For the Emerald.

DESULTORY SELECTIONS,

AND ORIGINAL REMARKS.

DERMODY

(first, because the introduction of the comic, must always weaken the energy of the tragic part; and se-condly, because the emotion of different passions at one moment, as Looked upon the stage with the eye in an hysteric, is not in itself pleasof a critic and with a correct judg-ing) yet I must give the palm to ment; his praise is valuable-his one whose two great productions censures not to be disregarded. are thus huddled together, as "the The subsequent sketches, tho' brief poet of the heart." This intellecoutlines, designate characters with tual sovereign is Southerne; whose skill and truth-but tho' something Isabella and Oroonoko must charm may be said in favor of the intellect as long as the human breast can of Dermody, very little can be urg-feel, or the human passions can be ed in favor of the man. The Re-interested.

viewers speaking of his life lately
published by Raymond, say, It is
the life of another Savage of lower
birth and greater profligacy. Like
his father, he seems to have been a
good scholar and a great drunkard;
his early acquirements might have
been considerable, but they were
overpowered by habits of brutal de-
bauchery. The account of his life
is altogether an interesting perform-these

ance.

STEELE.

I know that those authors who countenance tragi-comedy the most, aver that it is a true and faithful delineation of the checkered scenes of real life; no indifferent plea in its favour. Yet Dryden, who was himself an adept in the practice, laysthe blame on the distempered and vitiated taste of the audience; and even Southerne, in a prologue, has lines:

"You see we try all shapes, and shifts, and arts,

To tempt your favours, and regain your hearts;

We

I applaud Steele as the manly restorer of scenic decency of plot, interesting, not intricate; and of dialogue sprightly though not splen-Like did. The sentiments of Cato are confessedly elevated and noble; but, alas! too far removed beyond the sphere of common life: while even the most censorious must allow that there is that moderate emulation of virtue still remaining sufficient to impress any spectator not totally callous, with a respect and love for the beneficent, affable, and elegant character of Bevil.

weep and laugh, join grief and
mirth together,
rain and sunshine mix'd in April

weather."

MASSINGER.

The immortal Shakespeare, from the narrow limits of his education and original habits of life, must nccessarily have adopted many vulgarisms and low conceits, very improper for a modern to copy; and as for his happier and sublimer flights, they are indeed inimitable. Jonson's comedies, with all their merit, are so laboriously stiff; and' Though I cannot reconcile my-the joint compositions of Beaumont self to that strange jumble of smiles and Fletcher, with all their wit, so and tears, levity and anguish, which insufferably licentious; that I can constitutes a tragi-comedy, or what select from the whole dramatic gawe more emphatically term a play, Llaxy of these times, but one author

SOUTHERNE..

who is not quite exceptionable as to | gland has been doubled within twenregularity and moral precision-ty years. In 1805, nearly thirteen This is Massinger. His incidents millions of pounds were retained are generally well conducted; the for home consumption.

unities regarded with much attention; his characters delineated in a masterly and forcible manner; and his dialogue, considering the age in which he wrote, remarkably chaste and nervous. I am surprised that more of his plays are not revived and adapted for representation which they might be with very little trouble, and less expence, as they are seldom loaded with pageantry and show.

FONTAINE.

Every person is acquainted with the absence of mind peculiar to M. de Brunens. Fontaine was subjec to as extraordinary aberrations. He once attended the funeral of a friend and the next day called on him as if he had been living.

REPARTEE.

A Venetian asked a Frenchman what was the origin of the salic law which his nation held so much in awe. It was found, replied the other very cooly, on the back of that same charter which gave the Venetians the dominion of the Adriatic.

DU CHANGE

Lately published a Dictionary of the Latin language as used in the lower ages. I have been employed above 60 years (said Father Vavasseur, whose studies had been exclusively employed on authors of most acknowledged merit and purest antiquity) in learning to avoid every word and phrase in this industrious compilation.

HUMOROUS.

Santieul, the French poet, returning one night to Saint Victoire, at eleven o'clock, the porter refused opening the door, saying he had positive orders to admit no one at that hour.

