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medicine, the physician who attended him, after long debates and difficulties, at length, turning to Mrs. Tudway, said, "Courage, Madam! the Doctor will get up May Hill yet; he has been able to swallow some nourishment." Tudway immediately exclaimed, "don't believe him, my dear, one swallow makes

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AN old counsellor wishing to study Justinian's Instistutes, employed the Abbé Maury, then very poor, to teach him Latin. Some years after he met the Abbé at a gentleman's house: "Ah, Abbé!" said he haughtily, "how came you here?""I may ask the same question," replied the Abbé.-"Oh, no! there is some difference; but you are in better circumstances than formerly I suppose. Have you obtained any preferment as a clergyman?" I am grand vicar to M. de Lombes."-"What! well, that is something. How much is it worth?"-" A thousand francs."" That is very little," and he resumed his haughty tone and contemptuous manner. "But I have a priory which produces a thousand crowns."-"A thousand crowns! oh, that is something handsome! (with an air of respect)" And I became acquainted with the master of this house at the Cardinal de Rohan's."-" The deuce! do you visit the Cardinal de Rohan?"-" Frequently; he has given me an abbey."-" An abbey! ah that is valuable'! Monsieur l'Abbé, favour me with the honour of your company to dinner to day."

As the Abbé was one day going to the national assembly, of which he was a member, he was accosted by a gang of poissardes, one of whom exclaimed to him, "Mons. l'Abbé, you speak like an angel, notwithstanding which you are a fool." "Ladies," replied the Abbé, smiling, "you well know that is a disease of which no one dies."

In the debate which terminated in a decree depriving the clergy of its privileges, the Abbé made every effort to support his order. He delivered an argumentative speech on the subject, which was, however, completely refuted by Thouret. The Abbé, driven to despair by

"The

his defeat, absolutely screamed with anger, gentleman," said Thouret, "is like the birds of night, who shriek when they are shewn the light."

A newsman, with a view to excite the peoples' curiosity, bawled through the streets, "The death of the Abbé Maury!" The Abbé passing at the time, went up to the man, and gave him a violent blow, exclaiming, "take that; if I am dead, you will in future believe in ghosts."

MEDICAL CELEBRITY.

SUCCESS is, perhaps, in no profession so uncertain as in that of physic. Prejudice and caprice are capable of conferring a name on those who can produce no solid claims to distinction and pre-eminence, and the popular physician of the day is often indebted for his celebrity to a fortunate concurrence of events,' in which merit can boast no share. The difficulties of advancement in other professions are certainly softened down by the influence of favour and patronage, yet even these advantages are of no permanent utility, unless merit and talents conspire to maintain us in that elevation, which we at first owe to casual means and fortuitous circumstances. But in the medical line, we have daily opportunities of seeing men brought into notice by the zeal of their friends, family connections, the recommendations of the great, and the ca. prices of fashion, whilst those without these advantages, are in vain possessed of a merit which is for the most part discountenanced and neglected.

Sir Hans Sloane was accustomed to relate of himself, that the first circumstance which introduced him to practice, was his being engaged at a whist table with a lady of quality, who had unfortunately a return of an ague fit. He prescribed for her, and his remedy was effectual; and this cure, which he acknowledged to be partly accidental, was the first foundation of his celebrity. It is told by Steele, that the celebrated Dr. Radcliffe used to advise parents, to avoid, of all professions, choosing that of physic for their children; and if they should be resolved, notwithstanding, to devote a favourite boy to medicine,

he would persuade them, as the first step to his future eminence, to send the young student to a fencing master and a dancing school; a strong instance of his knowledge of the world, and an honest confession that merit was not the only security for success in his profession.

AN OPERATIC AMAZON.

LA MAUPIN, the successor of La Rochois, was the most extraordinary personage of the French opera stage she fought like a man, and resisted and fell like a woman. Her adventures are of a very romantic description. Married to a young husband, who was soon compelled to absent himself from her, to enter on an office he had obtained in Provence, she run away with a fencing master, of whom she learned the use of the small sword, and became an excellent fencer, which was afterwards serviceable to her on several occasions. The lovers first retreated to Marseilles, where necessity constrained them to solicit employment at the opera; and as both had by nature good voices, they were received without difficulty. She afterwards went to Paris, and måde her first appearance on the opera stage in 1695, where she performed the part of Pallas, in Cadmus, with the greatest success. The applause was so violent, that she was obliged to take off her casque, to salute and thank the public, which redoubled their marks of approbation.

