Boatman. Know her? ay. Her's the very devil when her sperits up.

Wife. Her is. Her uses that man sheamfull; her rags him every neet of her loif. Who was her feyther?

Boatman. Whoy, Singing Jemmy.

Wife. Oi don't think as how oi ever knowed singing Jemmy. Was he old Soaker's brother? Boatman. Eees he was. He lived a top o' Hell Bank. He was the wickedest, swearinest mon as ever I knowed. I should think as how he was the wickedest man in the world, and say he had the rheumatiz so bad."

"The Harnet and the Bittle. "A harnet zet in a hollow tree, A proper spiteful twoad was he; And merrily zung while he did zet; His sting as shearp as a bagganet.

Oh, who so fine and bold as I? I fears not bee, nor wapse, nor fly. "A bittle up thuck tree did clim, And scornfully did look at him. Zays he, Zur harnet, who give thee A right to zet in thuck there tree?

Vor all you zengs zo nation fine,
I tell 'ee, 'tis a house o' mine.'
"The harnet's conscience velt a twinge,
But grawin bowld wi his long stinge,
Zays he, Possession's the best laaw;
Zo here th' shant put a claaw;

Be off, and leave the tree to me,
The mixen's good enough for thee.'

Our limits compel us reluctantly to turn from this interesting and valuable work, to the third and last part of the text upon which we have founded a somewhat rambling and discursive article.

The "Promptorium Parvulorum," the first dictionary compiled in England, written in 1440, was published by Richard Pynson in 1490, and Julian Notary in 1508. Wynken de Worde also printed four editions between the years 1510 and 1528.

Herbert in his "Typographical Dictionary" says, "the author of this first English dictionary was Richard Fraunces, a preaching or black-friar, and in it are found many old English words no where else explained."

The edition before us is founded upon the text of the Harleian MS. 221, which was selected as the most correct, ancient and copious of all the MSS. whose existence was ascertained. Some additions were made from other MSS. and from Pynson's edition; these are distinguished The following is a complete list of the aufrom the text by being included in brackets. thorities used in the preparation of this

curious book:

MS. in Chapter Library at Winchester, A. D. 1498. A fragment contained in Harleian MS. 1499. MS. in the Library at King's Col. Cambridge. MS. in the collection of Sir Thomas Phillips, Middle Hill, and formerly in the Heber Library. Edition of Julian Notary, 1508. Edition of Wynken de Worde, 1516.

The original MSS. and editions seem to have been divided into two distinct portions, nominal and verbal. This arrangement has been simplified, by throwing the whole into alphabetical order. The editor has also had recourse to other ancient authorities for illustrations, such as the LatinEnglish Dictionary, entitled Medulla Grammatices, according to Bale compiled by the same author as the Promptorium; a MS. dated 1483, known as the Catholicon Anglicum, written apparently in the northeastern part of England, and entirely

distinct from the Promptorium; the curious work of John Palsgrave, Eclaircissement de la langue Françoyse;" Hominis Vulgaria, &c.

The Promptorium is an English-Latin dictionary, the English words being in the dialect of Norfolk, with which alone the author seems to have been acquainted. "Comitatus tamen Northfolchié modum loquendi solum sum secutus, quem solum a infancia didici, et soloterius plenius perfectusque cognovi." In his quaint Latin our author, "Fratre Galfrido," or Brother Fraunces, gives the miserable condition of the clergy, who were becoming daily more and more barbarous in their own language, and almost entirely forgetful of the Latin tongue, as the reason for his attempting this work.

"Cernentibus sollicite clericorum condiciones, nunc statum et gradum diversorum nunerose videntur jam varii clericali se nomine gloriantes, qui tamen in suis colloquis passim quotidie que barbarizando, sic usum et artem Latine loquele, aut pene, aut penitus perdiderunt, quod eorum quam plures quasi, de doctis indoctis, de sciolis inscios, noverca virtutem et viciorum mater degenerans produxit oblivio."

Our author modestly asserts his incapacity for undertaking so important a work, being "rude and ignorant;" more fitted to be taught than to teach, (quamvis rudis et inscius, plusque aptus discere quam doscere ;) nevertheless he has attempted it, having drawn his information from the following grammatical works, (libris grammaticorum,) the majority of which are now entirely unknown:

Januensis in suo Catholicon. Uguitio in majori volumine. Uguitio versificatus. Brito. Mirivalensis in Campo florum. Johannes de Garlandia, in Diccionario Scholastico. Commentarius curi alium.. Libellus Misteriorum qui dictur Anglia que fulget. Merarius. Distigius. Robertus Kylwarbi. Alexander Neccham.

In concluding his preface he assumes no merit for himself, but begs that if any one should be benefited by his rude (inculto) production, that they will return thanks to God, and mercifully pray for him.

We shall extract for the reader's benefit a few of the words and definitions:

cations of the Camden Society, it can only present edition being one of the publibe obtained by subscribing for all of their expensive works, and consequently we believe that but one or two copies of the Promptorium" can be found in America.

