There are several varieties of this dreature, all equally disagreeable in their natures, though not in their personal habits. The female in most instances, seems to pique herself on her placidity, in proportion to the cruelties of which she may happen to be an eye-witness. These are the most disgusting specimens of the whole race. The giost curious variety, however, is one which has so remarkable: a resemblance to a species of monkey recorded in Natural History,that the description of the latter will serve for that of the former. The monkey we allude to is called the Preacher-Monkey, as the Fire-Threatener is often called the FieldPreacher Instead of fields, however, to which it seems to have a natural antipathy, the Preacher Fire-Threatener now chatters and howls in regular imitations of pulpits, or selects a spot where crossroads unite, and stands like a great baboon, making mouths, and gestures, and outcries at the astonished passengers. Idle boys sometimes gather round and plague it; but nothing can induce it to finish its wretched harangue till it pleases; and at every pull of the hair or counter-grin in the face, it puts on an aspect half patient half malignant, as much as to say, "You will have a good clawing by and by." The voice of the Preacher-Monkey, says Buffon, "resounds like a drum, and is heard at a great distance." Marcgrave relates, (Hist. Brasil, p. 226.) that every morning and evening the Ouarines (Preacher-Monkies) assemble in the woods; that one of them takes a more elevated station, and gives a signal with his hand for the others to sit around and listen to him; that, when he perceives them to be all seated, he begins a discourse in a tone so loud and rapid as to be heard at a great distance; and a person would be led to think that the whole were crying together; that all the rest, however, keep the most profound silence; that, when he stops, he gives a signal with his hand for the others to reply; that, in an instant the whole cry together, tilt he commands silence by another signal, which they obey ima moment that the first resumes his discourses or song and that, after hearing him attentively for a considerable time, the assembly breaks up 2 ma This proceeding, which Marcgrave says he has ofteir witnessed, Buffon with a scepticisin becoming his inquiries, is inclined to regard as exaggerated; but he had never seen the Field-Preacher, which we all know to exist. Is not the likeness curious? Some African nations think that apes and monkies are nothing but degenerate men, who pre tend to be dumb that they may not be set to work. It requires no great stretch of probability to conclude the Preacher-Monkey to be another species of Field-Preacher, with notious of theology and divi nity, equally brutal and unintelligible. The same people are said to worship the devil out of fear that is to say, in other words, to make the Supreme Being a devil,-a Dæmonism or Diabololatry, which looks very like the terrified homage of the Field-Preacher. The Quarine or Preacher Monkey is called by Linnæus the Beelzebub. 1 ; Fear and selfishness, but chiefly the latter, are the predisposing qua, lities to this lamentable degeneracy. Those in whom fear is carried to excess, rather fancy themselves than become such. It is a disease like that of Licanthropy, in which men were said to fancy themselves wolves; and is only an excess of the morbid tendency, which inclines hypochondriacs and other people of bad digestion to think they are dying or dead, or turned into something, or too tall to go under a bridge without stooping, or too large for the room, or liable to be toasted and buttered, &c. These fancies are removable by the natural remedies of exercise, temperance, and sociality; but an excess of physical weakness, either suffered to increase by the individual, or made hereditary by his thoughtless progenitors, will sometimes carry the finest-minded human being away, till he takes himself for a FireThreatener, especially if he gets among the animals themselves. Не may then die or lose his senses out of sheer horror; upon which all the real beasts shall set up a howl of mixed lamentation and triumph, as if he really had been one of their breed. HOLIDAY CHILDREN. MR. INDICATOR,-One of the most pleasing sights at this festive season is the group of boys and girls returned from school. Go where you will, a cluster of their joyous chubby faces present themselves to our notice. In the streets, at the panorama, or playhouse, our elbows are constantly assailed by some eager urchin whose eyes just peep beneath to get a nearer view. I am more delighted in watching the vivacious workings of their ingenuous countenances at these Christmas shows, than at the sights themselves. From the first joyous