whole corps, and took possession of it for their own commander, who, when he heard what had been done, crossed himself on the face and breast, and declared that it was the bravest action he had ever known. He immediately sent to inform them that, as soon as the boats came, he should send them provisions and additional troops; but they, thanking him for his offer, assured him that they required no troops, that they had no time to take provisions, and that all they wanted was a quantity of pickaxes and shovels, with which they might intrench themselves. In the morning, the marquis went in person to the island, and embraced every one of them, with a profusion of thanks. He afterwards wrote a minute account of the transaction to his sovereign, who, as formerly, went to St Germain to thank King James for the gallant services of his subjects.

The officers remained encamped on this island for six weeks, under deep snow, although no fires were allowed during the night, and no man could sleep at that time, under the penalty of death. General Stirk made several attempts to surprise the post, and pass the Rhine; but the officers were so watchful, that all his efforts were vain, and he was at length obliged to decamp, and retire into the country. The island obtained the name of L'Ile d'Ecosse, in honour of its heroic defenders, to whom alone it was owing on this occasion that the French territory was preserved inviolate. The Company of Officers next spent some time in garrison at Strasbourg, where nothing of consequence occurred until the peace of Ryswick, in 1697, when, by virtue of one of the articles which King William was said to have himself suggested and insisted upon, this noble little troop was dissolved, and the men allowed to go where they pleased. They were now much reduced in numbers by the hardships and other casualties of their service. When their history was written a few years after,* there were only sixteen alive, and of these, it is added by Sir John Dalrymple, probably

* An Account of Dundee's Officers after they went to France. printed in Miscellanea Scotica. 4 vols. Glasgow: 1820.

Re

from hearsay, not more than four ever revisited their native country. Their tale is thus a tragical one; but, while the human mind can be exalted and fortified by the recital of sufferings heroically encountered and firmly borne, it can never be a useless one. It is also precious for its shewing in so lively a light the independence in which really noble minds stand with regard to circumstances. These gentlemen never forgot that they were gentlemen; and notwithstanding the humble character which necessity or honour led them to assume, their being so was never overlooked for a moment by any who came in contact with them. No real degradation could ever befall men who stooped from their proper sphere under the influence of such exalted feelings, or for such generous and disinterested objects. If any grudge remains for the fate of these brave men, so hapless and so wretched, while thousands of the sordid and selfish were drawing out lives of comfort in peace and security, let all now be absorbed in the one reflection"The glory ends not, and the pain is past.'

SAMUEL FOOTE.

FOOTE the unscrupulous Mathews of the last century, and one of the most singular men ever produced in England-was born in 1721, at Truro, in Cornwall. He could boast of being at least a gentleman by birth, for his father was a land proprietor and magistrate of ancient descent, while his mother was the daughter of Sir Edward Goodere, Bart., who at one time represented the county of Hereford in parliament. His wit was developed in his very childhood; and his power of mimicry is said to have been suddenly brought into play, when a boy of twelve, in consequence of a discussion arising at his father's table respecting a rustic who had fallen under the observation of the parochial authorities. He on this

occasion gave so lively an image of the demeanour and language which three of the justices were likely to assume when the culprit should be brought before them, that his father, one of the individuals taken off, rewarded him for the amusement he had given the company, and thus unintentionally encouraged a propensity which was afterwards to lead the youth into a mode of life which no father could have helped regretting. He was educated at Worcester College, Oxford, which had been founded by one of his near relations, and of which the superior, Dr Gower, was unfortunately an apt subject for his humour. Observing that the rope of the chapel bell was allowed to hang near to the ground in an open space where cows were sometimes turned for the night, he hung a wisp of straw to the end of it; the unavoidable consequence was, that some one of the animals was sure to seize the straw in the course of the night, and thus cause the bell to toll. A solemn consultation was held, and the provost undertook with the sexton to sit up in the chapel all night, for the purpose of catching the delinquent. They took their dreary station; at the midnight hour the bell tolled as before: out rushed the two watchmen, one of whom, seizing the cow in the dark, thought he had caught a gentleman commoner; while the doctor, grasping the animal by a different part of its body, exclaimed that he was convinced the postman was the rogue, for he felt his horn. Lights were speedily brought, and disclosed the nature of the jest, which served Oxford in laughter for a week.

