censers. sir, consider!-you have no actual intention of putting | not, however, as you suppose, dizzy with magnificence, such-such-barbarous threats into execution." nor drunk with the ecstatic breath of those innumerable "No what ?" said His Majesty-" come sir, strip!" C'est vrai que de toutes ces choses il a pensé "Strip indeed!-very pretty i' faith!-no, sir, I shall not strip. Who are you, pray, that I, Duc De L'Omelette, Prince de Foie-Gras, just come of age, author of the 'Mazurkiad,' and Member of the Academy, should divest myself at your bidding of the sweetest pantaloons ever made by Bourdon, the daintiest robe-de-chambre ever put together by Rombêrt-to say nothing of the taking my hair out of paper--not to mention the trouble I should have in drawing off my gloves?" * * * * * Le Pauvre Duc! He could not help imagining that the glorious, the voluptuous, the never-dying melodies which pervaded that hall, as they passed filtered and transmuted through the alchemy of the enchanted window panes, were the wailings and the howlings of the "Who am I?--ah, true! I am Baal-Zebub, Prince of hopeless and the damned! And there too-there-upon the Fly. I took thee just now from a rose-wood coffin that ottoman!-who could he be ?-he, the petit-maitre inlaid with ivory. Thou wast curiously scented, and no, the Deity-who sat as if carved in marble, et qui labelled as per invoice. Belial sent thee-my Inspector sourit, with his pale countenance, si amerement. of Cemeteries. The pantaloons, which thou sayest were made by Bourdon, are an excellent pair of linen Mais il faut agir-that is to say a Frenchman never drawers, and thy robe-de-chambre is a shroud of no scanty faints outright. Besides, his Grace hated a scene-De dimensions." "Sir!" replied the Duc, “I am not to be insulted | upon a table—some points also. The Duc had studied with impunity!-Sir! I shall take the earliest opportunity of avenging this insult!-Sir! you shall hear from me! In the meantime au revoir!--and the Duc was bowing himself out of the Satanic presence, when he was interrupted and brought back by a gentleman in waiting. Hereupon his Grace rubbed his eyes, yawned, shrugged his shoulders, reflected. Having become satisfied of his identity, he took a bird's eye view of his whereabouts. L'Omelette is himself again. There were some foils under B—, il avait tué ses six hommes. Now then il peut s'echapper. He measures two points, and, with a grace inimitable, offers his Majesty the choice. Horreur! his Majesty does not fence! Mais il joue !-what a happy thought! But his Grace had always an excellent memory. He had dipped in the "Diable" of the Abbé Gualtier. Therein it is said “que le Diable n'ose pas refuser un jeu d'Ecarté.” But the chances-the chances! True-desperate: but not more desperate than the Duc. Besides, was he not in the secret?—had he not skimmed over Pere Le Brun? was he not a member of the Club Vingt-un? “Si Je perds," said he, "Je serai deux fois perdu," I shall be doubly damned-voila tout! (Here his Grace shrugged his shoulders) Si Je gagne Je serai libre,—que les cartes soient prepareés ! * The apartment was superb. Even De L'Omelette pronounced it bien comme il faut. It was not very long, nor very broad,—but its height--ah, that was appalling! There was no ceiling--certainly none--but a dense, whirling mass of fiery-colored clouds. His Grace's brain reeled as he glanced upwards. From above, hung a chain of an unknown blood-red metal-its upper end lost, like C, parmi les nues. From its nether extremity hung a large cresset. The Duc knew it to be a ruby-but from it there poured a light so intense, so still, so terrible, Persia never worshipped such-Gheber never imagined such--Mussulman never dreamed of such when drugged with opium he has tottered to a bed of poppies, his back to the flowers, and his face to the God The cards are dealt. The trump is turned-it is—it Apollo! The Duc muttered a slight oath decidedly ap-is-the king! No-it was the queen. His Majesty probatory. The corners of the room were rounded into niches. Three of these were filled with statues of gigantic proportions. Their beauty was Grecian, their deformity Egyptian, their tout ensemble French. In the fourth niche the statue was veiled-it was not colossal. But then there was a taper ankle, a sandalled foot. De L'Omelette laid his hand upon his heart, closed his eyes, raised them, and caught his Satanic Majesty-in a blush. But the paintings!-Kupris! Astarte! Astoreth!-a thousand and the same! And Rafaelle has beheld them! Yes, Rafaelle has been here; for did he not paint the -? and was he not consequently damned? The paintings!—the paintings! O Luxury! O Love!