distributed her medicine gratis among all sorts of people; to which the knight added, that she had a very great jointure, and that the whole country would fain have it a match between him and her; "and truly," says Sir Roger, "if I had not been engaged, perhaps I could not have done better." 5. His discourse was broken off by his man telling him he had called a coach. Upon our going to it, after having cast his eye upon the wheels, he asked the coachman if his axle-tree was good. Upon the fellow's telling him he would warrant it, the knight turned to me, told me he looked like an honest man, and went in without further ceremony. 6. We had not gone far, when Sir Roger, popping out his head, called the coachman down from his box, and upon presenting himself at the window, asked him if he smoked. As I was considering what this would end in, he bade him stop by the way at any good tobacconist's, and take in a roll of the best Virginia. Nothing material happened in the remaining part of our journey, till we were set down at the west end of the Abbey. 7. As we went up the body of the church, the knight pointed at the trophies upon one of the new monuments, and cried out, A brave man, I warrant him!" Passing afterwards by Sir Cloudesley Shovel, he flung his head that way and cried, "Sir Cloudesley Shovel, a very gallant man!" As we stood before Busby's tomb, the knight uttered himself again after the same manner, “Dr. Busby! a great man! he whipped my grandfather; a very great man! I should have gone to him myself if I had not been a blockhead; a very great man!" 8. We were immediately conducted into the little chapel on the right hand. Sir Roger, planting himself at our historian's elbow, was very attentive to everything he said, particularly to the account he gave us of the lord who had cut off the king of Morocco's head. Among several other figures, he was well pleased to see the statesman Cecil3 upon his knees; and concluding them all to be great men, was conducted to the figure which represents that martyr to good housewifery, who died by the prick of a needle. Upon our interpreter's telling us that she was a maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth, the knight was very inquisitive into her name and family; and after having regarded her finger for some time, "I wonder," says he, "that Sir Richard Baker has said nothing of her in his Chronicle." We were then conveyed to the two coronation chairs, where my old friend, after having heard that the stone underneath the Y most ancient of them, which was brought from Scotland, was called Jacob's pillar, sat himself down in the chair; and, looking like the figure of an old Gothic king, asked our interpreter, "what authority they had to say that Jacob had ever been in Scotland ?" The fellow, instead of returning him an answer, told him, that he hoped his honour would pay his forfeit." I could observe Sir Roger a little ruffled upon being thus trepanned; but our guide not insisting upon his demand, the knight soon recovered his good humour, and whispered in my ear, that "if Will Nimble were with us, and saw those two chairs, it would go hard, but he would get a tobacco-stopper out of one or t'other of them." 9. Sir Roger, in the next place, laid his hand upon Edward III.'s sword, and leaning upon the pommel of it, gave us the whole history of the Black Prince: concluding, that, in Sir Richard Baker's opinion, Edward III. was one of the greatest princes that ever sat upon the English throne. 10. We were then shown Edward the Confessor's tomb; upon which Sir Roger acquainted us, that "he was the first who touched for the evil :" and afterwards Henry IV.'s, upon which he shook his head, and told us "there was fine reading in the casualties of that reign.” 11. Our conductor then pointed to that monument where there is the figure of one of our English kings without a head; and upon giving us to know that the head, which was "of beaten silver, had been stolen away, several years since ;" "Some Whig, I'll warrant you," says Sir Roger; you ought to lock up your kings better; they will carry off the body too, if you do not take care." 66 12. The glorious names of Henry V. and Queen Elizabeth gave the knight great opportunities of shining, and of doing justice to Sir Richard Baker, "who," as our knight observed, with some surprise, "had a great many kings in him, whose monuments he had not seen in the Abbey." 13. For my own part, I could not but be pleased to see the knight show such an honest passion for the glory of his country, and such a respectful gratitude to the memory of its princes. 14. I must not omit, that the benevolence of my good old friend, which flows out towards everyone he converses with, made him very kind to our interpreter, whom he looked upon as an extraordinary man; for which reason he shook him by the hand at parting, telling him that he should be very glad to see him at his lodgings in Norfolk Buildings, and talk over these matters with him more at leisure. NOTES. 1 Sir Roger de Coverley-An imag- The Abbey-Westminster Abbey, ceremony, outward form in religion, or the state. tro'phy, a monument or memorial of victory. mar'tyr, one who, by his death, bears witness to truth. inquis'itive, apt to ask questions, curious. interpreter, one who explains. trepan', to ensnare. benevolence, kindness, disposition to do good. THE MOTHER AND HER SLEEPING INFANT, (For notice of Campbell see page 73.) Lo! at the couch where infant beauty sleeps, No lingering hour of sorrow shall be thine; In form and soul; but, ah! more blest than he! And chase the world's ungenerous scorn away. A tear of pity, or a smile of love, Or cons his murmuring task beneath her care, WORTH makes the man, and want of it the fellow; BRITISH BIOGRAPHY. ABERCROMBY, Sir Ralph--an eminent general. After serving with much distinction in many parts of the world, he fell in the battle of Alexandria, when at the head of the British expedition to Egypt. Born in Scotland, 1734; died, 1801. ADDISON, Joseph an English poet and prose writer famous for the elegance of his style. He wrote many of the papers in the Tatler and Spectator, and served as Secretary of State in Queen Anne's reign. Born in Wiltshire, in 1672; died, at Holland House, Kensington, in 1719. His statue is in Westminster Abbey. - ADRIAN IV. - Nicholas Breakspeare the only Englishman ever made pope. He was born in Herts, it is not known where, and died in 1159. AKENSIDE, Mark, a physician and poet, born in Northumberland, 1721; died, 1770. His chief work is, "The Pleasures of Imagination," a beautiful poem. ALBEMARLE, George Monk, Duke of, a general who served under Parliament in the Civil wars. Being in command of the army while things were falling to pieces under Richard Cromwell, he secured the restoration of Charles II., and was made a duke by him for doing so. Born in Devonshire, -- 1608; died, 1670. ARGYLE, Archibald, Marquis of. -A Whig peer of Scotland, the friend of the Covenanters and zealous opponent of the Stewarts. He was beheaded after the Restoration, on а charge of high treason. Born 1598; died, 1661. BACON, Francis, Viscount St. Albans, born in London, 1561; died, 1626. He was a man of universal genius, an illustrious philosopher, and eminent statesman; but when Lord High Chancellor, in the reign of James I., he was found guilty of receiving bribes, and was degraded. BACON, Roger, a Franciscan monk, born in Somersetshire, 1214; died, 1294. He was a natural philosopher and mathematician far in advance of his age: introduced many discoveries in chemistry, mechanics, &c., and apparently was the first to find out the composition of gunpowder. BARROW, Isaac, born in London, 1630; died, 1677. He was a great mathematician and divine, and the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. BECKET, Thomas à, Archbishop of Canterbury. He was born in London in 1119, grew up a gay courtier, and was made Chancellor by Henry II., in 1158, and Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1162. In this office he bore himself so haughtily that Henry at last quarrelled openly with him, and four knights, taking advantage of some inconside |