of which they had become quite tired. A few old family pictures, representing faces quite as handsome as that of their present owner, graced the walls. Books and papers, of course, lay here, there, and every where.

Now came refreshment for the body: the coffee was thick; tea, the ambrosia of old maids, (and here they were decidedly in the majority,) was cold and weak, of a pale, mawkish tint, very like that of the queen of night, when she is bold enough to show her face rather too early in the evening; and cakes they shall pass without comment, for their looks "I liked not overmuch."

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At this time, fifteen females and one poor, unfortunate man, who had ensconsced himself in a corner, formed our party; although I heard the arrival of many a lion and lioness pronounced as certain in the course of the evening of this I was assured by a good-natured non-blue, who, perhaps, in pity for my apparently forlorn condition, condescended every now and then to address a few cursory and common-place remarks to me. "Hush!" suddenly exclaimed a "Tabby Blue," at my other elbow, "observe the door; Doctor Multum-in-Parvo is expected to make his appearance every minute; look at him well: you must" said she with a sneer, even in the commonest, and least literary society, have heard what an oracle he is! Wonderful versatility of talent,-astonishing powers of mind-a born genius: treatises upon music, painting, astronomy and optics, as well as a thick octavo upon L'Arte Cuisiniere,' his chef d'œuvre, have successively issued from his pen, and alike proclaim his erudition and his fame." The curse of writing is an endless itch, thought I. Thanking my sarcastic informant for knowledge I had contrived to obtain even in the ordinary, and non-blue circle of society, in which it had been my lot to move, and somewhat curious to see this most learned lion, I steadily watched the door. Presently, in shuffled the mighty man himself, a true personification of Shakespeare's sixth age of life, when the man, who was "broader than broad," and big with his own importance" sinks into the lean and slippered pantaloon, with spectacles on nose and pouch on side; " and truly, my friend, you will think his pouch could have been of no very ordinary dimensions, when I name to you some of its contents :-now, all attention, for here they come, one after another, all of his own invention and manufacturing :-soap!-a jar of portable soup!-a box of patent tooth-powder!-and handsful of exquisite lozenges! all of which were duly presented to a tremendously painted, blue flirt, (who seemed alternately coquetting with men and literature,) as an offering upon introduction, to be repaid at sight, in coin current of the blue club, FLATTERY. During the ceremony of presentation, Mr. Toady, the doctor's constant attendant, his double it would seem, for where the one is, there will the other be, entreated Lady Rougette, in a "blue whisper," to request a song from the Doctor, whose voice and compositions, (for he seldom or ever condescended to chaunt other folks' words or airs,) were alike ravishing and delightful: of course, the Doctor could not refuse a fair lady's solicitations; he shuffled towards the spinet, dived into the pouch," deeper and deeper still," and at last succeeded in finding and placing before him a two-inch-square piece of music paper, covered

with dots and words, intelligible only to his own comprehension: all preliminaries settled, and the hems! over, something was squeaked forth in tremulous tones, that told of the "big, manly voice turning again towards childish treble, piping and whistling in its sound," but which all the Blues," as soon as the final chord was struck, applauded and encored most vociferously; at the same time pronouncing it exquisite, beautiful, and a wonderful proof of the English musical taste. The works of Rossini and Weber, and the most fashionable foreign composers of the day, sunk into pitiable insignificance before such a splendid specimen of native genius. My unluckly laugh passed for applause; otherwise I might (for God only knows the effect of " blue" wrath,) have been politely shown the door. An innocent caterer for originals, autographs, &c. &c. requested the MS. for her Album, but was told, such a thing was impossible: the precious scrap was again safely deposited in the pouch, there to be secure from the unhallowed gaze of the public eye, until such time as it appears in all its own splendour, to dazzle mankind, amongst the Doctor's post

humous works.

By this time bodies and souls had multiplied in the apartment: I cast my eyes around, in order to catch a glimpse of Corinna, who, at that very moment, I beheld (her black eyes sparkling with eager enthusiasm, and her lips scarce able to restrain the words she longed to utter) pushing her way through the blue crowd; I approached her; but she waived me off, entreating that I would not for ten thousand worlds impede her progress towards perfect bliss; but granted me permission to follow her. "Gracious heavens," thought I," what is Corinna's fancy at, at this moment? the girl seems nearly frantic; however, a buzz, amidst which the words head-dress and pantaloons were loudly sounded, caught my attention as it went through the "blue crowd." I marvelled how such things could be coupled in any shape, but followed my friend, whom, to my utter amazement, I presently saw kissing, and touching with a poetic fervour a lady's turban "a la Grecque ;" and overheard these words energetically uttered: "Oh my very dearest Mrs. Highbirth, you must indeed pardon this very, very great liberty. My ardent impulse to see, to touch such an invaluable relic, impelled me to the deed; is it, my dear Madam, indeed true, what I hvve heard related of its origin? Oh do, I beseech you, very dear lady, tell me! I shall indeed die this very, very moment, unless you gratify my ardent curiosity!"