After much altercation, Santieul slipt half a louis d'or under the door, and he obtained immediate entrance. As soon

as he had got in, he pretended he had
left a book upon a stone on the outside,
on which he had rested himself while
he waited for the door opening. The
officious porter, animated with the po-
et's generosity, ran to get the book,
and Santieul immediately shut the door
upon him.
Master Porter, who was
half naked, knocked in turn, when the
poet started the same difficulty as he
had done. Aye; but master Santieul,
said the porter, I let you in very civilly
-Said Santieul, so will I you, as civil-
ly; you know the price, in or out is the
word, and I can dally no longer; the
porter finding he was to sleep in the
street, half naked, and run the risk of
losing his place, slipt the piece of gold
under the door, saying, I thought a po-
et's money would not stay long with
me, and accordingly purchased his ad.
mittance.

EPIGRAM ON AN EPIGRAM.

Take a portion of wit,
And fashion it fit,

Like a needle, with point and with eye :
A point that can wound,
And at folly or vice let it fly.
An eye to look round,

ANECDOTE.

The celebrated Duke of Roclore was, in his person, very far from being agreeable; another nobleman, whose personal beauty was even inferior to that of Roclore, having killed his antagonist in a duel, It appears by accounts on the ta- applied to the duke for his interest, ble of the House of Commons, that who fairly rallied the King into a the consumption of Tobacco in Eu-compliance. After the King had

PROGRESS OF SMOAKING..

finished his fit of laughter, and giv-|
en his royal promise, he added, but
"for heaven's sake Roclore, what
could induce you to be so strenuous
in this intercession?" "I will tell
your Majesty," replied Roclore, "if
he had suffered, I then should have
been the ugliest man in France.”

THOUGHTS ON HAPPINESS.

Happiness is an object pursued by all, and though the road to it is direct, few arrive at it. The compass by which we should be guided to this consummation of our hopes, wholly consists in this little maxim,

"Moderate your desires.”

A Frenchman, having undertaken to translate an English oook into his own Language, on coming to the words theanut-horse, literally translated it, "a horse made of chesnuts???

Upon a circuit, Mr. Serjeant Kp, who is a Sussex man, had been laboring for his client in a long-winded speech, but the verdict being found against him"Zounds," exclaimed the serjeant, "here have I been spending my breath for an hour, vainly endeavoring to convince twelve blockheads of a point, that's clear as demonstration-I believe my countrymen have been inoculated for dullness." "That may be," said the wit who had gained the cause, "but it seems you, Mr. serjeant," unlike your countrymen, "have it in the natural way."

The style of Buonaparte's commands is wonderfully gentle; he persuades Prussia to hostilities with this country, and he induces the Pope to resign his dignity. His arguments are as friendly as those of Jack Ketch to a refractory convict: Do, my good fellow, he hanged quietly?"

An advertisement in The Connecticut Mercury begins thus-" To let a large farm, on any terms, good, bad, or in

different."

ANECDOTES OF VOLTAIRE.

When M. L'Abbé Pellegrin, complained that he had pillaged some lines from him, and introduced them into a tragedy of his own. What, replied Voltaire, have I stolen from you? I can now account for the damnation of my play.

As he was one day praising Hallar, in the presence of a flatterer of that ce lebrated naturalist; ah! sir, said Hallar's deceitful friend, how much it is to be wished that he would speak thus of the works written by you, which he always abuses. Perhaps we are both mistaken (returned the poet.)

A celebrated actress reciting her part in a negligent manner before him, "Really madam," said he, "it is to very little purpose that I write verses six feet high, if you gulp down three of

them."

He told Sarrazin, who recited a scene in Brutus in a languid manner, you seem to be saying, "Oh Holy Virgin, grant that I may get a hundred pound prize in the lottery."

Another actor, pronounced the following lines in a flat and insipid man-.

ner :

"Yes," says the poet, "the conqueror is coming, but you announce him as if one should say,, stand out of the way, dont you see the cow."

Lines written upon an ingenious Musician,
who had as cunning a Head as he had a
Finger, and who lately performed a
SOLO at Bath, which proved rather af-
fecting to some of the Tradesmen.
"His time was short, his touch was
neat,

Our gold he freely finger'd;
Alert alike with hands and feet,
His movements have not linger'd,

But where's the wonder of the case,
A moment's thought detects it;
His practise has been thorough bass,
A chord will be his exit.
Yet while we blame his hasty flight,
Our censure would be rash;
A traveller is surely right,
To change his notes to cash.

THE EMERALD.

The Clergyman's answer to a young lady, who sent him her compliments on the ten of hearts.

