1309.] Lxtracts from the Portfolio of a Man of Letters. 51 
ence decide the controversy (see vol. 
Xxvi. p. 17. 224.) respecting Dr. Mande- 
ville’s being or not being the author of 
the History of the Sevarambians. 
{am possessed of a copy of this work 
in Low Dutch, (quarto, small size,) trans- 
lated from the French into that language 
by G. v. Brorxuuyzen, embellished 
with many curious copper cuts, printed 
at Amsterdam, for Timotheus ten Hoorn, 
bookseller, in the Nes, (a street so named) 
1682. According to the biographical dic- 
tionaries 1n common use, Dr. Mandeville 
died in 1733, about the 63d year of his 
age: if so, he must have been barn about 
1670; and it is admitted that he gradu- 
ated at Leyden in 1691. 
The Dutch edition is divided into four 
parts,only ; the fourth 1s called, the fourth 
und last part, and concludes with relating 
the return of the fictitious Captain Siden 
to Smyrna. Perhaps a fifth part was 
afterwards added, previous to the publi- 
cation of the second English edition in 
1716. In my Dutch copy, each of the 
four parts has a separate title-page, with 
the same date, 1682. In the preface, 
(page 1) Virgilius is styled bishop of Co- 
logne (not of Salzburg). 
The writer of the letter inserted in 
Vol. xxvi, p. 224, will, I am persuaded, 
excuse my taking the liberty of submit- 
ting to his consideration, whether his own 
judicious remarks in the last paragraph 
will not warrant a conjecture that the 
real author of the History of the Seva- 
rambians was the learned professor he 
there mentions. With respect to time 
and other circumstances, nothing appears 
in the accounts extant of Bayle’s life 
that renders such a supposition impro- 
bable. ! 
THOMAS-A-BECKET. 
The clergy before the 23d Henry II. 
were, in fact, greater sufferers than the 
laity ; for they had no remedy at common 
law, their own punishments not going 
beyond excommunication, for the mur- 
ders of any of their own body by laymen. 
So absurd was Becket : and so his own 
murderers escaped with their lives. Pro- 
vidence punished him in his folly. 
HENRY THE SECOND 
Had a prodigious memory, and was in 
the habits of quoting and applying past 
events in regulation of his conduct. 
) STEPHEN. 
This king was one of the best land-sur- 
veyors in the kingdom : and first put land- 
marks, &c. upon a regular footing. 
_ SIR HENRY SAVILLE, 
He is said to have had a great respect 
te the persons of his students, and to 
1 
have rejected Admiral Blake, then of 
Wadham, from a fellowship of Merton, 
on account of the lowness of his sta< 
ture. : 
EDWARD THE SECOND. 
Adam ‘Tarlton, bishop of Hereford, is 
said to have been the great engineer and 
contriver of this king’s marder. Fuller 
says, that when he preached before the 
queen, thén in pursuit of her husband, 
his text was, the words of the sick Shu 
namite, “ My head, my head,”—a curious 
text. It was notso: but the real one 
was striking ; “1 will put enmity between 
you and the woman’—a most blasphe-~ 
mous and detestable a scpanoey and des 
livered from the pulpit ! 
ARMS OF THE CITY OF LONDON. 
Said to have received the addition of 
the daggers from Sir William Walworth’s 
punishment of Wat Tyler’s insolence. 
{ appears from a stone near Runnymede, 
bearing the date of 1285, that they were 
blazoned with daggers at that period. 
BATTLE OF TOWTON—YORK AND LAN= 
CASTER. 
This was fought between the houses of 
York and Lancaster March 27, 1461. 
Twenty-eight thousand were killed, From 
1455 to 1403, more than seventy thoue 
sand perished. 
SPALATO. 
This was a Romish archbishop, a pre- 
tended proselyte, who obtained from 
James I. the deanery of Windsor. He 
was very fond of persuading others to 
charitable actions, but would give nothing 
himself. Upon an application to the 
chapter of Windsor, one of the prebends 
answered “ Quz suadet, sua det,” 
JEHOVAH. 
' This word was first introduced in the 
translation of the Bible in 1541. Bishop 
Sparrow, says Peter Salatinus, had 
brought in the pronunciation and writing 
of it, never betore used or heard of in 
any language. 
NATHANAEL IN SCRIPTURE, 
He 1s the same apostle as Barthola- 
mew—Bar-Tholmai, the son of Tholmai, 
St. John always calls him Nathanae!, the 
three other Evangelists Bartholomew, 
MARTIAL. 
Menage says, that there is no Latin 
poet whatever in whose works there are 
so many things as might occur in onver- 
sation as in his. ais 
HYPERBOLES, 
The following is the fine definition of 
the legitimate hyperbole, translated from 
the Latin: “ Although every hyperbole 
exceeds credit, it ought never to surpass 
moderation. 
ORIGINAL 
