ed thee! Accurfed be myself, for I contributed. Lought not to have taken away my eyes when thine were closed in frolic. O, bijou, my deareft, only bijou, would I were dead alfo ! As near as the fpirit of his difordered mind can be transfufed, fuch was the language and fentiment of the forlorn bird-catcher; whofe defpairing motion and frantic air no words can paint. He took from his pocket a little green bag of faded velvet, and taking out of it fome wool and cotton, that were the wrapping of whiftles, bird-calls, and other inftruments of his trade, (all of which he threw on the table, "as in fcorn"), and making a couch, placed the mutilated limbs and ravaged feathers of his canary upon it, and renewed his lamentations. These were now much foftened, as is ever the cafe, when the rage of grief yields to its tendernefs: when it is too much overpowered by the effect to advert to the caufe. It is needlefs to obferve to you, that every one of the company fympathifed with him. But none more than the band of musicians, who, being engaged in a profeflion that naturally keeps the fenfibilities more or lefs in exercife, felt the diftrefs of the poor bird man with peculiar force. It was really a banquet to see these people gathering themfelves into a knot, and after whifpering, and wiping their eyes, depute one from among them to be the medium of conveying into the pocket of the birdman, the very contribution they had just before received for their own efforts. The poor follow perceiving them, took from his pocket the little parcel they had rolled up, and brought out with it, by an unlucky accident, another little big, at the fight of which he was extremely agitated; for it contained the canary feed, the food of the "dear loft companion of his ar" There is no giving language to the effect of this trifling circumftance upon the poor fellow; he threw down the contribution money that he brought from his pocket. along with it, not with an ungrateful but with a defperate hand. He opened the bag, which was fastened with red tape, and taking out fome of the feed, put it to the very bill of the lifeless bird, exclaiming-No, poor bijou, no-thou canft not peck any more out of this hand, that has been thy feeding place fo many years-thou canft remember how happy we both were when I bought this bagfull for thee. Had it, been filled with gold thou hadst deferved it. It fhail be filled-and with gold, faid the mafter of the houfe, if I could afford it. The good man rofe from his feat, which had long been uneafy to him, and gently taking the bag, put into it fome filver; faying, as he handed it to his nearest neighbour, who will refufe to follow my example; it is not a subscription for mere charity, it is a tribute to one of the rareft things in the whole world; namely, to real feeling, in this fophiftical, pretending, parading age. If ever the paffion of love and gratitude was in the heart of man, it is in the heart of that unhappy fellow, and whether the object that calls out fuch feelings be bird, beaft, fish, or man, it is alike virtue, and-ought to be rewarded-faid his next neighbour, putting into the bag his quota. It is fuperfluous to tell you that after the feed had been taken wholly a, way, and put very delicately out of the poor man's fight, every body most cheerfully contributed to make up a purfe, tó repair (as much as money could) the bird-man's lofs. The laft perfon applied to, was a very beautiful German young lady, who as he placed her bounty into the bag, clofed it immediately after, and blushed. As there are all forts of blushes, (at least one to every action of our lives, that is worth any characteristic feeling, fuppofing the actor can feel at all) fufpicion would have thought this young lady, who was fo anxious to conceal her gift, gave little or nothing; but candour, who reafens in a different manner, would fuppofe what was really the cafe--that it was a blush, not of avarice and deception, but of benevolence graced by modefly. Curiofity, however, caught the bag, opened it, and turned out its con tents, tents, among which was a golden ducat, that by its date and brightnefs had been hoarded. Ah, here faid curiofity, who does this belong to, I wonder? Guilt and innocence, avarice and benignity, are alike honest in one point; fince they all, in the moment of attack, by fome means or another, discover what they wish to conceal. There was not in the then large company a single person, who could not have exclaimed to this young lady, with affurance of the truth-Thou art the woman! There was no denying the fact; it was written on every feature of her enchanting face. She struggled, however, with the accufation, almoft to tears, but they were fuch tears, as would have given luftre to the fineft eyes in the world, for they gave luftre to hers, and would have added effulgence to a ray of the fun. Well then, if no body else will own this neglected ducat, cried the master of the houfe, who was uncle to the lady abovementioned, I with whereupon he took it from the heap, and exchanged it for two others, which enriched the collection. While the business of the heart was thus carrying on, the poor bird-man, who was the occasion and object of it, was at first divided into contrary emotions of pain and pleasure : his eye fometimes directed to the maffacred canary, and fometimes to the company: at length generofity proved the ftronger emotion, and grief ebbed away. He had loft a bird, but he had gained the good will of many human beings. That bird, it is true, was his pride and fupport, but this was not the crifis any longer to bewail its fate. He accepted the contributionpurse, by one means or another filled like the fack of Benjamin, even to the brim, and bowed, but spoke not; then folding up the corpfe of the canary in its wooland cotton fhroud, departed with one of those looks, that the moment it is feen is felt and understood, but for which, being too powerful for defcription, no language has yet been provided. On going out he beckoned the musicians to follow: They did fo, ftriking a few chords that would have graced the funeral of Juliet. My very foul pursued the founds, and fo did my feet. 1 haft ed to the outer door, and faw the birdman contending about returning the money, which the founders of the benevolence (for fuch were the musicians) had fubfcribed. From Pratt's Gleanings. THE DECAYED ENGLISH MERCHANT AND HIS DAUGHTER. