For a long time our Poet was afflicted with the Bibliomania; and, during that period, all his talk, even his very dreams, were of Caxton and Wynkin deWorde. He could not buy rare books, but he could purchase priced catalogues of those which had been sold; and though his extravagance was sometimes bounded by his means, he never could resist purchasing a catalogue for ten shillings, even when his ten toes were covetous of its Russia-binding, for a cover to their semi-nudity. He was, at length, known by the distinguishing appellation of the Cat.- (or catalogue) hunter. He was sometimes told that he had more Cats. than caught mice, yet he went on with his hobby. At length he discovered that he had really more catalogues than books; this gave the alarm to his pride, and partially cured him of his folly. Yet even now he is a more inveterate stall-hunter than any I-would-be-prebend in the three kingdoms; but a book-stall is his game: he'll scent you one at half a mile; and when he has run it down, noses it (from near-sightedness) for an hour or two before you can call him off, till he is as black in the hands (if not in the face) as a whitesmith. He has an instinctive faculty of tracking out a book-stall; the musty breath of an old Caxton is sweeter to his nose than the sigh of Roses; and a peep into a soiled" Mirror for Mugistrates" is to him more picturesque than the Norfolk window of stained glass.

Such are some of the eccentricities aud whimsicalities of genius.

CORNELIUS W***

ENCOURAGEMENT OF INDUSTRY.

AND

REDUCTION OF POORS' RATES.*

PUBLIC ADDRESS.

THE encouragement of industry, and the reduction of poors' rates, being essential to the comfort and pros

*The great importance of this subject induces the Editor of the Pocket Magazine to lend the aid of his work in giving publicity to the Address of the Committee

perity of the community, has occasioned a union of some gentlemen who, having formed themselves into a provisional committee, desire to elicit the best information on these important subjects. They commenced their exertions in the metropolis on account of the facility which it affords for communication.

That the subject is of vital importance to the interests of our country, appears from the legislature having invited information relative to the state and employment of the poor. It is evident that their destitute situation can only be remedied by means of employment being found for the unoccupied, not interfering with any existing occupation. The communications received in consequence of application to agricultural and manufacturing parishes, the information derived from the members of the board of agriculture, and the cases of practical success published by the nobility and other land owners, have evinced that the poor are generally industrious, and able to maintain themselves without parochial aid, when occupying small portions of land.

The committee desires by a patient and zealous investigation to ascertain the most eligible mode of accomplishing these important objects; and its exertions have been sanctioned by numerous enlightened and benevolent characters, who are of opinion that the employment of the poor, and lessening the burden of parochial assessments are principally to be attained by the additional cultivation of land.

If this principle were generally adopted, every class of society would derive substantial benefit, and considerable facility would attend its execution if publicly supported.

In thus venturing to request information, the committee address every patriotic and benevolent character. Its objects are To awaken attention-To invite discussion-To arrest and avert the evils so long deplored-To employ the unemployed-and to promote individual and national prosperity.

In this enlightened and benevolent age, it is anticipated that the following enquiries will excite intelligent replies, affording demonstrative proof, that subjects of general utility occupy the public mind.

BENJAMIN WILLS, Provisional Secretary.

I. If such of the poor, as have small families, and are out of work, or whose low wages are insufficient to maintain them, were supplied with a small portion of land, nearly rent free, with the means of erecting a cottage, if necessary, on the same, would it prove a stimulus to industry, be accepted and cultivated, and eventually render parochial relief unnecessary?

II. For persons with large families, say six children and upwards, in similar circumstances, would it be considered likely, if a cow and a sufficient quantity of land, say one and a half or two acres, at a low rent, were supplied, that such would be enabled to live without parochial assistance?

III. What effects might such assistance be expected to produce in a given number of years (say 10 or 15) on the moral condition and happiness of the poor, especially of the rising race, and the welfare of the community at large?

IV. If approved; (and the money necessary to accomplish it could be raised) your opinion is requested as to the best mode of carrying the same into effect?

