males, fpeaking of fafting, fays, "A coach goes fafter when it is empty -by fafting a man can be better united to God; for it is a principle with geometers, that a round body can never touch a plane furface except in one point; but God is this furface, according to thefe words, Juftus et rectus Dominus. A belly too well fed becomes round; it can not therefore touch God except in one point; but fasting flattens the belly, and it is then that it is united with the furface of God in all points." SINGULAR PUNISHMENT TOWARDS the clofe of the fifteenth century, Lorenzo de Medicis, of Florence, died of a disease, which it is probable might have been cured, had not Leoni, a celebrated phyfician of Spoleto, left too much to the powers of Nature, by avoiding the aid of medicine. Lazaro, an inhabitant of Pavia, equally celebrated for medical fkill with Leoni, having made this error publicly known, raised the refentment of the deceafed prince's friends to fo high a pitch, that at length it proved fatal to the phyfician. For Pietro, fon to Lorenzo, a youth who, but feventeen years old, was able to overcome the most expert wrestler, happening to meet the unfortunate phyfician, near the brink of a deep well, grafped him with fuch adroitnefs and good will, that he fent him headlong into the water; where, being old and feeble, he was inftantly fuffocated. MEMOIRS OF THE CHEVALIER BAYARD. [Tranfmitted by G. W.] BAYARD, who was one of the greatest captains of the age in which he lived, was born in 1476, and died, in 1524, like the greater part Hiftorians tell us, that the che was tall and flender, and of a pale complexion, with eyes black and full of fire; he was extremely cheerful, but knew how properly to be grave and ferious when occafions required it. In the year 1500, many towns of Lewis the Twelfth, fubmitted on the the Milanefe, which had rifen against approach of the troops, which that Prince had fent to reduce them to obedience. The deputies of thofe him accept it. towns, in order to court the favour of Bayard, prefented him with fome plate curioufly wrought. His general, knowing he was not rich, bid "Heaven forbid,” replied the generous chevalier, "that any thing fhould continue in my poffeflion, which I receive from the hands of fuch perfidious people!" So faying, he distributed the whole among the foldiers that were nearest him. Hiftorians relate numberlefs fuch inftances of the generofity and greatnefs of the chevalier Bayard; but the most fingular action of his life, is that of which the city of Breffe bears witnefs. This city (having revolted in 1512 from the French, who had made themselves masters of it after the battle of Aignadel) was attacked, diers at their door, to whom he gave eight hundred crowns, in lieu of what they might find in cafe they fhould plunder it. After fome days had paffed, his impatience to join the army increafed fafter than the cure of his wound, which was not yet properly healed. But when the mistress of the house faw he was determined to depart, fhe threw herfelf on her knees: 66 By the rights of war," faid fhe to him, you are become the master of our lives and poffeffions: you have preferved our honour from violation. We hope further, that your generofity will not permit you to treat us with severity, and that you will be pleased to accept a prefent, proportioned rather to our fortune than our fenfe of gratitude." At the fame time fhe presented him with a little box filled with golden ducats. Bayard fmiled, and afked how many there were? The lady, fuppofing he thought the prefent infignificant, replied, trembling, "Two thousand five hundred, Sir; but if they are not fufficient, we will endeavour to procure more. No, Madam," answered the chevalier, "I will not accept of any money; the care you have taken of me is fuperior to the few fervices I have done you. I demand of you only your esteem, and I entreat you to accept of mine." The lady, more furprised than fatisfied at fo fingular a mark of moderation, again threw herself at the feet of her benefactor, protesting fhe would not rife from that pofture till he had promifed to from their agreeable converfation. "I fhould be glad," added the che valier," were I able to convince you of my fenfe of thofe favours but military men are feldom poffeffed of thofe jewels fo pleafing to your fex. Your amiable mother has juft prefented me with two thoufand five hundred ducats: permit me to demand your acceptance of a thoufand each for your marriage portion. The other five hundred I give to the religious of this city, who have been pillaged." The following winter, Bayard gave a striking proof of the greatnefs of his foul. He lodged at Grenoble, near the abode of a lovely girl, whofe fingular beauty made a ftrong impreffion on his mind. The infor mation he received of her birth and fituation removed all restraint from giving a free courfe to his defires. Propofitions were made to the mother, who, confulting