We cannot close this article without saying a few words upon the pronoun thou. This appears to us to be a word whose peculiarities have been singularly neglected by lexicographers. From time out of mind, it or its equivalents have been used in many European languages to imply either affectionate familiarity or great contempt; and such was doubtless once its signification in our own tongue, although now only employed by poets, Friends and Quakers, and in addressing the Supreme Being. Dr. Webster has evidently had this in view in giving as his definition,

title of " Blackguardiana, or Dictionary,' &c., &c., interspersed with cant terms, flash songs, &c., and illustrated with eighteen portraits. The book contained so much to outrage decency, both in words, anecdotes, memoirs, &c., that it appeared anonymously, without a publisher's name, and was sold at a very high price. It is now scarce and difficult to obtain, and it is probable when Capt. Grose found how eagerly it was sought after, that he determined to suppress it and prepare a new edition, leaving out the obscene terms and jokes which disgraced its pages.

Besides the before-mentioned glossaries, there are a great many books containing tales, poems, dialogues, songs, &c. in every dialect in England. We close the list with Jamieson's Scotch Dictionary, in 4 vols. quarto. This may with more propriety be called a glossary than a dictionary. It is a work of vast labor, and is one of the best works of reference to the glossarist and to the student of old English literature of any book extant.

P. P.

CHAPTER I.

SELDOM do we remark a malady, which has fastened itself upon us, at the moment when it takes hold of the frame. We walk around for weeks and months, fresh and blooming. It is not until the body endeavors to throw off the seeds of the disease—until the healing powers of our nature labor within us, with all their might that we become sensible of our condition. Then we are stricken down, and the whole world is hidden from us, as if in night. We know nothing, we wish

stuffed with straw, and a wooden sole furnished with thongs, rest upon his arm. As he thus walks onward, thou dost not perceive, dear reader, that a worm is in his soul; and wert thou to question him thereof, he could tell thee nothing concerning it, for, as yet, the worm sleeps. Stephen has at last reached a heap of stones, neatly piled in layers. He looks around him, to see from which way the wind comes, for it is late in autumn, and it blows keen and strong. Stephen raises his cap, as if to greet his day's work. He then steps into the ditch, where he has laid a straw-covered lattice work, and places it between him and the wind. It is an airy wall, but Stephen's heart sits warm and snug within his bosom. He buckles on the wooden sole, and falls stoutly to work, for from the hard stones he draws his livelihood- —a scanty one indeed. Stephen has toiled thus for two good hours, and has seldom allowed himself. a moment to take breath. He now pauses, lays the cushion upon the heap of stones, fills a pipe, as a reward for his labor, draws on a glove with a well padded thumb, and seating himself, begins to crack the large stones which he has broken, into smaller pieces. When twelve o'clock strikes, a barefooted boy comes from the village, carrying a dish covered with a cloth. He brings his father bread and some warm porridge. Stephen eats his dinner with a relish, and then continues to work until evening. He now collects his utensils and wends his way homeward.

Stephen dwells in a small cottage off from the road; his little daughter, a child three years of age, is standing at the window, and says to herself, "Father is coming!" She would gladly run and meet him, but she has but a single linen undergarment on, and no frock. Stephen enters the hall, which serves also as a kitchen; he greets his wife, who is standing by the hearth, with a silent nod only, and goes into the sitting-room, takes his little daughter in his arms, who tugs at his long beard, looks toward the cradle, where a chubby boy is cramming the end of a coverlet into his mouth, and kicking out his legs as if to welcome his father. He then enters a sleeping chamber and asks,

"How goes it, grandmother?"

A complaining voice answers him:

"The children are so wild and noisy, and Peter has run off with my beans. I will tell the schoolmaster when I am well, and can go to school."

"I will bring you other beans," replied Stephen.

Yes, do! handsome long brown ones, and round white ones."

"Yes, yes!" said Stephen, and returned to the sitting-room.

No one could speak long with the grandmother; she was in her second childhood, and was always playing with the cat or with her beans, or wishing them to hear her repeat from the hymn-book, that she might not be put to shame in the school To-day Stephen did not feel inclined to humor her. He took his seat at the table beneath a large framed piece of parchment covered with writing, to which was affixed a great seal, and waited until a light and supper came.

But I hear thee say, dear reader, "I can see such things every day, if I take but a few steps. This is far from being the greatest misery; I know of cases still more distressing." Take heed whether something is not passing here, which thou canst not see so easily; whether here, in this hut, the greatest battle of humanity is not going on; whether deeds of heroism are not here performed, braver and more difficult than the campaigns of kings, which are recorded for all time in the book of history.

As the supper was long in coming, Stephen himself brought a light, and we can now see what the framed parchment yonder signifies. It is the honorable discharge of the soldier Stephen Huber, who has served for eleven years in the fifth regiment. The ink has grown yellow, the coat of arms on the seal has crumbled away, and the flies are practicing their last autumn manoeuvres upon the smooth glass surface. Stephen sits and gazes at the light, the child also remains quietly upon his lap, looking steadfastly before her, as if, like her father, she also were sunk in thought; for the latter sees nothing around him-his past life is hovering before him like the shadows of a dream.

That was a merry day when he entered the army, for he left no father and no mother behind to weep for him when he departed; he was early an orphan. From