Sir Philip Sidney's hat on one side of his head, strutted off with an exquisite air of vulgar elegance. A third, who was but of puny dimensions, had bolstered himself out bravely with the spoils from several obscure tracts of philosophy, so that he had a very imposing front; but he was lamentably tattered in rear, and I perceived that he had patched his small-clothes with scraps of parchment from a Latin author. eye, only a little changed in some of the details. I dreamt that the chamber was still decorated with the portraits of ancient authors, but that the number was increased. The long tables had disappeared, and in place of the sage magi, I beheld a ragged, threadbare throng, such as may be seen plying abont that great repository of cast-off clothes, Monmouth-street. When ever they seized upon a book, by one of those incongruities common to dreams, methought it turned There were some well-dressed into a garment of foreign or an- gentlemen, it is true, who only tique fashion, with which they pro- helped themselves to a gem or so, ceeded to equip themselves. I no- | which sparkled among their own ticed, however, that no one pre-ornaments without eclipsing them. tended to clothe himself from any Some, too, seemed to contemplate particular suit, but took a sleeve the costumes of the old writers, from one, a cape from another, a merely to imbibe their principles. skirt from a third, thus decking of taste, and catch their air and himself out piecemeal, while spirit; but I grieve to say, that some of his original rags would too many were apt to array thempeep out from among his borrowed selves, from top to toe, in the finery. patchwork manner I have mentioned. I should not omit to speak of one genius, in drab breeches and gaiters, and an Arcadian hat, who had a violent propensity to the pastoral, but whose rural wanderings had been confined to the classic haunts of Primrose Hill, and the solitudes of the Regent's Park. He had decked himself in wreaths and ribbons from all the There was a portly, rosy, wellfed parson, whom I observed ogling several mouldy polemical writers through an eye-glass. He soon contrived to slip on the voluminous mantle of one of the old fathers, and having purloined the grey beard of another, endeavoured to look exceedingly wise; but the smirking commonplace of his countenance set at nought all the trap-old pastoral poets, and hanging pings of wisdom. One sicklylooking gentleman was busied embroidering a very flimsy garment with gold thread drawn out of several old court dresses of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Another had trimmed himself magnificently from an illuminated manuscript, had stuck a nosegay in his bosom, culled from "The Paradise of dainty Devices," and having put his head on one side, went about with a fantastical, lack-a-daisical air, "babbling about green fields," But the personage that most struck my attention, was a pragmatical old gentleman, in clerical robes, with a remarkably large and square but bald head. He entered the room wheezing and puffing, elbowed his way through the throng, with a look of sturdy self-confi dence, and having laid hands up- || sore affright with half a score of on a thick Greek quarto, clapped it upon his head, and swept majestically away in a formidable frizzled wig. In the height of this literary masquerade, a cry suddenly resounded from every side, of "Thieves! thieves!" I looked, and, lo! the portraits about the walls became animated! The old authors thrust out, first a head, then a shoulder, from the canvas; looked down curiously for an instant upon the motley throng; and then descended, with fury in their eyes, to claim their rifled property. The scene of scampering and hubbub that ensued, baffles all description. The unhappy culprits endeavoured in vain to escape with their plunder. On one side might be seen half a dozen old monks stripping a modern professor; on another, there was sad devastation carried into the ranks of modern dramatic writers. Beaumont and Fletcher, side by side, raged round the field like Castor and Pollux; and sturdy Ben Jonson enacted more wonders than when a volunteer with the army in Flanders. As to the dapper little compiler of farragos, mentioned some time since, he had arrayed himself in as many patches and colours as harlequin, and there was as fierce a contention of claimants about him, as about the dead body of Patroclus. I was grieved to see inany men, to whom I had been accustomed to look up with awe and reverence, fain to steal off with scarce a rag to cover their nakedness. Just then my eye was caught by the pragmatical old gentleman in the Greek grizzled wig, who was scrambling away in authors in full cry after him. They were close upon his haunches; in a twinkling off went his wig; at every turn some strip of raiment was peeled away; until in a few moments, from his domineering pomp, he shrunk into a little, pursy," chopp'd bald shot," and made his exit with only a few tags and rags fluttering at his back. There was something so ludicrous in the catastrophe of this learned Theban, that I burst into an immoderate fit of laughter, which broke the whole illusion. The tumult and the scuffle were at an end. The chamber resumed its usual appearance. The old authors shrunk back into their picture-frames, and hung in shadowy solemnity along the walls. In short, I found myself awake in my corner, with the whole assemblage of bookworms gazing at me with astonishment. Nothing of the dream had been real but my burst of laughter, a sound never before heard in that grave sanctuary, and so abhorrent to the ears of wisdom, as to electrify the fraternity. The librarian now stepped up to me, and demanded whether I had a card of admission. At first I did not comprehend him, but I soon found that the library was a kind of literary" preserve," subject to game laws, and that no one must presume to hunt there without special licence and permission. In a word, I stood convicted of being an arrant poacher, and was glad to make a precipitate retreat, lest I should have a whole pack of authors let loose upon me. (GEOFFREY CRAYON's Sketch-Book.) PAUL JONES. WE continue this month our in America prevented my returnparticulars relating to the charac-ing to Europe during the war, ter and conduct of Paul Jones. though I had constant expectation The correspondence is curious, of it. and has the additional merit of originality. It appears that Paul Jones actually purchased the plate mentioned before, and embraced the first opportunity, after peace, to transmit it to Lord Selkirk, accompanied by the following letter: The long delay that has happened to the restoration of your plate, has given me much concern, and I now feel a proportionate pleasure in fulfilling what was my first intention. My motive for landing at your estate in Scotland, was to take you as an hostage for the