"Yes, child," replied Mrs. Highbirth tartly, (and looking, Barbara, for all the world like your poor thin-lipped friend Bridget Crab, with a ramrod run down her back) "it's very true; my husband, Mr. Highbirth, brought them himself from Greece; they were really Prince Mavrocordato's pantaloons, which Madame Tocque, my milliner, has fashioned into this Grecian turban." (Here Corinna again saluted the said turban with renewed enthusiasm.) "Indeed, child, you may well worship such a unique, nothing else like it in the kingdom." Now, Barbara, can you imagine any thing more absurd than the "Mania Blue," which induces people to commit such fooleries: the woman looked a perfect fright in her coarse blue and white striped calico turban, although, to be sure, she would have looked worse than plain without it. She went about,

"Morality's prim personification," saying ill-natured things to every person, and endeavouring to pull each from the favourite hobby-horse he or she was riding at full gallop. It, however, would not do; the many heeded her not, and those who could spare a moment from themselves and their own importance, merely observed that such "IRRITABLE SPIRITS as Mrs. Highbirth, should stay at home, and not endeavour to mar the pleasure of persons disposed to be so happy, and in such good humour with themselves, as those assembled on the present occasion. Upon a sofa, in the midst of a coterie of male blues, all ugly, conceited, and bilious looking, lolled a fine girl, the envy of all the women, half enveloped in a crimson silk cloak, and raising the laugh, and extorting the compliments from each of her "papillons jaunes," by the gross things she uttered, intending them for wit. Oh! Barbara, I heard such a speech! I would not for the world repeat it, my face crimsoned in an instant, and I was in an agony for Rosalie, who I thought had committed herself inadvertently: I stole a glance at her: I blushed deeper to see her perfectly composed, and greedily devouring the compliments awarded her, as the merit of what was deemed, her exceedingly brilliant "jeu d'esprit." I now began to feel uncomfortable and disgusted, I longed to withdraw from the Blues: and thought of our quiet little society in the village of W. recollecting all Mrs. Propriety's lessons upon decorum of manner, and speech, and hastened as fast as possible from Rosalie and her circle, who, I concluded, would judge her pretty severely as soon as she was beyond hearing. In my progress towards the remotest corner of the room, I nearly stumbled over Miss Lucretia Mywork, a little, short, fat woman, with the most spiteful countenance in the world: her withered person was attired in the garb of youthful sixteen; although her figure was the very antipodes of every thing juvenile or graceful. She accosted me with; "Have you read my Book? What! not read my work? Oh, then I've done with you!" with which she turned off to a quartett of real "blues;" and was joyfully relieved from the mortification of my negative reply, by listening to the most fulsome praises of her sweet "Tales," her affecting "Romanettes," which had made them weep for hours; but which, as soon as she moved away to repeat the same queries to a third set, each "blue" began to dub the most arrant trash ever penned, even too bad for the Minerva press! So much for your "breathings of sincerity," thought I! I grew weary and angry, urged my friend Corinna (whom such society will ultimately ruin unless she be immediately torn from it) to quit the house, thinking the scene I had witnessed a species of contamination which I ought to shun as I would the plague; and greatly indeed shall I rejoice at the total annihilation and destruction of the Deep Blue Club, and most gladly its requiem would I sing. Adieu my dear Barbara, believe me your affectionate friend,

4

177

ON THE ORIGIN OF JURIES.

THAT the English owe many of their most valuable Institutions to a race of men whom we have from our childhood been taught to consider barbarous savages, seems, in these days of polished civilization, a startling assertion but it startles us only because we have been accustomed to rely with implicit confidence on the assertions of men, who, either from ignorance or the desire of establishing their own brain-built theories, have slurred over a part of our history, the full developement of which, would throw an astonishing light upon the commencement and reason of many things now hidden in obscurity.

The idea that juries owed their origin to the ancestors of the earliest inhabitants of our Island, we have heard much controverted: the purport of the present paper is, therefore, to show, in as condensed a form as possible, that it is perfectly correct. Not that we mean to say that a jury, such in every respect as we are accustomed to know by that name, was in use at that early period of our history; but that our ancestors were wont to try their disputes by the oaths of a certain number of their peers or equals.

