He first sank to the bottom-like his works, It may be, still, like dull books on a shelf, In his own den, to scrawl some "Life" or 46 Vision," AN ITALIAN ANECDOTE. NAPLES, July 1.-This was one of the hottest days of the season. I had long contemplated Fort St. Elmo, high on the crest of the mountain which overhung Naples, visit. I knew and felt that, like Vesuvius, as one of the objects which I was bound to it was one of those sights which exercise a tyranny over every traveller, not to be evaded, and which he must see, or hazard his peace of mind for ever; but never yet had been able to overcome my natural indolence, and to proceed to explore it. On this morning I rose with an alacrity and love of enterprise quite unusual to me, and I at once determined to ascend to St. Elmo to see the magnificent Certosini Convent, with the Chiesa di S. Martino, to enjoy the extensive view which this summit presents, and to hear the ascending buzz of the city and its numerous inhabitants. I immediately sent to T-, to accompany me; and after eating a hearty breakfast, we took our departure. Who that has ever mounted the steep, rugged, and never-ending ascent, will not pity the middle-aged gentleman of indolent habits, seeing sights for conscience sake, of no mean size (for such I am), as he struggled with the difficulties before him, looking up in dismay at the castle, inflating and distending his lungs with an action to which they had been long unaccustomed, until his face rivalled the sun in glowing crimson? At length we reached our object. We saw the sights,-admired the beauty of the As Welborn says "the devil turn'd pre-church, and its beautiful pictures by Spag cisian." CVI. As for the rest, to come to the conclusion Of this true dream, the telescope is gone Which kept my optics free from all delusion, And show'd me what I in my turn have shown; All I saw further, in the last confusion, Was, that King George slipp'd into heaven for one; And when the tumult dwindled to a calm, I left him practising the hundredth psalm. 1 See Aubrey's account of the apparition which disappeared" with a curious perfume and a most melodious twang ;" or see the Antiquary, vol., i. p. 225. A drowned body lies at the bottom till rotten; it then floats, as most people know. noletto, exclaimed with rapture at the view, and heard the buzz. With my conscience satisfied, and with my critical observations on all we had seen, ready to be made upon the first favorable opportunity, I lost no time in descending to whence we came. By this time it was past meridian. The descent was very trying upon legs of forty-five years' standing; and the tremulous motion which it produced upon the muscles, only increased the longing I felt, to find myself once more extended full length upon my sofa at Vittoria. I had taken off my coat, and, lazzaronilike, had thrown it over my shoulder; my neck-cloth was thrust into my waistcoat pocket, and my neck was bare. I carried my hat on my stick, using it by way of para Villa Reale, we heard a sort of hue and cry on the Chiaja, and shortly after, saw our carroty and irascible friend W appear, foaming with rage, streaming from every pore, owing to some recent exertion, and exploding with bursts of execration. He came straight to us sol; and, thus accoutred, I determined to | make one desperate effort to brave the heat of the sun, that was baking the pavement of Santa Lucia, and emitting a glare that acted like a burning-glass upon my eyeballs. As we walked through this ordeal, we passed close to an assembly of young lazzaronis, basking in the sun, near to a stall; there "Who ever knew such an infernal counthey lay in the midst of fish-bones, orange- try as this ?" said he, "D- them all for peels, and decayed melons. We evidently a beggarly set of villains. Did you ever excited their mirth and I, in particular, see the like! I gave it him well, however, felt myself privileged to be laughed at,--that's some comfort. "The young rasfor what could be more grotesque than my cal won't forget me, for some time, I'll appearance? One of the boys was standing. warrant you!" We had scarcely turned our backs upon them, when I received a blow on the head from a melon-rind;-I turned about, and immediately the whole gang ran off laughing. I would have followed; but, in truth, was too tired. I could scarcely move but at a slow walk. The boys stopped, and looked at us. At length, making a virtue of necessity, I called out to the boy who had thrown the melon-rind, to come to me he hesitated; I called again-he was evidently puzzled, and suspicious of my intention; I then showed him a carline," Come here," said I, "take this." "In the name of goodness!" exclaimed แ what are you about ?" "Never mind," said I, "stop and see." The boy at length took courage, and came to me. T and I