THE DYING GLADIATOR. 
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vented, as they all found theniselves on a footing of equality, and 
their former good humour and harmony was restored. < That building 
was then called John o’Groat’s house, and though the house is totally 
gone, the place where it stood still retains the name, and deserves 
to be remembered as long as good intentions and good sense are 
estimable in a country. The particulars above mentioned were com- 
municated to John Sutherland, esq. of Wexter, above fifty years ago, 
by his father, who had seen the letter written by James IV. in the 
possession of George Groat of Warse. The remains of the oak 
table have been seen by many now living, who have inscribed their 
names upon it.” 
The Dying Gladiator. 
This is a most valuable monument of ancient sculpture, long pre- 
served in the palace of Chigi, but carried to Paris with the Lacoon, 
&c. in 1796. This gladiator having received the mortal stroke, ap- 
pears particularly careful ut procumbat honestCy “ that he might 
fall honourably.” “ He is seated in a reclining posture on the ground, 
and seems to have just strength sufficient to raise himself on his 
right arm ; and in his expiring moments he does not abandon himself 
to grief and dejection, but is solicitous to attain that firmness of 
aspect and attitude which the gladiators valued themselves on pre- 
serving in this last scene of distress. He betrays no tokens of fear 
by his countenance, nor sheds one tear, although he appears, not- 
withstanding his remaining strength, to have but a few moments to 
live. Thus the ancients knew how to animate marble, and to give it 
almost every expression of life. 
Natural Bridges. 
The Rev. Mr. Aukle, in his account of the parish of Castletown, 
in Roxburghshire, gives the following description of a natural bridge 
in that parish. One of the greatest curiosities,” says he, “ to be 
seen in this county, or perhaps in Scotland, is a bridge of stone 
over the river Blackburn. It stretches across the stream, and joins 
the hills on each side. It is fifty-five feet long) ten feet wide, and 
the thickness of the arch is two feet of solid stone. It is not com- 
posed of one entire rock, but consists of many stones, about a foot 
and a half square, set neatly together. The bridge slopes a little 
downwards, and the water rushes under the arch through an open- 
ing of thirty-one feet. 
Mr. Jefferson, of the United States of America, gives a particular 
description of a most wonderful work of this kind in the state of 
Virginia. It is on the ascent of a hill, which seems to have been 
cloven, through its length by some great convulsion of nature. 
The fissure just at the bridge is, by some admeasurements, two 
hundred and seventy feet deep, by others only two hundred and 
filty. It it is about forty-five feet wide at the bottom, and ninety 
feet at the top ; this, of course, determines the lengtli of the bridge, 
and its height from the water. Its breadth in the middle is about 
4 Y 
