water, and water in general, is very bad fince their awful vifitation, which adds greatly to their diftrefs. It is very likely the bad quality of the water, together with the great number of dead bodies that lie about, is the cause of this diftemper. Upwards of 40,000 have been taken out of the ruins, but it is computed that 50,000 have perifhed by the earthquakes only, befides what die daily of the distemper. Since the earthquakes their fea abounds with fifh: thofe they used to catch in deep water only, are now taken on the furface in great abundance. THE ANTIQUARIA N. N the year 1583, a Polish ambaffador happened to vifit the city of Oxford; and the univerfity, to fhew him their due reverence, caufed a tragedy to be acted by thofe of the ftudents who were most renowned for their dramatical abilities. They performed the hiftory of Æneas and Dido. In this tragedy Dido gives an entertainment to Æneas of fuch great luxury and magnificence, that it would have excited the envy even of Trimalcis, mentioned by Petronius Arbiter. On one fide of the table the anger of Achilles, and the whole fiege of Troja, were mafterly reprefented in a monftrous large cake; and, on the other, appeared the well-known tempeft, which drove the enamoured couple into the grotto. This representation was the greatest chef d'auvre of confectionary, and the highest degree in the art of paftry-cooking, for there was every thing a fugar genius could probably imagine, or poffibly produce; hail compofed of fpice nuts and fugared almonds; fnow of whip fyllabubs; and rain of Eau de Lavandre and rofe-water; which, all together, gave the most uncommon fatisfaction to his polish excellency, and the rest of the audience. When Chriftian IV. king of Denmark, on his travels thro' Norway, vifited the city of Bergen, the mayor of that city, in honour to his majefty, ordered fome young merchants to be publicly whipped; an excellent band of muficians, confifting of kettle-drums and trumpets, &c. attended the ceremony. Thofe to whom this may appear ftrange, or perhaps incredible, must be told that whipping was a kind of promotion; for if a young man wanted to become a merchant of the city of Bergen, he was, after feven years apprenticeship, obliged to undergo this mercantile proof. Sometimes the candidates were, after the ordeal, fhut up in a fmoking-room, and from thence brought brought to the river, and plunged into it. This laft operation, it may be fuppofed, was defigned for wine-merchants only. Io the year 1600, there was inftituted by Moritz, landgrave of Heflia, an order, called the " Order of Temperance;" the defign of which was, to refrain that extravagance in drinking which then had got head in Germany. The ftatutes and laws are figned by electors, dukes, princes, earls, baronets, and fquires. The following is a breviate of the chief articles... Art. I. The knights of the order of temperance bind themfelves" not to get drunk" from the 25th of December, 1600, 'till December, 1602. Art. II. That this may be better obferved, and moft firmly kept, the knights of this order fhall not be allowed, either at dinner, fupper, or any other entertainment, more to drink than "feven cups of wine."* Art. III. No knight fhall fit down at table more than twice in four and twenty hours, nor drink any wine between dinner and fupper; confequently he is allowed to drink only fourteen cups" a day. Art. IV. In order that these rules may not be too inconvenient, any knight feeling himself dry between dinner and fupper, or at any other time, may drink beer, mineral water, pump water mixed with julep, or any other refreshing and innocent liquor; with fo much moderation, however, as not to tranfgrefs the firft article. Art. V. No knight shall drink his allowed quantity in one or two draughts, but fhall at leaft make three draughts of it. Art. VI. In cafe of tranfgreffions, three impartial knights companions fhall examine the cafe, and decide whether the tranfgreffion is to be punished with the firft, fecond, or third, of the following punishments. The firft and fevereft punishment fhall be to be excluded, for one year, from all tilts and martial exercifes, either on foot or on horfeback. The fecond, not to drink any wine in the space of one year and a half. And the third is, that the criminal do either forfeit two of his beft horfes, or pay a fine of three hundred dollars to the treafury of the order. -JOHNSON. * How much one of thofe cups did hold, is not mentioned. + The neceffity of making a law like the 5th article, thews enough how laudable this inftitution was. A kind of fighting with rapiers. The The TRIAL of MR. JACOB PENROSE ATKINS, at the OLD BAILEY, on Thurfday, July 24, 1783, for a ROBBERY. HE prifoner was indicted for ftopping, in Bloomsbury fquare, a Mr. Leuward, and taking from him his watch and purfe. Mr. Leuward proved, that about a quarter of an hour after eleven o'clock at night, on the 29th of June laft, as he was paffing through Bloomsbury-fquare, fome perfon from behind him gave him a tap on the fhoulder ;-that on his turning round to fee who it was, he perceived a perfon holding a piftol to his head; who, after abufing him in very grofs language, by calling him feveral fcoundrels and rafcals, and damning him for a fon-of-a-whore, dragged him to the rails of the fquare from off the flags: he then took his watch from him, which was a gold one, and had feveral trinkets and valuable feals belonging to it. On his demanding his money, he gave him out of his right hand pocket his purfe, containing three guineas and fome filver. As foon as he had done fo, the perfon fearched his left pocket, and immediately afterwards went away. On his cross-examination by Mr. Fielding, who was counfel for the prifoner, he was afked whether he knew the perfon who robbed him, or did he fee him in the court? He replied, he had not the smallest knowledge of him. The next witness was a filverfmith in Cornhill, to whom the prifoner had brought the watch that Mr. Leuward had been robbed of, in order to fell. He depofed, that on the morning of the 30th of June the prifoner came to his fhop, and afked him if he would buy a watch; that on anfwering in the affir mative, the watch was fhewn him: on opening it to inspect the work, he faid he found that