Foote was an idle student, for which he was sometimes punished by having severe tasks imposed on him, as if one who would not study the ordinary proper time could be expected to give his mind to an uninteresting pursuit for an extraordinary time. When summoned before the provost, in order to be reprimanded for his junketings, the wag would come with a vast folio dictionary under his arm; the doctor would begin using, as was his custom, a great number of quaint learned words, on hearing which Foote would gravely beg pardon

for interrupting him-look up the word in the dictionary ---and then as gravely request him to go on. There could be no reasonable hope of such a youth as a student; yet he was sent to the Temple, with a view to his going to the bar. He is said to have here made no proficiency except in fashionable vices and dissipation. In 1741, he married a young lady of good family in Worcestershire, and immediately after went with his spouse to spend a month with his father in Cornwall.

Foote, having shortly after outrun his fortune, was induced by a bookseller, on a promise of ten pounds, to write a pamphlet in defence of his uncle Goodere, who was at this time in prison, previous to his trial for the inhuman murder of his brother, and for which he was afterwards executed. Perhaps some of the amiable prejudice called family pride aided in making him take up his pen in behalf of one who seems to have been as ruthless a monster as ever breathed. It must also be recollected, that he was now only twenty. Whatever was the morality of the transaction-and indeed it is almost absurd to discuss such a point, considering the general nature of the man-it is related that when he went to receive the wages of his task, he was reduced so low as to be obliged to wear his boots to conceal that he wanted stockings. Having got the money, he bought a pair of stockings at a shop as he passed along. Immediately after, meeting a couple of boon-companions, he was easily persuaded to go to dine with them at a tavern. While the wine was afterwards circulating, one of his friends exclaimed: "Why, hey, Foote, how is this? You seem to have no stockings on!'

'No,' replied the wit, with great presence of mind; 'I never wear any at this time of the year, till I am going to dress for the evening; and you see'-pulling out his recent purchase-I am always provided with a pair for the occasion.'

His mother succeeded by the death of her brother, Sir John D. Goodere, to L.5000 per annum, but does not seem to have remained free from pecuniary embarrassments

more than her son. The celebrated correspondence between her and Foote, given in the jest-books, is quite authentic, but rather too laconically expressed. A copy is subjoined :

'DEAR SAM-I am in prison for debt; come and assist your loving mother, E. FOOTE.'

'DEAR MOTHER-So am I; which prevents his duty being paid to his loving mother by her affectionate SAM. FOOTE.

son,

P. S.-I have sent my attorney to assist you; in the meantime, let us hope for better days.'

It is not impossible that Mrs Foote's imprisonment took place before her accession of fortune was realised, and when she was a widow, for her husband died soon after Sam's marriage. This lady lived to eighty-four, and is said to have been much like her son both in body and mind-witty, social, and fond of a pretty strong joke. From the character of her brothers, it seems not unlikely that, with the humour she gave her son, she also communicated a certain degree of insanity, the source of the many eccentricities which he displayed through life.

The necessities arising from pure prodigality drove Foote to the stage in 1744. He appeared at the Haymarket Theatre as Othello, Macklin supporting him in Iago; but the performance was a failure.

'But when I played Othello, thousands swore
They never saw such tragedy before '-

says a rival wit in a retributory burlesque of the mimic. He tried comedy, and made a hit in the character of Fondlewife. His salary proving unequal to his expenditure, he again became embarrassed, but relieved himself by an expedient, of which we will not attempt to estimate the morality. A lady of great fortune, anxious to be married, consulted the wit as to what she should do. He, recollecting his boon-companion Sir Francis Delaval, who