thick vapour

hay,

it was neceffary to destroy its effects by lighted flambeaux. Having gained the fea fide, in order to know if it was poffible to fail, they found it more tempeftuous than ever. Pliny threw himself upon the ground, and called for cold water, which he drank; when a fulphureous smell arose, and a flame fucceeded. Every one flew; Pliny rofe and fupported himself by two flaves, but he fell breathlefs the next inftant; fuffocated, doubtlefs, by the burning air which he had inhaled. His body was found, two days after, without any visible wound, with his cloaths entire, and he appeared only as if he was afleep. This happened about feventy-nine years before the birth of Chrift, when Pliny was in his fifty-fixth year.

INSTANCE

very,

that the

places which they ftormed were immediately given up to pillage. They had heaped together at Aftapa the plunder of the whole country, and amaffed immenfe riches by rapine and murders. Martius offered them their lives and liberties, if they would give up their wealth: but it was dearer to them than life itfelf; they therefore refufed it at fuch a price, and could not bring themselves to affent, that the fruit of fo many years employed in injustice and robbery, fhould pafs into the poffeffion of their mortal enemies. They caufed their gold and filver money, and whatever they had of value, to be brought into the market-place; then, with a firmnefs worthy of a better motive, they placed upon this heap their old people, their wives and children; they enclosed them with a circle of faggots ready to be light

PEOPLE OF ASTAPA.

[From M. De Folard's Life of Scipio and

Epaminondas.]

ASTAPA was a fmall town, erected on a mountain, without either fortifications or garrifon. Lucius Martius, he who acquired fuch reputation before the arrival of Scipio, and who commanded a separate corps of troops, fummoned it to fur render; to which no attention was paid. The inhabitants, accustomed to pillaging, were unwilling to fubmit to a power, under which they must have lived peaceably and on a good footing with their neighbours, without being allowed to commit

men, with orders to set the whole on fire, and not fuffer a fingle perfon to efcape, if they were beaten in the fally they were then going to make upon the Romans."

Having taken these fatal precautions, they all devoted themfelves to death, by the most horrible imprecations, and fwore to kill themselves if they were worfted in the combat, rather than fubmit to the republic. Full of this terrible refolution, they brifkly fallied out. Martius, who never thought them capable of this rafinefs, was furprised; the first pofts were carried; they observed no order in the action, but fought with fuch fury, that at first nothing could

whofe lines they refolutely advanced, had time to form a body of vete rans, who knew not how to retreat or give way, though death stared them in the face; they attacked them like men in defpair, and, not being able to conquer, were all kill ed, fo that not a fingle man remained.

not

The news of this defeat foon reached Aftapa, and produced in that town a most cruel tragedy: the fifty young men, being informed of the lofs of their fellow-citizens, fet fire to the pile, which inclofed all that thefe wretched men had left that was moft dear and valuable, a vast number of women and children, who were rafh enough to fubfcribe to the barbarous refolution of their hufbands and parents, yet had conftancy enough to bear the terrible attacks of the devouring flame; but the young men had the inhumanity to drive again into the blazing pile their half-burned bodies, and to cut in pieces thofe they were unable to force back. After fo great a carnage, tired of living them felves, as well as of killing their fellowcitizens, reeking with the blood they had fhed, they threw themselves into the midst of the flames to avoid the Romans. Thus perifhed the Afta, pians, by fuch an excels of pride and fury, as makes humanity fhudder at the relation. They fhewed, in thus facrificing themselves, the immoderate antipathy they bore to a nation which had loaded all their country with acts of kindness, and the exceffive tranfport the human heart is fufceptible of, when inflamed by its paffions.

ANECDOTE

OF A DEY OF ALGIERS.

THE deys of Algiers are never afhamed to mention the meannefs of their extraction, as they think, that

PHILOSOPHIC MADNESS.

THE most celebrated wits of France, in the time of Lewis XIV. lived in the greatest unanimity and harmony; and, attracted by a mus tual esteem for each other's merit, formed themselves into a friendly fociety, and oftener than once in a week had a common fupper, when the pleasures of the table were the leaft part of the entertainment, and where the converfation, no doubt, was far more worthy to be recorded than that of the feven wife Greeks, related by Plutarch.

Moliere, one of the gayeft compa nions of this brilliant fre company, quently entertained them at a villa he poffeffed on the banks of the Seine, near Paris. His worthy guests, in general, eftimated the worth of plea fure too highly to let intoxication ufurp the feat of wit and learning; though Bacchus was always admitted to enliven the spirit of the muses. This agreeable party, confisting of Peter and Thomas Corneille, Ra cine, Chapelle, Moliere, Patrou, La Fontaine, La Bruyere, and fe veral other refpectable writers, be ing one evening at Moliere's country-house, the hoft, quite fatigued, was obliged to retire to reft, and leave his poft to Chapelle. The wit, in order to increase the spirits of his company, fent the Champaigne brifkly round, and inebriery

took occafion to fay, "Gentlemen, this being the cafe, fince life is fo worthlefs, and fame fo defirable, what can be more eligible, more noble, or more glorious, than, by haking off this load of life, to acquire eternal renown? My advice therefore is, that we all go together to the neighbouring Seine, and there heroically plunge in and thus dying in that unity with which we have lived, our names and our friendship will be celebrated by all pofterity." The vapours of the wine had fo far heated their imaginations and clouded their judgments, that this extravagant propofition appeared highly rational. They prepared therefore, with great folemnity, to offer this facrifice to Fame. A poor old fervant, who was perfectly fober, understanding their defign, ran and awaked his mafter. Moliere prefently appearing among them, was immediately acquainted with their intention, and invited to partake of immortality. He thought it would not be prudent directly to oppofe the humour of his convivial guests; but faid, "My dear friends, I approve your defign extremely, and am very ready to enjoy fo glorious a death; but by no means at this time for pofterity may infinuate, by its being performed at fo late an hour, that it was not the effect of philofophy, but inebriety; and fo important an action fhould be free even from a poffibility of ridicule. The only wife steps, therefore, to be taken, is, that every one repair to

fon, they fhuddered at that rafhnefs which, a few hours before, had appeared in fo glorious a point of view.

ANECDOTE

OF SIR EDWARD SEYMOUR.

IN the reign of king William, Oliver Cromwell (grandfon to the protector) found it neceffary, on fome account or other, to prefent a petition to parliament. This petition he gave to a friend, a member, who undertook to prefent it to the House of Commons. Juft as this gentleman was entering the door, with the petition in his hand, fir Edward Seymour, the famous old Tory member, was alfo about to pafs. The gentleman, feeing fir Edward fo near him, found his fancy brifkly folicited, by certain ideas of mirth, to make the furly, four, old Seymour, carry up a petition for Oliver Cromwell. "Sir Edward," fays he, stopping him at the inftant, "will you do me a favour? I this moment recollect, that I muft immediately attend a trial in Weftminfter Hall, which may detain me too late to give in this petition, agreeably to a promise I made this morning. It is a mere matter of form: will you be fo good as carry it up for me?" "Give it me," faid fir Edward. He put the petition directly into his pocket, and walked into the house. When a vacancy happened, proper for producing it, the knight, putting himfelf directly on his feet, and his fpectacles on

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