devoutly swallowed two partridges, with a good half of a hashed leg of mutton. Org. Poor soul! Dor. My mistress didn't shut her eyes all night. The fever hindered her from getting a wink of sleep; so that we were obliged to watch by her till morning. Org. And Tartuffe ? Dor. Tartuffe, happy gentleman, with a comfortable yawn, goes right from table to bed, where he plunges into his warm nest, and sleeps soundly till morning. Org. Poor soul! Dor. At last we prevailed upon madame to be bled, which gave her great relief. Org. And Tartuffe ? Dor. Monsieur Tartuffe was very much relieved also. He found Et fort dévotement il mangea deux perdrix, Avec une moitié de gigot en hachis. Org. Le pauvre homme ! Dor. La nuit se passa tout entière Sans qu'elle put fermer un moment la paupière ; Dor. Pressé d'un sommeil agréable, set of masticators, and who was always grinning in order to show them, was designated by Horace Walpole as "the gentleman with the foolish teeth.” Nothing of the kind can be better than this. It is painting the man at a blow, quick as the "flash" of his own "ivories." It reminds us of the maxim, that "brevity is the soul of wit;"-a questionable assertion, however, unless by "soul" is meant a certain fervour apart from mind; otherwise the soul of wit is fancy.* 4th, Irony, (Eipovera, Talk, in a sense of Dissimulation) or Saying one thing and Meaning another, is a mode of speech generally adopted for purposes of satire, but may be made the vehicle of the most exquisite compliment. On the other hand, Chaucer, with a delightful impudence, has drawn a pretended compliment out of a satire the most outrageous. He makes the Cock say to the Hen, in the fable told by the Nun's Priest, that "the female is the confusion of the male ;" but then he says it in Latin, gravely quoting from a Latin author a sentence to that effect about womankind. This insult he proceeds to translate into an eulogy :— But let us speak of mirth, and stint all this. Madamě Pèrtělote, so have I bliss, * Voltaire says, in his happy manner, "All pleasantries ought to be short; and, for that matter, gravities too."-Art. Prior, &c. in the Dictionnaire Philosophique. Of one thing God hath sent me largè grace; Ye ben so scarlet red about your eyen, It maketh all my drèdě for to dyen; For all so siker (so surely) as In principio (That is, "for as it was in the beginning of the world, woman is the confusion of man.") Madam, the sentence of this Latin is, "Woman is mannĕs joy and mànnĕs bliss." Canterbury Tales, v. 15,163. The famous piece of flattery addressed by his victimizer to Gil Blas is an irony in all its glory. Nothing can beat it as an effusion of impudence, and a lesson. But it is surpassed in depth and dryness by Swift's banter on the Protestant Nunnery, a project meditated in his time by a literary lady, or, as he calls her, a "Platonne." It is more impudent than the other, inasmuch as it was a banter on a living person, and inflicted, moreover, through the medium of Steele, who would probably have rejected such an attack on the fair pietist, had he not been overpowered by the wit and assumption of his contributor. It is in The Tatler, then newly set up (No. 32); and is so masterly a piece of effrontery that I must here give the greater part of it. "Every man," says the author, "that has wit, and humour, and raillery, can make a good flatterer for woman in general: but a Platonne is not to be touched with panegyric: she will tell you it is a sensuality in the soul to be delighted that way. You are not therefore to commend, but silently consent to al she does and says. You are to consider, in her the scorn of you is not humour but opinion. "There were, some years since, a set of these ladies who were of quality, and gave out, that virginity was to be their state of life during this mortal condition, and therefore resolved to join their fortunes and erect a nunnery. The place of residence was pitched upon; and a pretty situation, fall of natural falls and risings of waters, with shady coverts, and flowery arbours, was approved by seven of the founders. There were as many of our sex who took the liberty to visit their mansions of intended severity; among others, a famous rake of that time, who had the grave way to an erroŭence. He came in first: but upon seeing a servant coming towards him, with a design to tell him this was no place for him or his companions, ty goes my grave impudence to the maid; "Young woman,” said he, “if any of the ladies are in the way on this side of the house, pray carry us on the other side towards the gardens. We are, you must know, gentlemen that are travelling England; after which we shall go into foreign parts, where some of us have already been." Here be bows in the most humble manner, and kissed the girl, whi kuer not how to behave to such a sort of carriage. He goes on: Now you must know we have an ambition to have it to say, that we have a protestant munnery in England: but pray, Mrs. Betty-” “Sir,” she replied, “my name is Susan, at your service.” •Then I heartily beg your pardon-"No efence in the least," courtn-german whose name is Betty." said she, "for I have a Indeed," said he, “ "I proBut text to you that was more than I kner; I spoke at random. since it happens that I was near in the right, give me leave to present this gentleman to the favour of a cirii salute.” His friend advances, and so on, until they had all saluted her. By this means the poor girl was in the middle of the crowd of these fellows, at a loss what to do, without courage to pass through them; and the Pistonics at several peep-holes, pale, trembling, and fretting. Rake perceived they were observed, and therefore took care to keep Sakey in chat with questions concerning their way of life; when appeared at last brella, a lady who had writ a fine book concerning the recluse |