TO A LADY. Madam,-I do not think that it is amongst the duties of a monarch to grant places to one of his subjects, merely because he is a gentleman. That, however, is the inference from the request you have made to me. Your late husband was, you say, a distinguished general, a gentleman of good family; and thence you conclude, that my kindness to your family can do no less than give a company of foot to your second son, lately returned from his travels. "Madam, a man may be the son of a general, and yet have no talent for command. man may be of a good family, and yet possess no other merit than that which he owes to chance, the name of gentleman. "I know your son, and I know what makes the soldier; and this two-fold know ledge convinces me that your son has not the disposition of a warrior, and that he is too full of his birth, to leave the country a hope of his ever rendering it any important service. "What you are to be pitied for, madam, is, that your son is not fit either for an officer, a statesman, or a priest; in a word, that he is nothing more than a gentleman, in the most extended acceptation of the word. "You may be thankful to that destiny, which, in refusing talents to your son, has taken care to put him in possession of great wealth, which will sufficiently compensate him for other deficiencies, and enable him, at the same time, to dispense with any fa vour from me. "I hope you will be impartial enough, to feel the reasons which prompt me to refuse your request. It may be disagreeable to you, but I consider it necessary. Farewell, madam. "Your sincere well-wisher, "Lachsenburg, 4th Aug. 1787. TO POPE PIUS VI. JOSEPH." "Most Holy Father,-The funds of the clergy of my dominions are not destined, as has been boldly said at Rome, to expire with my reign, but rather to become a relief to my people; and as their coutinuation, as well as the displeasure which has burst forth upon this subject, are within the jurisdiction of history, posterity will be masters of the matter without our co-operation: this, then, will be a monument of my time, and I hope not the only one. "I have suppressed the superfluous convents, and the still more superfluous socie ties: their revenues serve to support curates and to ameliorate the primary institutions; but amidst all the confidence in 31 ATHENEUM VOL. 13. "I see, however, that logic is not the same at Rome, as it is in my dominions; and hence arises this want of harmony between Italy and the empire. "If your holiness had taken the charitable care to inform yourself, at the proper source, of what was passing in my territories, many things would not have happened; but there were people at Rome, who, as appears to me, would have darkness spread itself more and more over our poor globe. "You have now the brief acount of the causes which have compelled my arrange; ments; I hope you will excuse the conciseness of my letter, on consideration, that I have neither the time nor the talent necessary for discussing so vast a theme in the manner used in a Roman museum. "I pray God still long to preserve you to his church, and to send one of his angels before you, to prepare for you the ways of heaven. "Your most obedient son in Jesus Christ, "Vienna, July, 1784. JOSEPH." "Two of your sons are already loaded with favours. The eldest, who is not yet and the younger has obtained a prebend twenty, is chief of a squadron in my army; at Cologne, from the Elector my brother. What would you have more? Would you have the first a general, and the second a bishop? "In France you may see colonels in leading strings; and in Spain, the royal princes command armies even at eighteen ; hence prince Stahremberg forced them to retreat so often, that they were never able, all the rest of their lives, to comprehend any other manœuvre. "It is necessary to be sincere at court, and severe in the field, stoical without obduracy, magnanimous without weakness, and to gain the esteem of our enemies by the justice of our actions; and this, mađam, is what I aim at. "Vienna, September, 1787. JOSEPH." "(Extract from the unedited letters from Joseph II. published at Paris, by Persan, 1822.)" RELICS OF LITERATURE. BY S. COLLET. (Literary Gazette, Ap.)] THE public is indebted to Mr. Boys for several well got up and pleasing works of a similar description to the present. The Percy Anecdotes, though stretched by success a little beyond the convenient limit, have been very popular; and there are a number of amusing things in this new collection, hardly with propriety called 'Relics' of Literature, to recommend it to like favour. Such books require little of the Reviewers' labours; their editors being the pioneers who dig for readers, and leave nothing for those who follow but to say how they have done their work, and look out specimens of their workmanship. Among materials so various, it may be readily supposed that there are articles of an inferior, of a common, and of a better quality; some scarcely worth preserving, some with too little of novelty, and some of considerable rarity and value. Such is the case; and the union of the whole is, as we have stated, very agreeable and entertaining. An appropriate frontispiece contains fac-similes of Royal signatures, from Henry VIII. to George IV., as well as those of several distinguished persons; and an advertisement defines the author's pretensions as a collector of motley, from published books, a collator of MSS., or an original writer. For ourselves we have to notice, that we do not meet much with which we had not previously some acquaintance; but our examples shall endeavour to avoid the topics most generally familiar: "Jockie is growne a Gentleman.”