took fo well with the literati, that they advanced on one another until it was knocked down at a very confiderable price, to a learned gentleman, who was determined to have it at any rate. When it was delivered to him, so eager was the expectation and impatience of the company to read the opinion, that the purchafer, for fear of being crouded to death, read aloud these words: "Mem. I have carefully perufed this book, and do pronounce it worth-not one fingle farthing."

T

ANECDOTE of the KING of PRUSSIA.

HE diverfion of hunting in Pruffia was at one time as prevalent as in other countries; and as fportfmen feldom attend to any thing but their own convenience and diverfion, the farmers and peafants accordingly received great damage, without ever being reimbursed for their loffes, or, as they fuppofed, daring to complain. The king being himself one time upon one of these rural excurfions, when he arrived at a little district near Cuftrin, he found the lands fallow, and lying entirely bar ren: he enquired of his courtiers the reason of fo fine a spot lying uncultivated, but they were either ftrangers to the reafon, or at leaft pretended to be fo: he took the pains the next day to go to the fame place, where meeting a peafant on the road, and demanding the reafon, the man replied, that the fpot he enquired into was formerly one of the most fertile in Germany, but that being a receptacle for game, hares, &c. the neighbouring nobility and gentry did the farmers fo much injury, which they refufed to pay any compenfation for, that the people, tired out by loffes, left it, and went to other parts of the country, many of them ruined by their ill-fuccefs. The confequence of this was, the King broke up his own hunt, and also forbid that exercise or amufement to be practifed in future, without permiffion for that purpofe; faying, that in his dominions private diverfions fhould ever give way to public inconveniencies.Verbum sat.

TH

ANECDOTE of Dr. OLIVER GOLDSMITH.

HE Doctor had been fent for by the duke of Northumber land to break faft with him, with a view of being introduced to his grace as an object of his literary patronage. He accordingly attended at the appointed hour, and was fhewn into a room to wait till his grace, who was not ftirring, fhould be ready

to

to receive him. Honeft Oliver, confcious that in the lift of his numerous excellencies, promptitude of fpeaking did not stand confpicuous in the catalogue, had provided a fet fpeech to be addreffed to the duke the moment he was prefented to him, and employed himself in conning this prepared harangue in the interval that took place previous to his introduction. In the mean time, his grace, a little reluctant to detain a literary man in the ftate of expectation, fent his valet down ftairs to inform the doctor, that he would wait upon him with all poffible expedition. As foon as Goldfmith faw the valet,not doubting from the finery of his exterior appearance that it was the duke himself, he began with that non-chalance which fo much characterized him, to pronounce his oration, and had actually finished it, when the fervant informed him, " Sir, my mafter will be with you presently." The doctor was fo much abaíhed at his mistake, that when he was actually prefented, he had not a word to fay. He had thrown away his ready-made eloquence, and was not enough of an orator to devife a fuccedaneum ; and as may therefore be easily fuppofed, did not add much to the impreffion made upon his patron from his literary exertions by the agreeableness of his perfonal

demeanor.

Anfwer, by J. H. of Shaftesbury, to S. M. O.'s enigmatical Lift of African Cities, inferted November 10.

1. Morocco.

2. Algiers.

3. Tunis.

4. Tripoli.

5. Great Popo.

6. Loando.

7. St. Salvador.

8. Alexandria.

9. Rofetta.

10. Grand Cairo.

*g* We have received the like anfwer from Taffo, of Bristol.

Anfwer, by a Conftant Reader, to Tyro's Enigma, inferted
November 3.

A

Dull genius I am, yet with ease can define,

No courfe runs fo conftant, no pace fwift as TIME;

Be wife, then, ye mortals; it husband with care;
A jewel fo precious commend to the fair;

Improve the bleft moments whilst now in your prime,
Nor in trifles e'er wafte fuch a treafare as TIME.
4 F 2

ttt We

+ We have received the like answer from J. Quant, of Hinton St. George; a youth of Mr. Zillwood's fchool, Dorchester; J. E. of Mevagiffey; Taffo, of Bristol; T. Locock, of Martock; J. H. of Shaftesbury; John Reynolds, of Falmouth; J. Browning, of Bickington; R. Cuming, of Modbury; and Timon,

A QUESTION, by J. Quant, of Hinton St. George.

