ololugé with the frish howl, yet the Latin middle-term ululatus proves, if proof were needful, their relationship. Proficæ, or hired mourners, furnish another tie between the two customs. Both, however, perhaps diverged from a common usage earlier than either,-the loud effusion of grief. natural to all infant peoples, and thus retain a similitude without any imitation. A law of the Twelve Tables, which forbids women to tear their cheeks or how at funerals, points far back into barbaric times, long before decency taught the suppression of outrageous sorrow, or vanity proscribed every genuine outburst as unbecoming to the countenance. Yet real love despises all law, whether public or private; the wellbred Tibullus, in a civilized age, entreats his Delia not to hurt his sympathetic Manes by lacerating a beauty that would be still dear to him : Tu Manes ne læde meos: sed parce solutis Let us note here, that neither Roman ghosts nor cemetery gods could have been very thin-skinned if, as Tertullian tells us, the worst pieces at funeral banquets were given to the latter, while the former had only two fragments, thus being little better off than the dogs and pensioners of Dives. Many other customs and curious particulars are illustrated by Signor Campana's volume, but we can do no more than thus allude to the major part of them. Among them, however, this point merits especial notice, because modern criticism is somewhat astray concerning it. In these Columbaria exist, as we have said, small templar porticos, which form decorative façades for tombs, like the rock-cut fronts on Egyptian, Syrian, Lycian, and various Eastern hills, mostly where necropoli are posited. That is one preversion of architectural principle, a façade or rood-end inside a structure, and another is broken-backed pediments, the pommels or apices being scooped out, and the two wings left without any interconnexion. Both absurdities were familiar to the Romans, who had a taste for rendering architecture irrational, and from them such corruption became hereditary among Romanesque, Italian, and all modern classical professors of the Ars Edificandi. So that the broken frontispieces reprobated as eccentric novelties in Michaelangelo's structures, are neither eccentric nor novel, because common and antique: but they are not the less bad, though they can plead time-honoured precedents. Let us specify some other articles. Nothing is new under the sun, saith Salomon, as our English wisest of mankind should have taught us to call him a female corse, men. tioned above, was found laid out in gorgeous paraphernalia, redolent of perfumes and sleek with precious unguents ;-here is Pope's Narcissa' long, long ago anticipated! his satire justified!-which it is by many a kindred example : 6 : Odious! in woollens! 'twould a saint provoke! On the subject of lacrymatories, Signor Campana differs from most critical writers, including King David, who particularizes tear-bottles (Ps. lvi. 8); he holds them to have been rather scent-bottles, or phials for odorous oils. The image, we own, is somewhat ludricous of a mourner squeezing out tears into these very narrow-necked vessels, and taking care not to weep oversized drops, or let one of them miss the orifice, lest the measure of her grief might appear scanty. However, we must, on the other hand, acknowledge that there are few things more risible than the greatest solemnities in use among mankind, and that perhaps the absurdness of a practice may have been, as it often is still, its highest recommendation. « Adhuc sub judice lis est, and we leave the cause in literary Chancery. (THE ATHENEUM.) THE CHASE: AN INCIDENT IN LIFE OF AN OLD ADRIATIC CRUIZER IN THE LAST WAR. It was one of those brilliant balmy mornings, known only to those who have had the exquisite pleasure of inhaling the fragance which is wafted by the first breath of morn from the shores of Italy, that the frigate in which I served was standing along shore, between Ancona and the chapel of Our Lady of Loretto, the magnificent dome of which contrasted beautifully with the rich olive groves and luxuriant vineyards in which it was embosomed the sky was soft, clear, and bright, and of that transparent blue that is seen nowhere but in Italy, and, as we sailed gracefully along the flower-scented coast, the ship had just way enough to part the rippling waves, but so gently that their murmurs stole on the ear with the soft persuasive sound of plaintive music, and harmonized delightfully with the scene around us. At this moment everything promised a day of repose to the officers and ship's company of one of the most active cruizers attached to the Adriatic squadron. It was Sunday, and the spirits of all on board were in accordance with the placid scenery which greeted us on every side. The decks were washed and dried--breakfast over-hands piped up to clean for muster, and prepare for divine service, which on ship-board has a solemnity little dreamt of by those who only think of the sailor in his