been fitter for his purpose, for the Duke not only approved, but advised, the most sanguinary measures. He reached Brussels in August, and the news of his arrival spread consternation over all the provinces; many thousands fled the country, but some were seized in their flight, and dreadfully punished. In the space of a few months more than 1800 persons suffered by the hand of the executioner, and yet Alva's thirst for blood was not satiated.

Like a beast of prey, this savage tyrant searched every secret recess, and his soldiers, accompanied by members of the Inquisition, seized ob noxious individuals in their beds, and dragged them to dungeons. They who had once been present in Protes tant assemblies, even though they declared their faith in the Catholic church to be unshaken, were hanged or drowned; while they who professed themselves Protestants, and refused to abjure their religion, were put to the rack, in order to make them discover their associates; they were then dragged at the tails of horses to the place of execution, where their suffer ings were prolonged with devilish ingenuity, being hung by the heels till life was nearly extinct, then revived, only to undergo the same tor tures, and finally committed to the flames. To prevent them from bear ing testimony, in the midst of their torments, to the sincerity of their profession, their tongues were first scorched with a glowing iron, aud then screwed into a machine contrived on purpose to produce most excruciating pain. It is indeed horrible to recount the acts of diabolical cruelty committed by Alva and his instruments, especially as the unhappy victims were generally persons of inoffensive character, who were too honest to disguise their sentiments; but even this temporary evil was in the end productive of good, since it roused the people to that struggle for liberty, which terminated in the establishment of the free United Provinces. To dilate upon this subject would carry us beyond our limits, but to those who are not already acquainted with the

Charles the

events which marked this interesting: period, we warmly recommend the perusal of Robertson's " Fifth," and Watson's History of Philip the Second."

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The cut prefixed to this article is copied from one of the numerous prints, by which the Netherlanders perpetuated the memory of the enor mities of the sanguinary Alva. Its representations are sufficiently dreadful, but the most animated engraving would fail to convey even a remote idea of the unutterable horrors of the reality.

THE ROCKING STONE, FN our first volume (p. 161) we gave a view of that celebrated natural curiosity, the Logging, or Rocking Stone, near the Land's End, in Cornwall; and we then fondly imagined that it was destined to delight and astonish all beholders, to the end of time. It was impossible for us to anticipate: that an animal, in whom the stupidity of the ass seems to be combined with the mischevious propensities of the monkey, was destined to destroy it, but such we regret to find is the fact. The following particulars of the scan-dalous transaction, which appeared in a journal called "The West Briton,' published at Truro, have been copied into most of the London newspapers, but as we last year described the stone in its position of grandeur and wonder, we now think fit to record its destruction:

"WANTON ACT OF VANDALISM, On Thursday, the 8th instant, a party of sailors belonging to his Majesty's cutter, Nimble, in the preventive service, then lying, off the Land's End, commanded by Lieutenant Goldsmith, came on shore for the purpose of removing from its situation that great natural curiosity the LOGGING (rocking) STONE; and which object they were unfortunately enabled to accomplish. This mass of granite, which is nearly 100 tons weight, was one of those objects which excited the curiosity of every visiter to the western part of Cornwall: stood on the summit of a mass of rocks, at the Land's End, and was go

poised on a natural pivot, that the force which a man could exert was sufficient to cause it to vibrate. In this situation it remained from a period antecedent to our authentic historic records, as it is noticed by our earliest writers, until the BARBARIANS above named, in sheer wantonness, removed it from its place. This act of vandalism has excited the greatest indignation at Penzance, as it will in every part of Cornwall, and through the kingdom. It appears that Lieutenant Goldsmith (we hope he is not of the family of the celebrated Natural Historian and Poet), who, in an evil hour, was appointed to watch smugglers near the Land's End, not finding the duties of that station sufficient to occupy his attention, as a recreation for himself and his crew of idlers, advised the overthrowing of the LOGGING-STONE. He landed at the head of 14 of his men, and with the assistance of handspikes and a hand-screw, called by the sailors -Jack in the box-with, much labour and perseverance threw over the stone. We have no doubt that the Admiralty and the Commissioners of Customs will mark their sense of the SERVICE performed by Lieutenant Goldsmith in the proper way; and that, as to replace the LOGGING-STONE is beyond human power, they will give the perpetrator of the outrage cause to remember the deed, which, like that of the destroyer of the Temple of Diana, will carry his name to posterity as a disgrace to his country and the honourable profession to which he unhappily belongs. What renders the act most atrocious is, that two poor families, who derived a subsistence from attending visitors to this stone, are now deprived of the means of support."

Our readers, we are sure, will experience mingled feelings of contempt and disgust, while perusing the account of this inexcusable outrage, which nothing but a most wanton and wicked love of mischief could have impelled these idiots to perpetuate. May it meet with its due reward!

GHOST STORIES, No. 5.

(Concluded from page 189.)

