"A gentleman entered the room, bearing a rod, and along with him another, bearing a table-cloth, which, after they had both kneeled, three times, with the utmost veneration, he spread upon the table, and after kneeling again, they both retired; then came two others, one with the rod again, the other with a salt-cellar, a plate, and bread; when they had kneeled as the others had done, and placed what was brought upon the table, they too retired with the same ceremonies performed by the first; at last came an unmarried lady (we were told she was a countess), and along with her a married one, bearing a tasting-knife; the former was dressed in white silk, who, when she had prostrated herself three times in the most graceful manner, approached the table, and rubbed the table with bread and salt, with as much awe as if the queen had been present. When they had waited there a little while, the yeomen of the guard entered, bare-headed, clothed in scarlet, with a golden rose upon their backs, bringing in, at each turn, a course of dishes, served in plate, most of it gilt; these dishes were received by a gentleman, in the same order they were brought, and placed upon the table, while the lady taster gave to each guard a mouthful to eat of the particular dish he had brought, for fear of any poison. During the time that this guard (which consists of the tallest and stoutest men that can be found in all England, being carefully selected for this service) were bringing dinner, twelve trumpets, and two kettledrums made the hall ring for half an hour together. At the end of all this ceremonial, a number of unmarried ladies appeared, who, with particular solemnity, lifted the meat from the table, and conveyed it to the queen's inner and more private chamber, where, after she had chosen for herself, the rest goes to the ladies of the court. "The queen dines and sups alone, with very few attendants; and it is very seldom that any body, foreigner or native, is admitted at that time, and then only at the intercession of somebody in power." MARSHAL JUNOT'S LIBRARY. THE splendid library of Junot, duke of Abrantes, was sold by auction in London, in June 1816. It principally consisted of works published by Didot, and printed by him and Bodoni of Parma, upon vellum, manufactured expressly for the marshal, at a very great expence. The following were a few of the articles sold, with their prices : "Euvres de Crebillon," 4 vols. best edition. Printed by Didot, upon vellum, with plates, by Peyton; proofs before the letters; proofs with only the artists' names; etchings; and a fourth set of the plates, in colours. Paris, 1797. Sold for 261. 5s. "Oratio Dominica," in 155 linguas versa et Exoticis Characteribus plerumque expressa; red morocco. Parma, 1806. Sold for 14/. "Homeri Ilias," Græcè, 3 vols. A magnificent book; Parma, 1808. When Buonaparte assumed the iron crown of Italy, Bodoni undertook this edition of the Iliad, avowing that he meant to present the emperor with the most perfect specimen of the art of printing which could be produced. Sold for 197. 19s. "Horatii Opera." Printed in vellum, by Didot, with the exquisitely beautiful original drawings, by Percier, inserted; also a set of proof plates. Paris, 1799. This, and the two following articles, may be considered as chefs-d'œuvre; they exhibit the perfection of the art of printing upon vellum. The exquisite beauty of the vellum, and the skill of the printer, cannot be surpassed. Two copies only were printed upon vellum, and Didot states, that he picked the sheets of this from both. Sold for 140/. "Fables de la Fontaine," 2 vols. Printed upon vellum, by Didot. A most splendid and magnificent book. Paris, 1802. Of this edition, only two copies were printed upon vellum. Didot states, at the commencement of the volume, that he picked every sheet from both copies. The beauty of the vellum leaves nothing to be desired by the most fastidious eye; and to render this copy more interesting, the admirable original drawings of Percier are inserted, and a set of proof plates. Sold for 170/. 66 Longus," Græcè. A most splendid and magnificent copy, upon vellum. Paris, 1802. This splendid volume is unique. Didot states, that he took it off upon vellum, expressly for the duke of Abrantes. The original drawings by Prudhon, and a set of proof plates are inserted. Sold for 731. 10s. In this sale, it was expected there would have been the celebrated Bible, which Junot carried off from Portugal, but it was not transmitted with the rest of the library. The government of Portugal was so anxious to redeem this great curio sity, that they offered the marshal's widow eighty thousand livres for it; but the duchess refused it, saying, that from the reverence and respect in which she held the memory of her husband, she could not part with it for less than 150,000 livres ! LINES BY HENRY VIII. THE eagle's force subdues each bird that flies: Doth not the sun dazzle the clearest eyes, And melt the ice, and make the frost retire? ILLUSTRATIONS OF BRITISH HISTORY. ABOUT thirty years ago, Mr. Lodge published a work, which he intitled, "Illustrations of British History." It consists of a series of letters, written between the reign of Henry VIII. and that of James I., selected from the manuscripts of the families of Howard, Talbot, and Cecil. Considering how much history may be illustrated by such documents, it is to