-who gazing on those forbidden beauties shall have eyes for the dainty devices of the golden frames that lie imbedded and asleep against those swellings walls of eider down? His Grace was all care, all attention-his Majesty all confidence. A spectator would have thought of Francis and Charles. His Grace thought of his game. His Majesty did not think-he shuffled. The Duc coupa. cursed her masculine habiliments. De L'Omelette laid his hand upon his heart. They play. The Duc counts. The hand is out. His Majesty counts heavily, smiles, and is taking wine. The Duc slips a card. "C'est à vous à faire"-said his Majesty cutting. His Grace bowed, dealt, and arose from the table en presentant Roi. His Majesty looked chagrined. Had the drunkard not been Alexander, he would have been Diogenes; and the Duc assured his Majesty in taking leave "que s'il n'etait pas De L'Omelette il n'aurait point d'objection d'etre le Diable." THE ILIAD. Mr. H. N. Coleridge says there would be no difficulty in composing a complete epic poem with as much symmetry of parts as is seen in the Iliad, from the English But the Duc's heart is fainting within him. He is ballads on Robin Hood. RUSTIC COURTSHIP IN NEW ENGLAND. [From the lips of an Octogenarian.] Won by the charms Thomson. a while says father, says he to mother, "Suzy," says he, (for that was the way he always spoke to her-) "Suzy," says he, “I guess John has got tired of raking about so, and I'm glad of it." "I hope he has," says mother. "Well, one day we were all sitting at table,-mother of goodness irresistible. sot there, and father sot there,-and the hired man next "You see, ma'am," said the old man, "my mother him,--(for we had a hired man, and hired gul,) and died when I was twelve years old. About that time | Debby was next to mother, and the gal next, and I old Mr. C came down, and set up for a great mar-between the hired man and hired gal. Well, mother chant. Well, his wife was sick, and she sent to was joking the hired man and gal,-(she was a great where she came from, for a widow-woman to come and hand to joke,) and I cast an eye at Debby, and I thought, take care of her. This widow-woman had three chil-"I never see any body alter as you have, Debby!"dren. Her husband, had been a sea-faring man, and he was wrecked and lost down there at Halifax,-and left his wife with nothing at all, and these three children to take care of." "Well, my daddy, ma'am, fell in with her, some how or other, and married her. She was a nice woman-as good a mother as ever was,--and had great larning, and knew how to do every thing,-only she didn't know nothing about country-work, you see. Well, her oldest daughter came down, (for my dad had agreed to take one of the children,) and she was a nice gal; and a while after the boy came down. Well, there was nothing said; we all worked along; and the daughter she got married-married Mr. H, (you know his folks?) he broke his neck afterwards, falling from his horse." "Well, a while after this tother daughter came down. Debby was dreadful plain!-I thought she was dreadful plain!!-but she was a nice gal-smart, working-and good to every body. You see, there were four young children of the second crop, and they had got ragged; and Debby spun, and wove, and clothed, and mended them up. Well, she went back,-but they couldn't live without her, and sent for her again, and so she came. She took care of every thing-saw to my things, and had them all in order,—and every thing comfortable for me in the winter, when I went in the woods,-but I thought nothing, no more than if she'd been my sister." She looked handsome!-Well, Debby was weaving up 66 PALESTINE. Palestine derives its name from the Philistæi, who inhabited the coast of Judæa. It has also been called "The Holy Land" as being the scene of the birth, sufferings and death of our Redeemer. It was bounded on the north by Syria, on the east by Arabia Deserta, on the south by Arabia Petrea, and on the west by the Mediterranean. The principal divisions of the country were Galilea in the north, Samaria in the middle, and Judæa in the south. This country is at present under the Turkish yoke; and the oppression which it now experiences, as well as the visible effects of the divine displeasure, not only during the reign of Titus, and afterwards in the inundations of the northern barbarians, but also of the Saracens and Crusaders, are more "Well, by this time I was a youngish man; and in my day, the young folks had a sort of a frolic every night. I used to go,—and sometimes went home with one gal, sometimes with another,—but never thought of Debby. Well, there was a Mr. came to see her, but she wouldn't have nothing to say to him; and after that, one came from the Shoals-a rich man's son; his father gave him a complete new vessel, and every thing to load her; but Debby wouldn't have nothing to do with him nother. Then I wasn't worth so much as this stick!-Well, I wondered, and so I says to mother, "Mother, what's the reason Debby wont take this man?-she'll never better herself!"-"Don't you know, John?" says mother. "No." So I says to Debby-than sufficient to have reduced this country, which has "Why don't you have him, Debby ?" "Because," says Debby, says she, "if I can't have the one I want, I wont have nobody!" "Well, I thought nothing,-but went on, frolicking here, and frolicking there, till one night as I was going home, just towards day, with one of my mates, says I, "Tom," says I, "I wont go to another frolic these two months! If I do, I'll give you a dollar!"