1807.| L£vtracts from the Port-folwo of a Man of Leiters. 9369 
dangerous than a man without a charac- 
ter, that is a person whose soul has not 
any one disposition more habitual to it 
than another. We readily confide in a 
virtuous man, but are distrustful of a vil- 
Jain, The man without a character is 
alternately the one and the other, nor 
are we able to determine which. He is 
a sort of amphibious being, if we may be 
allowed the expression, that is, not spe- 
cifically adapted to live in any one ele- 
ment. This calls to our remembrance 
that admirable law of Solon,.which de- 
clared all those persons infamous, who 
were of no party in times of sedition, be- 
cause he well knew that there are no ob- 
jects more to be feared in society, than 
men undetermined from a want of cha- 
racler, 
CUSTOMS IN SPAIN. 
In Spain the Viaticum is carried with 
great pomp. ‘The arst-person they meet 
in their carriage, always alights, and offers 
it to the Almighty, and of course it is 
always accepted ; the Priest placing him- 
self in it, and the person who has given it 
up, following on foot. The Viaticum is 
preceded by many persons carrying wax 
eandles, six Moorish hautboys, called dox- 
zainas, and sometimes a small drum, the 
sound of which is very pleasing with the 
other instruments. As many as can, en- 
ter the sick man’s chamber, and he is 
very fortunate if the noise which they 
make does not hasten his departure from 
this world. 
The ceremony which they observe to 
declare the pregnancy of the Queen of 
Spain is particularly singular. They ring 
the great bell of the palace, the people 
flock to the sound, the King and Queen 
appear in a balcony, and he loudly de- 
clares the queen’s situation, From 
thence she goes in a carriage to the 
church of our Lady Atoscha, followed 
by ail the Grandees on foot, to return 
thanks to God. 
Auother remarkable custom in Spain 
deserves to be noticed; when any one 
dies, the relations, friends, and neigh- 
bours, carry to the survivors at meal- 
times, for three days, one or more piates 
of food, under the idea that the grief 
which they suffer will not permit them 
to think on nutriment. Some persons 
also accompany these dishes, in order to 
oifer consolation to the family. 
BEAUTRU. 
When Beautru was in Spain he went to 
see the famous library in the FEscurial, 
and, on conversing with the librarian, 
found him to be a most ignorant man. 
The King of Spain asked Beautru how he 
liked his library? “It is very handsome, 
Sir, (he said) but your Majesty should 
mike the person who has now the care 
of it, administrator of your finances.” 
“ Why so?” said the Prince. “Because 
(rephed Beautru) he does not make use 
of the treasure intrasted to him,” 
MUSCOVIAN FUNERALS. 
In Muscovy, when a man dies, his 
friends and relations immediately assem- 
ble, and seat themselves in a circle 
round the corpse, of which they ask the 
following questions; “ Why have you 
died ? Is it because your commercial con- 
cerns went badly ? Or was it because you 
could not obtain the accomplishment of 
your desires? Was your wife deficient in 
youth or beauty? Or has she been faith- 
fess to your bed?” ‘They then rise and 
quit the house. 
When they carry the body to be buried, 
it is covered and conveyed on a bier to 
the brink of the intended grave, the co- 
vering is then withdrawn, the priest reads 
some prayers, the company kiss the dead, 
and retire. These ceremonies finished, 
the priest places between the fingers of 
the dead man a piece of paper signed by 
the patriarch confessor, purporting his 
having been a good Christian, This they 
suppose serves for a passport to the other 
world, and from its certifying the goodness 
_of the deceased, St. Peter, when he sees 
it, will open to him the gates of eternal 
life. The letter given, the corpse is re- 
moved, and placed in the grave, with 
the face towards the East. 
QUEEN ELIZABETH, 
The Archbishop of Canterbury at- 
tended the queen in her last moments; 
he endeavoured to console her by say- 
ing she had every thing to hope from the 
mercy of the Almighty, for her piety, her 
zeal, and the admirable reformation, 
which she had so happily established. 
The Queen, who had turned to the 
other side of the bed, interrupted the 
archbishop, by saying, “ My Lord, the 
crown which I wore for so many years, 
made me suiliciently wain while I jived. 
T beg you will not now increase my vanity, 
when I am so near death.” After this, 
her respiration failed, she fell into an 
agony which lasted 18 hours, and then 
expired, 
EXTRACT 
