says, "to the pleasant days that were gone and past,"-for the lady deserted Signor Pegaso, and married his rival. In July 1580, Spenser was, by the influence of the Earl of Leicester and Sir Philip Sydney, appointed secretary to Lord Grey, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He afterwards received, on his return to England, a grant of a considerable property in the county of Cork from Queen Elizabeth. His residence, every spot around which is classic ground, is described by Smith in his Natural and Civil History of the County of Cork. The castle was then nearly level with the ground. It must have been a noble situation: a plain almost surrounded by mountains, with a lake in the middle; and the river Mulla, so often mentioned by Spenser, running through his grounds. In this romantic retreat he was visited by the noble and injured Sir Walter Raleigh, himself an accomplished scholar and poet, under whose encouragement he committed his Faery Queen to the press.

III. Quaintness of Expression.

It is difficult to define precisely what we mean by the common term, "quaintness of expression." It implies, I think, great simplicity of thought and language-with a certain dryness, which is humorous, from the perfect gravity and good faith in which the thought is given, and the absence of all intention to excite ludicrous ideas. It is, in some respect, synonymous to the French naïvé. L should say, for instance, that the following sentence regarding poetical physicians was quaint.

"Such physicians as I have marked to be good practitioners, do all piddle somewhat in the art of versifying, and raise up their contemplation very high-and their verses are not of any rare excellencie."

English Translation of Huarte's

Examen de Ingenio. In the Poem of Psyche, or Love's Mystery, by Dr J. Beaumont, we have an example of quaintness of poetical expression, in the description which Aphrodisius gives of the court paid to him, and the pretty messages sent him by the ladies.

"How many a pretty embassy have I Receiv'd from them, which put me to my wit How not to understand-but by-and-by Some comment would come smiling after it. But I had other thoughts to fill my head, Books call'd me up and books put me to bed.” VOL. I.

The following ludicrous title of a collection of old poems by George Gascoigne, has the appearance of being too intentionally absurd to be called quaint.

"A hundred sundrie flowers bound up in one small posie, gathered partly by translation, in the fine and outlandish gardens of Euripides, Ovid, Petrarch, Ariosto, and others, and partly by invention, out of our own fruitful gardens of England-yielding and moral discourses, both pleasant and sundrie sweet savours of tragicall, comicall, profitable to the well smelling noses of learned readers."

IV. Stage Directions.

It appears from the stage directions in some of our oldest English plays, that parts of the minor speeches were left to the discretion and invention of the actors themselves. This at least would appear, from the following very ludicrous note in Edward IV. " Jockey is led whipping over the stage speaking some words, but of small importance.'

CROMLIX OR DUNBLANE MINERAL SPRING, &c.

MR EDITOR,

WHILE I by no means intend to detract from the celebrity of the salubrious mineral waters of Pitcaithly, &c. yet I cannot refrain from making your readers acquainted with a mineral spring which has lately come into notice in the estate of Cromlix, the property of the Earl of Kinnoul. Cromlix lies about one mile and a half north from Dunblane, and about seven miles in the same direction from the town of Stirling. Indeed there are two springs ; and Dr Murray of Edinburgh, the celebrated chemist, in an ingenious paper communicated to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, has given the following analysis of these, and of Pitcaithly. In a pint of the water of Cromlix north spring. South spring. Muriate of Soda,.........24 grs. Muriate of lime, Sulphate of lime, Carbonate of lime, **

Oxide of iron,

18 3.5

0.5 0.17

46.17 Of Pitcaithly.

22.5

...16

2.3

0.3

0.15

41.25

Muriate of soda, 13.4 grains. Muriate of lime,19.5 Sulphate of lime,

0.9

of his reach, an addition was procured, but from the situation in which he stood it was necessary to give the He earope a pendulous motion. gerly snatched the end with a death grasp, and immediately swung by it. Those above, by the sudden jerk, were nearly precipitated into the gulph. Yet, alas! he had still another difficulty to encounter, for near the brow of the precipice the elbow of a cruel seedling ash interposed itself between his arms and head. Self-preservation, however, gave nerve to this last effort, and let ting go one hand, he extricated himself, and was safely landed on the precipitous bank.

Let the traveller, Mr Editor, view the Caldron Lin, and believe my detail if he can. I will forgive him for being sceptic. I am, it is true, anonymous to all but to yourself, but he will find the testimony, not only of the worthy dominie of Muckart, but of all the country around, to corroborate it.

I shall not attempt, in any language of mine, to describe those terrific caldrons, but shall finish with an excerpt from a poem of the late George Wallace, Esq. advocate, descriptive of these linns.

