THE CHICKEN.

In a debate on the Westminster scrutiny in 1785, Mr. Michael Angelo Taylor first acquired the name of Chicken, in consequence of his saying, "That he always delivered his legal opinion in that house, and elsewhere, with great humility, because he was young, and might with propriety call himself a Chicken in the profession of the law." Soon after this modest declaration, which excited a smile through the house, Mr. Bearcroft, who advocated the scrutiny against Mr. Fox, adverted to the expression used by Mr. Taylor, and said, for his part, with regard to legal opinions, he should never he biassed by them, whether they came from chickens or old cocks. This was enough for Mr. Sheridan, who immediately followed, and in a humourous desultory speech, which produced repeated peals of laughter, he took notice of the diffidence of Mr. Taylor, as connected with another observation of the same gentleman," that he should then vote with the Opposition, because they were in the right; but that in all probability he should never vote with them again ;" thus presaging, that for the future they would be always in the wrong. "If such be his augury," said Sheridan, " I cannot help looking upon this chicken as a bird of ill omen, and wish that he had continued side by side by the full grown cock (alluding to Mr. Bearcroft), who will, no doubt, long continue to feed about the gates of the treasury, to pick up those crumbs which are there plentifully scattered about, to keep the chickens and full grown fowls together."

THEMISTOCLES.

As Themistocles was leading the forces of Athens against the Persians, he met some cocks fighting; on which he commanded his army to halt, and thus addressed them. "Fellow soldiers, observe these animals; they do not assail each other for the sake of country, nor for their paternal goods, nor for the sepulchres of their heroic ancestors, nor for glory, nor for liberty, nor for children; but for mastery How then ought you to fight, who have all these things to contend for?" This homely but apt speech is said to have had a powerful effect in animating the Athenians to victory; and in order to perpetuate the memory of the incident, a law was afterwards passed, that "there should be a public cock match on the stage every year." And hence, says Ælian, arose the pastime of cock-fighting.

A HINT WELL TAKEN.

In a Committee of Ways and Means, when the proposed tax upon horses came under consideration, the Earl of Surry, afterwards Duke of Norfolk, suggested, as an improvement, a tax upon winning horses, as well as upon those that should start for the plate. Mr. Pitt instantly caught the idea, and adopted it in addition to his own proposition, and not as a substitute; upon which Mr. Sheridan rose, and after some witty remarks, said, that the right honourable gentleman had proved, that a light rider had the best chance of winning the match, since he had left the noble lord behind him. This contrast between the

thin and spare form of Mr. Pitt, and the jolly rotundity of Lord Surry, elicited a general laugh; after which, the orator proceeded to assure his noble friend, that when he returned to the sporting gentlemen who would be affected by this new impost, instead of admiring him for his spirit, they would most probably - exclaim, very feelingly,

cer,

"Jockey of Norfolk, be not too bold."

CHURCH MILITANTS.

During the Irish rebellion, a Roman Catholic priest of the name of Roche is said to have told the soldiers, that he would catch the bullets in his hand; and actually exhibited some which he pretended to have got in that manner. The imposture was by no means new. The celebrated anabaptist demagogue, Munwho, adding the fanaticism of religion to the extremest enthusiasm of republicanism by his harangues to the populace of Mulhausen, soon found himself at the head of forty thousand troops, thus addressed them. "Every thing must yield to the Most High, who has placed me at the head of you. In vain the enemy's artillery shall thunder against you; in vain, indeed, for I will receive in the gown of my sleeve every bullet that shall be shot against you, and that alone shall be an impenetrable rampart against all the efforts of the enemy." Muncer, however, was not so good as his word, for the Landgrave of Hesse, and many of the nobility, marching against him, his troops were defeated, himself taken prisoner, and carried to Mulhausen, where he perished upon a scaffold in 1525.

PARLIAMENT OF 1794

Perhaps the bitterness of political enmity was never carried to a greater height, than in the parliament of 1794, even on the one side or the other, which provoked caustic replies; and what on ordinary concerns would only have excited mirth, now operated with instantaneous violence, in raising a tempest of conflicting passions. A curious instance of this occurred on Mr. Francis animadverting on the practice of confining every discussion to three or four members, who occupied the attention of the house with speeches of many hours. This observation was not taken in good part by any of the persons who felt the application. Mr. Burke prefaced what he had to say on the subject (the volunteer system,) with declaring, that he would not be unmindful of the hint just thrown out, and which had been drawn from a writer of great authority with the gentleman opposite.--

"Solid men of Boston, make no long potations; Solid men of Boston, make no long orations.

Bow! wow! wow!"

As an allusion in the debate had been made to the Marquess of Rockingham, the known patron of Mr. Burke, the opportunity was seized by Mr. Sheridan, to reply with some severity to that gentleman, whom he indirectly accused, not only of apostacy, but ingra titude. He felt himself much disappointed, he said, at the kind of defence which he had a right to expect from Mr. Burke, of the conduct of the Mar quess of Rockingham; and supposed, that the in

junction against "long orations," was not the only precept in the system of ethics which served to regulate the practice of the right honourable gentleman. He would take the liberty to remind him of another passage in the same approved writer, in which he

says:

"He went to Daddy Jenky, by Trimmer Hal attended, In such company, good lack! how his morals must be Bow! wow! wow!"

mended!

THE THREAD OF DISCOURSE.

Some people contract strong habits of what may be called external association, the body being more concerned in it than the mind, and external things than ideas. They connect a certain action with a certain object, so that without the one they cannot easily perform the other; although, independently of habit, there is no connexion between them. Dr. Beattie mentions the case of a clergyman, who could not compose his sermon, except when he held a foot-rule in his hand; and of another, who while he was employed in study, would always be rolling between his fingers a parcel of peas, whereof he constantly kept a trencher full within reach of his arm. Locke speaks of a young man, who in one particular room, where an old trunk stood, could dance very well; but in any other room, if it wanted such a piece of furniture, could not dance at all. A writer, in the Tatler, mentions a more probable instance of a lawyer, who in his pleadings used always to be twisting about his finger a piece of pack-thread, which the punsters