For NOVEMBER, 1790. NUMBER XXV. FRAGMENTS. ANECDOTES. [Tranfmitted by A. Z.]. I. SUPERIORITY OF LEARNING OVER IGNORANCE. OLUMBUS, fome time after landing on the American coaft, found the people difinclined to fur nifh him with neceffaries; but by his skill in aftronomy, knowing that there was fhortly to be a total eclipfe of the moon, he affembled all the principal perfons of the district around him, on the day before it happened; and, after reproaching them with their fickleness in withdrawing their affection and affiftance from men whom they had lately revered, he told them, that the Spaniards were fervants of the Great Spirit who dwelled in heaven, who made and governs the world; that he, offended at their refufing to fupport men who were the objects of his peculiar favour, was preparing to punish this crime with exemplary feverity; and that, therefore, the moon, that very night, fhould with hold her light and appear of a bloody hue, as a fign of the divine wrath, and an emblem of the vengeance ready to fall upon them. To this marvellous prediction fome of them listened with that careless indifference peculiar to the people of America, others with the credulous aftonishment natural to barbarians. But when the moon began gradually to be darkened, and VOL. II. at length appeared of a red colour, all were ftruck with terror. They ran with confternation to their houfes, and returning inftantly to Columbus, loaded with provifions, threw them at his feet, conjuring him to intercede with the Great Spirit to avert the deftruction with which they were threatened. Columbus, feeming to be moved with their entreaties, promifed to comply with their defire. The eclipfe went off, the moon recovered its fplendour; and from that time the Spaniards were not only furnished with provifions, but the natives, with fuperftitious attention, avoided every thing which could give them offence. CARACALLA, the Roman empe ror, fent a folemn embaffy to Arti banus, king of the Parthians, defiring his daughter in marriage. Artibanus, overjoyed at this propofal, which he thought would be attended with a lafting peace between the two empires, received the ambafladors with all poffible marks of honour, and readily complied with their request. Soon after, Caracalla fent a fecond embaffy, to acquaint the king that he was coming to folemnize the nuptials. Artibanus went to meet him, attended by the chief of the nobility and his best troops, all unarmed, and in the most pompous habits; but the peaceable 3 D train garment, committed him to clofe prifon in an apartment of the palace, where his eyes would have been put out, at the inftigation of the monk, had not the patriarch and the fenate interpofed in his behalf. However, he was long kept under confinement, but at laft releafed and restored to his former dignity by the following accident: The emperor having forbade the fenate to mention to him the young prince's name, or make any further appli cation in his favour, while he was one day entertaining feveral of the nobility, a parrot, which hung up in the room, in imitation of fome TREACHERY OF THEODORUS SAN- who used there to lament the unfor TABARENUS. BASILIUS, emperor of the Eaft, about the year 870 of the Chriftian era, took his fecond fon Leo as a partner in the government. The young prince, offended at the great fway which Theodorus Santabarenus (by profeffion a monk, but commonly reputed a magician) bore at court, endeavoured to remove him from his father's prefence. Of this the jealous monk was foon apprifed, and therefore refolved to deftroy him. With this view, pretending to have private intelligence of a confpiracy against Bafilius, which was to be put in execution while he was hunting, he first perfuaded the young prince privately to arm himself and fome of his attendants, that he might be ready to oppofe any attempt upon the life of his father; and then haftening to the emperor, told him, in great confternation, that his fon intended to murder him; that his defign was to be put in execution the first time he went out to hunt; and that if he caufed him to be fearched, he would find him armed accordingly. The emperor, giving ear to the wicked and malicious infinuations of the monk, ordered his fon to be fearched; and a dagger being found under his THE inhabitants of Privernum having been fubdued and taken prifoners after a revolt, one of them was asked by a Roman fenator poffeffed of the most rigid principles, what punifhment he and his fellow captives deserved? The brave citizen answered, with great intrepi dity, "We deferve that punishment which is due to men who are jealous of their liberty, and think themfelves worthy of it!" Plautinus, perceiving that this manly an fwer had exafperated fome of the fenators, endeavoured to prevent the ill effects of it, by putting a milder queftion queftion to the prifoner: "How would you behave," fays he, "if Rome thould pardon you?" "Our conduct," replied the generous captive, "depends upon your's. If the peace which you grant be an honourable one, you may depend upon a conftant fidelity on our parts if the terms of it be hard and difhonourable, lay no ftrefs on our adherence to you." Some of the judges conftrued these words as menaces; but the wifer part, difcovering in them a great share of magnanimity, cried out, as with one voice, that a people whofe only defire was liberty, and their only fear that of lofing it, were worthy to become Romans! Accordingly, a