-" You?" says he-" you'll go afore two nights!" "Well, you'll see," says I.-Well, 1 stayed at home steady; and after been extolled by Moses, and even by Julian the Apostate, for its fecundity, to its present condition of a desert. Galilea, the northern division, is divided by Josephus into Upper Galilea, called Galilea of the Gentiles because inhabited by heathen nations-and Lower Galilea which was adjacent to the sea of Tiberias, and which contained the tribes of Zebulon and Ashur. Galilea was a very populous country: containing, according to Josephus 204 cities, and towns, and paying 200 talents in tribute. The middle district, Samaria, had its origin in a divi- | so beautiful that some have called it a terrestrial Parasion of the people of Israel into two distinct kingdoms, dise; though situated in a much higher region than the during the reign of Jeroboam. One of these kingdoms, greater part of the country, it enjoys perpetual spring— called Judah, consisted of such as adhered to the house the trees are always green, and the orchards full of fruit. of David, comprising the two tribes of Judah and Ben- Libanus has been famed for its cedars. Mount Carjamin. The other ten tribes retained the name of Is-mel is a celebrated mountain, properly belonging to raelites under Jeroboam. Their capital was Samaria, Samaria, but on which the Syrians had an altar, but which also became the name of their country. The not a temple, dedicated to their god Carmelus. A priest Samaritans and people of Judæa were bitter enemies. of this deity, according to Tacitus, (Lib. 2, cap. 78,) The former differed in many respects from the strict- foretold the accession of Vespasian to the throne. ness of the Mosaic law. Among the Judæans, the name of Samaritan was a term of reproach. The principal towns in Galilea were Dio-Cæsarea, Jotapata or Gath, Genesareth, and Tiberias. Tiberias was built by Herod, near the lake of the same name, and called after the emperor. After the taking of Jerusalem, there was at Tiberias a succession of Hebrew judges, till about the time of the abdication of Diocle The southern division, Judæa, did not assume that name until after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity-though it had been called long before "the kingdom of Judah,” in opposition to that of Israel. After the return, the tribe of Judah settled first at Jeru-sian and Maximinianus. Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis, salem; but afterwards spreading over the whole country, gave it the name of "Judæa." says that a Hebrew copy of St. John, and the Acts of the Apostles, was kept in this city. station of the Roman governors. Samaria was situated on Mount Sameron, and was the residence of the kings of Israel, from the time of Omri, its founder, to the overthrow of the kingdom. The only rivers of any note in Palæstine are the Jor- The chief cities of Samaria were Neapolis, Antipadanes, and the Leontes, which latter passes through the tris, Archelais, Apollonia, Samaria, and Cæsarea. Cænorthern extremity of Galilea. The Jordan, according sarea, was the principal, and was anciently called "Turto a curious story of Philip the Tetrarch, has its origin ris Stratonis. It was much embellished by Herod, who in a lake called Phiala, about ten miles north of Casa-named it Cæsarea in honor of Augustus-and was the rea of Samochon. This is said to have been ascertained by throwing into the lake some straw which came out where the river emerges from the ground, after having run fifteen miles beneath the surface of the earth-Mannert the German, thinks this fabulous, and places the source of the river in Mount Paneas, in the province of Dan. The Jordan holds a south-westerly course-flows through the lake Samochon, or Samochonites, or as it is called in the Bible, Merom; after which, proceeding onwards till received by the sea of Tiberias, or lake of Genesareth, it emerges from this, and is finally lost in the Dead Sea. In ancient times it overflowed its banks annually, about the period of early harvest; and thus differing from most other rivers, which generally swell in the winter, it was supposed to have a subterraneous communication with the Nile. But now, we can perceive no rise, which is probably owing to the channel having been deepened by the swiftness of the current. The name is supposed to be derived from the Hebrew "Jarden," on account of the river's rapid "descent" through the country. The Dead Sea, called also Asphaltites, from the "asphaltos," or bitumen, which it throws up, is situated in Judæa, and near 100 miles long and 25 broad: but is called by Tacitus "Lacus immenso ambitu." Its waters are extremely salt; but the vapors exhaled from them are found not to be so pestilential as they have been