"For see, the river breaks its bands, And rapid darts its rocky bed along A narrow stream, and wreathed and through the gate

In dreadful fury, boisterous bursts its way Résistless, terrible he thunders down Precipitous, and swelled, a second height, Abrupter, broader, higher, than the first. Two slender trees grew wild above the lin. Their roots half fix'd in earth and half in

air;

My doubtful stand I took between their

trunks.

-My flesh

Grew cold-I feel it yet: the torrent pours! I hear it roar! Its wrathful shrieks! and

dash

In rage its foaming waters 'gainst the rocks!"

But to return, Mr Editor, to my outset, I would seriously advise you, after you have got your July, or perhaps August, impression of your Magazine thrown off, to visit the CROMLIX spring; and as an inducement, I may tell you, as you are a man of books, there is a most valuable library at Dunblane, which was originally founded by Bishop Leighton, access to which you and others can have. I am yours, STRILA..

Prospects from Hills in Fife.

His fo*

Leyden.

LEYDEN is a delightful city, and in appearance the healthiest town I have seen in Holland. The broad street (I have already forgotten the Dutch name, though I have given the English signification) in which I took up my residence, is the principal one, and, if straight, would be very fine; it is pretty broad, of great length, and remarkably clean. In it is situated the Stadhouse (Town-house), a strange building, which seems to combine several orders of architecture, without exemplifying any; a circumstance which is pretty common in most parts of the world. I went through this house with the hope of seeing some good pictures, but in this I was disappointed. There are, however, a few paintings worthy of inspection. The portraits, by Jan Schouten, of the Captains and other Officers who served in the train-bands during the famous siege of Leyden, are good; also, some parts of the Execution of the Sons of Brutus, by Carl de Moor. There are some fine expressions of the dreadful misery of a besieged city, and of the horrors of famine, in the relief of Leyden, by Hendrie Van Veen. The Crucifixion, and Taking from the Cross, by C. V. Engelbrecht, is paltry, stiff, and unnatural; and the Last Judgment, by Lucas Van Leyden, is vulgar in the extreme. I remember, before leaving Germany, of having been informed, that a celebrated painting of the Judgment, by Huygens, was preserved here; but I suppose it was seized by the rapacity of the French, who have probably forgotten to return it, at least, I could learn nothing concerning it in Leyden.

modern cities, and truly interesting, This is one of the most classical of from the number of great men who have been born or educated within its walls. Its university is the most ancient in Holland, and famous, as well for the many illustrious characters who at different periods have filled its chairs with so much honour and ability, as from the peculiar circumstances under which it originated. The Prince of Orange being duly impressed with the unequalled gallantry displayed by the inhabitants during the great siege by

the Spaniards in 1574, and desirous of inanifesting his gratitude for the important services which their example had conterred on the cause of liberty, and as a reward for their individual valour, proposed to the inhabitants of the town, the choice of their exemption from the payment of certain taxes, or the foundation of a university. Notwithstanding the impoverished state to which they must necessarily have been reduced in consequence of such a severe and long protracted siege, they wisely and nobly preferred the latter; and thus, in the hour of poverty and affliction, established the rudiments of an institution, with the fame of which, ere long, "all Europe rung."

In the course of my peregrinations, I formed an acquaintance with a bookseller of considerable intelligence (rara avis), whose name I forget. He is librarian to the university, and curator of its valuable Greek and Latin and Oriental manuscripts, and obligingly offered me an inspection of every object of curiosity under his charge. Having agreed to meet him at the library, which is contained in a building apart from the college, I stept in for a moment to look at the lecture rooms. There I found every thing dark, gloomy, and forlorn-an air of desertion and "faded splendour wan," pervaded the whole interior of the building. The professors chairs are large and heavy, with huge canopies, like the pulpits in some old churches; and the seats of the sadly diminished students are huddled together at the foot of them, as if with the intention of keeping alive, by concentration, the few sparks of animation and intellectual life which still exist. The whole aspect of things presented a most sad and striking contrast between the present state and that of the olden time. Who could have supposed that those still and dreary abodes, where even the glimmerings of philosophy were scarcely discernible, were at one period the very head and front of learning, and the resort of many of the brightest luminaries in the annals of science? Where was the light which here descended on the Swedish Sage? where the glory of the renowned Boerhaave? The ashes of the latter were beneath our feet, but his spirit

seemed fled for ever

okam told the number of students is very limited; should the olive continue to flourish on the earth, the

renown of its ancient name may again attract the youth of Europe to its classic ground; and if the professors are men of talent and judgment, I know not any place more fitted for a calm and placid, yet enthusiastic turn of mind, a state, of all others the most favourable to intellectual improvement; and while, at the same time, the shady groves of the suburbs, and the academic appearance of the streets, would induce vigour of constitution and cheerfulness of temper, the remembrance of what had been achiev ed by others, and that, too, under the most unfavourable circumstances, would animate the mind, and inspire even the least sanguine, with the hope of one day reaping the good fruits of learning and research.

