tone; yet he struck hard, even when he struck indiscreetly. During a debate on the claims of the Prince of Wales, the attorney-general, then Sir Edward Law, remarked, that the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall were placed under the control of the king, Henry VI. during the minority of the Prince of Wales, in consequence of the refractory spirit of the Duke of York. It was suggested from the opposition benches, that the law was shortly after changed. Aye," said Sir Edward Law, "in times of trouble; the honourable gentlemen opposite seem well versed in the troubles of their country." The whole opposition cried out, "Order!" and an explanation took place.

MR. WINDHAM.

In certain expressions which Mr. Windham made use of on a motion by Mr. Yorke, for enforcing the standing order for excluding strangers, the newspaper reporters considered themselves to be personally calumniated; and in order to express their resentment, came to a general resolution, that his speeches should no longer be reported, and acted up to this resolution for several months. By this temporary exclusion of Mr. Windham's speeches, some valuable ones have been entirely lost, while of others there have been preserved only a few slight and unsatisfactory fragments. Among the latter, was his celebrated speech on the Walcheren expedition, which presented one of the best examples of that keen irony, which formed so distinguished a feature in the eloquence of Mr. Windham. What, for instance, could be more poignantly sarcastic than the following passage?

"In discussing the conduct of this miserable expedition, this concatenation of blunders, this long lane of mischiefs, which has no turn except to destruction, the first thing to be observed is, that according to all their evidence, the planners of the expedition could have no hope of success, unless all the chances turned out in their favour, unless all their cards turned to be trumps. The wind must blow from a certain point, and it must blow with a certain degree of force; if the wind changed, the expedition could not arrive at the destined point; and if the wind blew fresh, it would produce a surf, and prevent the landing. Now, considering the proverbial certainty of the wind, the expectation that all these things would happen must be admitted to have been extremely rational; but, supposing that his majesty's ministers could have had sufficient influence to induce the wind to blow exactly as they wished it, still, to insure any thing like a prospect of success to the expedition, this mighty armament must, in all its subsequent operations, have moved with the regularity and precision of a piece of machinery; one operation must be performed in three days, another in four, the artillery must move through the sand without friction, and there must be no enemy to fight withal.' Sir, the truth is, that this gallant army, this last hope of England, was committed to imminent hazards and ultimate destruction, without any thing like a plan for the guidance of its operations. The noble lord seems to have thought it quite sufficient to send out an expedition, and leave the rest to chance. My Lord Chatham was sent out to try experiments. I remember a story of a man, who, being asked if he could play on the fiddle, said, he could not tell, but

he would try.' Such was precisely the situation of my Lord Chatham."

PARLIAMENTARY COURTIER OF 1626. "See'st thou not the air of court in these unfoldings? Hath not my gait in it the measure of the court? I am a courtier cap-à-pee."

SHAKESPEARE.

Among the members most active in the impeachment of the Duke of Buckingham in 1626, was Sir Dudley Carleton, vice chamberlain. His speech on the occasion is extremely amusing, on account of the many singular specimens which it contains of that unblushing sycophancy which disgraced some of the elder periods of English history.

"Indeed," he says, "you would count it a great misery, if you knew the subject in foreign countries as well as myself; to see them look, not like our nation, with store of flesh on their backs, but like so many ghosts, and not men, being nothing but skin and bones, with some thin cover to their nakedness, and wearing only wooden shoes on their feet, so that they cannot eat meat, or wear good clothes, but they must pay and be taxed unto the king for it. This is a misery beyond expression, and that which yet we are free from; let us be careful, then, to preserve the king's good opinion of parliaments, which bringeth this happiness to this nation, and makes us envied of all others, while there is this sweetness between his majesty and his commons, lest we lose the repute of a free-born nation by turbulency in parliament."

In the same strain Sir Dudley goes on to state, that in his opinion, "the greatest and wisest part of a parliament are those who use the greatest silence, so as it be not opiniatory or sullen!!!”

LAST DAYS OF KNOX,

"In the opening up of his text," says James Melville, speaking of this celebrated preacher during the last days of his life," he was moderat the space of an half houre; but when he enterit to application, he made me so to grew and tremble, that I could not hald a pen to wryt. He was very weik. I saw him everie day of his doctrine go hulie and fear, with a furring of marticks about his neck, a staffe in the an hand, and gud godlike Richart Ballanden, his servand, haldin up the uther oxter, from the abbey to the parish kirk, and he the said Richart, and another servand, lifted up to the pulpit, whar he behovit to learn at his first entrie; bot, er he haid done with his sermone, he was sa active and vigorous, that he was lyk to ding the pulpit in blads, and flie out of it."

PULPIT FLATTERY REPROVED.

Henry IV. went with his court to the church of St. Gervais at Paris on the Christmas Day of 1609, to hear a celebrated preacher; who, vain of the honour of having so illustrious a hearer as his sovereign, soon interrupted the thread of his discourse, and apostrophized Henry. After having paid him the highest compliments on the clemency, the justice, and the humanity of his reign, he insisted upon many points, which, more like a politician than a divine, he thought necessary for the good of religion and the safety of the state. Henry heard him without the least emoand on going out of church, merely said, "Why,

tion;

the preacher of to-day did not entirely fill up his hour." The day after, Henry went to hear him again, and meeting him as he was going into the pulpit, said to him, My father, every one expected that at this time you should be in the Bastile; but the opinions of the world and those of myself do not always go together. I am much obliged to you for the zeal you have shown for my salvation. Continue, I beg of you, to request it of God for me, and contribute to it yourself by your good advice. In whatever place, and at whatever time, you shall think fit to give it to me, you will always find me well inclined to follow it. I have only to request of you, that you will not let your zeal get the better of your discretion, when you think fit to give me advice in public; and that you would desist from those invectives which may alienate the love, and diminish the respect, my subjects owe to me. You know my extreme jealousy respecting the former, and the extreme jealousy that attends the latter. Except in public, at any private audience you may give as much latitude to your zeal as you please. On my part, I will bring to it all that docility of which I am capable; and if my weakness will permit me to go with you, it will be more my fault than yours if I do not become better. Once for all continue, I beg, your regard to me, and be assured of my constant protection."

PARLIAMENT OF PARIS.

During the disputes of the parliament at Paris, about the middle of the seventeenth century, there appeared many symptoms of ancient eloquence. The