* "Among the most rare ballads in the English language is one entitled, 'Jockie is grown a gentleman.' It is * In the reign of Elizabeth, as appears from a return of foreigners residing in London, there were only forty Scots in the English capital. On the accession of James, his Northern subjects naturally flocked to the seat of Government. Their numbers increased so rapidly, that in February 1606, it was debated in Parliament whether they should be admitted to the ben efit of naturalization. In the Commons, 14th Feb. exactly 217 years ago (what changes have since taken place!!!)" Mr. a satire levelled against the numerous train of Scotch adventurers who emigrated to England in the reign of James Fuller began the debate. The principal grounds of his argument were, That God had made people fit for every country; some for a cold, some for a hot climate; and those several countries he had adapted to their several natures and qualities. All grounds are not fit for one kind of grain but some for oats, some for wheat, &c Suppose one man is owner of two pastures, with one hedge to divide them, the one pasture bare, the other fertile and good. A wise owner will not pull down the hedge, but make gates to let the cattle in and out multitudes, and much against their will reat pleasure; otherwise they will rush in in turn. That the Union was no more than two arms of one body. But before they be and room we have for them. Look into admitted, it is proper to consider what place the Universities; there you will find many of our own very worthy men not preferred. Our English merchants adventure; they go to sea with great vessels, freighted at a great charge; the others with little vessels at a small charge. The Scotch carry their wares in other countries up and down in packs; and by these means have taken away all the trade from Dieppe already. there are impositions upon the English, Our traders are too many already, and from which the Scotch are discharged. The navy of Scotland is so weak as to be in miserecordium with the meanest force. The care of a sovereign prince is, that his subjects live under him honestè, turè, pacificè et jucundè. That country is miserable where the greatest men are exceeding rich, the poor men exceeding poor, and no mean, no proportion between both. Tenants of two Manors; whereof the one has woods, fisheries, liberties, commons of estorvers, &c.-the other, a bare common, without profit; only a little turfor the like. The owner maketh a grant, that the tenants of this shall be participants of the profits This beareth some &c. of the former. shew of equity, but is plain wrong, and the grant void. The king cannot make a single village in one, to be parcel of another county. He cannot make a parcel of one kingdom parcel of another, being distinct kingdoms. If king Philip of Spain had had a son by queen Mary, he would have been king of Spain, Sicily, &c. Was it proper to naturalize those subjects? It cannot be good to mingle two swarms of bees under one hive on the sudden. When the Jews were in captivity, and were moved to mirth, and sing songs, they could not forget Jerusalem. Let their right hand forget + London, 1823. T. Boys. the first, in the full expectation of being distinguished by the particular favour and patronage of their native sovereign. So much, indeed, was the king annoyed by these supplicants, that he issued a proclamation, dated 10th May, 1616, stating, that the daily resort of idle persons, of base sort and condition, was not only very unpleasant and offensive to his majesty, since he was daily importuned with their suits and begging, and his royal court almost filled with them, (they being, in the conceit of all beholders, but idle rascals and poor miserable bodies,') but their country was heavily disgraced by it, and many slanderous imputations given out a their left,' &c. And when Abraham and Lot were brethren, Abraham said, 'Go thou to the right hand, and I will go to the left,' &c. So they divided, and either took that part which was fittest for him.' "Mr. Wentworth and Mr. Moore followed, and though they did not object entirely to the naturalization of the Scots, 'yet,' said they, if we naturalize them, it is necessary to have many cautions; cautions for ecclesiastical promotions, cautions for our lands and for our trade.' "Sir Francis (afterwards Lord) Bacon, spoke at great length and with great ability, in favour of the naturalization of the Scots, not so much on legal grounds, but as a matter of convenience; and as a 'sign to all the world of our love towards them, and agreement with them.' 6 gainst the same, as if there were no persons of good rank, comeliness,or credit, within it ;" therefore it was ordered, that no captains of ships should transport any passenger to England without license of the Privy Council. "The following song of Jockie is growne a Gentleman,' is not only humorous, but gives an interesting picture of the national prejudices, as well as the costume of our ancestors. Well met, Jockie, whither away? Thou wast so lousie the other day, Shall we two have a word or tway? Ha, ha, ha, by sweet St. Ann, Thy shoes, that thou wor'st when thou went'st to plow, Thy stockings, that were of northern blew, Ha, ha, ha, &c. Thy belt, that was made of a white leather thong, Thy garters, that were of Spanish say, Ha, ha, ha, &c. Thy doublet and breech, that were so playne, Ha, ha, ha, &c. "In the course of the discussion of this subject, one member was committed to the tower for making some severe reflections on the Scots: this was Sir Christopher Piggott, one of the members for the county of. Buckingham. Speaking of the naturalization, he said, 'Let us not join murderers, thieves, and the roguish Scots, with the well deserving Scots. There is as much difference between them as between a judge and a thief. He would speak his conscience, without flattery of any creature whatsoever. They have not suffered above two kings to die in their beds these two hundred years. Thy bonnet of blew, which thou wor'st hither, Our king James hath hardly escaped them; they have attempted him.