hozza, and loud blown horns which announce their arrival, to the faint attempts at similar mirth on their return, I am interested in these youngsters. Observe the line of chaises with their swarm-like loads hurrying to tender and exalting parents, the sickly to be cherished, the strong to be amused; in a few mornings you shall see them, new clothes, warm gloves, gathering around their mother at every toy-shop, claiming the promised bat, hoop, top, or marbles; mark her kind smile at their extacies; her prudent shake of the head at their multitudinous demands; her gradual yielding as they coaxingly drag her in; her patience with their whims and clamour while they turn and toss over the play-things, as now a sword, and now a hoop is their choice, and like their elders the possession of one bauble does but make them sigh for another. View the fond father, his pet little girl by the hand, his boys walking before on whom his proud eye rests, while ambitious views float o'er his mind for them, and make him but half attentive to their repeated inquiries; while at the Museum or Picture Gallery, his explanations are interrupted by the rapture of discovering that his children are already well acquainted with the different subjects exhibited. Stretching half over the boxes at the theatre, adorned by maternal love, see their enraptured faces now turned to the galleries wondering at their height and at the number of regularly placed heads contained in them, now directed towards the green cloud which is so lingeringly kept between them and their promised bliss. The half-peeled orange laid aside when the play begins; their anxiety for that which they understand; their honest laughter which runs through the house like a merry peal of sweet bells; the fear of the little girl lest they should discover the person hid behind the screen; the exultation of the boy when the hero conquers. But oh the rapture when the pantomime commences! Ready to leap out of the box, they joy in the mischief of the clown, laugh at the thwacks he gets for his medling, and feel no small portion of contempt for his ignorance in not knowing that hot water will scald and gun powder explode; while with head aside to give fresh energy to the strokes, they ring their little palms against each other in testimony of exuberant delight. Who can behold them without reflecting on the many passions that now lie dormant in their bosoms, to be in a few years agitating themselves and the world. Here the coquet begins to appear in the attention paid to a lace frock or kid gloves for the first time displayed, or the domestic tyrant in the selfish boy, who snatches the largest cake, or thrusts his younger brother and sister from the best place. At no season of the year are their holidays so replete with pleasures; the expected Christmas-box from grand-papa and grand-mamma; plumpudding and snap-dragon, with blindman's-buff and forfeits; perhaps to witness a juvenile play rehearsed and ranted; galantée-show and drawing for twelfth-cake; besides Christmas-gambols in abundance, new and old. Even the poor charity-boy at this season feels a transient glow of cheerfulness, as with pale blue face, frost-nipped hands, and ungreatcoated, from door to door he timidly displays the unblotted scutcheon of his graphic talents, and feels that the pence bestowed are his own, and that for once in his life he may taste the often desired tart, or spin a top which no one can snatch from him in capricious tyranny. I know not whether it be the dotage of age coming over me, but when I see or think of these little beings, I feel as a child again, my heart warms to them, I enter into their joys and sorrows, their pastimes and their thousand imaginings; and fancy I could fly a kite or wield a bat with the best of them; nor is any thing more refreshing to me after much intercourse with the heartlessness and affectation of the world, than the society of intelligent and amiable children. Desiring to be kindly remembered to your little folk, Mr. Indicator, (if you have any) and wishing them and you abundance of fun and pastime this Christmas, I remain, your sincere well-wisher, AN OLD BOY. esholim sili A SYLVAN SURPRISE. Time and place give every thing its propriety. Strolling one day in Twickenham meadows, I was struck with the appearance of something dusky on upon the grass, which my eye could not immediately reduce into a shape. Going nearer, I discovered the cause of the phenomenon. In the midst of the most rural scene in the world, the day glorious over head, the wave of Father Thames rippling deliciously by him, lay qutstretched at his ease upon Nature's verdant carpet-a chimneysweeper: A spot like which Astronomer in the sun's Incent arb zad wil so Through his glaz'd