him moft agreeable office. The criminal was conducted from the judgement feat bound with cords. The fcaffold was erected, and he placed in fuch a manner, as he might lie most convenient for the blow. But his death alone was not fufficient to fatisfy the refentment of this extraordinary man, unless it was aggravated with every circumftance of cruelty. Wherefore, coming up the fcaffold, and difpofing every thing in readiness for the intended blow, with the fword in his hand he approached the criminal, and whispering in a low voice, affured him that he hime felf was the perfon that had once been used with fo much cruelty; that to his knowledge he died very innocently, for the plate had been ftolen by himfelt, and privately conveyed into the houfe of the other. "O, my "O, my countrymen, cried the criminal, do you hear what this man fays ?"--Does the villain murmur? replied Bidderman, and immediately at one blow fevered his head from his body. Still, however, he was not content till he had ample vengeance of the governors of the city, who condemned him. To effect this, he hired a small house adjoining to the town wall, under which he every day dug, and carried out the earth in a basket. In this unremitting labour he continued feveral years, every day digging a little, and carrying the earth unfufpected away. By this means he at laft made a fecret communication from the country into the city, and only wanted the appearance of an enemy, in order to betray it. This opportunity at length offered; the French ariny came into the neighbourhood, but had no thoughts of fitting down before a town which they confidered as impregnable. Bidderman, however, foon altered their refolutions, and, upon communicating his plan to the general, he embraced it with ardour. Through the private paffage above-mentioned, he introduced a large body of the most refolute foldiers, who foon opened the gates for the reft, and the whole army rufhing in, put every Saracen that was found to the fword. THE SAGACITY OF SOME INSECTS. SIR, TO THE AUTHOR OF THE BEE.. ANIMALS in general are fagacious in proportion as they cultivate fociety. The elephant and the beaver fhew the greateft figns of this when united; but |