it was made by a Mr. Beft, a neighbour of his. He then obferved to the prifoner, that he was not a competent judge of fuch articles, as they did not immediately relate to his profeffion; but that he would ftep to a watchmaker, a friend of his in the neighbourhood, who would at once acquaint him with the value of the watch. He accordingly went to Mr. Beft's, accompanied by the prifoner. He gave the watch to Mr. Beft to look at, who directly knew it to be identically the fame he had fome days before lent to a gentleman, while he was making him a new one, On his crofs examination by the prisoner's counfel, he confeffed that the prifoner expreffed not the leaft reluctance or uneafinefs at his going to Mr. Belt's, but with the greatest chearfulness went with him thither. Mr. Beft was then called: he fwore, that on looking at the watch brought him by the filverfmith, he directly knew it to be VOL. II. 31. the the fame he had some short time before given to a Mr. Leuward to wear, while he was making him a new one, and that he faw it in Mr. Leuward's poffeffion the day before the robbery was committed. He faid alfo, that he asked the prisoner how he came by it; but the answer he received not proving fatisfactory to him, be entertained strong fufpicions of the prisoner's coming by it in an improper manner, and therefore brought him immediately to the public office in Bow-ftreet, for the purpose of being further examined by the juftices there. Mr. Bower, one of the officers belonging to Bow.street, depofed, that on the prifoner's being brought before Sir Sampfon Wright, he was difpatched to fearch his lodgings, which were in Caftle-court, in the Strand. He faid, on his coming to the houfe where the prifoner lived, he went up stairs, and found a lady in his bed-chamber, who appeared to be very anxious to conceal fomewhat that was at the bottom of the bed. He, on that, ordered the lady into another room, and, on infpecting clofely the bed, he found a piftol: he got alfo a coat in the room, and in one of the pockets was the key of the freet door. He then returned to Bow-ftreet; but recollecting that he had not made so close a fearch as he ought, he went a fecond time to the prifoner's lodgings. He then faw in a room, on the ground-floor, (which was inhabited by the owner of the houfe,) a fmall box: he inftantly remembered having feen it before in the prifoner's apartments; and what confirmed him the ftronger in this idea was, that the woman of the houfe informed him, on being queftioned by him with regard to whofe property the box was, that it belonged to Mr. Atkins. He faid, that he carried the box to Bow-street, and that it was there opened, when there were found in it three different purses, one of which Mr. Leuward knew to be the fame that the prifoner had robbed him of the night before. The purfe was, on this, prefented to Mr. Leuward, who declared it was the very one which had been taken from him. He was interrogated by the counfel for the prifoner, whether he could fwear to the watch too? He anfwered, he could not. The woman who owned the house where the prifoner lodged, was called to prove how the box came into her apartments, which the accounted for in this manner:-She faid, that feeing perfons fearching Mr. Atkins's lodgings, and taking away fome articles that were his property, the imagined that he was indebted to them, and that they acted thus, in order to fecure themselves; and therefore, as Mr. Atkins owed her fome money, the carried the box out of his room, and was determined to keep it until fhe was paid. On her cross-examination, the declared declared that the prifoner was in bed about half after eleven o'clock, on the night in which the robbery was committed. She faid, that she did not fee him come in, but that fhe heard him cough in bed, and that he breakfasted at home the following day, and went out between eleven and twelve, but never returned afterwards. She declared that no gentleman could behave better than the prifoner did during the time he had been in her house, which was upwards of eight weeks: his conduct was irreproachable: he led a very regular life, and was feldom or ever out fo late at night as twelve o'clock. In short, the whole tenor of his behaviour correfponded with what his appearance denoted him to be a gentleman. Mrs. Kinflan was the next and laft witnefs produced in behalf of the profecution. This lady's feelings, if we could judge from her countenance, were very poignant for the unhappy fituation of the prifoner, with whom, it feems, she lived. She was quite languid and pale, and could fcarcely give utterance to her words. To a queftion put to her," Whether the knew any thing bad of the prifoner ?" fhe declared she never did. She also corroborated the former witnefs's teftimony of the prifoner's fleeping at home on the night of the robbery, and of his going to bed about half after eleven o'clock. She proved likewife that he breakfafted at home, but that he went out about twelve o'clock, and did not afterwards return. The only witnefs who appeared in behalf of the prifoner, was a Mr. Atkins, who could fpeak but to his character. He mentioned that his family in Ireland was the most respectable and worthy, and that they were people of fortune and note in that country. That the unhappy gentleman himself had been a cornet in the blue horfe; but had, about four or five years ago, fold out, for the purpose of going to the East-Indies. That he knew him fince November laft, at which time he came to London, and was introduced to him. That he always confidered him to be a perfon of fair and honeft character, and as incapable of doing a dishonourable or unjust action as any other man in the kingdom.-To an interrogation of Mr. juftice Buller's, "Whether he was a relation of the prifoner's?" he answered, he was; but fo very distant a one, that he could not trace the degree of relationship. The prifoner being afked by the court, whether he had any further defence to make? he faid he wished to leave it to his counfel. Mr. Fielding told him, that it was not in his power to fay any more for him, and advised him to addrefs the jury himfelf, and give them an account how he came by the watch. He accordingly complied; but fpoke in fo low and feeble a O 2 voice, |