optic tube yet never saw. log There is no reason in nature why a chimney-sweeper should not indulge a taste for rural objects, but somehow the ideas were c discordant. It struck me like an inartificial discord.in music. It was a combination of urbs in rure, which my experience had not prepared me to anticipate. AN AMERICAN WAR FOR HELEN. I have in my possession a curious volume of Latin verses, which I believe to be unique. It is entitled Alexandri Fultoni Scoli Epigrammatorum libri quinque. It purports to be printed at Perth, and bears date 1679. By the appellation which the author gives himself in the preface, hypodidasculus, I suppose him to have been usher at some school. It is no uncommon thing now a days for persons concerned in academies to affect a literary reputation in the way of their trade. The "master of a seminary for a limited number of pupils at Islington," lately put forth an edition of that scarce tract, the Elegy in g Country Church-yard (to use his own words), with notes and headlines!But to our author. These epigrams of Alexander Fulton, Scotchman, have little remarkable in them besides extreme dulness and insipidity; but there is one, which, by its being marshalled in the front of the volume, seems to have been the darling of its parent, and for its exquisite flatness, and the surprising stroke of anachronism with which it is pointed, deserves to be rescued from oblivion. It is addressed, like many of the others, to a fair one: ini doom volls ent AD MIRIULAM SUAM AUTOR.od of gainiesc Moverunt bella olim Helenæ decor atque venustas Tam bona, quam tu, tam prudens, sin illa,fuisset, Which, in humble imitation of mine author's peculiar poverty of stile, I have ventured thus to render into English : 5THE AUTHOR TO HIS MOGGY. Danda bongabroo tider Forlove's illustrious cause, and Helen's charms, wikter, noting 220 2Ath Europe and all Asia rush'd to arms. Wildug's lo ysiummoloz Had she with these thy polish'd sense combin'de a All Afric and America had join'd! The happy idea of an American war undertaken in the cause of beauty ought certainly to recommend the author's memory to the countrymen of Madison and Jefferson; and the bold anticipation of the discovery of that Continent in the time of the Trojan War is a flight beyond the Sibyll's books. DX1ZV1030 STA KAITOMMY SET TO BRELE A 39RO UT YE CATERDON 142 IT KONKUR GUNPOWDER PLOT. This then Some days before the fatal stroke should be given, Master Keys [a conspirator] being at Tichmersh, in Northamptonshire, at the house of Mr. Gilbert Pickering, his brother-in-law, (but of a different religion, as a true Protestant) suddenly whipped out his sword, and in merriment made many offers therewith at the heads, necks, and sides, of many gentlemen and gentlewomen then in the company. was taken as a mere frolic, and for the present passed accordingly; but afterwards, when the treason was discovered, such as remembered his gestures, thought thereby he did act what he intended to do (if the plot had took effect) hack and hew, kill and slay, all eminent persons of a different religion from themselves.-Fuller's Church History. BURNING OF HERETICS. Indeed such burning of heretics much startled common people, pitying all in pain, and prone to asperse justice itself with cruelty, because of the novelty and hideousness of the punishment. And the purblind eyes of vulgar judgments looked only at what was next to them (the suffering itself) which they beheld with compassion, not minding the demerit of the guilt which deserved the same. Besides, such being unable to distinguish betwixt constancy and obstinacy, were ready to entertain good thoughts even of the opinions of those heretics, who sealed them so manfully with their blood. Wherefore King James [the first] politickly preferred, that heretics hereafter, thus Positively one is at a loss which to admire most in this passage; the tender mercies of the King, or the regretful look which this old Divine seems to have cast back upon the extinguished fires of Smithfield. Through all the coyness of the confession, and the little more than hints which he broaches on this delicate subject, it is easy to discover, that those smothered brands had left as strong a relish and savor of fire in his nostrils, as the odour of the old fleshpots did upon the palates of the rebellious manna-sick Jews. He would fain be blowing up the dead coals again, though he offers at it reluctantly, and lights the pyre (as the ancients did in their funeral rites) with averted eyes. Yet Fuller appears to have been a humane kind-hearted man (where heretics were not concerned); and could see the enormity of "hacking and hewing" killing and slaying" persons of an " oppos 66 site faith," when that faith was his own, |