No one, in the present day, will have the courage to assert, that our primeval ancestors were Autoxoves, springing from the earth: where they came from is therefore to be inquired into. The tradition of our country, handed down in the triads of history, or bardic annals, in the old British language, (a very ancient copy of which is preserved, we believe, in the British Museum,) tell us, that there were three sets of peaceable settlers in Britain. First, the Cymry, or Cambrians, "who came to the Isle of Britain with Hû, the Mighty, because they would not possess a country and lands by fighting and contest, but by justice and peace;" 2dly, the Lloegrians, who came from Gwasgwyn, or Gascony, and “ were descended from the primitive tribe of the Cymry; and 3dly, the Brython, or Britones, (which in the old tongue signified warriors,) likewise "descended from the primitive tribe of the Cymry." And these three tribes "had all the same language and speech." By the 4th triad, these Cymry are stated to have come " from the Summer Country, which is called Deffrobani, that is, where Constinoblys is at present, and they came over the Hazy Sea, to the Isle of Britain, and to Armorica," where they settled." That this Summer Country means the South Eastern parts of Europe, is clear; first, because Deffrobani is a word compounded of Dreffro or Dreffred, and Bani or Phani, (the B and F, or Ph, being convertible letters in the ancient British language) which means the township or country of the Phani" or Poonii. 2dly, Because Constinoblys almost speaks for itself in the present Constantinople; and 3dly, because the very name, Cymry, points them out to be a tribe, at least, of the Kipμepioi and Cimmerii of the Greeks and Romans. Now the historical part of the Bible, backed by the authority of Herodotus and Plutarch, tells us, that the descendants of Gomer, (the eldest son of Noah,) whom the Hebrews would call 1, or ", settled in Cappadocia and the parts adja

a

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(a) The present German Ocean is so called in Welsh to this day.

(b) The present Bretagne in France..

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cent; and Herodotus expressly tells us, that that people, whom he calls Kiμepio, once dwelt there. This, then, proves their national identity. How they spread is unknown, but Plutarch expressly states, that in his time the Kupio inhabited the Cimbric Chersonesus, or modern Jutland, which is, as regards England, over the Hazy Sea;" and this is confirmed by Herodotus, who cites Aristæus, a Grecian historian, said to have lived even before Homer, that the Kuμepio dwelt from time immemorial enɩ în vorin baλaσon, and are supposed to have been the giants of the ancient Greek fables. Strabo also states, that in his time the Kußpo, who are the same people, the word being changed, euphoniæ gratiâ, continued in his time to inhabit their former settlements on the Baltic. That the Cimmerii were the Kußpot of the Greek, and the Cimbri of the Latin writers, was not only the opinion of Posidonius, whom Strabod quotes, but of the Greeks generally, and that a good portion of the ancient Greek nation, particularly those bordering on Dacia, were descendants of this race, is testified by Strabo, and Herodotus, and indirectly by several of the Greek poets and others." And the same1 with the different states of Italy about the period of the foundation of the Roman Empire: for Strabo states expressly that Rome and Alba had τα ιερα και αλλα δικαια TOλITIKα, in common, which it is not likely would have been the case had they not been of the same descent.

Now since, from the tenor of all the ancient writers, it is clear there was a considerable progression of the different branches of this nation, it is but fair to presume, that, as we know our Island was colonized long before the time at which all these accounts were written, and consequently that some slight differences in manners and customs must, in the course of years, have arisen between its inhabitants and those of that country; which formed as it were its parent state; a fair judgment may be arrived at from a comparison of the general features of the institutions of the differing countries, of the relative antiquity of their customs, and of the μNTPOTOXEWS UNVVμara, or indications of their origin. We will now, therefore, proceed to lay open the ancient records of our country's history in mentioning the laws of Duynwal Moelmud, whose name has been latinized into Dunwallo Molmutius.

k

These laws were framed about 400 years before the Christian era, and from the general opinion of the ancient British and Welsh nation, whose code of laws they formed, their authorship has been assigned to Duynwal Moelmud, the period of whose existence is pretty well ascertained by the

(c) Lib. vii., p. 449.

(d) Lib. vii.

(e) Diod. Sic. lib. v., p. 309.

(f) Lib. xi., pp. 475 & 476. Edit. Amst. 1707.

(g) Melpom. lib. iv., s. 12.

Callinus in Strabo, lib. xiv., p. 958. Callimachus in Dianâ, p. 252. Herodotus in Clio, ss. 6, 16, and Melpom. Callisthenes in Strabo, p. 930, and Strabo, lib. i., p. 106. (i) As may be collected from A. Gell. xvi. Noct. Attic. 10, and Amm. Marcell. xxx. 4, and more immediately from Aristot. vii. Polit. 10, and Dion. Halic. lib. i. passim. Item lib. 2, init. Pausan. Arcad. c. 3, and Justin. Novell. Arcad. 25 pr. See also Xenophon, Anab. lib. i., p. 13. Edit. Hutchins. compared with Plut. Vit. Anton. Rosin. iii., Antiq. Rom. 2. Plut. in Numâ, init. Serv. ad Virg. viii. Æn. 638, and Valer. Max. i. 1. (j) Lib. v., p. 231.

(k) Archaiologia of Wales, lib. iii.