usually represented. It is supposed that the thirteen cities, of which Sodom and Gomorrah, as mentioned in the Bible, are the chief, were destroyed by a volcano, and once occupied the site of the Dead Sea. Earthquakes are now frequent in the country. Volumes of smoke are observed to issue from the lake, and new crevices are daily found on its margin. The country is mountainous. The range of Libanus, so named on account of their snowy summits, from the Hebrew "Lebanon,” white, is imperfectly defined. The principal part of them lies towards the north of Galilea, but the name of Libanus is sometimes given to several parallel chains, which run through the whole extent of Palestine. Between two of these ranges lay a valley In Judæa, were the cities of Engedi, Herodium, Hebron, Beersheba, Jericho, and Jerusalem. Jericho was in the tribe of Benjamin, near the river Jordan; and is called by Moses the city of palm-trees, from the palms in the adjacent plain, which are also noticed by Tacitus. It was destroyed by Joshua, but afterwards rebuilt. Jerusalem, the capital, was anciently called Salem, or Jebus, by the Jebusites, who were in possession of it till the time of David; but it was then called by the Hebrews Jeruschalaim, signifying "the possession of the inheritance of peace." "The Greeks and Romans called it by the name of Hierosolyma. It was built on several hills, of which Mount Sion, in the southern part of the city, was the largest. To the north was Acra, called the "second," or "lower city"-on the east of which was Solomon's temple, built on Mount Moriah. North-east of this was the Mount of Olives, and north of it Mount Calvary, the place of the crucifixion. This city was taken by Pompey, who thence derived his name of Hierosolymarius. It was also taken and destroyed by Titus, (in the year of our Lord 71, by the account of Tacitus-but according to Josephus,) on the 8th of Sept. A. D. 70-2177 years after its foundation. In this siege 110,000 persons are said to have perished, and 97,000 to have been made prisoners, and as Josephus relates, sold as slaves, or thrown to wild beasts for the sport of the conquerors. MARTORELLI. P. Martorelli was occupied for two years in a treatise to prove that the use of glass for windows was unknown to the ancients. Fifteen days after the publication of his folio, a house was found in Pompeii all whose windows were paned with glass. LIVING ALONE. BY T. FLINT. There are, to whom to live alone, Of laughing nature. Ah! 'twas then One shrug'd, and said, "he must confess, As more than due to friendship's claim." I was the happiest one that liv'd, And should have been, while she surviv'd. Men deem'd me dead, though still alive. And to my lot bow'd down my head- And strive, ere yet I pass away, THE VALLEY NIS. BY E. A. POE. Far away-far away— Far away-as far at least It is called the valley Nis: Once it smil'd a silent dell Now each visiter shall confess Thro' the terror-stricken sky, Rolling, like a waterfall, O'er th' horizon's fiery wall- Low crouched on Earth, some violets lie, NEW TESTAMENT. The Greek of the New Testament is by no means, whatever some zealots assert, the Greek of Homer, of Anacreon, or of Thucydides. It is thickly interspersed with Hebraisms, barbarisms, and theological expressions. The Evangelists differ much in style among themselves. St. Matthew is not as pure as St. John, nor he as St. Paul. St. Luke is the most correct-especially in the Acts. CASTELLANUS, OR THE CASTLE-BUILDER TURNED FARMER. A pleasing land of drowsy head it was Of dreams that wave before the half shut eye, And of gay castles in the clouds that pass Forever flushing round a summer sky. Thomson. MR. WHITE,—It is a long time since I threw my mite into the treasury of your book; Nugator's occupation's gone! was my ejaculation when last I wrote to you. The same devouring element which has recently plunged New York in misery and gloom, had just then triumphed over much of my earthly possessions, but over none more foolishly prized than sundry small wares which were intended for your market. As there was no prospect of getting Congress to extend the time of the payment of my bonds, to which one would think I was as justly entitled as the rich merchant, I had to set to work as best I might to repair the ravages of fire. In the midst of saws and hammers, of bricks and mortar, my ideas have been so vulgarized, that you must not expect to see a Phoenix rise from my ashes. From me you must never expect any thing but trifles, as my signature portends; yet when I reflect that this world is made up of small things as well as great, and that the former are as essential to constitute a whole as the latter, and that your book ought no more than the world to consist altogether of the grand, but should sonetimes admit the trifling, I am encouraged to begin again, although already scorched by more fires than one, having encountered the fire of some of your critics. As the mouse sets off to greater advantage the