lives and liberty of a number of the citizens of America who had been taken in war on the PARIS, Feb. 12, 1784. My Lord, I have just received a letter from Mr. Nesbitt, dated at L'Orient, the 4th instant, mention-ocean, and committed to British ing a letter to him from your son, prisons, under the act of Parlia- should have returned to France within six months after I embarked for America; but circumstances Vol. X. No. LV. As I have endeavoured to serve the cause of liberty through every stage of the American revolution, and sacrificed to it my private ease, a part of my fortune, and some of my blood, I could have no selfish motive in permitting my people to demand and carry off your plate. My sole inducement was to turn their attention, and stop their rage from breaking out, and retaliating on your house and E effects, the too wanton burnings and desolation that had been committed against their relations and fellow-citizens in America by the British, of which, I assure you, you would have felt the severe conse tish minister made urgent demands, that the prizes, as well as Paul Jones himself, and his squadron, should be delivered up to his government. The Dutch, however, on the 25th Oct. came to this quence, had I not fallen on an ex-resolution: "That they could not pedient to prevent it, and hurried my people away before they had time for further reflection. As you were so obliging to say to Mr. Alexander, that my people behaved with great decency at your house, I ask the favour of you to announce that circumstance to the public. I am, my lord, wishing you always perfect freedom and happiness, your lordship's most obedient and most humble servant, (Signed,) PAUL JONES. To the Right Hon. the Earl of SELKIRK, in Scotland. After his combat with the Drake, Paul Jones sailed round the north of Scotland, and, on the 5th Sept. was seen off Lerwick. He did no damage, however, except carrying off a boat and four men from the island of Mousa. He then proceeded along the east coast of Scotland. In the middle of September, he sailed up the frith of Forth, and on the 17th was seen nearly opposite to Leith, below the island of Inchkeith. A violent south-west wind, however, having arisen, drove his squadron so rapidly down the Firth, as to be soon out of sight. He had taken and plundered a few prizes. He sailed next to the Texel, into which he carried, as prizes, two British vessels of war, the Serapis and the Countess of Scarborough, which, after an obstinate engagement, he had captured near Flamborough Head. On this occasion, the Bri pretend to judge of the legality or illegality of the actions of those who had taken, on the open sea, vessels not belonging to themselves: that they had merely given them shelter from storms, and would oblige them to put to sea, so that the British might themselves have an opportunity of taking them." To this resolution they adhered, notwithstanding the warmest remonstrances of the British minister. During the course of Jones's stay at the Texel, he addressed the following letters to the Dutch admiral, Baron Vander Capellen: On board the Serapis, at the Texel, Oct. 19, 1779. My Lord,-Human nature and America are under very singular obligations to you for your patriotism and friendship, and I feel every grateful sentiment for your generous and polite letter. Agreeably to your request, I have the honour to inclose a copy of my letter to his Excellency Dr. Franklin, containing a particular account of my late expedition on the coasts of Britain and Ireland; by which you will see that I have already been praised more than I have deserved. But, I must at the same time beg leave to observe, that, by the other papers which I take the liberty to inciose (particularly the copy of my letter to the Countess of Selkirk, dated the day of my arrival at Brest from I Second, Whether he accepted my offer? and third, Whether I have a French commission? I answer, I never had any obligation to Lord Selkirk, except for his good opinion; nor does he know me or mine, except by character. Lord Selkirk wrote me an answer to my letter to the countess; but the ministry detained it in the General Post-Office in London for a long time, and then returned it to the author, who afterwards wrote to a friend of his (Mr. Alexander), an acquaintance of Dr. Franklin's, then at Paris, giving him an account of the fate of his letter to me, and desiring him to acquaint his excellency and myself, that, the Irish Sea), I hope you will be || convinced, that in the British prints I have been censured unjustly. I was indeed born in Britain, but I do not inherit the degenerate spirit of that fallen nation, which I at once lament and despise. It is far beneath me to reply to their hireling invectives; they are strangers to the inward approbation that greatly animates and rewards the man, who draws his sword only in support of the dignity of freedom. America 'has been the country of my fond election from the age of thirteen, when I first saw it. had the honour to hoist, with my own hands, the flag of freedom, the first time it was displayed on the Delaware, and I have attend-" if the plate was restored by Coned it with veneration ever since on gress, or by any public body, he the ocean. I see it respected even would accept it, but that he could here, in spite of the pitiful Sir Jo- not think of accepting it from my seph (Yorke), and I ardently wish private generosity." The plate and hope very soon to exchange a has, however, been bought, agreesalute with the flag of this repub- ably to my letter to the countess, lic. Let but the two republics and now lies in France, at her disjoin hands, and they will give posal. As to the third article, I peace to the world. never bore, nor acted under, any other commission than what I have received from the Congress of the United States of America. Highly ambitious to render myself worthy of your friendship, I have the honour to be, my lord, your very obliged and humble servant, &c. &c. On board the Alliance, at the Texel, I am much obliged to you, my lord, for the honour yo do me, by proposing to publish the papers I sent you in my last; but it is an My Lord,-Since I had the ho-honour which I must decline, benour to receive your second es- cause I cannot publish my letter teemed letter, I have unexpectedly to that lady, without asking and had occasion to revisit Amsterdam; obtaining the lady's consent, and and having changed ships since because I have a very modest opimy return to the Texel, I have, by nion of my writings, being consome accident or neglect, lost or scious that they are not of sufficimislaid your letter. I remember, ent value to claim the notice of however, the questions it contain- the public. I assure you, my lord, ed; viz. First, Whether I ever had it has given me much concern to any obligation to Lord Selkirk? see an extract of my rough journal |