CCWPER AKD HIS CRITIC. 



225 



had held some discourse together 

 upon the folly of abstaining from 

 feeding on the testaceous creatures 

 of the land, while those of the sea 

 wei*e considered as delicacies. 

 Wherefore not eat snails ? they are 

 known to be nutritious and whole- 

 some, and even sanative in some 

 cases. The epicures of old praised 

 them among the richest delicacies, 

 and the Italians still esteem them. 

 In short, it was determined that a 

 gastronomic experiment should be 

 made at the expense of the snails. 

 The snails were procured, dieted 

 for a time, and then stewed for the 

 benefit of the two philosophers, who 

 had either invited no guests to their 

 banquet, or found none who relished 

 in prospect the piece de resistance. 

 A huge dish of snails was placed 

 before them : still, philosophei-s are 

 but men, after all ; and the sto- 

 machs of both doctors began to re- 

 volt against the experiment. Never- 

 theless, if they looked with disgust 

 on the snails, they retained their 

 awe for each other, so that each, 

 conceiving the symptoms of in- 

 ternal revolt peculiar to himself, 

 began, with infinite exertion, to 

 swallow, in very small quantities, 

 the mess which he internally 

 loathed. 



Dr. Black, at length, showed the 

 white feather, but in a very delicate 

 manner, as if to sound the opinion 

 of his messmate. " Doctor," he said, 

 in his precise and quiet manner 

 " Doctor do you not think that they 

 taste a little a very little, green ? " 

 " Horribly green ! horribly green ! 

 indeed tak' them awa', tak' them 

 awa'!" vociferated Dr. Hutton, 

 starting up from table, and giving 

 full vent to his feelings of abhor- 

 rence. So ended all hopes of intro- 

 ducing snails into the modern cui- 

 sine; and thus philosophy can no 

 more cure a nausea than honour 

 can set a broken limb. (Sir Walter 

 Scott.) 



DULL AUTHORS. 



Marchand, commonly called Mar- 

 chand du Maine, brother of Prosper 

 Marchand of Amsterdam, said that 

 he had been a whole winter by the 

 side of the Duchess du Maine's bed, 

 reading the first ten pages of a book. 

 The moment he began to read she 

 fell asleep, which he not immedi- 

 ately perceiving, proceeded ; but 

 the next day she always made him 

 begin again. We are not told the 

 name of this composing book. Its 

 qualities, however, are by no means 

 rare. 



LETTZR-WRITING. 



" Sprightliness and wit," says a 

 learned author, "are graceful in 

 letters, just as they are in conver- 

 sation ; when they flow easily, and 

 without being studied ; when em- 

 ployed so as to season, not to cloy. 

 One who, either in conversation 

 or in letters, aifects to shine and 

 sparkle always, will not please long. 

 The style of letters should not be 

 too highly polished. All nicety 

 about words betrays study, and 

 hence, musical periods, and ap- 

 pearance of number and harmony 

 in an-angement, should be carefully 

 avoided in letters." 



COWPER AND HIS CRITIC. 



Cowper had sent a small poem to 

 the publishers, when some friendly 

 critic took the liberty to alter a line 

 in the poem, to make it smoother, 

 supposing, of course, he had made 

 the line much bettar, because it was 

 smoother, and that Cowper would 

 be grateful for such a favour ; but 

 Cowper did not think "oily smooth- 

 ness " the only merit of poetry, and 

 so was quite indignant at the liberty 

 taken with his poem. 



" I did not write the line," says 



he, "that has been tampered with, 



hastily or without due attention to 



the construction of it ; and what 



r 



