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nefs fpeeche, I may believe, he talkes of plottyng and of treefon; it futes me not to combate wyth your highnefs in the fyghte of wordes, enough to fay I ware a trufty feruant by my fide of floot abylity, and though I bee a flaunderyd mann and fallen in your highneffes good graces, it fhall mak furm my tytle to your love, and prove Thomas of Norfolk to be a flanderer." Wheruppon it became the kings pleafure that the challenge fhoulde bee made known to the marchal, who (as he could no otherwyfe) accepted it, and by the mouthe of an heralde bade Henry defyance. Hereuppon the king appoynted the day for the tryale, and gave comande that coftely furnature "fhould be brought to adorne the lyfts and give a kingly look to the feat whereon he willyd to fee the fyghte. Every thyng beyng made redie, and the day beyng come whereonn King Richards pleasure had fixt the combate, the feats about the lyfts, whych were coveryd all over wyth red cloth and ftuddyed wyth gilded nails for the ufe of the nobilitie and grete menn of the corte, where erly crowdyd; and as foonn as the king had takenn hys place the trumpet fowndyd and the challenger enteryd the lyfts, mountyd on a milk whyte palfyrie; hys armour, whych was of polyfhyd fteele, dazzlyd the eyes of the whole companie, and hys dauntless carrayge fhowyd hym not to bee a wit afrayde. On the other fyde the Duke of Norfolk enteryd, makynge quyte as gude a fhow of galantrye; he was featyd on a forryll horfe that pawyd the grounde and fhowyd the marshal menor of Thomas to the eyes of the attendyng gentery. All was redie, and the kayghts only waytyd the fygnale from the trumpets mouthe to begyn the fyght, when the king, who was of fickle mynd, threwe downe hys gauntlete, whych was the fygnale of parlie, at the fame tyme makyng it known that it was hys

pleasure they fhould not come to combate, but in the ftead he banyfhyd hys coufin Henry for the space of fevin years, and agaynst all justice hys grayce of Norfolk was orderyd to depart the kingdome for his liff. Thus dyd the fyckle king fhow hys love for a kynsmann, whofe deeds of latter date proveyd him not to be worthy.

ANECDOTES,

FROM VOLTAIRE'S LIFE OF CHARLES

THE TWELFTH OF SWEDEN.

[Tranfmitted by a Correfpondent.].

A

I.

MONG the prifoners taken

at the battle of Narva, was the eldest fon and heir of the King of Georgia. This youth followed Peter the Great of Ruffia, in his expedition against the Swedes, and was taken fighting by fome Finland foldiers, who had already ftripped and were going to kill him, when he was refcued from their hands by Count Renfchild, who cloathed and prefented him to his mafter. Charles fent him to Stockholm, where this unhappy prince died in a few years after. The king, on feeing him depart for his capital, could not help making, in the hearing of his officers, a natural reflection on the ftrange destiny of an Afiatic prince, who, born at the foot of Mount Caucafus, was going to live a captive among the fnows of Sweden: "It is," fays he, " as if I were one day to be a prifoner among the Crim Tartars!" Thefe words made no impreffion at the time; but in the fequel they were remembered too well, when Charles's defeat and flight proved them an involuntary prediction.

11.

ONE day, as Charles was dictating fome letters to his fecretary, to

be

numerous, fince all of them muft have quitted the neft before this time. But this is not the cafe; for they are not more numerous at any feafon than the parent birds are in the months of May and June.

The fame inftinctive impulfe which directs the cuckoo to depofit her eggs in the nests of other birds, directs her young one to throw out

the eggs and young of the owner of the neft. The scheme of nature would be incomplete without it; for it would be extremely difficult, if not impoffible, for the little birds, deftined to find fuccour for the cuckoo, to find it alfo for their own young ones, after a certain period; nor would there be room for the whole to inhabit the nest.

SELECT BIOGRAPHY.

MEMOIRS

OF JONAS HANWAY, ESQ. [From Mr. Pugh's "Remarkable Occurrences in the Life of that Gentleman.”]

TH

HE character of a philanthropist, or a lover of mankind, is certainly one of the most exalted which can excite the notice or claim the admiration of every defcription of finite beings. Whether it is in imitation of a few individuals, fuch as the one before us; from the leflons of divines; the writings of moralifts; or from an innate defire of leffening human diftreffes; there cannot remain a doubt, but that univerfal benevolence has of late confiderably adorned the national features of Great Britain.

Jonas Hanway, Efq. was born at Portsmouth, in Hampshire, on the twelfth day of August 1712. His father, Mr. Thomas Hanway, was an officer in the naval line, and for fome years agent victualler at Portfmouth. He loft his life by an accident, and left his widow with four children, Jonas, William, Thomas, and Elizabeth, all of a very tender age.

Mrs. Hanway, thus deprived of her protector and fupport, and left to rear up a young family by her own exertions, removed with her children to London; and fuch was her maternal care and affection for

them, that Mr. Hanway never fpoke or wrote of his mother, but in terms of the highest reverence and gratitude.