Your compliments, Lady, I pray you, forbear,

Our old English service is much more sincere :

You sent me ten hearts; the tithe only

is mine;

[nine. Give me but one, and burn the other

As a certain steward was viewing the boundaries of his lord's royalty, amongst the rest of the company, he was honored with the attendance of the clergyman of the parish; and coming to a certain mark in the boundary, which he wished the whole company particularly to remember-"Here," says he to the clergyman- "please to take this spade,. and dig up a turf, but to dig you cannot, and to beg you are ashamed." "Hark ye,' replies the clergyman, said of the clergy, but of an unjust steward."

On a set of bad Dancers.

How ill the motion with the music suits

"that was not Thus Orpheus fiddl'd and thus danc'd

So might I chase all others from her

So

the brutes.

To a covetous Lady.
bright is thy beauty, so charming
thy song,

As had drawn both the beasts, and their
Orpheus along;

But so great is thy av'rice, and such is
That the beasts must have starv'd, and
thy pride
the poet have died.

And my own image in the stead impart. On Dean Swift's bequeathing his Fortune But, ah? how short the bliss would

prove, if he Who seized it next, might do the same [by me.

The Bristol mail was robbed a few nights since in the following curious way. It is customary to desposit the mail bags at a private house in Castlestreet,, Reading, near to which the horses belonging to the mail are chan. ged. The guard announces the approach of the mail to the inn by sounding his horn, and whilst the horses are putting to, he goes to the receivinghouse and exchanges his bags. A horn was sounded according to custom, and soon after a man called for the downward bag, which was delivered to him as usual out of a window, and in return for which, he gave a bag, which was found to contain shavings. The robbery was discovered on the arrival of the mail, a short time after the bag had been delivered. Two men have been taken to

To

to build a Mad-house. madness, Swift bequeaths his whole

estate;

in that:

Why should we wonder? Swift is right
For 'tis a rule, as all our lawyers know,
Men's fortune to the next of kin should
[ly'd,

go,

And 'tis as sure, unless old bards have

Great wits and madness are most near ally'd.

And warn'd by the feather, beware of

the dart.

Epitaph on a Blacksmith.

My sledge and hammer lie declin'd,
My bellows have quite lost their wind,
My fire's extinct, my forge decay'd, -
My vice is in the dust all laid,
My coal is spent, my iron gone,
My nails are drove, my work is done,
My fire-dry'd corpse lies here at rest,
My soul, smoak-like, is soaring to be
blest.

The Odds.

The bright, bewitching Mary's eyes,
A thousand hearts have won,
Whilst she, regardless of the prize,
Securely keeps her own.

Ah! what a dreadful girl are you,
Who if you e'er design

To make me happy, must undo

999!

Jantiquity has been prevented by his judicious manner of repairing and propping it. The rubbish having been removed, a great number of rare and curious articles have been discovered, such as Etruscan vases, cuirasses, paseras, bronze and ivory candelabres, &c. They intend to publish an exact description of each of these articles, which cannot fail to prove highly interesting and useful to antiquaries and the cultivators of the fine arts. We may in particular notice, in this point of view, an Etruscan vase, which, without any thing extraordinary either in form or size, must be considered as one of the most curious of that kind of antiques, on account of the Greek inscriptions, which indicate not only the names of the mythological figures represented on the vase, but likewise of the painter; a circumstance which renders it of very great value, and which is rarely found in such works.

Dr. WALCOT has returned to the metropolis from Fowey, and is at this time employed in printing a new collection of Odes and Elegies in his own inimitable style, to be entitled Tristia, or the Sorrows of Peter. The idea is founded on his alleged exclusion from his share of the loaves and fishes durthe late changes it Administration.

Mr. Robert Hallet, of Axminster, has discovered that the striped or ribband

VARIETIES LITERARY AND PHILO-grass is found to be very excellent food

SOPHICAL.

It has been calculated, that in 1805 England produced 800 new literary works, France 1150, and Germany not less than 4645-although the Leipsic catalogue for the Michaelmas fair, 1000 works less were announced than in 1804; among which there are only 63 ovels, and 61 almanacks. the most merous class of books were those on medicine and education.

Some further details have been pubished relative to the excavations and esearches made at Postum, the ancient Posidonia, under the superintedance of M. NICOLAI; who had been ordered by the Neapolitan Government to resore the largest of the three temples at Paestum. One of the columns was in langer of beingthrown down by frequent hocks of earthquakes, but the total uin of this most precious remains of