_Ancient Starvation._--Hume tells us "The Monks and Prior of St. Swithin
threw themselves, one day, prostrate on the ground, and in the mire,
before Henry II., complaining, with many tears and much doleful
lamentation, that the Bishop of Winchester, who was also their Abbot,
had cut off three dishes from their tables. 'How many has he left you?'
said the king, '_Ten only_' replied the disconsolate monks. 'I, myself,'
exclaimed the king, 'never have more than three, and I enjoin your
bishop to reduce you to the same number.'" P.T.W.
_Ice Water._--The Chinese rise at day-break, after a hard frost to
gather ice, which they melt, and carefully bottle up as a remedy for
fever in the hot months.
A French marquess having received several blows over his shoulders with
a stick, which he never thought of resenting, a friend asked him how he
could reconcile it with his honour, to suffer them to pass without
notice. "Póh," said the marquess, "I never trouble myself with anything
that passes behind my back."
_Epitaph in Wycombe Churchyard_, 1688.
Here lies one whose rest
Gives me a restless life,
Because I've lost a good
And virtuous wyfe.
_General Generalissimo._--Bayle tells us of a General of the Jesuits at
Rome, once exulting of his greatness and his order--who thus expressed
himself to a friend:--"I will tell you, in this very chamber, I govern
Rome--what am I talking about? Rome! I govern all Italy--what do I say?
Italy! I govern Europe itself; and not Europe alone, but the whole
world." P.T.W.
_Classic Felony._--Sir John Hayward, was imprisoned by order of Queen
Elizabeth, on account of some things advanced in his _Life and Reign of
Henry IV_. She applied to Bacon to see if he could discover any passages
that were treasonable, but his reply was, that "for treason he found
none, but for felony, very many," which he explained by saying, that the
author had stolen many sentences from Tacitus, and translated them into
English. P.T.W.
_A Likeness._--One of our old travellers on the continent, tells the
following anecdote of a capuchin preacher: The friar observed, that
whenever he held forth to his congregation, a certain man never failed
to burst into tears, and continue weeping during the sermon. Supposing
he had touched the man's soul by the eloquence of his oratory, the
friar, with much self-satisfaction, one day ventured to inquire why he
wept. "Ah, father!" said the peasant, "I never see you but I think of a
venerable goat, which I lost at Easter! We were bred up together in the
same family; he was the very picture of your reverence; one would swear
you were brothers. Poor Baudoim! He died of a fall--God rest his soul! I
would willingly pay for a couple of masses to pray him out of
purgatory." W.G.C.
The Peerage.--The following is the number in each grade of the English
peerage:--Dukes, 25; Marquesses, 34; Earls, 142; Viscounts, 22; Barons,
125; Countess, 1; Viscountess, 1; and Baronesses, 4.
* * * * *
*** In the article "Premiers," page 320, of the present volume, for Mr.
Fox 7, read 9. W.G.C.
* * * * *
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