V. Your opinion is requested on the propriety of large and populous places employing land for the Occupation of their poor under suitable superintend ance, (which has in some instances been practised) with a view to enable them to subsist without parochial aid?

VI, Any other information on the subject of furnishing employment to our industrious poor, not prejudicial to existing occupations will be esteemed. It is requested that communications be addressed to the Secretary, King's Head, Poultry, London.

To the Editor of the Pocket Magazine. SIR,-IN the account of the Roman Pavements, the following lines have been omitted." Also the upper part of a female figure, supposed to represent Venus," which should immediately precede the subjoined sentence from page 336 of the second volume. "The fine curve of the eyebrow, and general expression of the countenance, render it an object of the highest admira

tion."

December 5th, 1818.

H. J

DANCING, which is now a profane, was once a sacred pastime. The Egyptians danced at the mysteries of Isis, they taught many of their military exercises in a dance called the Memphian: they even recorded and represented astronomical facts in a dance given on the feast of Apis.

The Jews borrowed these religious ceremonies of the Egyptians. They not only danced in the wilderness around the golden calf; but at the feast of the Lord in Shiloh, (Judges xxi. 19.) they celebrated dances, which terminated like those with which Romulus entertained the Sabine women.

These dances did not accord with modern ideas of decency; for when David brought the ark of God from the house of Obed-edam, the daughter of Saul (2 Samuel vi. 20.) reproached the king with having, like one of the vulgar, uncovered himself shamefully. Yet the practice of temple dances was not discontinued: in many of the Psalms (see Lorin's Commentary on the 3d verse of the 149th Psalm) the people are called on to praise the Lord in the dance. From the descriptions preserved of the three Jewish temples of Jerusalem, Samaria, and Alexandria, it is known, that a sort of stage was erected before the altar, where dances were publicly performed by the young, accompanied with dance and song.

The Greeks naturalized the military, or Memphian dance of the Egyptians, under the name of Pyrrhic. The javelin, the shield, the sword, were all employed in this exhibition. It was sacred to Pallas; and named from Pyrrhus of Epirus, who introduced it as conducive to military agility and skill.

The Bacchic dances of the Greeks were consecrated to jollity, to amusement, and to pleasure. The Muse Terpsichore was supposed to preside over them; and Comus was said to have invented them. The annual dances of the vintagers, in which they smeared their

faces with lees of wine;, and the theatric dances, which accompanied and relieved the choral odes of the dramatists; were both orgies of Bacchus.

Lycurgus instituted dancings in honour of Apollo : at one of these balls, Theseus saw Helen, fell in love with her, and carried her off. The old men at Sparta had an appropriate dance in honour of Chronos, or Saturn. Homer praises Merion as the dancer. Hippocleides lost his bride by a vain display of agility in dancing: his saying what cares Hippocleides for that? became a proverbial expression of dissembled contempt.

The Athenians had funeral dances, of which the movement was slow, the dress white, the garlands were of cypress, the music solemn, and the occasional pauses filled up with sobs and howls of woe.

They had also dances distinguished by peculiar appellations, which employed a few, or two, or a single dancer. Demosthenes reproaches Philip with causing hornpipes (cordax) to be danced before him after dinner by naked boys. The hormus resembled a cotillion, and employed eight dancers, who frequently joined hands. The emmeleia sometimes resembled our minuet by its gravity and dignity.

The Romans imported the dances of the Greeks: they were a more decorous people, and have left declamations and laws against dancing dances which the Greeks executed without a blush. Scipio Africanus entertained his guests with dancing. Mark Anthony was censured for taking a licentious part in some religious dances. Under the reign of Augustus, Pylades carried the serious, and Bathyllus the comic pantomime to the highest perfection. The hymeneal dances began under Tiberius to assume so indecent a character, that the senate made a decree to suppress them, and to banish the dancing masters from Rome.

The priests of Cybele travelled about, like our travellers, to perform dances in public for hire. Lucian has left an entertaining account of these exhibitions. The Goths, when Tacitus described them, had their dance of spears, in which young lads threw javelins at each other, and moved to and fro uninjured between the flight of darts.