THE

HE 30th of September last, I arrived at a certain period of years, to which if you add 40 to its fquare, from that fum fubtract 97; multiply the remainder by 2, and to that product add 43, the cube root of that fum will be equal to 9 years. From what is given my true age is required.

TOWNS in SOMERSETSHIRE, enigmatically expreffed, by Arion, of Bath.

1.TALF a fign in the Zodiac, a liquid letter, and a denial reversed.

"HA

2. Two-fifths of an Athenian lawgiver, three-fevenths of a planet, and a weight.

3. Four-fixths of a Roman confpirator, and two-fifths of a plant.

4. One of the tribes revers'd, half a Trojan general tranf pofed, and half a bird.

5. A fish, changing the first and last letters,

6. Three-ninths of mineral, a quadrupede, omitting a letter, a vowel, and one of the elements.

7. One-third of a tree, two-fevenths of a feigned ftory, and a perfonal pronoun.

8. A liquid, three-fourths of an infect reverfed, a confonant, and three-fevenths of an immenfe ftream tranfpofed.

E

An ENIGMA, by Sobrius, of Chedzoy.

NIGMATISTS, and others feeking fame,
Search facred records there you'll see my name,

But in Great Britain I cannot be found,

Were you to fearch it strictly all around.

Like you the natural fenfes I've enjoy'd,
Which have in works of art been oft employ'd.
Were I to vifit England's monarchy,

Crouds upon crouds then there would gladly be
To view fo great a prodigy as me.

}

Some there would be, with philofophic eye,
My noble, grand conftruction to espy;
Stout-hearted Britons would at fuch a fight
Be fill'd with greatest pleasure and delight;
Were timid girls before me to appear,
Undoubtedly they'd be poffefs'd with fear.
No brute am I, but yet a being strong,
Who, finner-like, have oftentimes done wrong;
But who among the human race can say,
That all God's precepts I did difobey.

There were fome Heathen writers who did tell,
That for my crimes I was thrust down to hell:
To quafh fuch fayings (if you do think fit)
Make application unto holy writ:
To Mofes' writings if you do repair,
No punishment on me you can find there;
That I exifted is there to be found;

What my deeds were Mofes did not expound,
Whether my actions were to goodness bent,
Or, quite reverse, to evil acts intent.
The ancient prophets, too, in filence are
About my actions, what they really were;
But in the Holy Scriptures you will find
Some men to reprobate me are inclin'd;
Some were to murder, theft, adult'ry prone,
And the Almighty God they did difown:
"Perhaps you did thefe things (you now may fay)
"And other of God's precepts difobey.
"If fo the Heathen writers did speak true,
"And thou, vile wretch, eternally fhalt rue !"
Hufh, huh, ye bards! no longer vainly chatter,
Since you cannot know ought about the matter.
What you may know of me is but my name,
Which if you do, pray explicate the fame.

Itt There is nothing new in J. G's Poem on the Nativity, and the airfification is, befides, extremely defective.

POETRY.

POETRY.

THE HONEST COUNTRYMAN's LITANY.

F

ROM a wife of fmall fortune, but yet very proud,
Who values herself on her family's blood,
Who feldom talks fenfe, but for ever is loud,

Deliver me,

From children begotten on fuch a base mother,
Who are like to their dam as one pea to another,
From feven of these brats without e'er a brother,

Deliver me.

From living in the parish that has an old kirk,
Where the parfon would rule like a Jew or a Turk,
And keeps a poor curate to do all the work,

Deliver me.

From a juftice o' th' peace who'll put up no offence,
But conftrues the law in its moft rigid fenfe,
And all to bind over will find a pretence,

Deliver me.

From fpiritual courts, citations, and libels;
From proctors, apparitors, and all the tribe elfe,
Which ne'er yet was heard of in any Bibles,

Deliver me.

From being obliged to attend at affizes,
And ferve upon juries of nifi prius ;

From damp beds, or itchy, or fuch where there lice is,

Deliver me.

From