four-and-twenty letters in their turns, and showed INTROD. them that he could do his business without them. It must have been very pleasant to have seen this poet avoiding the reprobate letter, as much as another would a falfe quantity, and making his escape from it, through the different Greek dialects, when he was presented with it in any particular syllable; for the most apt and elegant word in the whole language was rejected, like a diamond with a flaw in it, if it appeared blemished with the wrong letter.

And elsewhere in the "Spectator," * Tryphiodorus, in the "Vision of the Region of False Wit," is, as a lively phantom, represented as being purfued through space by the shades of the four-andtwenty letters, who are powerless to overtake him.

Difraeli, in his "Curiofities of Literature," mentions an ode of Pindar, from which the letter σ is carefully excluded; fo alfo, Peter de Riga, canon of Rheims, wrote a fummary of the Bible, and in each of its twenty-three sections omitted, fucceffively, fome particular letter.

Gordianus Fulgentius fays that his work, 66 'De Ætatibus Mundi et Hominis" is a wonderful production, because, from the chapter on Adam he has excluded the A, from that on Abel the B, and from that on Cain the C, etc., &c., through twenty-three chapters. Gregorio

* No. 63.

INTROD.

Gregorio Leti prefented a discourse entitled "The Exiled R," to the Academy of the Humorists at Rome, wherefrom the letter R was excluded, and a friend having requested a copy thereof as a curiosity, he replied by a copious answer of seven pages written in the same manner. An anecdote, given by Disraeli, after stating that the Orientals have this literary folly, may illuftrate the Lipogrammatifts. "A Perfian poet read to the celebrated Jami a gazel of his own compofition, which Jami did not like but the writer remarked that it was, notwithstanding, a curious fonnet, for the letter aliff was not to be found in any one of the words! Jami farcaftically replied, "You can do a better thing yet, - take away all the letters from every word you have written."

Du Chat, in his "Ducatiani," mentions five novels of Lopes de Vega, the first of which omits the A, the second the E, the third the I, the fourth the O, and the fifth the U.

The three poems "Pugna Porcorum," "Canum cum Cattis Certamen," and "De Laude Calvorum " which are presented in the prefent volume, illustrate a different phase of this Cadmean madness.* Lord North, a courtier of the times of James I., wrote fonnets,

and Earl Rivers, in the reign of Edward IV., INTROD. tranflated the Moral Proverbs of Christina of Pifa, in a similar style.

The PANGRAMMATISTS (writers who contrive to crowd all the letters of the alphabet into each of their verses,) claim the most ancient and venerable authority for their craft. The Prophet Ezra, they fay, was the first Pangrammatift, and inftance the following as their proof:

“And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily."*

The whole alphabet, with the E alone excepted, is contained in the following, written with ease without E's.

A jovial swain may rack his brain,
And tax his fancy's might,

To quiz in vain, for 'tis most plain,
That what I say is right.

Each verfe of the following, also, is both lipogrammatic and pangrammatic; containing every letter of the alphabet, except E.

THE FATE OF NASSAN.

Bold Naffan quits his caravan,
A hazy mountain grot to scan;
Climbs jaggy rocks to spy his way,
Doth tax his fight, but far doth stray.

* Ezra vii. 21.

Not

INTROD.

Not work of man, nor sport of child,
Finds Naffan in that mazy wild;

Lax grow his joints, limbs toil in vain
Poor wight! why didft thou quit that plain?

Vainly for fuccor Naffan calls,

Know, Zillah, that thy Nassan falls ;
But prowling wolf and fox may joy,
To quarry on thy Arab boy.

Lord Holland, in 1824, on reading the five Spanish novels of De Vega, before alluded to, wrote the following, in which all the vowels, except E, are omitted.

EVE'S LEGEND.

Men were never perfect; yet thee three brethren Veres were ever esteemed, respected, revered, even when the reft, whether the felect few, whether the mere herd, were left neglected.

The eldeft's veffels feek the deep, ftem the element, get pence; the keen Peter when free, wedded Hefter Green, the flender, ftern, fevere, erect Hefter Green. The next, clever Ned, lefs dependent, wedded sweet Ellen Heber. Stephen, ere he met the gentle Eve, never felt tenderness: he kept kennels, bred steeds, refted where the deer fed, went where green trees, where fresh breezes greeted fleep. There he met the meek, the gentle Eve; fhe tended her sheep, she ever neglected felf; she never heeded pelf, yet she heeded the fhepherds even lefs. Nevertheless, her cheek reddened when she met Stephen; yet decent reserve, meek respect, tempered her fpeech, even when the fhewed tenderness. Stephen felt the fweet effect: he felt he erred when he fled the

sex, yet felt he defenceless when Eve feemed tender. She, INTROd. he reflects, never deserved neglect; he never vented fpleen; he esteems her gentleness, her endless deserts; he reverences her steps; he greets her :

"Tell me whence these meek, these gentle sheep,whence the yet meeker, the gentle shepherdess?"

"Well bred, we were eke better fed, ere we went where reckless men feek fleeces. There we were fleeced. Need then rendered me fhepherdefs, need renders me fempftrefs. See me tend the sheep, see me sew the wretched fhreds. Eve's need preferves the fteers, preferves the fheep; Eve's needle mends her dreffes, hems her sheets; Eve feeds the geese; Eve preserves the cheese."

Her speech melted Stephen, yet he nevertheless efteems, reveres her. He bent the knee where her feet preffed the green; he bleffed, he begged, he preffed

her.

"Sweet, sweet Eve, let me wed thee; be led where Hefter Green, where Ellen Heber, where the bretheren Vere dwell. Free cheer greets thee there; Ellen's glees fweeten the refreshments; there feverer Hefter's decent referve checks heedless jests. Be led there, fweet Eve." "Never! we well remember the Seer. We went where he dwells- we entered the cellwe begged the de

"Where, whenever, when, t'were well

Eve be wedded? Eld Seer, tell!'

"He rendered the decree; fee here the sentence decreed!" Then she presented Stephen the Seer's decree. The verses were these :

"Ere the green be red,

Sweet Eve, be never wed;
Ere be green the red cheek,
Never wed thee, Eve meek.'