Dumeni, the singer, having affronted her, she put on man's clothes, waited for him in the Place des Victoires, and insisted on his drawing his sword and fighting her; which he refusing, she caned him, and took from him his watch and snuff-box. Next day, Dumeni having boasted at the Opera House, that he had defended himself against three men who attempted to rob him, she related the whole story, and produced his watch and snuff-box in proof of her having caned him for his cowardice. Thevenard, another singer, was nearly treated in the same manner, and had no other way of escaping chastisement, than by publicly asking her pardon, after having concealed himself three weeks in the Palais Royal. At a ball given by

Monsieur, the brother of Louis the Fourteenth, she again dressed herself in man's clothes, and having be haved impertinently to a lady, three of her friends, supposing La Maupin to be a man, called her out. She might easily have avoided the combat by discovering her sex, but on the contrary, she instantly drew and killed them all three. Afterwards returning very coolly to the ball, she related the story to Monsieur, who obtained her pardon. After various other adventures, she went to Brussels, and there became the mistress of the elector of Bavaria. This prince quitting her for the Countess of Arcos, sent her by the Count, the husband of that lady, a purse of 40,000 livres, with an order to quit Brussels. This extraor dinary heroine threw the purse at the count's head, telling him, it was a recompence worthy of such a scoundrel as himself.

After this she returned to the opera stage, which she quitted in 1705. Being at length seized with a fit of devotion, she recalled her husband, who had remained in Provence, and passed with him the last years of her life, in a very pious manner, dying in 1707, at the age of thirty-four. We believe that every English reader will be of opinion that a more complete picture than this has seldom been given of a profligate unsexed female.

THE DEVIL'S SONATA.

MOST of our reader have probably heard of "The Devil's Sonata." Monsieur de la Lande informs us, that he had from Tartini's own mouth the following singular anecdote, which shews to what a degree his imagination was inflamed by the genius of composition. He dreamed one night, in 1713, that he had made a contract with the devil, who promised to be at his service on all occasions; and during this vision, every thing succeeded to his mind: his wishes were prevented, and his desires always surpassed by the assistance of his new servant. In short, he imagined that he presented to the devil his violin, in order to discover what kind of a musician he was; when to his great astonishment, he heard him play a solo so sin

gularly beautiful, which he executed with such superior taste and precision, that it surpassed all the music which he had ever heard or conceived in his life. So great was his surprise, and so exquisite his delight, upon this occasion, that it deprived him of the power of breathing. He awoke with the violence of his sensations, and instantly seized his fiddle, in hopes of expressing what he had just heard, but in vain. He, however, then composed a piece, which is, perhaps, the best of all his works, and called it the Devil's Sonata; but it was so inferior to what his sleep had produced, that he declared he would have broken his instrument, and abandoned music for ever, if he could have subsisted by any other means.

YOUTHFUL FORTITUDE.

THE following affecting anecdote is related by Mr. Gamble, in his amusing "Sketches taken in Dublin and the North of Ireland." The incident took place at the period when the Duke of York was endeavouring, in the year 1799, to accomplish the conquest of Holland. "Early the next morning, (the 2d of October) the army," says he, "took up its position. I was attached to the right wing. It was not yet day-light, and I walked for some time backwards and forwards behind the ranks. At seven in the morning day slowly broke. It was a dark and dreary morning, the rain came drizzling down, and every thing wore a look of desolation. Nature seemed to mourn the folly of her sons, who thus inflict such misery on each other,

"And for a fantasy and trick of fame,
Go to their graves like beds."

for some minutes before the commencement of the action, the scene was a most awful and impressive one; all was solemn, silent, and sad, there was neither sound of trumpet, drum, or fife: an universal stillness prevailed, slightly interrupted by the commands of the officers, delivered almost in a whisper, and the sighs that burst forth involuntarily from some of the men; reflecting no doubt on the change which a few moments might produce. This languor, however, was soon dissipated by a most tremendous discharge from

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