moments of reckless excitement there is an attention, a deep devotional feeling apparent in the sun-burnt and weather-beaten faces of those children of the waves that is seen nowhere else, as if, at those moments, they were fully impressed with the truth, that there is but one frail plank betwixt eternity and them. It was at the moment of preparing for this most impressive scene that the voice of the lookout man at the mast head was heard announcing a strange sail. The whole face of affairs was immediately changed, and nothing but excitement and stir were visible fore and oft, where an instant before all had been so calm and quiescent. in the old tower loading their guns, and preparing to do their part towards our destruction. The boats were nearly within pistol-shot before the enemy opened upon us, and the silence that prevailed on hoth sides at this time was awful. Just at the moment when his inaction left us in doubt as to his intention, his broadside, by means of a spring on the cable, was brought to bear, and a most murderous discharge of round, grape, and canister gave fearful proof to our gallant fellows that they had an enemy to deal with who was deficient neither in ability nor courage. The effect of this first discharge was apalling, and made sad havoc among us, causing a confusion and a momentary resting on the oars; but it was only momentary-a wild, a fearful burst of defiance immediately succeeded this dreadful check, and one of those soul-thrilling hurrahs, which only those who have heard them can understand, broke from every boat at once, as, with body bent, eye fixed, and every muscle strained to its utmost bearing, the men, now desperate, replied to the cheering voice of our well-tried First Lieutenant, as he repeated in tones of the most determined coolness, « Give way, my lads, for the honour of the old ship give way, before the rascals can get another slap at us. : " In two minutes more we were alongside; and our tars, infuriated by the slaughter of their comrades, became like enraged tigers, demolished the cheval-de-frise, cut through the boarding netting, and carried everything before them. The enemy disputed every inch of the deck, but were ultimately cut down, or driven overboard and a small ensign, belonging to one of the boats (which a Midshipman had wrapped round him, in the full persuasion and determination that he should have an opportunity of hoisting it) displayed at the peak, was a signal to those who had unwillingly remained on board the frigate, that British valour had, as usual, been crowned with complete success, and that their comrades were masters of the brig. The vessel thus fairly in our possession, the tower began to blaze away at us, which being seen from the ship, the signal was made to land and storm battery. To effect this, all the seaman who could be spared were placed under the 1 ever attendant upon the chase of an enemy-for such we now made the strange sail out-and every countenance glowed with delight as she was clearly discerned to be a very large armed brig. The breeze continued, and every moment brought with it the increasing hope that we should either cut her off, or at least bring her under our guns before she could get far enough in-shore to receive any protection from the numerous batteries with which this part of the coast abounded. The enemy, aware of our intentions, and finding he could not cross us out of shot, had no chance of escape but by bearing away, and was thus obliged to run from that part where he would have been most effectually protected, could he have reached it. By this manœuvre he succeeded in getting out of the range of our guns; but it obliged him to run in shore at a point where his only protection was a very old tower, mounted with four guns. Our chagrin, on finding he had so far escaped us, was soon dispelled, by hearing the Boatswain pipe, All hands bring ship to anchor; which assured us it was not the intention of our gallant Captain to allow him to remain quiet, although he had run into shoalwater, where the ship could not follow him. It was manifest, from the determined look and manner of our Commander, to which we were all so well accustomed, that he had resolved at all risks to bring the enemy from his anchorage, and thus to prove to him that no superiority of numbers, or advantage of position, could daunt men who were daily accustomed to face danger, and to despise it. It ten minutes the boats were hoisted out, manned, and armed, and all those destined for the attack sheered off, amidst the huzzas of those who were necessarily left on board, and who, from the distance, were to witness this desperate boarding match. As the boats neared our opponent, it was evident that no means of resistance had been neglected-boarding-nets were traced up fore and aft, while a cheval-de-frise composed of boarding-pikes, ran all round the brig, about three feet from the water, which rendered our chance of getting on board almost desperate; and we now perceived the soldiers |