decree paffed in favour of the prifoners, and Privernum was declared a municipium. Thus the bold fincerity of one man faved his country, and gained the privilege of being incorporated into the Roman ftate. V. Liv. viii. c. 20, 21. FORGIVENESS. CONJUGAL AFFECTION. POLYXENUS, Dionyfius's brother in-law, who had married his fifter Thefta, having joined in a confpiracy against him, fled to Sicily, to avoid falling into the tyrant's hands. Dionyfius fent for his fifter, and reproached her very much for not ap priting him of her husband's intended flight, as he could not, he obferved, be ignorant of it. She replied, without expreffing the leaft furprife or fear, "Have I then ap peared fo bed a wife to you, and of fo mean a foul, as to have abandoned my hufband in his flight, and not to have defired to share in his dangers and misfortunes? No! I knew nothing of it, or 1 fhould be much happier in being called The wife of Polywemus in exile, in the most reSyracufe, The fifier of the Tyrant!" mote corner of the world, than, in anfwer fo full of fpirit and genero Dionyfius could not but admire an RICHARD the First, king of Eng. land, having invefted the caftle of Chalus, was hot in the fhoulder with an arrow, and an unfkilful fur geon endeavouring to extract the weapon, mangled the flesh in fuch a manner as to occafion a gangrene. The king, after the cattle was taken, perceiving that he could not fur-fity; and the Syracufans, in general, vive, ordered Bertram de Gourdon, who had hot the arrow, to be brought into his prefence. Bertram being arrived, "What harm," faid the king, did I ever do thee, that thou fhouldest kill me?" The other replied, with great magnanimity and courage, You killed, with your own hand, my father and two of my brothers; you likewife defigned to have killed me. You may now fatiate your revenge. I fhould cheerfully fuffer all the torments that can be inflicted, were I fure of having delivered the world of a tyrant, who were fo charmed with her magnanimity, that, after the tyranny was fuppreffed, the fame honours, equipage, and train of a queen, which he had before, were continued to her during her life; and, after her death, the people numerously attended her body to the tomb. lord Coningsby fell foul on the bishop of Rochester (Dr. Atterbury) for calling himself a prophet the day before, and added—“ As I am fure I have read as much fcripture as he, or any bishop of them all, fo I have found there a prophet very like him; namely, Balaam, who, like that right reverend, drove fo very furiously, that he constrained the very afs he rode on to open his mouth, and reprove the madness of the prophet," The bishop, when his lordship had finished his fiery tranfports, rofe up in a very demure and humble way, and thanked his lordship for the notice he took of him, which he received as an honour, it coming from fo polite and noble a lord, though accompanied with fo acute a reflection; that he confeffed the ingenious peer had wittily and happily applied Balaam to him, a prophet, prieft, and preacher being often promifcuously used; but there still wanted the application of the afs, and his lordship being the only one that reproved him, he must of neceffity take the ass upon himself. From that day his lordship was called Atterbury's pad. INSTANCES OF DEPRAVITY AND MEANNESS. [Tranfmitted by Adolefcentulus.] MOROC, the youngest fifter of Cambyfes, king of Perfia, was a princefs of fuch uncommon beauty, that her brother abfolutely refolved to marry her. He called together all the judges of the Perfian nation, to know whether any law was in being that would allow a brother to marry his own fifter. The judges, fearing the king's violent temper, fhould they oppose his defign, gave this crafty anfwer-"That they had no law, indeed, which permitted a brother to marry his fifter; but they had a law which allowed the king of Perfia to do what he pleased!" This ferving the monarch's purpose as well as a direct approbation, he solemnly married his fister; and thereby gave the example of incest, which afterwards was practised by most of his fucceffors, and by some of them carried fo far as to marry their own daughters, though repugnant to every consideration, both divine and human. THE fame prince having fhot the fon of Praxafpes through the heart, in his father's prefence, afked him, in an infulting manner, If he had not a steady hand? The wretched father, who ought not to have had either voice or life remaining after a stroke like this, was fo mean-fpirited as to reply, "Apollo himself could not have fhot better!" ANECDOTES. [Transmitted by T. W. of Cheshunt.] I. WISDOM IN AN INDIAN. A SPANISH traveller met an Indian in the middle of a defert; they were both on horfeback. The Spanjard, who feared that his horfe would not hold out to the end of his journey, because he was none of the beft, afked the Indian, who had a young and strong one, to make an exchange; but this he refused. The Spaniard, upon this, quarrelled with him; in fhort, they came to blows, and the aggreffor being well armed, eafily feized the horse he defired, and continued his jour ney. The Indian followed him as far as the nearest city, and then went and complained to the judge. The Spaniard was obliged to appear, and bring the horse with him; he treated the Indian as a cheat, affirming that the horse belonged to him, and that he had bred it from a colt. There were no proofs to the contrary; and the judge, undeter |