smiled at each other in anticipation of the reason, which only made him more furious. "Here," said he, "was I walking quietly along, when a young rascal of a lazzaroni thought fit to shy half a water-melon at my head;-you may laugh; but it was no laughing matter to me, nor to him either, for I half killed the young urchin; and then forsooth, I must have half the town of Naples upon me, backed by all their carrion of old women." We allowed his rage to expend itself, and said nothing, for fear of being impli cated in his wrath, inasmuch as I was the origin of his disaster; but, truly indolence was never so completely justified, as on this occasion. FAMILY READING. J. M. "Here," said I, "bravo! bravissimo! avete fatto bene! take this." Upon which, in surprise, the boy, taking the piece of money out of my hand, ran off in the greatest exultation, showing it to his little friends AN American male parent, unto his babes as a prize fallen down from heaven. "Now do tell me," said T-, แ what demon of madness can have possessed you? You ought to have broken every bone in that young rascal's skin, instead of feeing him for insulting us." "So I would," said I, "if I could; but to catch him is impossible. By feeing him for his insolence, he will probably throw another piece of melon at the first Englishman he sees, who will, no doubt, give him the beating which I cannot." Tlaughed heartily at the ingenious turn which my indolence had taken-administering a beating à ricochet, as he called it; and, having reached my room, we laughed over our adventure, and speculated upon the beating the youngster would get. And, true enough, the next day, as we were seated on one of the benches of the said he : "Come hither, pretty little ones, and sit on either knee, And tell me what you've lately heard your mother read and me?" In his fatherly assurance, and fond, parental way, He wanted to discover what the innocents would say About a missionary book they'd heard the Full of glee, spake young Alonzo, all legs and mamma yead the funny part, of how it made him swear." Joining quickly in cried Minnie-all waist and dimpled neck, ""T WAS a lovely summer morning, in the year 9001 before Christ. The woods of Senegambia were clothed in their fairest costume, the lovely birds were chirping and singing their morning lays; the sky was one vast sheet of blue-everything, in short, was full of sweetness and light, except the lovely Lady Adeliza de Chimpanzee. She was in the dumps. Moodily she rubbed her shoulders against a huge palm-tree, and while performing this act heaved a vast sigh. Just at that moment her mamma dropped from the tree above her. "My daughter," said the Duchess de Chimpanzee, "why that sigh?" the rest of our tribe. See how white' I am becoming." "My daughter," said the Duchess, languidly, as she seated herself on a convenient bowlder, " you should be proud of the dif ference." It is a distinction. higher race." 66 We are a All the other I don't know, mamma. See what caudal appendages we have. folks can hang from the trees by their tails, but we are compelled to sit on the limbs." whiter than I am. You can talk in your "We are advancing, my dear. You are youth; I could not until middle age. Your grandmother, as you know, can only grunt. You are moving to a higher sphere." "Well, mamma, none of our folks will marry me," said Lady Adeliza, pouting. 66 No, my child; it has been decreed that there should be a selection of the fittest in marriage. We have offered you to the Prince d'Orang-Outang, who is even whiter than you are, as his wife." "Oh, mamma," gushed the Lady Adeliza, "that's splendid. Will he come soon? "Restrain yourself. People of high blood and short caudal appendages never get excited. He will be here in a short time." Lady Adeliza went away to look for cocoanuts, and the duchess sat on a rock, and reflectively scratched her head. CHAPTER II. THE Duke de Chimpanzee was chief of a very large tribe. If he had been in the show business he would have made an everlasting fortune. He had but one daughter, the Lady Adeliza, and as she would inherit the live stock over which he ruled, youths of the neighboring tribes desired to marry her. Her parents, however, desired that she should be, if possible, the fountain of a new race, to which all their traditions told them they were working up. They determined that she should wed the Prince d'OrangOutang. The duke proposed the matter to the prince. "Aw!" said the Prince, as he adjusted his eye-glass; is it nice ?" "She is beautiful," replied the duke. "Aw!" said the Prince; "give it much stamps?" "I shall give her all Ethiopia," replied the duke. "I will-aw-step down, and-aw-look "Ah, mamma, look at me," said Lady at it," murmured the prince, carelessly. Adeliza. "See how different I am from" By surprise, you know." |