The next morning, before fire o'clock, the lad was in my chamber, and very brisk; I arose and went with him. The field he led me to I guessed to be twenty acres, in an open country, and about three furlongs from any house. We went into the field, and had not gone above a third part, before the spectrum, in the shape of a woman,with all the circumstances he had described her to me in the orchard the day before (as much as the suddenness of its appearance and evanition would permit me to discover) met us and passed by. I was a little surprised at it, and though I had taken up a firm resolution to speak to it, yet I had not the power, nor indeed durst I look back, yet I took good care not to shew any fear to my pupil and guide, and therefore, only telling him that I was satisfied of the truth of his complaint, we walked to the end of the field, and returned, nor did the ghost meet us at that time above once. I perceived in the young man a kind of boldness mixed with astonishment; the first caused by my presence, and the proof he had given of his own relation, and the other by the sight of his persecutor.

In short, we went home; I somewhat puzzled, he much animated. At our return, the gentlewoman (whose inquisitiveness had missed us) watched to speak with me; I gave her a convenience, and told her that my opinion was that her son's complaint was not to be slighted, nor altogether discredited, yet that my judgment in his case was not settled. I gave her caution, moreover, that the thing might not take wind, lest the whole country should ring with what we had yet no assurance of.

In this juncture of time, I had business which would admit of no delay; wherefore I went for Lanceston that evening, but promised to see them again next week. Yet I was prevented by an occasion which pleaded a suffi cient excuse. For my wife was that week brought home from a neighbour

believe the Christian Religion, I must and will assert that these things are

true.

As for the manner of my proceeding, I find no reason to be ashamed of it, for I can justify it to men of good principles, discretion, and recondite learning. Though in this case I choose to content myself in the assurance of the thing, rather than be at the unprofitable trouble to persuade others to believe it. For I know full well with what difficulty relations of so uncommon a nature and practice obtain belief. He that tells such a story may expect to be dealt with as a traveller in Poland by the robbers, viz. first murdered and then searched; first condemned for a liar or superstitious, and then (when it is too late) have his reasons and proofs examined. This incredulity may be attributed,, 1. To the infinite abuses of the people, and impositions upon their faith, by the cunning monks and friars, &c. in the days of darkness and Popery. For they made apparitions as often as they pleased, and got both money and credit by quieting the Terriculamenta vulgi which their own artifices had raised.

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2. To the prevailing of Somatism, and the Hobbean principle in these times; which is a revival of the doctrine of the Sadducees, and as it denies the nature, so cannot consist with the apparition of spirits, of which see Leviath, p. 1, c. 12.

3. To the ignorance of men in our age in that peculiar and mysterious part of philosophy and religion, namely, the communication between spirits and men. Not one scholar in ten thousand (though, otherwise of excellent learning) knows any thing of it, or how to manage it. This ignorance breeds fear and abhorrence of that which otherwise might be of incomparable benefit to mankind.

COCKNEYS & HORSE-LAUGHS. THE derivation of the word Cockney has been the subject of much laborious research, and many erudite dissertations; but the vulgar and received opinion seems to be that it is compounded of coсK and NEIGH; for

that, once upon a time, a true-born and true-bred Londoner went into the country, and, on first hearing a horse NEIGH, cried out-"How the horse LAUGHS!" but, being told that the noise made by the horse was called NEIGHING, he stood corrected. In the morning, when the cock crew, the cit immediately exclaimed, with confident conviction, that the cock NEIGHED! This traditional history is mentioned by Dr. Skinner, who treats it, deservedly, as a mere forced conceit. It might have passed well enough among Dean Swift's jocular etymons.

Let us not, however, so rashly favour the story as to believe that the first exclamation produced the coinmon term, a horse laugh," for that expression, I think, rests upon diffe

rent

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ground. Some etymologists contend that it is a corruption of hoarse laugh; but in such case it must be confined to those who either naturally have a very rough voice, or have got a violent cold, neither of which circumstances are absolutely necessary; for what we call a horse laugh depends rather upon loudness, rude vehemence, or vulgarity of manner. It seems to be, in fact, no more than an expression of augmentation, as the prepositive horse is applied variously, to denote several things large and coarse, by contradistinction. Thus, in the vegetable system, we have the horse-radish, horse-walnut, and horse chesnut. In the animal world there is the horseemmet (or formica-leo) the horsemuscle, and the horse-crab; hot forgetting that a fat, clumsy, vulgar woman is jócularly termed a horsegodmother. To close all, we say,

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as sick as a horse," to express a great discharge by vomiting, whereas a horse never experiences that sort of sickness.

Notwithstanding the definition lies so remote, yet most interpreters seem to agree in the meaning of the word, that the term cockney is intended to express a person bred up and pampered in the city of London, and ignorant of the manners and ideas of all the rest of the world, which agrees with Dr. Skinner's description (and