dlergy; but the magiftrates thinking him a lunatic, difcharged him. from motives of humanity, and ordered him to leave France.

Poftel now refolved to try his fortune a second time in Germany, and accordingly he repaired to Vienna, where he met with a favourable reception from the emperor Ferdinand I. here he might have enjoyedtranquillity for the remainder of his days; if an infurmountable defire to establish himself in his native country had not prevailed over all other confiderations. The ufe he made of the emperor's protection was to give him weight and confequence at home, for he wrote to the queen of Navarre a full recantation of all his errors, and in the moft penitential ftyle implored her forgivenefs and interceffion with the king. This application had the defired effect; he was recalled, restored to his profeffor's chair in the univerfity of Paris, and the falary he had formerly enjoyed. For a fhort time his converfion feemed to be fincere, but when he imagined himself fecure, from the great notice that had been taken of him in different parts of Europe, and the reputation he had acquired by fome of his works, he renewed his attempts to inftil wrong notions into the minds of youth; and the rest of the profeffors found themselves under a neceflity to prefent a petition to the king for his removal, declaring that they must refign, if he was not filenced: this last inftance of his unconquerable spirit put an end to his adventures, for he was fent to the college of St. Martin's in the Fields, there to be confined for life.

He died in this retreat in the 72d year of his age, A. D. 1581, and

left behind him the character (independent of the ramblings of a difturbed imagination) of a man of vaft genius and profound erudition. He was perfectly mafter of the dead languages, knew most of the living, and was unrivalled in the oriental tongues. He boafted that he could travel to all parts of the world without an interpreter ; and remarkable inftances are given of the ftrength of his memory. He enjoyed an excellent state of health, after the illness mentioned in the beginning of these memoirs, and he attributed it to his celibacy, conftantly avowing that he never knew a woman. One ftrange fancy poffeffed him, which must not be omitted on account of his works. He wanted to perfuade his countrymen, that he had died during the time he was abfent from France, and had rifen again; and to countenance this whim, he calls himfelf in most of his writings, Poftellus Reftitutus. From the great number he printed we fhall felect only thofe that are ftill held in esteem, and preferved in moft libraries as vafuable pieces, confidering the æra in which they were produced, viz. foon after the revival of letters in Europe.

Clavis abfconditorum a conftitutione mundi, Paris 1570. Amfterdam 1646. The Paris edition is very fcarce. De Ultimo Judicio, without date or place of publication, one of his moft efteemed productions. De Orbis Concordia, folio, the author's defign is to induce all the world to embrace Chriftianity, and his demonstrations of the folly and errors of Paganifm, Mahometanifm, and Judaifm, are fingular and cu rious. Unique Moyen de l'accord des Proteftans des Catholiques. Traité de l'origin de l'Etrurie, &c. &c. Sc,

MEMOIRS

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TH

Queen of France's necklace, has rendered the name of Madame de la Motte celebrated all over Europe, as it was a bufinefs wherein fhe acted a principal part. Her husband, the Sieur de la Motte, is faid to be brother to the de la Motte who fuffered at Tyburn fome few years ago as a fpy. He is confidered by fome as a Count of his own creation, and by others as really defcended from an ancient family of diftinction in France, which, according to the laws of that country, have been obliged to lay down their title for fome mifdemeanour. It is certain, how ever, that we have no authentic history of the family of Madame de la Motte, whofe celebrity is founded merely on the extraordinary talents the poffeffes for defign and intrigue.

Having infinuated herfelf into the good graces of the Cardinal de

Rohan, fhe found means to draw from him prefents of very conf derable value; and from this connection which fubfifted between them, the Cardinal, and others, were fufpected to have been concerned with her in making a frau. dulent ufe of the Queen's name, with a view to appropriate a diamond necklace, valued at 1,400,000 livres. But after the buliness had undergone a thorough examination, the Cardinal was declared innocent, Comte Caglioftro and Mademoiselle Oliva were difcharged, the Sieur Villette ordered into ba nifhment, and Madame de la Motte fentenced to be whipped, and with a rope about her neck to be branded on both fhoulders, and finally fhut up in a convent for life. Thus an end was put to this myfterious affair, which for many months had engaged the attention of all Europe.

JOHNSON.

Trafily difcover in there wo HE most unpractifed eye will fketches of Johnfon, the acute, the comprehenfive, the capacious mind, not cafily deceived, and rather in clined to fufpicion than credulity.

SHAKESPEARE.

A copy of a copy: add if you please a fpiritlefs vapid outline. How deficient must all outlines be! Among ten thoufand can one be found that is exact? Where is the

outline that can portray genius? Yet, who does not read in this outphysiognomical fenfation, the cleary line, imperfect as it is, from pure

the capacious, the rapid mind, all conceiving, all embracing, that with equal fwiftnefs and facility. ima gines, creates, produces.

