upon this highly extolled the sensible proceeding of the beast; but the Frenchman demurred, observing that he had not signified whether it was good or bad. Oh, no fear of that, sir,' said the keeper, · your honour may be sure that it's good by his taking of it.' The hanimal's as sensible as a Christian, and he would not have taken the money if it had been bad.' In that case,' rejoined the foreigner, I am satisfied, and should like to have my half-crown back again.' 'Oh! said the keeper, if your honour fancies going into the cage to get the half-crown out, your honour's very welcome, and I'll open the door for your honour with all my heart; but for my part, I would not go in to take any of his money out -no, not for a thousand pounds for the hanimal's for all the world like a Christian, and would tear any body limb from limb that did but look at his money, much more go to take it away from him.'

MAXIMS.

No. I.

;

Nobility, like great rivers, has often an obscure origin.

Nobility, instead of giving a lustre to posterity, frequently obscures it; as a very bright sun produces a deeper and stronger shadow.

Learning is to the mind, what dress is to the body; useful and ornamental.

Pedantry is the foppery of learning, as friuge and embroidery are of dress.

A King's best guard is the love of his people.

That Kings can do no wrong, is a mischevious maxim in policy; good Kings never will; and bad ones should never dare to subvert the laws of their country.

The men who have been dignified with the title of great, were those who were the greatest destroyers of mankind; Alexander the Great, and Lewis the Great, are examples.

It is amazing that men should affect to know every thing, and yet be so deficient in the very first principle of wisdom-Know thyself.

Experience and observation are the light-houses of reason, which direct us in our steerage through the dangerous ocean of life.

The study of the mathematics is like climbing up a steep and craggy mountain; when once you reach the top, it fully recompences your trouble, by opening a fine, clear, and extensive prospect.

No wonder poets are generally poor, when they are always running after a parcel of wenches and a fidler.

Highwaymen and gamblers differ only in their modes of depredation: the former attack you, under masks, with loaded pistols; while the latter accost you, in lace and embroidery, with packs of cards and loaded dice.

Avarice and dissipation are like Scylla and Charybdis; they engulph every thing that comes within their D. T.

vortex.

CHARLES THE TWELFTH

From the Travels of William Rae Wilson. Esq. in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, &c. Having brought letters of introduction to Mr. Task, who has the title of Statsraad,' or counsellor of state, and is the first person of rank and importance at Frederickshall; he was so polite as to offer his services, and spent a considerable time in riding about with me, and explaining the various objects of interest, in and about the town. In the first place he accompanied me to the castle, which has an elevation of 360 feet above the level of the sea, the road to which is exceedingly steep, and indeed nearly perpendicular.

On arriving at a flat piece of ground contiguous to the walls, a beautiful and extensive view of the town is presented, its port, and charming country; and the waters of the Tiste, which glides around the place, until it empties itself into the sea. These appear as lying immediately beneath you. But above every other object, the attention is particularly arrested by a small inclosure, with a paltry stone in the form of a pyramid, four feet in height, and encircled by a grass plot; erected to commemorate the sacrifice of the unfortunate monarch, Charles the twelfth, on the precise spot where it stands; whose name is inscribed on it, surmounted by a crown, and shaded with the branches of a tree. history of this afflicting event may be comprehended in a few words.* It appears that Charles, whose conduct has been represented as

The

fierce and ungovernable, had in 1718, attacked the kingdoms, with an army of thirty thousand, in three bodies, one of which captured Frederickshall, after a desperate resistance on the part of its inhabitants, who had erected forts or batteries to repel the aggressions of the forces he commanded,) and set fire to the town.

With regard to the precise way in which the death of Charles took place, and the supposed author of that diabolical act; the truth is, it is involved in so much mystery, that I am inclined to think the facts connected with this affair, will never be satisfactorily cleared up. On the one hand it is supposed that his fall had arisen from that high courage by which he was actuated to examine, personally, the trenches of the siege, and being thus exposed to a destructive fire from the Danish batteries, he perished by a shot from the enemy. And on the other it is affirmed, that the life of this monarch had been sacrificed by his brother-in-law, the Prince of Hesse; to make way for Eleonora, the sister of Charles, ascending the throne; and great ingenuity has been exercised by historians upon both of these points. As to the former, the idea entertained of the mode of his death, may receive countenance from probability.

When we, however, for a moment take into view, the near relationship of this prince, the king standing solely between him and his consort, who had a right to succeed to the throne, added to the consideration that Charles was attended at the particular moment where he was found dead, by an engineer who superintended the attack, along with another who acted as aid du camp, and accomshot had entered the temple of his panied him; and further, that a head; that the engineer folded up

the body in a cloak, and conveyed it to his tent, pretending that it was that of an officer who had fallen in battle; and then hurried to the Prince, who was at no great distance, with intelligence of that event, or rather that the blow in contemplation had been struck.

I, with deference, apprehend that from these circumstances, the strongest suspicion does attach to those officers as the perpetrators of this diabolical act of murder; and more so, taken in connection with the important circumstance, namely, that a prediction had been made in the camp, by an officer, that the event would occur, and upon that very day when it actually did take place.