I went to the library, where I found my newly acquired friend true to his appointment. He shewed me many old books worthy of attention, and sundry manuscripts of exceeding beauty, great age, and exquisite perfection. A manuscript copy of the Iliad, written on vellum, and richly illuminated, deserves inspection; also, an illuminated copy of Virgil on the same material. Divers MSS. of Dutchmen with long names, of great celebrity, of whom I had never before heard a syllable, were shewn me; and many books with the annotations of Scaliger, and a MS. holograph of that author, besides very many others, each worthy of a volume.

I must never cease to remember the ingenious and valuable present of the late king, Louis Bonaparte, to the collection of the library. It is the work of a German, and consists of 135 volumes, formed of wood. The binding of each book is formed of a different tree; the back is ornamented with pieces of the bark, and such mosses, lichens, and other parasitical plants, as characterise the species. Each volume opens, as it were, in the centre of the leaves, and contains the bud, leaves, flower, fruit, farina, and every other part in any degree illustrative of the nature of the tree. It affords a complete and scientific exemplification of 135 trees, beginning with the oaks, and ending with the juniper; and, in fact, may be considered as a brief and perfect epitome of the German groves and forests. In the case of plants, such as the rose and juniper, the lig neous parts of which are not suffi

ciently large for the purposes required, the binding is formed of some ordinary wood, sprinkled over with fine moss, and then elegantly barred with the rose or juniper wood, giving the volume the appearance of a valuable old manuscript with iron clasps. On the whole, it is one of the most ingenious and complete productions I have

bever seen.

- My friend the librarian was, I found, one of the chief causes of the most valuable manuscripts in the collection not being transferred to Paris. He was continued in office during the administration of the French; and being naturally inimical to that nation, he endeavoured, by every device in his power; to elude their rapacity, and to prevent the manuscripts from being seen by the Savans who visited LeyAiden.

One professor was appointed by Bonaparte, and took up his residence in the city, with the avowed and express purpose of procuring whatever was rare or curious, for the adornment bof the capital of the Great Nation. The keys were frequently demanded from our friend, for the purposes of investigation; and the demand was as often eluded by him, under the pretence of their being in the charge of some professor or other, who was either confined by sickness, or under the necessity of residing a few days in the country. In this manner the matter was fortunately delayed, until the great and unexpected revolution took place, which rendered such pre-cautions unnecessary; and the chief tractor in the scheme, who seemeth passionately fond of the black letter, has happily survived to enjoy the fruits of his resolute and praiseworthy conruduct.

I then journeyed unto the gardens of the university, where I knew there were several things worthy of note. By this time, however,

Twilight gray *Had in her sober livery all things clad,"

a

so that I could not indulge in a very to minute inspection. I saw, however, e enough to interest me. There are many beautiful specimens of rare foforeign trees and shrubs; particularly tree planted by the hands of Boerhaave, and a majestic palm, which existed in the time of Clusius, the first professor of botany at Leyden, and one of the

earliest and most successful cultivators of that science, after the revival of learning in Europe. There are also a number of fine hot-house plants, band a good collection of the indigenous plants of Holland, with a beautiful specimen of an Indian water lily, which seems to bear a striking resemblance to that which occurs so frequently in the canals of the country.

In a room adjoining the hot-houses there is a cabinet of antiques, in which the remnants of some ancient statues are well worthy of inspection. Most of these are in a very imperfect and mutilated state; and such as have been repaired by modern artists, mournfully illustrate the decline of the noble art. I never saw an ancient Greek or Roman statue, to which a head or limb had been added by the ingenuity of the present times, which did not appear to be labouring under a severe attack, either of rheumatism or gout. A worthy gardener, who was the only person with whom I conversed during this part of my ramble, seemed grievously afflicted with the apathy which, he said, had affected the curators of the collection. He admitted that some of the statues had been much improved, but could not comprehend why the proposal of a French worker in plaster of Paris should have been rejected, who offered not only to repair those which were incomplete, but even to furnish new and entire figures, in the place of such as might be deemed too much decayed to admit of being effectually mended.

1

I found a description of this collection in a bookseller's shop, by Oudendorp. It was bequeathed to the university in 1745, by Gerard van Papenbroeck.

The shades of night were now rapidly descending, and the storks, which had nestled on the top of an old conservatory, were clamorous for my departure. I therefore bade adieu to my friend the gardener, who civilly thanked me for my visit, and hoped, that when I returned I should find matters in rather better order. I of course heartily joined in his wish, that the relics of almighty Rome" might all be whitewashed before the ensuing summer.ud pot no dudad star

Next morning I visited the theatre of anatomy, where there seems to be a good collection of subjects of every kind. The monstrous fetuses seemed