bulk of the mammoth, the critics should rather be pleased than otherwise, to see my wretched skeleton in contrast with the vast proportions of some of your contributors,—but enough. Romances and novels made my neighbor Castellanus a castle-builder; nothing can be more dissimilar than the world he inhabits and that ideal one in which he has always lived; like certain persons who shall be nameless, he has been literally in the world and out of it at the same time, and his experience therefore might justify a seeming paradox. I think it was Godwin in his Fleetwood, who drew so beautiful a contrast between our night dreams and day dreams. Castellanus never could bear the former, attended by hag and night mare, where we are forever struggling to attain some goal, which we can never reach; he did not like to start affrighted out of sleep; to sink through chasms yawning beneath his feet; "Nor toss on shatter'd plank far out upon some deep." No, I have heard him exclaim, "Give me the dreams of day; let me recline upon some bank in summer shade, supine, where fancy fits her wings for pleasant flight, and quickly ushers me into her radiant halls. No hope defeated can there make me grieve; no cup untasted from my lips be dashed; no light, receding ever, there can shine, but whatsoever there be of joy or love to mortals known, is seized at once and easily made my own." There are few persons, perhaps, who do not at some period of life, construct these gay castles, yclept in air, and well indeed is the appellation bestowed, for though more splendid far than the works of old; more passing rare than all of which we read;-Balbec's! Palmyra's !-none could excel them, yet in a moment they will topple down, nor leave one marble column, spared as if to point to the scene of desolation and to mourn for its brethren, broken, ruined, and overthrown. Such monuments are sometimes seen standing amid that decay, produced by Goths and Vandals; and Goths and Vandals still in modern times will break, irruptive, on the castle-builder's chosen spot-misfortunes! griefs! pale care! tormenting debt!-Then fancy, all thy revelry is forgotten; reluctantly from our sweet couch, and fret. But such is the skill of the artist, that he has we rise and homeward frowning hie to toil and writhe but to ramble forth where all is still and wave his wand, when in an instant, like the enchantment of old, his shining palaces will upward climb. It is not so, alas! with those works barbarians overturned; none know how to raise them to such sublime heights; lost are those arts by which they towering rose, and we but gaze on them to sigh and curse the hands which slew them. Castellanus from his boyhood. It gave him a strange This practice of castle-building had been the habit of unsocial turn and made him shun the inmates of his father's house. He fled all company, and the pleasures which others pursue were rarely pleasures to him. One enjoyment he had which never palled. Some lonely seat beside a "wimpling burn" or waterfall, where hudrank in the lulling music with which such a place is man sounds fell distantly; there with book in hand, he fraught; there would he draw forth, unseen, some old ries" with bloody hand, or dark "Udolpho" with its romance with worn and dusky lid, of "haunted Priodeep mysteries, its gliding ghosts, and secret pannels. Then would fall the curtain on this mortal vale and all its hateful realities, and his rapt soul would revel in the high wrought tale of fancy. For him these fictions had an unspeakable charm-gallant youths were his companions. He trod with them over Alps and Appenines, where banditti lurked amid the dreary forests and lights were seen to glance and disappear. Soft maidens, too, were there, whose superhuman charms won every heart; leave them, until he saw them safely locked in love's encompassed by ten thousand dangers, he could not deceived himself into the belief that he should one day triumphant arms. Though a very ugly fellow, he had had even settled that her name should be Julia, and or other marry one of these delightful creatures, and earth; but, Mr. Editor, who do you think he now is ? thought he should be one of the happiest fellows upon a clodhopper!! aye a miserable clodhopper! The owner of land and negroes!! In that one sentence, I sum up all of human misery-and what do you think is his wife's name? Peggy! Phoebus what a name! "Cobblers! take warning by this cobbler's end.” Yes, ye castle-builders! look upon his undone condition and take warning. Take warning, parents, and bring up your children to suit the sphere in which they are to move. I shall not trouble you with the why and the wherefore of his present condition, but suffice it to say that such it is, and then picture to yourself the untold miseries he must endure when I depict to you the sort of life he is leading, with such passions as I have already described his ruling ones to be. Imprimis: there is Peg-but I had better say as little as possible of her, |