of his house these of the most remarkable botanists were exhibited to view. In 1746 a print of Haller was published in copper plate. Linnæus requested a copy of this portrait of Haller himself, and fent him one of his gold medals in return. At the inftance of Count Teffin, Linnæus obtained the title of Archiater, or Dean of the College of Phyficians, on the 19th of January 1747.

His father, who in his youth had defigned Linnæus for an apprentice to a fhoe-maker-now faw his fon thus honoured by the great men of the kingdom, raised to dignities, his fame spread all over Europe, and his name rendered immortal. The father of Linnæus died at Stenbrohult, May 12, 1748, aged 74. Long ago would his memory have perifhed but for his great fon, who was at firft the torment, but afterwards the delight and boast of his life.

His difciples became the priests and teachers of nature in all parts of the world; through him the love of her productions animated the great, and penetrated even to the throne of his country. Count Teffin, his elevated patron, loved him and his fcience, especially the knowledge of the mineral reign. He had collected a confiderable cabinet of minerals, the description and arrangement of which he left to the care of Linnæus, The description appeared in 1753 in Latin and Swedish, and to the honour of the author, Count Teffin himself prefixed a preface to the work, dedicated it to Linnæus, and caufed a copper-plate to be put in front of it, reprefenting the medal which he had ordered to be ftruck in honour of our luminary.

fions of that prince. In a fhort time a great number of curiofities of the animal reign, especially foreign birds, amphibia, fishes, and infects were collected, and a cabinet built in the castle at Ulrichfdale, at the distance of half a league from Stockholm. Linnæus had the honour to arrange it, and to publish a description of its contents in the year 1754

The laudable example of this prince was followed by his excellent and accomplished Queen Louifa Ulrica, filter to Frederick the Great. She had a cabinet of shells, infects and corals collected at her own expence in her palace at Drottningholm, the flow increase of which rendered its treasures the more valuable. The oriental collections of the unfortun ate Haffelquist were preferved in the fame place. Linnæus alfo defcribed this museum. The two royal palaces of Ulrichfdale and Drottningholm till contain to this day the monuments of his labours and arrangements. The late King Gustavus III. left thofe treasures of nature, which will ever shine as an ornament in those edifices, in the fame order as Linnæus had defcribed them according to his own fyftem.

Linnæus chofe the academical recefs as the time for arranging the royal cabinets. There are two vacations every year at the Univerfity of Upfal. the fummer vacation lafts three months, and the winter vacation fix weeks. On thofe days of leifure, he used to go to Ulrichsdale and Drottningholm, fituate at the distance of about eight Swedish miles from Upfal. But a fell diforder threatened to prevent Linnæus from repairing thither, had not he fortunately discovered an efficacious remedy against it. In the fummer of 1750, he was attacked with the gout. His fits were fo violent as to deprive him of fleep for feven days and feven nights, nor could he ever keep his feet quiet for an hour together. The gouty matter

circulated

circulated from one foot into the other, and thus gradually spread its poison to his hands and other limbs. Thofe who attended him began to defpair of his recovery. All his appetite being gone, he one day took it into his head to refresh himself with itrawberries; he ate them, fell asleep, defired more of that fruit to be given him, and two days after rofe from his bed entirely restored to health and vigor. In the courfe of the following fummer he was again troubled with a relapfe. He came to the palace, with a pale and diftorted countenance. The Queen Dowager afked him if he wanted any thing"A pottle of ftrawberries"-anfwered he. The ftrawberries were brought him ;-and the next day her Majefty faw him full of fpirits and perfectly recovered in her museum of natural curiofities. Three years afterwards Linnæus had again feveral fits of the gout, but they were much weaker than formerly, and he always conquered their virulence with ftrawberries. He ate them every fummer; they purified his blood, rendered his complexion more florid, and banifhed the gout for ever from his frame.

Exclufive of this new cure of the gout which cafual experience had taught him, his penetrating genius found the way to many other difcoveries. He firft obferved in the year 1748, that the worm Tapia belong

ed to the compound creatures, or to the animal plants; that each of its limbs had a mouth and an anus.

In the fame year, he found out the art of making pearls. "I am at laft acquainted," fays he in the fame letter to Haller, "with the manner "in which pearls are generated in "their fhells. I can now bring it "about, that each pearl fhell, (the, "Mya margaritifera, fo abundantly "found in the North fea,) which "can be encompaffed in one's hand, "will, after a lapfe of between five "and fix years, produce a pearl of "the fize of a pea."-He kept his fecret to himself for a long time. In the diet of 1762, it became a fubject of public difcuffion, and the states of Sweden induced him, by the offer of a confiderable reward, to communicate it to one of their reprefentatives, a merchant and director of the Swedish Eaft India Company at Gothenburgh. It does not however appear that any confiderable benefit was ever derived from this discovery. Doctor J. E. Smith of London, the prefent proprietor of the Linnaean collections, is alfo in poffeffion of the manufcript which Linnæus wrote upon the generation of pearls. This curious work is written in the Swe difh language; and from its high va, lue, it may probably never appear in public.

To be continued.

ELIZABETH, LIZABETH, a Jewish convert, the daughter of Rabbi Mofes, was allowed two-pence per day as a confideration, in 1403, for being deferted by her family on account of her change as to religion.-Rym. Fad.

It feems fingular that, in 1404, the Commons, after having vindicated

their own privileges as to menial fervants, &c. with great fpirit, fhould, with wondrous inconfiftence, petition the crown that it would direct the Lords to examine into a falfe return for Rutland, and punish the offenders. -Rot. Subfid.

