234 



TABLE-TALK AND VARIETIES. 



take him) ; for the drubbing and 

 bad treatment she had received 

 had opened her eyes. (Menage.) 



NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS. 



Charles Y. used to say, that the 

 Portuguese appeared to be fools, 

 and were so ; that the Spaniards 

 appeared wise, and were not so ; 

 that the Italians seemed to be wise, 

 and were so ; and that the French 

 seemed fools, and were not so : 

 That the Germans spoke like car- 

 ters, the English like blockheads, 

 the French like masters, and the 

 Spaniards like kings. The Sici- 

 lians used to call him, Scipio Afri- 

 canus ; the Italians, David ; the 

 French, Hercules; the Turks, Julius 

 Caesar ; the Africans, Hannibal ; 

 the Germans, Charlemagne ; and 

 the Spaniards, Alexander the Great. 



SCARRON. 



M. Scarron was one day attacked 

 so violently by hiccup, that his 

 friends were apprehensive for his 

 life. When the violence of the at- 

 tack was a little abated, " If I sur- 

 vive," said he, turning to his friends, 

 "if I survive, I shall write a tre- 

 mendous satire against the hiccup." 

 His friends certainly expected some 

 very different resolution. 



M. D'USEZ COMPLAISANCE. 



M. d'Usez was gentleman of ho- 

 nour to the French queen. This 

 princess one day asked him what 

 o'clock it was. He replied, "Ma- 

 dam, any hour your majesty pleases." 



THE JESUIT IN A STORM. 



A Jesuit who had been particu- 

 larly recommended to the captain 

 of a vessel, was sailing from France 

 to America. The captain, who saw 

 that a storm was approaching, said 

 to him, "Father, you are not ac- 

 customed to the rolling of a vessel, 

 you had better get down as fast as 

 possible into the hold. As long as 

 you hear the sailors swearing and 



blaspheming, you may be assured 

 that there are good hopes : but if 

 you should hear them embracing 

 and reconciling themselves to each 

 other, you may make up your ac- 

 counts with heaven." As the storm 

 increased, the Jesuit, from time to 

 time, despatched his companion to 

 the hatchway to see how matters 

 went upon deck. "Alas! father," 

 said he, returning, " all is lost, the 

 sailors are swearing like demoniacs ; 

 their very blasphemies are enough 

 to sink the vessel." " Oh ! heaven 

 be praised," said the Jesuit, " then 

 all's right." 



CLASSICAL APPLICATION. 



A person meeting another riding, 

 with his wife behind him, applied 

 to him Horace's line" Post equi- 

 tem sedet atra cura" (gloomy care 

 sits behind the rider). 



A person who had some danger- 

 ous enemies, whom he believed 

 capable of attempting any thing, con- 

 sulted the Oracle to know whether 

 he should leave the country. The 

 answer he obtained was, "Domine, 

 stes securus;" a reply which led him 

 to believe he might safely remain 

 at home. Some days afterwards, 

 his enemies set fire to his house, 

 and it was with difficulty that he 

 escaped with his life. Then recol- 

 lecting the answer of the Oracle, 

 he perceived, when too late, that 

 the word was not Domine, but 

 Doini ne stes securus. (Menage.) 



MARY DE MED1CIS. 



Fabro Chigi, who was afterwards 

 Pope, under the title of Alexander 

 VII., while nuncio in France, was 

 present at the death of Mary de 

 Medicis. He asked her if she par- 

 doned all her enemies, and parti- 

 cularly Cardinal Richelieu. Sho 

 said she did from her heart. "Ma- 

 dame," said he, "as a mark of recon- 

 ciliation, will you send him the 



