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Never mind, Madam, Balaam's ass was frightened by an Angel." The Times, Aug. 24,'24.

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XVII. THE RETORT.

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The Marquess del Carpio, a grandee of Spain, in giving the holy water to a Lady, who presented him, according to Lord Byron's Sardanapalus, her lank bird-like right hand,' ornamented with a fine diamond, said, loud enough to be heard, ‘I had rather have the ring than the hand.' The Lady, taking him instantly by the golden collar of his Order, said, ' And I the halter rather than the Ass.'" The Observer, Aug. 29,'24.

XVIII. FOOTE.

A noble duke, who was much addicted to the bottle, on a masquerade-night asked Foote, with whom he was intimate, 'What new character he should go in ? Go sober,' said Foote." The Times, Sept. 8, 1824.

XIX. GENERAL MINA.

"We have much pleaure in stating that General Mina is completely recovered from the indisposition, with which he was afflicted, when he arrived in this Country. He has had the advantage during that time of the skill and attentions of Sir Astley Cooper and Dr Gaitskell, who have both, in the handsomest manner, refused to accept any remuneration." The Times, Sept. 20, 1824.

XX. Anecdote of a Welsh Judge.

"A Welsh Judge, celebrated as a suitor for all sorts of places, and his neglect of personal cleanliness, was thus addressed by MR JEKYLL,- As you have asked the Ministers for every thing else, why have you never asked them for a piece of soap, and a nail-brush ?"" The Times, Oct 2, 1824.

XXI. LORD ELDON AND JEKYLL.

It was the practice of Lord Eldon to pronounce the word

lien, lion; Sir Arthur Pigott always pronounced it lean. JeKYLL jocosely wrote the following lines,

Sir Arthur, Sir Arthur, pray what do you mean

By saying the Chancellor's LION is LEAN?

Sir Arthur, Sir Arthur, what mean you by that?

Is there nought in the Chancellor's kitchen can FAT?

XXII. "AN EPITAPH :

A little Spirit slumbers here,
Who to one heart was very dear;

Oh, he was more than life or light,

Its thoughts by day-its dream by night!
The chill winds came-the young flowers faded
And died: the grave its sweetness shaded.
Fair Boy, thou shouldst have wept for me,
Not I have had to mourn o'er thee;
Yet not long shall this sorrowing be-
These roses I have planted round,

To deck thy dear and consecrated ground;
When spring-gales next these roses wave,
They'll blush upon thy Mother's grave.”

The Iris or the Sheffield Advertiser, Oct. 5, 1824.

XXIII. SHERIDAN.

"The late R. B. Sheridan being once on a Parliamentary Committee, happened to enter the room, when most of the Members were present and seated, though business had not yet commenced; when perceiving that there was not another seat in the room, he with his usual readiness said, Will any gentleman move that I may take the chair?" The Courier, Oct. 11, 1824.

XXIV. MISS RANDLES.

"Her late Majesty, Queen Caroline, then Princess of Wales, took great interest in the welfare of the celebrated little minstrel, Miss Randles: she was invited to pass a few days at Blackheath, where she was introduced to the Princess Charlotte, who became very much attached to her. One day, while amus

ing themselves in some innocent pastime, the Princess Charlotte. said to Miss Randles:- Do you know that my Grandfather is King of England, and my Father Prince of Wales?' 'Well,' quickly replied Bessy, and my Father is Organist of Wrexham.' Dictionary of Musicians." The Times, Oct. 30, 1824.

XXV. Anecdote of a little girl.

A little girl about ten years of age, was on her first arrival at the school kept by the Miss Hintons at Hayes in Middlesex, asked by some of the young ladies what her father was? She with great pomposity replied, 'My father is Canon Residentiary of St. Paul's and my uncle is Plenipotentiary at Madrid.'

XXVI. Curran.

"Mr. Curran being asked, 'What an Irish Gentleman, just arrived in England, could mean by perpetually putting out his tongue,' answered, 'I suppose he is trying to catch the English accent." The Sunday-Times, April 24, 1825.