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 178. NOTWITHSTANDING this declaration, the merchat receiving no man ner of benefit from the Welch doctors, and being unable, indeed, to pay for their continued attendance, without an injury to that feanty fund, out of which he had to draw all the neceffaries of life, he often fighed out in a voice of piring, as it were, involuntarily, the name of **. The found of that voice, languishing for that which might poffibly change its tone to gladness, penetrated the foul of his daughter, who needed not fo pathetic a memento of her father's wifhes, to make her bitterly regret her inability to gratify them. The poor gentleman grew worfe, and expreffing a defire for fomething which VOL. LVIII. he imagined might afford a momentary relief, his Amelia (fo was the young lady named) took the first opportunity of his being compofed to go into the neighbourhood in fearch of a perfon to fetch it from Montgomery. A little road-fide public houfe, about a mile from her father's cottage, appeared the most likely place to find a meffenger. Thither the repaired, and arrived juft in time to take shelter from a fudden ftorm that fell with great violence. At the moment of her entrance there were none but the old hoft and hostess in the ale-house; but in a very few minutes after, it filled with labourers and paffengers, who, like herfelf, fought protec tion from the hurricane: during the N n fury, fury, however, of which, fhe had too much compaffion to mention her wishes; for fhe was amongst those whose nature would not fuffer her "to turn an enemy's dog out of door at fuch a feafon." This neceffary delay, nevertheless, greatly increased her uneafinefs, and she kept watching the rain and the hoped return of fine weather, at the window. Seeing no profpect of its clearing, the determined to do that herself, at all hazards, which she could not ask another to perform-namely, to be herself the meffenger; to which end fhe defired to know, whether the road fhe faw from the window, was the nearest and most direct to Montgomery, or to any other town where there was an apothecary's fhop, and what might be 'the distance to any fuch place? The affecting voice in which these queftions were demanded, and the prevailing appearance of the fpeaker, gained her an intereft in every hearer and be. holder, feveral of whom knew, and acknowledged her for a neighbour, mingling their expreffions of good-will with numberlefs kind inquiries after. her fick father, for whofe languifhing fituation they unanimously declared their pity and regard, and whofe death, if it fhould pleafe God to fnatch him away, they fhould long lament. lady, has told me you have been for This laft fentence feemed to annihilate the reft. The very name of London had at that inftant, more charms for Amelia, than it could ever boast of creat ing in the head of any Mifs in her teens, who had her mama's promife to pass the winter among the fine folks and fine fights with which is abounds. But it drew the attention of Amelia from fuperior motives. It was the refidence of her poor father's phyfician, on whofe heart fhe now refolved to make an attempt, by the medium of the generous ftranger, who, fhe rightly judged, would fuffer his bounty to take any direction fhe might wifh, and to whom the stated the merchant's anxious but hopeless defires. This laft obfervation bringing to mind the image of her father's danger more clofely, the trembling Amelia loft all thought of herself, or of the weather, and thanking every body around her for their civility, while her lovely face was covered with her tears, she had got the latch of the door in her hand, and was preparing to hurry out on her commif. fion, according to the directions the had received, when a traveller, who had not opened his lips during the converfation of the peasants, but fat drying himself at the fire, rose up fuddenly, and begged permiffion to fpeak to her. She went with furprise and tottering fteps into an adjoining room, where be used to her thefe very words: You have just the foul, my dear friend, "One of your neighbours, young to fuggeft the exftafy of Amelia's on hearing hearing that this much-wished for phy- he awoke, he told the nurse, that he fician was an intimate acquaintance of the traveller, and "all the interests of an old affection shall be tried with the doctor," exclaimed the stranger, foon as I get to town, on condition that you will now go home to your father with this purfe, and an affurance that although I am an ufurer, I will receive neither principal nor interest, till he is very able to pay both." He did not give the astonished Amelia time to refufe: but feeing the weather inclined to remit its rigours, he put half a crown into the hands of the peasants, to drink the young lady's and her fick father's health; and ordering his horfe to the door, mounted and proceeded on