nothing but her poverty, accepted them, and even forced her daughter to follow her to the chevalier. This amiable maiden no fooner approached her lover, than fhe threw herfelf at his feet, and bedewing them with her tears, "My lord," faid fhe, “do not difhonour an unfortunate victim of mifery, of whofe virtue you ought to be the protector!" Thefe words affected Bayard: "Rife," faid he, " my daughter; you fhall quit my houfe as virtuous, and much happier, than you entered it!" He immediately conducted her to a fecure retreat, and the next day fent for her mother. After having feverely reproached her for the criminal plia difcovered, he gave her fix hundred francs as a portion to the man who might marry her daughter, and even added an hundred crowns more, to purchase cloaths and the wedding dinner. In this manner did the good chevalier cherish the femblance of virtue. This hero, following admiral Bonnivet into Italy, was wounded by a mufquet fhot, in the retreat from Rebec, in 1524. When he perceived that his wound was mortal, he defired to be removed to the fhade of a neighbouring tree, with his face turned towards the Imperial army; "for," faid he, "having never yet turned my back to an enemy, I fhould not chufe to do fo in the expiring moments of my life." Bourbon, who was purfuing the fugitives, happened to pafs by near him; he stopped, and pitied his fate. I have no caufe to complain, my lord,” replied this brave foldier with a noble firmness peculiar to him; "I die in doing my duty: it is you we must pity; you, who are now in arms against your prince, your country, and your oath." Before he expired, a gentleman afked him what he would wish to leave his children? "That," he replied, which fears neither the times nor human power-wisdom and virtue.” Thus fell the illuftrious chevalier Bayard; a character in which bravery and humanity were fo clofely united, that the one conftantly added a luftre to the other. ANECDOTE OF A SPANIARD. A SPANIARD, who was established in a small town of Holland, and who must have died of hunger had he not had a fervant who fpoke Dutch and Spanish, faid one day to a Spanish traveller, who came to fee him-"How ftupid the people are in this country! I have refided here CURIOUS INCITEMENT GARCILASSO de la Vega relates, that a Spanish priest perrather to hang themfelves, than to ceiving that the Peruvians chofe labour in the mines, addreffed them to hang yourfelves, my friends, that in the following words-" You wish you may not be obliged to labour: myfelf too; but I must warn you of fince that is the cafe, I fhall hang one thing, which is, that there are mines in the next world, as well as in this; and I give you my word, that I'll make you work throughout all eternity." Upon hearing this, the poor Indians threw themselves at his feet, and befeeched him, in the name of God, not to commit fuch a rash action. Had the two-thirds of thefe unhappy wretches destroyed themfelves, the orator would have been much embarraffed to keep his word with the rest. ANECDOTE OF A CHINESE STATESMAN.. TANG-KAO-HUNG, emperor of China, who died in the year 626 of our æra, being about to put to death two general officers, who, having been commiffioned to guard the burying-place of his ancestors, had cut down a tree, which, on account of the refpect of the Chinefe for fuch monuments, was accounted facred; one of his minifters, whofe name has been preferved in hiftory, Tyjin-Kie, reprefented to him, that it would be cruel to take away the lives of these two brave men merely for their imprudence. "What!" replied the emperor in a paffion, "fhall I not punish, with the greatest feverity, those who are wanting in refpect to my ancestors? Have not thefe two officers been guilty of that crime, by cutting down a tree which over-fhaded their tombs ?" "Well, my lord," said Ty-jin-Kie, "the moles and the rats are far more deficient in refpect to your ancestors, fince they even gnaw their very cof fins; and yet your filial piety does not carry you fo far as to make war upon thefe facrilegious animals!" The emperor, recalled to humanity by these reflections, pardoned the two officers. CHARACTERISTIC MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. THE PERSIANS. [From Francklin's Tour from Bengal to Perfia; just published.] S during my stay in Perfia (fays meal a stranger partakes with them brings a bleffing upon the houfe: to account for this, we must understand it as a pledge of faith and protection, when we confider that the continual A Mr. Pranklin) from the fitu wars in which this country has beca ation I was placed in, by living in a native family, I had an opportunity of feeing more of the nature and difpofition of the middling fort of people, and their manners and customs, than perhaps has fallen to the lot of most travellers; I am induced to give the few obfervations I made during that period. The Perfians, with refpect to outward behaviour, are certainly the Parifians