Now if any further proof is necessary in support of the fact of a private assassination, proceeding on a preconcerted plan, I would not only refer that horrid remorse of conscience which haunted the soul of this engineer, even to the very moment when he was stretched on the bed of death-but the striking truth, that the king was discovered with his hand grasped round the handle of his sword, as if he had been in the fact of drawing it from the scabbard, under a conviction of being attacked by a person near him, and had relied on his own personal strength and courage to defend himself.

Admitting, then, such to be the fact, this would, unquestionably, never have been done by a warrior in other circumstances, but naturally considered as an act of folly, if it had been adopted in the view of defending himself, and taking revenge on receiving a distant shot from the batteries.

In short, it appears clearly to substantiate, that an attack had been, de facto, made on his royal person, by an enemy at his very side, with a pistol-bullet; and it

will be observed, that the fatal blow was struck in the dark, on the 11th of December.

Again, with respect to the report of those who examined his remains, it appears altogether unaccountable, how this important office had not been conferred on medical men, eminent in their profession, who were capable of giving a clear and scientific report, but was committed to persons of rank, connected with that court which had been constituted after the death, and under a new reign.

Had Charles survived two months longer, the whole kingdom of Norway would have fallen into his hands.

This monarch, who perished at the age of 36, was the last of a race of heroes; being the fourth from the great Gustavus Adolphus, who restored the Protestant religion, and liberties of Germany, and killed at the battle of Lutzen, pronouncing this ejaculation, I seal with my blood, the Protestant religion, and liberties of Germany-my God! my God!' after receiving five dreadful wounds; thus dying as became the hero, soldier, statesman, father of his people, and christian.

This leads me to observe, that when at Stockholm, I examined the plain clothes taken from Charles after his fall. These are stained with blood, and his hat, which is turned up on one side with a button, is pierced near the edge by a musket shot. His walking cane is likewise shown, and a portrait which represents him as a man of great bodily strength.

On the whole, in viewing these, I am confirmed in my opinion, that the bullet was not discharged from the enemy's batteries, since a pistol shot from these, could not possibly have reached him, but on the contrary, it must have been directly aimed at Charles from no great dis

tance; or in other words proceeded from a pistol held in the hand of a person who had stood near him; since the nature of the wound, and the appearance of the hat, prove the fact most satisfactorily. Indeed, it is the general opinion entertained in Sweden, that he did fall by the hand of a traitor.

CHINESE JESTS.

A man sent a note to a rich neigh bour he was on friendly terms with, to borrow an ox for a few hours.The worthy old man was no scholar, and happened to have a guest sitsting with him at the time, that he did not wish to expose his ignorance to. Opening the note, and pretending to read it; after reflecting a moment, turning to the servant, Very good,' says he, tell your master I'll come myself presently.'

5 Ming Vang, one of the judges in the shades below, sent up an Imp to this world of light, to fetch him a doctor of repute and skill... When,' says he, you come to a doctor before whose door there is no complaining ghosts, that's the man.'The imp takes the charge, and up he ascends to the regions of light. Every doctor's house he passed had lots of angry injured ghosts thronging about, wailing and complaining of their wrongs. At last he comes to a house where he sees only one single ghost flitting backwards and forwards before the door. This is 'This must be my man,' says he. a successful practitioner, and have a great name, no doubt.' In return to his inquiry, the answer was, 'Sir, this gentleman set up business but yesterday.

A young student could not fill bis sheet of Theme. The examiner put him in a low class, and ordered him a correction. Showing his papers afterwards to a friend, Twas that half sheet vacant that ruined me,' says he, 'I had committed no other fault.' 'Oh no, no,' says his friend after looking at the papers, 'tis all very well as it is: if you had gone on as you began, and filled the sheet and shown it up, you would have been beaten to death.'

Original Poetry.

THE TRYSTING HOUR.

Dear Isabel, the trysting hour
Why com'st thou not to the Ivy Tower,
Now Dian sheds her silvery light.

Has at length come round to night;

Beneath the azúre vaulted sky

All is calm, serene, and sweet;

Yet, Isabel, thou com❜st not nigh

The place where we were wont to meet. One half the world are slumb’ring sound,

Save those whom love or sorrow waken; And here and there are lovers found, Vowing their constancy unshaken. My Isabel, love, where art thou?

That thou com'st not to the Ivy Tower; O! where my love dost thou linger now? Why com'st thou not at the Trysting Hour.

EDWARD.

ADDRESS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Answers to Correspondents next week.

PAUL PRY, a Comedy in Three Acts as it is performed at the London Theatres; price 6d. THE CUCKOLD, or Woman Unveiled, an ama tory tale, with coloured plates. 2s. 6d. boards.

LOVER'S FESTIVAL, or Melting Moments, the

Life and amours of Miss Emily Palmer, afterwards the Countess de Barre, and Mistress of the French King Coloured plates, 2s. 6d. boards,

MYSTERIES OF VENUS, or Lessons of Love, or amatory adventures of Kitty Pry. Co

loured plates, 3s. 6d. boards.

MOUSE-TRAP OF LOVE; a series of amatory adventures, exploits, &c. &o plates, 3s. 6d. boards.

Coloured