ORATORY AND ELOCUTION. 



119 



artlessness and inexperience, and 

 whose deep seclusion from the 

 world had excluded her from all 

 visual knowledge of its ways. 



Soon after 1774, she settled at 

 Eome, and was admitted a member 

 of the Academy of the Arcadi, un- 

 der the name of Gorilla Olympica, 

 and for some time continued to 

 ch.-trm the inhabitants of Eome by 

 her talents in improvisation. At 

 length, when Pius VI. became Pope, 

 he determined that she should 

 be solemnly crowned an honour 

 which had been granted to Petrarch 

 'Only. 



Twelve members of the Arcadian 

 Academy were selected out of 

 thirty, publicly to examine the new 

 edition of the "Tenth Muse," which 

 so often been dedicated to ladies 

 of poetical and literary talents. 

 TIi roe several days were allotted 

 for this public exhibition of poeti- 

 cal powers, on the following sub- 

 : sacred history, revealed re- 

 n, moral philosophy, natural 

 history, metaphysics, epic poetry, 

 legislation, eloquence, mythology, 

 fine arts, and pastoral poetry. 



In the list of examiners appeared 

 a prince, an archbishop, three mon- 

 stMgneurs, the Pope's physician, 

 abati, avocati, all of high rank in 

 literature and criticism. These 

 severally gave her subjects, which, 

 besides a readiness at versification 

 in all the measures of Italian poetry, 

 required science, reading, and know- 

 ledge of every kind. 



In these severe trials, she ac- 

 quitted herself to the satisfaction 



and astonishment of all the person- 

 ages, clergy, literati, and foreigners 

 then resident at Rome. Among 

 the latter was the brother of George 

 III., the Duke of Gloucester. 

 Nearly fifty sonnets, by different 

 poets, with odes r canzoni,terze rime, 

 attave, canzonette, &c., produced on 

 the subject of the event, are in- 

 serted at the end of a beautiful 

 volume containing a description of 

 the order and ceremonials of this 

 splendid, honourable, and enthusi- 

 astic homage paid to poetry, clas- 

 sical taste, talents, literature, and 

 the fine arts. 



THE AUTHORSHIP OF WAVERLEY. 



Mrs. Murray Keith, a venerable 

 Scotch lady, from whom Sir Walter 

 Scott derived many of the tradition- 

 ary stories and anecdotes wrought 

 up in his novels, taxed him one 

 day with the authorship, which he, 

 as usual, stoutly denied. " What !" 

 exclaimed the old lady, " d'ye think 

 I dinna ken my ain groats among 

 other folk's kail?" 



THE " VICAR OF WAKEFIELD." 



This beautiful little work re- 

 mained unnoticed, and was at- 

 tacked by the reviews, until Lord 

 Holland, who had been ill, sent to 

 his bookseller for some amusing 

 book. This was supplied, and he 

 was so pleased that he spoke of it in 

 the highest terms to a large com- 

 pany who dined with him a few 

 days after. The consequence was, 

 that the whole impression was sold 

 off in a few days. 



OKATORY AND ELOCUTION, 



PULPIT, PARLIAMENTARY, AND JUDICIAL. 



BISHOP ATTERBURY. 



Dr. Doddridge, in his unpublished 

 lectures on preaching, gives a short 

 view of the characters and quali- 



fications of the most celebrated 

 divines of the last and present 

 age, both conformists and non-con- 

 formists. Under the former head 

 he thus describes Atterbury as a 



