1809.] 
immediately to put it into execution ; ac- 
cordingly, assoon as he went home, he cal- 
led his wite, and said to ler, Madam, 
bring out of the trunk the best pair of 
breeches [ have; and while she was gone 
to fetch them, he procured two cudgels. 
WhenEspinela returned, Eleigh day! cried 
she, what is the matter now, Mr. Silve- 
vio? Is the moon at the full, or is your 
judgment in the wan? Are you as mad 
this week as you were sullen last? Very 
well, go on, you begin finely. Donot we 
all know that men wear breeches ? Is that 
any reason that you should lose your sen- 
ses? Silverio answered nothing to all this, 
but proceeded to give her orders for the 
management of his house. ‘To which Es- 
pinela replied, sneeringly, Do you think, 
Mr. Silverio I have lived so long without 
knowing how to manage my own house? 
I wonder how you dare to tutor me at 
this time of the day? Silverio said not a 
word to all this, but led her by the hand 
to his stables, where he acted,‘in the 
same manner, towards one of ‘his best 
horses, as his brother had done, killing 
him outright in his wife’s presence. At 
the sight of Silverio’s rage, Espinela, 
thinking him mad, cried out, What have 
you really had the misfortune to lose your 
senses? What is the meaning of all these 
fine doings, without rhyme or reason? I 
am not mad, replied Silverio, gravely, nor 
do IT act madly ; know madam, and be as- 
sured, that whoever eats my bread, must 
be obedient to me, or I shall serve them 
thus. You areto be pitied, indeed, re- 
joining Espinela, if you set about reform- 
“ing now-a-days. What did the horse do 
to you, that you should kill it so unrea- 
sonably? Was it not the finest horse in 
the service of the pope? Do not you con- 
sider that you have lost your horse, your 
consequence, and your peace? I suppose 
another day you will feel inclined to serve 
me in the same way, if I do not take 
good care topreventyou. But undeceive 
yourself, your madness will avail you lit- 
tle. I see your design clearly; but it is 
all too late. And now what have you got 
by this fine day’s work, except, reproach 
to your judgment, shame to your honor, 
and the scorn of all who shall hearof your 
follies, 
When Silverio had heard bis wife’slong 
lecture, and gathered from it that there 
were no signs of amendment, he determi- 
ned that since neither love nor fear could 
curb her pride to bear it patiently, tll 
death should put'an end to his troubles. 
Thenceforward, the obstinate Espimela 
behaved worse than ever, as poor Silverio 
Pendulums for regulading Musical Time, - 339 
was obliged to give her liberty to do any 
thing she pleased, to procure himself a 
moment’s comfort. 
=e ee 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine, 
SIR, 
OUR correspondent, Mr. Skrim- 
shire, has rendered a public ser- 
vice, by communicating his experiments 
or the comparative methods of prepar- 
ing the potatoe for use. As he has taken 
so much pains on this subject, probably 
he may have a cook who understands 
the proper method of boiling potatoes. 
Such a communication would be ex- 
tremely useful to thousands of families. 
I have been a housekeeper fiearly fifty 
years, yet never had a servant on whom 
I could rely for dressing properly this 
most useful article, Your's, &c. 
April 4, 1809. J. Jounson, 
~~ a 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
AGREE with your ingenious corre- 
spondent M, at page 241,-of your 
last Number, in regretting that no me- 
thod has yet been ‘put in practice,” 
for communicating the exact degree of 
time, in which a composer of music 
would have his works performed: but L 
believe the proper method for adjusting 
this matter, by means of pendulums, was 
suggested some .years before the hint 
given by Dr. Crotch, to which your cor- 
respondent refers. There are some res 
marks, relative to the best method of 
regulating musical time, given ina po- 
pular school-book, by Mr. (now Dr.) 
Gregory, published under the ttle of 
“ iessons, Astronomical, and Philoso- 
phical,” in the year 1793. | Even at that 
time Mr. Gregory spoke of the plan, as 
one which had been urged before. Ag 
the directions there given, are very per= 
spicuous, as far as they go, perhaps you 
may think the following extract from 
them sufficiently. important to merit a 
place in your widely circulated miscel- 
lany. 
“This improvement, (says Mr. G.) 
is no other than the substitution of pra- 
per characters, to denote the different 
kinds and velocities of musical time, in- 
stead of those vague, indefinite ones, 
which are now in use. - What is the in- 
formation we can obtain from casting 
our eyes upon the characters 2, 3, 3, $, 
&c. Why truly, no more than can be 
learned from reckoning up the crotchets, 
minims, quavers, &c. in the first com. 
piste par of the tune. The characters a 
the 