Jonas was put to school by his mo ther, in London, where he learned writing and accompts, and made fome proficiency.in Latin. At the age of feventeen he went over to Lifbon, where he arrived in June 1729, and was bound apprentice to a merchant in that city.

Here his affections were captivated by a lady, then celebrated for her beauty and mental accomplishments; but the preferring another for her husband, returned to England, and spent the latter part of her life in London with her family, on terms of friendship with Mr. Hanway.

On the expiration of Mr. Hanway's apprenticeship, he entered into bulinels at Lisbon as a merchant or factor; but did not remain there long before he returned to London. From the time of his arrival in London, to the year 1743, when he went over with intention to settle at St. Petersburgh, nothing remarkable happened.

In 1743, he entered into an engagement which totally changed the courfe of his life; and was attended with occurrences truly remarkable.

In February 1743, Mr, Hanway accepted the offer of a partner

the whiteness of her neck: her eyes were black, and fparkling; her eyebrows the fame colour, and moft beautifully arched; her forehead fo remarkably clear, that the tranflucent veins were seen meandering in their minutest branches: in fhort, fhe was what would be reckoned handfome in England. But this fymmetry of features is entirely defroyed by the fingular custom of wearing lip-pieces*.

Their habitations are the most wretched hovels that can poffibly be conceived; ; a few poles ftuck in the ground, without order or regularity, enclosed and covered with loose boards, conftitute an Indian hut; and fo little care is taken in their conftruction, that they are quite infufficient to keep out the fnow or rain: the numerous chinks and crannies ferve, however, to let out the fmoke, no particular aperture being left for that purpose.

The infide of these dwellings exhibits a complete picture of dirt and filth, indolence and laziness; in one corner are thrown the bones, and remaining fragments of victuals left at their meals; in another are heaps of fifh, pieces of ftinking flefh, greafe, oil, &c. in fhort, the whole ferved to fhew us, in how wretched a state it is poffible for human beings to exift; and yet thefe people appear contented with their fituation, and probably enjoy a much greater portion of happiness and tranquillity, than is to be found under the gilded roofs of the most defpotic monarch. 'Tis probable, that the chief teason why these Indians take no greater pains in the structure of their habitations is, that their fituation is merely temporary: no fooner does the mafter of a tribe find game begin to grow scarce, or fifh not fo plentiful as he expected, than he takes down his hut, puts the boards * For a description of this ornament, fee page 140 and 163.

into his canoe, and paddles away to feek out for a fpot better adapted to his various purposes, which, having found, he prefently erects his dwelling in the fame careless manner as before.

Whilft we lay here, these people fupplied us very plentifully with halibut, which we bought of them for beads and fmall toes. The place where thefe halibut were caught, is in the offing round the point of land we first made in the morning of the 23d of May. Our whale-boat was one day fent with feven hands to this place, on a fishing party; but their fuccefs was greatly inferior to that of two Indians, who were fishing at,the fame time, which is rather extraordinary, if we confider the apparent inferiority of their tackle to our's. Their hook is a large fimple piece of wood, the fhank at least half an inch in diameter; that part which turns up, and which forms an acute angle, is confiderably fmaller, and brought gradually to a point? a flat piece of wood, about fix inches long, and near two inches wide, is neatly lafhed to the flank, on the back of which is rudely carved the reprefentation of an human face.

I cannot think that this was altogether defigned as an ornament to their hooks, but that it has fome re ligious allution, and poffibly is intended as

kind of Deity, to ensure their fuccefs in fithing, which is conducted in a fingular manner. They bait their hook with a kind of fifli, called by the failors quids, and having funk it to the bottom, they fix a bladder to the end of the line as a buoy, and fhould that not watch fufficiently, they add another. Their lines are very ftrong, being made of the finews or intestines of animals..

One man is fufficient to look after five or fix of these buoys; when he perceives a fifh bite, he is in no great hurry to haul up his line, but gives him time to be well

Y

hooked;

by our author, attacked him in his perfonal character, in a style between irony and ill-nature. The Doctor, in his warmth, perceived not that Mr. Hanway's remarks were not intended for people in

his line of life, and by this effay convinced their mutual friends, that he was not more fuperior to his adverfary in learning, than inferior to him in affability and focial benevolence.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL EVENTS.

FOR THE

THOUGHTS ON THE CONTINENTAL

YEAR 1788.

office. In the Houfe of Commons,

WAR-BRITISH HISTORY, ON THE Mr. Fox confidered the Prince's

SUBJECT OF THE REGENCY.

HE feverity of the feafon

claim as matter of right; and in the Houfe of Pecrs, Lord Loughborough fupported the fame pofition.

On

Thaving fufpended the military the other hand, Mr. Pitt main

operations of the belligerent powers, it became almost a general opinion, at the conclufion of the campaign, that the principal courts of Europe would become mediators, and by their exertions produce a peace. This however has not happened, nor do the contending parties evince any fymptoms of an amicable difpofition towards each other."