STERNE.

The most unpractifed reader will not deny to this countenance, all the keen, the fearching penetration of wit, the moft original fancy full of fire, and the powers of inven

tion. Who is fo dull as not to view in this countenance fomewhat of the spirit of poor Yorick?

HINTS which LADIES Should STUDY.

An agreeable change, by conflant repetition, makes an impreffion on, and adds a feature of durable dedeformity to the countenance.

A number of fuch like beautiful changes when combined, if not counteracted, impart beauty to the face, and many deformed changes impart deformity.

Morally beautiful ftates of the mind impart beautiful impreffions. Therefore the fame changes, in ceffantly repeated, ftamp durable impreffions of beauty on the coun

tenance.

Morally deformed states of mind have deformed expreflions; confequently, if inceffantly repeated, they ftamp durable features of deformity.

They are in proportion ftronger and deeper, the oftner and the ftronger the expreffions peculiar to the fuppofed state of the mind take place.

It may happen, that one poffeffed of many excellent qualities, and who long has practifed virtue, at length may yield to the force of paffion, and in fo great a degree that all the world may juftly pronounce him vicious. Will it there fore be faid, "Behold your vicious beauty? Where is your harmony between virtue and beauty ?"

Has it not been already premis ed that fuch a perfon had excellent difpofitions, and much good, and

that he had long encouraged and established the goodness of his cha racter?

He therefore had, and ftill has. goodness worthy of emulation; and the more habitual it is to him, the deeper root the first virtuous impreffions took, the more confpicuous and firm are the traits of beauty imprinted upon his counte

nance.

The roots and stems still are visible, though fome alien branch may have been ingrafted. The foil and its qualities are apparent, notwithstanding that tares have been fown among the wheat. Is it not, therefore, eafy to conceive that the countenance may continue fair, although the mind has yielded to vice? This but affirms the truth of our propofition.

Indeed, an eye but little experienced will difcover that fuch a countenance was ftill more beautiful, previous to the dominion of this paffion, and that it is at prefent in part deformed. How much lefs pleafing, alas! how much more. harsh and difagreeable than formerly, though it may not have arrived at that ftate which Gellert defcribes.

His morn of youth how wondrous fair!"*

How beauteous was his bloom! But ah! he stray'd from virtue's paths,

And pangs his life confume.. His wafted form, his livid сус, His haggard afpect pale,, Of many a hidden hideous vice Recount a fearful tale.

A SACE in RETIREMENT.

"MY palace is a small chamber, three times my length;

magnificence never yet found enterance here; but neatnels is my

conftant companion. A mat is my bed, a piece of cotton cloth doubled

630

is my covering. Thefe afford me ■ feat in the day, and on these I repose in the night. On one fide ftands my lamp, on the other a vale filled with Tweet odour. No noife affails my ears but the finging of birds, the whistling of winds, and the murmuring fountain; my window can shut, and my window can open, but only for the wife the wicked never dare approach it.

I neither fhave my head like a borze, nor do I faft like a tasjer. Truth hath fixed her abode in my heart, and innocence guides my actions. Without mafters and without difciples, I indulge in my empty dreams; nor do I pafs my life in writing words, much lefs in whetting the pointed fhafts of fatire or painting praises."

Memorandum of what was told me by Sir ROBERT LEGARD, Mafter in Chancery, relating to Queen ELI

ZABETH.

IR ROBERT, during the feflion

STRE

of Parliament, would frequent ly take his pipe at the coffee-house adjoining to the House of Lords, and would fometimes ftay there till he had notice given him of his being wanted for the bufinefs of the House. He had feveral times the honour of converfing with the late Lord Chandos in that coffeehoufe, who would take his pipe with him.

In talking of Queen Elizabeth, his Lordship faid to him, "I'll tell you, Sir Robert, a piece of private history relating to our family, though at the time it was done it was of very great importance to the public. In Queen Mary's reign, an ancestor of mine was Sub Governor of the Tower: and during the time of the Princess Elizabeth's confinement there, an order came to him, in all appearance

figned by the Queen, for taking the Princefs into the inmost part of the Tower, and cutting off her head. Immediately upon the fight of that order, my ancestor, Mr. Brydges, as foon as he had dif miffed the meflenger from Court who brought the order to him, went directly to Whitehall, and defired to fpeak with the Queen, to whom he fhewed the order, tel. ling her Majefty, that he wanted the plainest allurances that it came from herfelf. The Queen expreffed great furprise at the fight of it, and thanked him most heartily for coming to her; assuring him, that it never was in her own thoughts to deal fo with her fifter; and faid further, that fince she saw her fifter was not fafe where fhe was, the would take care for her being in more fafety, which fhe did foon after."

His Lordship added, that after Queen Elizabeth came to the Crown, The remembered Mr. Brydges for it, and raised his family.

Extras