with his judgment: I think I may venture to say that he was not that infidel he pretended to be; let the world review him on his sick bed, and witness how he trembled when he had a fear of dying. How then would the thought of a Redeemer whom he had reviled stagger him, a Saviour who was himself a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief.

Voltaire undertook to translate the greater part of the play of Julius Cesar, and threw the shaft of his intended wit against the adamant of Shakspeare. Among other observations, he pretended to ridicule Shakspeare's observation put into the mouth of Cesar, "Cesar does never wrong but with just cause," which expression, by the by, all our commentators, from Johnson to Tyrwhit, have hacked and mangled; but had they examined the meaning of the word two hundred years ago, in justice to their countryman, they would have rescued him from such undeserved censure. The meaning of the words in the sentence, are, as I think, this-Cesar never does any one an injury (or inflicts a punishment) without just cause.

Having been so fortunate, as I then thought it, at the Craven meeting, my weak mind and strong desire to make a show, induced me to purchase two horses, one for the saddle, and one for harness; I sent also to London for a gig, which cost me forty guineas, and had all the necessary accoutrements finished in the highest style, against the first spring meeting. So equipped, I entered with full spirit into the sport, and the first day managed my business very well, excepting that, flushed with success and proud of my fine black horse, I raced with a brother collegian, on a pro

posal from him, and beat him as I thought, I having This made me prouder of my

arrived first at the goal. new purchase than ever. all the arcana of jockeyship, nor had I the least idea of a plot that was being contrived against me. At dinner the conversation naturally turned on the races of the morning, and I lanched out in praises of my steed, which had beaten my friend's blood horse, who now began to work upon my feelings, by telling me I beat him only by chance, that his horse had been much fa.. tigued, but that if I chose to run mine fairly against his, he was certain he could beat me. I accordingly proposed a match on the next day for fifty pounds. Mr. Thorpe, my friend, declined risking so large a sum, or, indeed any thing of consequence, and after a short conversation, the match was relinquished. But soon after, a gentleman asked me if I would persist should any other person procure the horse to run against mine, I answered that I would. This gentleman, whose name was Moore (afterwards an attorney in Newyork) took Mr. Thorpe aside, and made some bargain with him, which secured him the use of the horse, and the match was made. I was determined to have the best rider I could procure, and accordingly sought for a jockey by name South. I found him at his home, and agreed with him for the usual price, five guineas if he won, and three if he lost the race. He then desired to see the horse, which was called Skylark; I took him to the stable, but no sooner had I pointed him out, than, glancing an eye of contempt, Mr. South turned north about, and, observing grumblingly that he would send somebody else to bestride him, walked off contemptu

But I had not yet dived into

ously, leaving the despised beast and myself to our mutual contemplations.

I began now to feel my error, and perceive whither my folly had conducted me; for the judgment of so celebrated a jockey was infallible. I would willingly have broken off the match, especially as I had been told that it was necessary to starve the animal during the night, that he might run lighter in the morning; but the match was play or pay, and poor Skylark was doomed to physic and the lash.

The important hour arrived, the jockeys mounted, the signal was given, the horses started, but alas for me! non passibus aquis! the little blood made two stretches to one of my noble black, which, like Eneas's wife, was left so far behind, that when the winner of the race had arrived at the inning post, he found himself alone, and had to return to look for the companion with whom he started.

Here then was the first "check to proud ambition" -fifty-three guineas thrown away for the scandalous fame of running a horse at Newmarket; and prudence and common sense bartered for the laughter and ridicule of my acquaintances; but I was naturally good natured, and though Armstrong observes that "mere good nature is a fool," yet had I occasionally, perhaps too seldom,

Sense and spirit with humanity,

which made good nature almost virtue; for though not gifted with prophetic thought, I had sense enough to perceive my follies after they had occurred, spirit enough to bear the ridicule they deserved, and humani

ty enough to smile forgiveness on those who made themselves merry at my expense; but I wanted courage to oppose temptation.

I continued visiting Newmarket during the whole of the first spring meeting, betting with various success, and returning occasionally to attend chapel in the morning, to save appearances, and was, upon the whole, a winner.

I had been in the habit of attending the assemblies at Cambridge, and also at Bury St. Edmond's, a town, if I recollect rightly, between twenty and thirty miles from Cambridge. Three of my fellow collegians were dining with me one day, when it was proposed to set off immediately after dinner to Bury and attend the ball: we all consented; but it was agreed that, to prevent disappointments in obtaining hair-dressers, for crops were not yet in fashion, we should complete our adjustment before we left Cambridge; accordingly we hired a coach and four, and entered it fully arranged for the assembly. The uneasy posture in which we were under the necessity of supporting ourselves, from the fear of discomposing our artificial curls and queues, wearied us excessively during the first stage, and when we stopped to refresh the horses, that the succeeding stage might prove less tiresome, we requested the landlady of the inn to lend us a small table, a candle, and a pack of cards, wherewith to amuse ourselves, and to keep our frizzled and powdered heads in an inclining, instead of a reclining position. She consented; furnished us with a candle, cards, and a neat little round table, which shone like glass. The driver being ready, we drew up the windows, fixed ourselves, and drove off. But scarcely

had we proceeded half a mile, before we perceived that our olfactory nerves were violently assaulted by an odour that differed a little from that of any of the perfumes of Arabia, or their imitations that we had been acquainted with. We snuffed and snuffed, till at last we traced it to the table. Having detected the culprit, we let down the window, and threw him, cards, candle, and candlestick into the road, and during the remain der of the journey, substituted conversation as the antidote to the lethargic disposition that was creeping over us. At last we reached Bury, and stopped at the door of the hotel, where the assembly was held; the dances had already began; we purchased our tickets, and having entered the ball room, were not a little chagrined in finding our former partners engaged; but our sensations were soon changed, when we perceived a general whisper, titter, and strong symptoms of risibility directed towards us; while we were wondering what it could mean, an acquaintance of ours (for we were pretty well known) came to us, and desired us to look at our stock. ings; we did so, and immediately found the cause of the emotions we had excited. Our good landlady at the inn where we had stopped, in order to make her table appear to the greatest advantage, had drenched it plentifully in linseed oil, which not having been imbibed by the tasteless wood, had communicated itself very libe rally with such parts of our habiliments as being more susceptible of such favours, had occasionally come in friendly contact with it. Here then was a pretty dilemma. We had no opportunity of changing any part of our dress, and were consequently obliged to arm our