694 



Our Anniversary. 



[JUNE, 



Great when that triumphant warrior 

 entered Babylon, and in a few years after 

 a menial servant in the museum which 

 Ptolemy (once his friend and companion 

 in the train of the Macedonian monarch) 

 had instituted at Alexandria! Thus his 

 conversation is like a panorama, for he 

 paints every incident of his life with a 

 vigour and strength of colouring which 

 carry back the listener, or rather the be- 

 holder (for the Pythagorean makes you 

 see his descriptions) into the very age 

 and among the people of which he is 

 speaking. The efforts made to induce 

 him to write his own history have at 

 length proved successful, and we believe 

 an arrangement has been concluded with 

 Mr. Murray, for the early publication of 

 The History of a Pythagorean. 



Meantime Mr. Mortimer will occa- 

 sionally favour us with a few of his re- 

 miniscences, and one who has a memory 

 of twenty centuries, is not likely soon to 

 tire either himself or his auditors. We 

 shall not be accused of presumption in 

 asserting, that such a contributor as this 

 has never been hitherto known in the 

 literary world. 



Samuel Middlcton, better known 

 among his friends by the appellation of 

 Old Mortality, is one of the most amusing 

 and intelligent creatures in the world. 

 He has attained his present age (ninety- 

 eight) without the loss of any faculty by 

 which he was characterised in his youth. 

 Having flourished during the period 

 which has been styled, par excellence, 

 the Augustan age, his fund of anecdote 

 is almost as entertaining as it is inex- 

 haustible. He belonged to that cele- 

 brated club, of which Sir Joshua Rey- 

 nolds, Samuel Johnson, and Oliver 

 Goldsmith were members. Of the au- 

 thor of the Deserted Villagelie preserves 

 many interesting memorials; we may 

 notice one particularly, viz., the iden- 

 tical pair of crimson breeches in which 

 Goldsmith arrayed himself on the day 

 appointed for his ordination, and which 

 called down no very gentle rebuke upon 

 the unfortunate poet. Old Mortality 

 keeps them carefully folded up in silver 

 paper, in a drawer strewn with lavendar, 

 and which is also honoured by the pre- 

 sence of Thomson's wig and Johnson's 

 walking-stick. 



Mr. Middleton possesses, likewise, 

 many precious inedited MSS. of Pope, 

 Goldsmith, arid Gay, and last, though 

 certainly not least, a discourse of consi- 



derable extent, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 

 upon the Colouring of the Grecian 

 masters. We have had the pleasure of 

 perusing this singular composition, 

 which is not more marked by the learn- 

 ing and ingenuity which it displays, 

 than by the grace and elegance of the 

 style. We have several papers of Mr. 

 Middleton's in our hands, which are 

 perfectly delightful, and running over 

 with remembrances of the great men 

 who are passed away. He well remem- 

 bers the night the celebrated Person was 

 present at a ball given in the Lower 

 Rooms in Bath, where his lank and un- 

 combed tresses, and the peculiarity of 

 his general appearance, made him an 

 object of universal wonderment. Mr. 

 King, the master of the ceremonies, en- 

 tertained at one time serious thoughts of 

 turning out the old Greek scholar, of 

 whose name, it is needless to say, he 

 was altogether ignorant. 



The Honourable Adolphus Volant 

 writes too little to entitle him to the 

 fame of a contributor, but he is a glo- 

 rious fellow, and we delight in num- 

 bering him among ourselves. Few per- 

 sons have walked in the fire of temp- 

 tation with so little infamy. It pleased 

 the father of Adolphus Volant to leave 

 him a handsome fortune, and Provi- 

 dence to endow him with a disposition 

 capable of enjoying it. At the close of 

 the year he has frequently not 201. re- 

 maining at his banker's out of his 6,00/. , 

 but then he has spent the money and not 

 squandered it. And this we take to be a 

 very logical distinction. He is voluptu- 

 ous without being sensual, and a Syba- 

 rite without being effeminate. He de- 

 corates his person and improves the 

 charms of his face, (which are great) 

 not from vanity, but principle. He 

 thinks that any gift of the Divine Maker, 

 whether mental or corporeal, ought to 

 be religiously cherished. A man of 

 pleasure, but not a libertine, the Hon- 

 ourable Adolphus Volant derives his sen- 

 sations of joy from the purer and least 

 earthly feelings. Loved at Eton, and 

 admired at Oxford, he has only to apply 

 his talents to one particular object, in 

 order to obtain the highest reputation. 

 We confidently hope to see that day 

 speedily arrive. 



Janus Weathercock was a school-fel- 

 low of Volant's at Eton, and " kept " in 

 the next rooms to him at Christ Church. 

 If ever there \vas a man whose name is 