We intended to have appropriated the whole of this month's political retrospect to foreign affairs; but a domeftic event of the most serious nature has called for our attention, as having been not only alarming, but productive of as ferious, interesting queftions, as ever came before the people of this country.

The malady with which his majefty was afflicted, fpread a general alarm over Great Britain and Ireland; and, on the meeting of parliament, the minifter found that the neceflity of the times demanded the immediate appointment of a regent, to administer the executive power of the crown, his majefty being then incapable of exercising the royal functions.

Every man looked up to the Prince of Wales as the only perfon who could with propriety fill the temporary vacancy in the kingly

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tained that his royal highnefs, in point of right, had no ftronger claim than any other fubject, and brought parliament to a decifion upon the question, which was determined in favour of his opinion. It must be acknowledged even by the opponents of the minifter, that the right of the two houfes of parliament to provide for the exifting neceffity, was almost universally admitted; and if, on the other fide, the word right, as applied to the Prince of Wales, had been fairly conftrued into the term claim, which construction it certainly bears, much parliamentary difcuffion would have been avoided.

The debates on this queftion, and every other public question that arofe on the regency, will be found reported in our parliamentary hiftory; in this department therefore, we shall only obferve upon the principles, and investigate the motives, which influenced the oppofing parties.

It is an effential principle in morals, that oppofite and contending rights can, in no cafe, have exiftence. By the fimpleft and most obvious of the operations of reason, oppofite claims, like oppofite arguments, are mutually deftructive, and it is the preponderating weight only that poffeffes fubitance and operation.

All

count of his Majefty's indifpofition, the Prince, with a liberality which does him honour, ordered a fum of that amount to be paid by the treasurer to his Royal Highness. The Common Council of the city, in return, prefented an addrefs to the Prince, with their unanimous vote of thanks; to which his Highness replied, That he should be always ftudious to cultivate their affection and esteem.

The river Shannon in Ireland was frozen up beyond what has ever been remembered. The thermometer was at 31 degrees below the freezing point, which is the very extremeft cold in Europe.

:

The accounts from feveral parts abroad, refpecting the feverity of the feafon, are curious. In Ruffia the froft was fo intenfe, that the earth has been literally cleft by it, near Mofcow in Denmark, as well as Sweden, there were cracks in the ice three or four feet deep. In fome parts of the province of Halifax in Nova Scotia, rifts of ice have fuddenly appeared, with a rumbling noife. At Provence, in France, though a warm climate, the weather was fo intenfe, that vegetation has greatly fuffered hollies, bays, cyprefs, rofemary, &c. have been wholly deftroyed. It is not unworthy of remark, that vegetables fuffer more from the fun, if fnow has fallen, than from the froft; for the fun melting the fnow, and opening the ground, the rigour of the enfuing night generally proves fatal. Such an immenfe quantity of fnow fell in the city of Vienna, in one night during this froft, that the greateft part of the fhops were hidden under it-four hundred and twenty-four waggons, and eight hundred and forty men, were employed immediately to clear the way, that the windows and doors might be opened; but they were obliged to cmploy four thousand of each to clear the Itreets.

The beginning of this month an inquifition was taken at Affendoncrofs, near Henley-upon-Thames, on the body of a perfon about twentytwo years of age, who had gone out as ufual to his work in the woods on the Friday preceding, without returning at night; which fo much alarmed the family, that next morning his

father went in fearch of the young man, whom he found fufpended in his garter, on the bough of a tree, and quite dead. No reafon whatsoever could be affigned why the deceased fhould be guilty of this rafh action, and not the leaft degree of infanity being proved, the jury returned their verdict Self-murder; whereupon the body was ordered to be buried in the public highway.

2. A poor woman with her throat cut, was found by the Westminster watchmen at the gate of General Conway. Though her windpipe was nearly divided, and she had loft much blood, yet the appeared deprived of life more from the bitter fharpness of the night than from the effects of her wound for after the had been ten minutes in a house, her languid pulfe and breathing returned. She afterwards declared that from poverty the herfelf did the deed with a razor, which was found near the place, but that the was forry for what he had done. The wound was fewed up by a furgeon, in Pall-Mall: the then took fome warm wine, and was by the conftable of the night taken to the workhoufe of St. James's pari. Her name is Elizabeth Bolton, of Chefterfield-freet, Marybone, and the is between 50 and 60 years of age.

Died, at Nottingham, Mr. Heath, formerly a refpectable bookfeller of that place. He had been at a diffenting place of worship, the last night of the past year, and did not return home till late; when he found Mrs. Heath had retired to reft; and, after informing her that the clock had ftruck twelve, he wifhed her many happy years, fell back upon the floor, and died almost without a groan.

Not long fince a gentleman at Somma in Italy, being in his cabinet during a form, was flightly ftruck by the thunder. The electrical matter paffed in a direct line from his head to his feet, without immediately killing him; but it opened a paffage in the kin fimilar to a fmall canal, which emitted a quantity of aqueous liquid for fome days, and which only ceafed on his death. Every art that could be tried by the faculty proved in vain, and they declared the cafe was entirely new, to them at leaft.

Lately

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