vast iron-bar, which assisted in supporting the dome of St. Peters, at Rome, fell from an immense height, burst through a vaulted roof, and fell harmless close at the feet of the whilst pope, he walked in a gallery beneath: not long after, a chimney, two vast beams, and the whole side of a chamber, in the vatican, fell upon Alexander and his attendants. A cardinal who had escaped, rushed into the streets, crying, “The 66 pope is slain,” and a tumult was beginning to rise; but the ruins were no sooner removed, than up starts, almost unhurt, this "nimium "dilecte diis," although his three domestics were crushed to pieces close to his chair. It is proper to add, that a more flagitious character never sullied the page of history.

TRANSLATION EXTRAORDINARY,

Dr. Symonds cites, perhaps, the strongest instance of wrong translation in our bibles ever known. Luke xxiii. 52: “ There were also two "other malefactors led with him to be put to "death" now this is evidently wrong, as implying, in grammatical accuracy, that our Saviour was a malefactor. Purver(quakers' bible) translates John xviii. 12, "So the regiment, the colonel, and the of "ficers, took Jesus and bound him." He has also this odd passage," A hind let go may exhibit gen

"teel Napthali: he gives fine words," for "Nap"thali is a hind let loose; he giveth goodly "words." Waterland, instead of "The law is 66 open, and there are deputies, Acts, xix. 38." proposes, "It is term-time, and the judges are sitting." Harwood, at Luke, xii. 6, says, “ A gentleman had planted a fig-tree."

PUNNING EPITAPH.

John de Wouwer, a learned man of the sixteenth century, was too vainly fond of praise, as appeared from the legacy he bequeathed to those who should write a panegyric on him after his death. This testamentary promise had its effect There were panegyrists, who, to get the promised sum, applauded. Wouwer to the skies, who were prompted to this rather by the alluring charms of sixty joachims, than from any sincere affection they bore to the man himself, who had his vices mixed with his virtues. The unsuccessful poetaster gave him a satirical epitaph, punning upon his canine name-Here lies Wow Wow.

JEROME SAVONAROLA.

Such was the great success of the sermons of Jerome Savonarola, that the Florentines were converted by his preaching, much more than the Ninevites by that of Jonah: For the city of

1

Florence was reformed, not for a day, but for a considerable time; and threw into the fire all the instruments of luxury. Poor Savonarola was at length cast into the fire himself for heresy, the method of curing it in those days.

PURGATORY.

In "Thordinary of Christen men, By Wyn"ken de Worde, 1502," we meet with the following description of the torments of purgatory: "Here followeth the ten paynes of the partye of the body that these dampned suffre in hell, (and every of them devysed in foure,) and so they ben forty paynes:

The first is fyre ryght cruelly brennynge.
The second is colde so much fresynge.

The thyrde grete cryes of dolour without ceasynge.

The fourth smoke, the which may not in hell be

left.

The fyfth odour and stynkynge moch horryble.
The syxth vysyon of devylles terryble.
The seventh hungre, tourmentynge cruelly.
The eygth thirste, the whiche tormenteth in lyke
wise.

The nynth grete shame and confusyon.

The tenth in all members afflyccyon.

ZEALOUS BEQUEST.

A gentleman who died in 1776, left the university of Oxford 1601. per annum, to be given to a person who shall preach eight sermons in the course of the year to Dissenters or Hereticks. The preacher is not to receive the money till he has delivered a copy of the sermons to the head of each house. No person can be appointed twice, nor any one who is not at least A. M. of the English universities.

PROSELYTE EXTRAORDINARY.

In the year 1778 the right honourable Lord Dunboyne read his incantation from the errors of the church of Rome, in the parish church of Clonmel, on the 22nd of August. The earl of Eastfort, chief justice of the king's bench, with several others of the nobility, and a very numerous congregation being present at the solemnity. His lordship, who was titular bishop of Cork, had very lately entered into the holy state of matrimony, and was consequently suspended from his ecclesiastical dignity.

PIOUS SPECULATIONS.

The description which St. Paul gives us of the man of sin, of anti-christ, agrees so well with the

character of Caligula the Roman emperor, that some learned men, Grotius among the rest, have explained of him that part of the prophecies contained in the New Testament. Several others were of opinion that the emperor Vespatian was the wild boar of which David spoke, by a prophetic spirit, (Psalm lxxix. 15). The Marquis Agropoli says, that he is called Cæsar poruem, in the Sibylline verses, and that he and his son Titus are the types of anti-christ, in the opinion of Malvenda.

MODERN MIRACLE.

The following is an extract from Mr. Wesley's journal from October 27, 1743, to November 17, 1746: "My horse was exceedingly lame; we "could not discern what it was that was amiss, "and yet he could scarce set his foot on the

ground. My head ached more than it had "done for some months (what I here aver is the "naked fact; let every man account for it as " he sees good). I then thought, cannot God "heal either man or beast, by any means or "without any! Immediately my weariness, and "head-ache ceased, and my horse's lameness in "the same instant. Nor did he halt any more either that day or the next,"