of the caft. Whilst a rude and infolent demeanour peculiarly marks the character of the Turkish nation towards foreigners and chriftians, the behaviour of the Perfians would, on the contrary, do honour to the most civilized nations: they are kind, courteous, civil, and obliging to all ftrangers, without being guided by thofe religious prejudices fo very prevalent in every other Mahomedan nation; they are fond of enquiring after the manners and cuftoms of Europe; and, in return, very readily afford any information in refpect to their own country. The practice of hofpitality is with them fo grand a point, that a man thinks himself highly honoured if you will enter his houfe and partake of what the family affords; whereas going out of a houfe, without finoaking a calean, or taking any other refreshment, is deemed, in Perfia, a high affront; they fay that every involved, with very little ceffation, fince the extinction of the Sefi family, have greatly tended to an univerfal depravity of difpofition, and a perpetual inclination to acts of hoftility. This has leffened that foftness and urbanity of manners for which this nation has been at all former times fo famous; and has at the fame time too much extinguished all fentiments of honour and humanity amongst thofe of higher rank.. The Perfians, in their conversation, aim much at elegance, and are perpetually repeating verfes and paffages from the works of their most favourite poets, Hafiz, Sadi, and Jàmi; a practice univerfally prevalent, from the highest to the loweft; because those who have not the advantages of reading and writing, or the other benefits arifing from education, by the help of their memories, which are very retentive, and what they learn by heart, are always ready to bear their part in converfation. They alfo delight much in jokes and quaint expreffions, and are fond of playing upon each other; which they fometimes do with great elegance and irony. There is one thing much to be admired in their converfation, which is the frict attention they always pay to the perfon fpeaking, whom they never interrupt on any account. They : They are in general a perfonable, and in many refpects a handfome, people their complexions, faving thofe who are expofed to the inclemencies of the weather, are as fair as Europeans. The women at Shirauz have at all times been celebrated over thofe of other parts of Perfia for their beauty, and not without reafon. Of thofe whom I had the fortune to fee during my refidence, and who were moftly relations and friends of the family I lived in, many were tall and well fhaped; but their bright and fparkling eyes was a very striking beauty: this, however, is in a great measure owing to art, as they rub their eye-brows and eye-lids with the black powder of antimony (called furma), which adds an incomparable brilliancy to their natural Juftre. The large black eye is in moft eftimation among the Perfians, and this is the most common at Shirauz. As the women in Mahomedan countries are, down to the meanest, covered with a veil from head to foot, a fight is never to be obtained of them in the ftreet; but from my fituation, I have feen many of them within doors, as when any came to vifit the family where I lived, which many did, directed by their curiofity to fee an European, understanding I belonged to the houfe, they made no fcruple of pulling off their veits, and converfing with great inquifitiveness and familiarity, which feemed much gratified by my ready compliance with their requests, in informing them of European customs and manners, and never failed to procure me thanks, with the additional character of a good-natured Feringy (the appellation by which all Europeans are diftinguifhed). The women in Perfia, as in all Mahomedan nations, after marriage, are very little better than flaves to their hufbands. Thofe mild and familiar endearments which grace the focial board of an European, and which at the fame time they afford a mutual fatisfaction to either fex, tend alfo to refine and polifh manners, are totally unknown in Mahomedan countries. The hufband, of a fufpicious temper, and chained down by an obftinate and perfevering etiquette, thinks himfelf affronted even by the enquiry of a friend after the health of his wife! SELECT BIOGRAPHY. LIFE OF CAPTAIN JAMES COOK. fects. But more fully to determine the queftion, Mr. Cook ordered [Compiled from Dr. Kippis's late Publi- fome buckets of water to be drawn cation.] Continued from page 73. N the 29th of Auguft, between our voyagers were near the Cape of Good Hope, the whole fea, within the compafs of their fight, became at once, as it were illuminated. The captain had been formerly convinced by Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, that fuch appearances in the ocean were occafioned by in up alongside the fhip, which were found full of an innumerable quantity of fmall globular infects, about the fize of a common pin's head, quite |