* Now he is come from among them, let us free him from such attempts hereafter.' Although this speech excited much surprise in the house, yet it passed without censure, until, in consequence of a message from the king, blaming Thy cloake, which was made of a home-spun thread, To keep thy skonce from wind and weather, Westminster-hall was cover'd with lead, the neglect of the house, Sir Christopher The Scotchmen have begg'd it to buy them bread; Piggot was expelled the house and commit ted to the tower, where he remained some time." Alluding to the Gowrie's conspiracy. The devil take all such Jockies away. Ha, ha, ha, &c. (Literary Gazette.) DIFFERENT THOUGHTS; Suggested by a Picture by G. S. Newton,* No. 16, in the British Gallery, and representing a Girl looking at her Lover's Miniature. Which is the truest reading of thy look ? JUST one look before I sleep, I have heard the deep tolled chime When our last Good night!' was said: Yet thy shadow) in the light Of the fair moon. Now, Good night! We have flowers to plant and cull,- Yes, every lineament of thine Full well, the painter's skill hath given; That forehead the proud spirit's shrine, The lightning of that eye's dark heaven. Yes, here at least thou art the same As once thou wert in years departed, How many a dark and bitter thought To hopes betrayed, to hearts forsaken. The clouds, the coldness of December, Why should they pause on moments gone? *Tis scaring wounds when they remember. [An American artist] Drear was the hour of youth to me, My hopes were stars that fell when lightest ;' But one sweet dream still clung to Thee, My first, my best, my last, my brightest. Would I could live that time again, When life was but a void without thee! To me 'twere worth an age of pain To feel once more I did not doubt thee. But, like this picture-frame, thy heart A darker and a meaner part, Bright coloured, but cold and unfeeling! Farewell to love for ever past, Farewell to the dear hopes that leave me ! I'd almost, could that bid them last, Wish that thou couldst again deceive me! I must turn from this idol: I am kneeling I am as one who sleeps beneath the power Of some wild dream: hopes, fears,and burning throbs Of strange delight, dizzy anxieties, And looks and words dwelt upon overmuch, I would bring order to my troubled thoughts; calm As a young bird's beneath its parent wing; του,) And then have trembled lest they should be heard. A calm and quiet pulse; yet I will own, But he rides for the home he has pined to see, In the court, in the camp, in captivity. He reached the castle, the gate was thrown Open and wide, but he stood there alone; He entered the door,-his own step was all That echoed within the deserted hall; He stood on the roof of the ancient tower, And for banner there waved one pale wall-flower; Hearts, but not to keep them. Tell me not you love And for sound of the trumpet and sound of the horn, Intensely, wholly, well, as I have done. But oh, farewell, farewell! I give thy portrait To the red flames,—it is a sacrifice On which I swear forgetfulness! L.E. L. Portrait of a Girl in the British Gallery, by T. Stewardson. I do but give faint utterance to the thoughts In truth, dear Love, 'twas a fitting gift A spring-flower wreath, whose short sweet life You are a gay and gallant love, The wooer that woman likes best, With a heart that roves like that eastern bird Never was lover more suited to me; My heart is yet lighter than thine ; Did it change like the vane with each wind that blows, It could not change oftener than mine. He is come from the land of the sword and shrine, Save the brow star white as the foam of the sea, The last love gift of his lady fair: It bore for device a cross and a dove, And the words "I am vowed to my God and my love!" He comes not back the same that he went, been spent ; His golden hair has a deeper brown, And his brow has caught a darker frown And the shade of the south o'er his cheek is spread; And wild the light of his fiery eye; And proud in the lists were the maiden bright Who might claim the Knight of the Cross for her knight. Came the scream of the owl on the night wind borne: And the turrets were falling, the vassals were flown He stood alone, the last of his race, With the cold wide world for his dwelling place. Where his father, his brothers, his kinsman were slain; For a blasted tree is upon his shield, And the motto he bears, is "I fight for a grave:" He found it-that Warrior has died with the brave! L. E. L. THE ROSE. Nursed by the zepbyr's balmy sighs Must withering droop at fate's decree; Yet go, and on her bosom die ; At once, blest rose! thy throne and tomb; Love shall thy graceful bent advise, Oh, Rose! a lover's vengeance bear; |