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THE GATHERER. 55 hinges the whole order of life, bringing more piercing ills to the heart of sensibility, than perfidy, calumny, or even penury.

FRENCH WOMEN,

Are gifted with so redundant a share of genius and energy, that in them common sentiments become passions: of this nature was Du Deffand's friendship for Walpole, and the love of De Scvigne for her daughter. For nearly two centuries France was embellished by a succession of resplendent women; their decay, was, indeed, impregnate with divinity,” which shone with great lustre as life's frail taper waned; their youth was crowned with wit and gaiety their age consoled by devotion, or philosophy, brilliant recollections, and above all, by the early acquired habit of happiness; the friendships of youth were retained and matured by these amiable old people, and youth sought admittance to their venerable coteries as to the repositories of the wit and grace of other days. In our land, old people have no influence over sentiment or fashion; custom prescribes to them a dull, cloistered, monotonous life, which withers the mind ere the frame loses its vigour; there exists no good without its attendant evil, and our happy government, which ensures to youthful industry the certainty of independence, re acts on age in the form of cold neglect or reluctant obedience.

A CHARACTER.

THE contour of his head and face was intellectual and majestic, and his features handsome, though not perhaps symmetrically regular, wore a look of penetration and sensibility that could never be mistaken; yet there was a shade over their meaning, and the sophisticated eye of society might have deemed his history too intensely written there. In those countenances where benevolence is strongly conspicuous, there is usually an accompanying look of imbecility. I have noticed this effect in the portraits of philanthropists and saints, whether sketched from nature or imagination but his was at once benign and intellectual. His politeness was invincible -it resembled inspiration, and had its resource in the heart there it emanated, and from the most rare and amiable weaknesses, -tenderness for the feelings of others, and boundless indulgence towards human frailty. He commenced on life and its varieties on a drama too hacknied to elicit severity of criticism; and the charm of his address arose from the delicate flattery of manner rather than phrase enforced by the tones of a voice exquisitely modulated.

ADDISON.

A CERTAIN author was introduced one day by a friend to Mr. Addison, who requested him at the same time to peruse and correct a copy of English verses. Addison took the verses and found them afterwards very stupid. Observing that above twelve lines from Homer were prefixed to

them by way of motto, he only erased the Greek lines, without making any amendment in the poem, and returned it. The author, seeing this, desired his friend, who had introduced him, to inquire of Mr. Addision the reason of his doing so.” Whilst the statues of Caligula,” said he,” were all of a piece, they were little regarded by the people, but when he fixed the heads of gods upon unworthy shoulders, he profaned them, and made himself ridiculous. I, therefore, made no more conscience to separate Homer's verses from this poem, than the thief did who stole the silver head from the brazen body in Westminster Abbey.”

DISEASE OF SILK WORMS.

In the southern provinces of France, where silk worms are bred, it is very common to find them attacked by a disease called the jaundice, in consequence of the colour acquired by them; and very careful examination is continually made for the discovery of such worms as may be attacked by it, that they may be removed, lest the disease, being contagious, should spread to the others. The Abbe Eyseeric, of Carpentras, had recourse to a remedy in these cases, which, though apparently dangerous, has been warranted by the success of twenty years. -He used to powder his worms over with quick lime, by means of a silk sieve; he then gave them mulberry leaves moistened with a few drops of wine, and the insects instantly set about devouring the leaves with an eagerness which they did not usually show; not one of the hurdles upon which he raised his worms appeared infected with the jaundice. It was at first supposed that the coccoons of silk were injured by this process, this however is not the case, and his method of practice is now adopted generally in the department of Vaucluse.

ENIGMA. I was an useless thing, a lonely reed! No blossom hung its beauty on the weed. Alike in summer's sun and winter's gloom, I sigh'd no fragrance, and I wore no bloom. No cluster wreath'd me day and night I pined On the wild moor, and wither'd in the wind. At length a wanderer found me. From my side He smooth'd the pale decaying leaves, and dyed My lips in Helicon! From that high hour I SPOKE! My words were flame and living power! And there was sweetness round me never fell Eve's sweeter dews upon the lily's bell. I shone! -night died! -as if a trumpet call'd, Man's spirit rose, pure, fiery, disenthrall'd! Tyrants of earth, ye saw your light decline, When I stood forth a wonder and a sign! To me the iron sceptre was a wand, The roar of nations peal'd at my command; To me the dungeon, sword, and scourge, were vain, I smote the smiter, and I broke the chain: Or towering o'er them all without a plume, I pierced the purple air, the tempest's gloom; Till burst th ' Olympian splendors on my eye, Stars, temples, thrones, and gods Infinity!