his journey. hoped the was taking a little neceffary rest in her own room, where he defired fhe might remain undiíturbed. as This gave her opportunity to manage her good fortune, of which the refolved to be fo excellent an economist, that the fupply fhe had received fhould answer the wifeit and happiest purposes: fhe recollected, that, the day before she met the benevolent stranger, her father had received by the post a bank-bill, to the amount of the quarterly divifion of his annuity; of courfe a further reinforcement was not immediately neceffary; on which account fhe had to regret, that the flurry into which her fpirits were thrown had hindered her from perfifting. in her refufal of the loan, to the acceptance of which, however, fhe was fomewhat reconciled, when the reflected on the condition annexed to her borrowing it; and an idea which just then started to her imagination, of the manner in which it might be appropriated, completely fatisfied her feelings on the occafion. She confidered the gentleman's bank-bill as the luckieft fund in the world, to ferve as the physician's fee, in cafe the generous ftranger fhould prevail on him to come; and to that facred use her heart devoted it. The fum was fifty pounds-a recompenfe which her ignorance in the price of medical advice in the golden climes of England led her to fuppofe would be all-fufficient for a journey down to Wales. a regular charge to be made out by doctors W. R. G. F. L. or any other of the popular fons of Efculapius, of London, for fuch a tour from the grand mart of custom, the 50l. would fcarcely be thought by thofe meffieurs a more than fufficient fum to pay travelling expences. In many parts of the continent, indeed, where a fhilling value in coin, that has lefs of filver in its com pofition than would be found in the analyfis of a filver penny, is received as a fettled gratuity for running a German mile, fifty pounds would cut a handfome figure in phyfic, and go very far towards Does not your bounding heart affure you, his feelings would have defended him from bestowing a thought "on the peltings of the pitilefs ftorm," had they continued to rage? And does it not alfo inform you, that this fair pattern of filial piety was proof against the war of elements? The funshine of benevolence had, indeed, fo animated her, that its fudden and intenfe rays might have been too strong for her tender frame, had they not been moderated by a fhower of tears. She had fcarcely regained her cottage, indeed, when, overcome by her fenfations, fhe fainted in the arms of her aged nurse, who had been mourning her delay. Alas, my friend, what fragile creatures we are! How much at the difpofal of contrary events! How totally the vaffals of forrow and of joy! How little able to encounter the extremes of either! But you will not eafily forgive exclamations that detain you from poor Amelia, whom I left in diftrefs to indulge them. My heart is but too often the mafter of my pen, and guides it as it lifteth. Let me haften to make atonement by informing you that our lovely fufferer, on her recovery, had the pleafure to find that her father had dofed beft part of the morning; and though he miffed her from his apartment when Nn3 Alas! were curing very. curing a whole city of an epidemy fo far it altogether without a fupport from rea As, however, the vifit of Dr*** was a point rather "devoutely to be wifhed," then expected, it being the middle of a very hard winter, Amelia thought it prudent to conceal the little adventure at the public houfe from her father, whofe malady, neverthelefs, rather increafed than abated: and his love of life being in effect his love for his daughter, he could not help occafionally regretting his impaffible diftance from the only man, by whofe aid there might be a chance of refifting his difeafe. There is, you know, a fort of fuperftition which often runs through a family in favour of its family phyfician. Nor is SHAKESPEARE MSS. CRITICISM and illustration have been to inform himself with respect to the fo long and variously exercised on Shakef- validity of these interesting papers. peare, by the labours of the most learned Throughout this period, there has not and penetrating writers of the British been an ingenuous character, or difinnation, that it feemed as if little more could be gathered on the fubject, even in the way of explanation. Much lefs did any profpect remain, after fuch enquiries, that new matter would be found to throw additional light upon his chafacter, or that unheard-of productions from his pen fhould be suddenly brought to view. And yet fuch is really the cafe, if credit is to be given to the authority of Mr Ireland, the editor of this fplendid volume, and to the papers which he has brought forward, as well as to thofe which remain in his poffeffion. On a fubject of this magnitude, it is natural for opinion to be fufpended, and even for credulity itfelf to receive thefe pieces with double caution. Mr Ireland certainly ought not to be offended at the jealoufy with which critics behold thefe productions, at the inquifitivenefs with which they conceive it right to examine them, and the inquiries which from thence they hold themfelves authorised to put, concerning the means of their difcovery, and the caufe of their myfterious concealment. All this is natural, as it comes within the exact limits of critical juftice. At the fame time, it is but fair to let Mr Ireland fpeak for himfelf. In his preface, he obferves, that, "from the firft moment of his difcovery to the prefent hour, he has inceffantly laboured, by every means in his power, terested individual, in the circle of litera- fo |