“who, by their carouses (tippling up Nestor’s years as if they were celebrating the goddess Anna Perenna,) do, at the same time, drink others’ health, and mischief and spoil their own and the public.”

An argument very much after this fashion was held by the learned Sir Thomas More.  Sir Thomas was sent ambassador to the Emperor by king Henry the Eighth.  The morning he was to have his audience, knowing the virtue of wine, he ordered his servant to bring him a good large glass of Sack; and, having drunk that, called for another.  The servant, with officious ignorance, would have dissuaded him from it, but in vain; the ambassador drank off a second, and demanded a third, which he likewise drank off; insisting on a fourth, he was over-persuaded by his servant to let it alone; so he went to his audience.  But when he returned home, he called for his servant, and threatened him with his cane.  “You rogue,” said he, “what mischief have you done me!  I spoke so to the emperor, on the inspiration of those three glasses that I drank, that he told me I was fit to govern three parts of the world.  Now, you dog! if I had drunk the fourth glass, I had been fit to govern all the world.”

The French, a very sober people, have a proverb—­

  Qu’il faut, a chaque mois,
  S’enivrer au moins une fois.

Which has been improved by some, on this side the water, into an excuse for getting drunk every day in the week, for fear that the specific day should be missed.  It would, however, startle some of our sober readers, to find this made a question of grave argument—­yet, “whether it is not healthful to be drunk once a month,” is treated on by Dr. Carr in his letters to Dr. Quincy.—­Brande’s Jour.

    [5] Cato allowed his slaves, during the Saturnalia, four bottles
    of wine per diem.

    [6] Two congii are seven quarts, or eight bottles!

[7] An eminent house-painter in the city, a governor of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, got a receipt for the Painter’s Cholic (cholica pictonum,) which contained all sorts of comfortable things—­the chief ingredients being Cogniac brandy and spices.  It did wonders with the first two or three cases; but he found the success of the remedy so increased the frequency of the complaint, that he was compelled to give up his medical treatment; for as long as he had the Specific, his men were constantly making wry faces at him.

* * * * *

It is somewhat curious that two illustrious members of the Royal Society should have distinguished themselves on Angling.  Nearly 200 years ago, Prince Rupert studied the art of tempering fish-hooks; and the other day Sir Humphry Davy published a volume on Fly-fishing.

* * * * *

THE GATHERER.

  A snapper up of unconsidered trifles