In 1406, Richard Clithero, knight

of.

gage to find fifteen more for the army, three of which, however, were to act as archers!!! With fuch a profeffional fcarcity, what must have been the ftate of the wounded on the day of battle?

In the fame year, the king obferving that Holbourn, Alta via regia in Holbourn,' was a deep and perilous road, ordered two fhips to be laden with stones at his own coft, each twenty tons in burden, in order to repair it. This feems the first paving in London.-Rym. Fad.

In 1418, iron balls were not used for cannon, fince we find an order for making at Maidstone in Kent, 7000 ftone bullets for the king's ordnance. -Ibid.

In 1421, loud complaints having been made by the inferior clergy as to the inequality of their ftipends, it was ordained by the fuperior convocation, that each bishop's family-barber fhould fhave each priest who had his orders from that bishop, without pay ment.-Wilkens' Confilia.

Cows, in 1425, were valued at about fixteen modern fhillings each.-Madox. Form. Angl.

In 1426, the affembly which met in February was called the parliament of bats,' fince the fenators being ordered to wear no fwords, attended armed. with clubs or bats. Their meeting too was held at Leicester, to avoid the tumult of a London mob.

In 1429, an important change was made as to the qualifications of voters for knights of fhires. These were now obliged to prove themfelves worth 40s. per annum. Before this, every freeholder might vote, and the vaft concourse of elections brought on riots and murders. Twenty pounds would in modern days be barely an equivalent for our ancestors 40s. The freeholders were at the fame time directed to chufe two of the fittest and most discreet knights refident in their county. Or if none fuch could be found, notable efquires, gentle

men by birth, and qualified to be made knights, but no yeoman, or perfon of inferior rank.' Henry from Statutes.

In 1431, Holingshed relates a melancholy tale of an ungrateful Breton, who murdered his kind hoftefs near Aldgate. Falling however into the hands of the women in the neighbourhood, they fo bethwacked him with ftones, ftaves, kennel, doong and other things,' fays our chronicler, that they laid him aftretching, and rid him of life.'

6

Nearly about this time flourished John Lydgate, The Monk of Bury. He was avowedly a scholar and imitator of Chaucer, for whom he always expreffed a moft awful reverence. He fpent his life in the profeffion of a tutor, travelled to France and Italy with improvement, and was much efteemed as a fcholar and poet. If he had not the fire of Chaucer, he exceeded him in fmoothness of language. And the extreme humility of the following lines muft fpeak in favour of the modeft poet.

I am a monk, by my profeffion,

Of Bury, called John Lydgate by my

name,

And wear a habit of perfection,

;

Altho' my life agree not with the fame That meddle fhuld with things fpiritual, As I muft needs confefs unto you all. But feeing that I did in this proceed

At his commands, whom I could not refufe

I humbly do befeech all thofe that read

Or leifure have this flory to peruse; If any fault therein they find to be, Or error that committed by me ; That they will, of their gentleness, take pain,

The rather to correct, and mend the fame;

Than rafhly to condemn it, with difdain;

For well I wot it is not without blame, Becaufe I know the verse therein is wrong, As being fome too fhort, and fome too long.

of talents. He moves with equal eafe in every mode of compofition. His hymns and his ballads have the fame degree of merit; and whether his fubject be the life of a hermit, or a hero, of St Austin or Guy of Warwick, ludicrous or legendary, a history or an allegory, he writes with eafe and perfpicuity.'

The following lines of Lydgate found too modern for his age.

• Like as the dewe defcendeth on the rofe With filver drops.'

The verses, too, in which Lydgate defcribes the reign of Saturn, have much harmony, strength, and digni

ty.

Fortitude, then, fode ftedfaft in his

might Defendyd widows, cherished chastitye Knyghtehode in prowes, gave fo clear a light Girt with his fworde of truthe and equi. tye.' WARTON

It is unlucky that Lydgate's favourite ballad, entitled London Lick penny,' is too long to be inferted here. It gives a faithful picture of the metropolis in the 15th century. Among other circumstances, ftrawberries and cherries are fpoken of as being very common.

A bad feafon happening in 1434, wheat was fold as high as 21. 135. 4d. (modern money) per quarter. It soon fell to tos. 8d. which feems to have been nearly the medium price of that commodity-Chron. Pret.

Wine was then at the price of two modern fhillings per gallon.-Ibid.

In the fame year, licences were granted by the king to no less than 2433 pilgrims to visit the fhrine of St. James, at Compoftello.-Rym. Fad.

hiring the master of a London merchant-fhip to fail to Iceland, as his proxy, and to perform the neceffary vifitation of his fee; the good prelate dreading in perfon to encounter the boifterous northern ocean. -Rym Fed.

In 1439, Philip Malpas and Robert Marshall, fheriffs of London, were obliged to restore an enormous criminal, whom they had torn from the fanctuary of St. Martin's Le Grand and fent to Newgate. It was not till 1457, that a check was given to thefe odious privileges.-Stow.

About this time it appears (fays bishop Fleetwood) that a clergyman might be fupported with decency for ten modern pounds per annum.Chron. pret.

Twenty pounds per annum was in 1439, fettled by ftatute as the qualification for a country juftice of the peace.-Pub. A&is.

The order of viscounts was eftablifhed in 1440, by Henry VI. John lord Beaumont was the firft created. -Selden:

Provifions fold thus, in 1444. Wheat per quarter, 8s. 8d. A fat ox, 31. 3s. 4d. A hog, 6s. A goofe, 6d. Pigeons 8d. the dozen, reckoned in modern money.-Chron. Pret.

Fortunately, the attraction of Thomas-à Becket's tomb, turned the balance of travellers on religious account in favour of England.-Hen

ry.

In 1436, we find the bishop of Hola in Iceland, whimsically enough

I.