be regretted, that the treasures in the British Museum, are not more frequently applied to that purpose than they are; and particularly that the three volumes of Historical Letters, collected and transcribed by Dr. Birch, have never been given to the public. As a proof of the value of such collections, it may only be necessary to enumerate a few of the historical facts ascertained by the letters published by Mr. Lodge. They prove, among other things, That the article of gunpowder, which Baker, and other writers, insisted was not made till the reign of Elizabeth, had been manufactured as early as the reign of Henry the Seventh; 66 That instructions were issued by king Henry the Eighth, for raising money from his subjects by loving contributions;" probably the same kind of oppressive exactions as the "patriotic contributions" of the French, at the commencement of the Revolution; That in the time of Edward the Sixth, the houses in London, belonging to the suppressed monasteries, sold at fifteen years' purchase, which, for that time, was a good price; That wine was much used in those days, and among other purposes for bathing; That the earls of Shrewsbury and Leicester, lord Burleigh, and other noblemen, were engaged in trade, particularly in such articles as were the produce of their mines and estates; And that the courtiers of that period could feel and express a spirit of independence, when occasion required. The earl of Sussex writes to lord Burleigh, "Sooner than be a camelion, and yield no other shew than as it shall please others to give the colour, I will content myself to live a private life." Addison gives a similar sentiment to his hero in the tragedy of Cato. Such are a few of the curious facts which these papers bring to light. WASHINGTON ON A MARRIED LIFE. THE following elegant letter, on a very interesting subject, from the pen of the celebrated Washington, has been communicated to the present collector by a learned American. It has not, he believes, appeared before in any European publication. Letter from General Washington to the Marquis de Chastellux Mount Vernon, April 25th, 1788. My dear Marquis, In reading your friendly and acceptable letter of the 21st December, 1787, which came to hand by last mail, I was, as you may well suppose, not less delighted than surprised, to come across that plain American word " my wife." A wife! Well, my dear marquis, I can hardly refrain from smiling, to find you are caught at last. I saw, by the eulogium you often made on the happiness of domestic life in America, that you had swallowed the bait, and that you would, as sure as you are a philosopher and a soldier, be taken, one day or other. So your day has at length come. I am glad of it with all my life and soul. It is good enough for you: now you are so well served for coming to fight in favour of the American rebels all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, by catching that terrible contagion, which, like the small-pox or the plague, a man can only have once in his life, because it commonly lasts him (at least with us in America: I don't know how you manage these matters in France) for his life-time. And yet, after all the maledictions you so richly merit on the subject, the worst wish I can find it in my heart to make against Madame de Chastellux and yourself, is, that you may neither of you get the better of this domestic felicity during the course of your mortal existence. If so wonderful an event should have occasioned me, my dear marquis, to have written in a strange style, you will understand me as clearly as if I had said, (what, in plain English, is simple truth); do me the justice to believe, that I take heartfelt interest in whatever concerns your happiness; and in this view, I sincerely congratulate you on your auspicious matrimonial connexion. I am happy to find that Madame de Chastellux is so immediately connected with the Duchess of Orleans, as I have always understood that this noble lady was an illustrious pattern of connubial love, as well as an excellent model of virtue in general. While you have been making love under the banner of Hymen, the great personages of the north have been making war under the inspiration, or rather the infatuation of Mars. Now, for my part, I humbly conceive you had much the best and wisest of the bargain; for certainly it is more consonant to all the principles of reason and religion (natural and revealed) to replenish the earth with inhabitants, rather than depopulate it by killing those already in existence; besides, it is time for the age of knight-errantry and mad heroism to be at an end. Your young military men, who want to reap the harvest of laurels, don't care, I suppose, how many seeds of war are sown; but, for the sake of humanity, it is devoutly to be wished, that the manly employment of agriculture, and the humanizing benefits of commerce, should supersede the waste of war and the rage of conquest; that the swords might be turned into plough-shares, the spears into pruning-hooks, and, as the Scriptures express it, the nations learn war no more." 66 I will now give you a little news from this side of the Atlantic, and then finish. As for us, we are plodding on in the dark road of peace and politics. We, who live in these ends of the earth, only hear of the rumours of war, like the roar of distant thunder. It is to be hoped our remote |