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XXVII. LORD BYRON'S LINES, FOUND IN HIS BIBLE.
Within this awful volume lies

The mystery of mysteries.

Oh! happiest they of human race,
To whom our God has given grace
To hear, to read, to fear, to pray,
To lift the latch, and force the way;
But better had they ne'er been born,
Who read to doubt, or read to scorn.

The Sunday Times, April 24, 1825.

The

They are not much like his Lordship's composition either in sentiment or diction, but they are worth preserving." Iris or the Sheffield Advertiser, May 12, 1825.

XXVIII. "MR CURRAN AND FATHER O'LEARY.

One day Mr Curran said to Father O'Leary the well

known Roman Catholic Priest, 'Reverend Father, I wish that you were Saint Peter.' And why, Counsellor, would you wish that I was St Peter?' said O'Leary. Because, Reverend Father, in that case you would have the keys of heaven, and you could let me in.' 'By my honour and conscience, Counsellor,' replied the Divine, it would be better for you that I had the keys of the other place; for then I could let you out.' Curran enjoyed the joke, which, he admitted, had a good deal of reason in it." The Iris or the Sheffield-Advertiser, May 31, 1825.

XXIX. "LORD MANSFIELD.

When this sagacious Nobleman was on the Circuit, a woman was indicted for witchcraft. The inhabitants of the place were exasperated against her, and among other proofs of her being a witch, they deposed that she had been seen walking in the air with her feet upwards. His Lordship heard the evidence with great patience and tranquillity, and deeming it not prudent to irritate the people by scouting the indictment, in the terms which it deserved, he thus addressed them: 'Admitting that this woman has walked in the air, as you have said, with her feet upwards, she was born in England as well as yourselves; she consequently can only be judged by the laws of the country: now as I know not of any law, that forbids walking in the air with the feet upwards, we all have a right to do so with impunity. I see, therefore, no reason for this prosecution, and the poor woman may return home, when she pleases, either walking in the air, or on earth, as she finds most convenient.'” Courier, Oct. 4, 1825.

XXX. SIR ROBERT WALPOLE.

The

"When Sir Robert Walpole's administration was, during a Debate in the House of Lords, directily arraigned for the practice of bribery and corruption, the Bishop of Bangor openly justified such means, using this argument; 'We are become

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so very wicked, that it is impossible to keep us within the bounds of our duty, without bribery and corruption.' The witty Minister, being rather astounded at this too plain avowal of his arts, remarked, in allusion to the Bishop, He was always the same; I remember when we were schoolboys, and went to bathe, I used to go into the water step by step, shuddering and shaking, but he plunged in over head and ears at once." The Courier, Oct. 6, 1825.

XXXI. Lord Erskine and Dr Parr.

"Dr Parr and Lord Erskine are said to have been the vainest

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men of their time. At dinner some years since, Dr Parr, in ecstacies with the conversational powers of Lord Erskine, called out to him, 'My Lord, I mean to write your epitaph.' 'Dr Parr,' replied the Noble Lawyer, it is a temptation to commit suicide."" The County-Herald, Oct. 8, 1825. This story is extracted from the Memorabilia in the London-Magazine, and bears marks of a bad spirit in the Writer. I once mentioned the matter to Dr Parr, who replied with his habitual candour that he one day met his Lordship walking in London, and in the course of their conversation, which had some allusion to Inscriptions, observed to him that he had written an Epitaph for his Lordship. Have you indeed?' replied Lord Erskine with his accustomed pleasantry, why, that is a temptation to suicide.' Now this is a very different story from the other, which first asserts the vanity of Dr Parr, and then alters the circumstances of a fact to prove it. Dr Parr might be at times vain; he might be at times proud; but on this occasion the feelings, which actuated him, had nothing to do with vanity. nor had his Lordship's reply: Dr P. wished to express his admiration of his Lordship's talents and virtues, his desire to commemorate them, and his personal esteem for his Lordship; he thought that his own Latinity could not be dedicated to a nobler use or a more sacred purpose, and if he had not felt pride at the announcement of his having written an Epitaph for Lord

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