most of our prose communications were in as few words, and no worse than the following!

A FEW WORDS ON MOTTOS.

A motto, says Samuel Johnson, is a sentence or word added to a device, or prefixed to any thing written, to express its scope and tendency. There is more in a good motto than one is at first apt to think; in fact, it is sometimes of more effect than the book or pamphlet to which it is appended. Frequently, however, a motto is very ill applied. Take, for instance, the following, which we find on the title-page of a new edition of Voltaire's talented but infamous production, "The Philosophical Dictionary:"

"How charming is Divine Philosophy!

Not harsh and crabbed as some dull fools suppose,
But musical as is Apollo's lute!"

Never was Milton so misplaced.-Sir Walter Scott is a
rare example of the nicest and most lively perception in
the choice of his mottos, on which score William Haz-
litt, in his clever work, The Spirit of the Age, pays him
an elegant and well-deserved compliment. Sir Walter's
motto to his General Preface in the Waverley Novels
strikes us as being particularly happy, and shows a good
deal of that quiet humour for which the worthy Baronet
is so remarkable; the words are from "Richard II. :"
"And must I ravel out
My weaved up follies?"

Shakspeare has it, "And must I ravel up," making the repetition of the word up too close. Sir Walter's alteration is certainly an improvement, and proves, in one sense at least, that fresh perfume may be added to the violet. When Horace Smith, the well-known author of "Rejected Addresses," took to novel-writing, he attempted to present the world with something quite recherché in the way of mottos; but he was not successful. His practice was to give, in a Kehama sort of couplet of six lines, the principal events of each chapter, for which ill-executed innovation he was rather severely handled by the Quarterly Reviewers. When Byron and Parson Bowles were at war, it was thought at the time that the mottos on their pamphlets were the most successful hits in the whole controversy. The noble Lord chose the line,

"He that plays at Bowls must expect rubbers." Among the best mottos of modern days, is that of George Combe, when he so successfully replied to Jeffrey's severe animadversions on the noble science of phrenology. Combe chose the famous lines by "Glorious John :"

alluding to the three attacks in the Edinburgh Review, all of which were successfully and ably refuted by the champions of the bump department, although later events have shown that the science is evidently in a bad way. Lastly, we think that in the motto on the first volume of that decided hit, THE EDINBURGH LITERARY JOURNAL, there is much which every man of sense and taste must admire, stamping that able periodical as the advocate of these two glorious attributes, truth and freedom; and with it, we close our few words on mottos :

"Here's freedom to him that would read, Here's freedom to him that would write; There's nane ever fear'd that the truth should be heard, But they wham the truth would indite." We like the half-playful, half-sentimental spirit of the following stanzas, which come to us from the west end of Prince's Street, Edinburgh;

ON A PAINTING OF TWO CHILDREN.

Bless ye, my darlings, with your cherub looks
Of gleesome innocence; those happy smiles
Fall on my heart like sunbeams. Why, odzooks!

Some spell, for certain, my crazed ear beguiles ;—
Methinks I hear your voices like the clear

Murmuring music of two tiny brooks-
Now wand'ring far apart, now whispering near,

And bickering onward thus in mirth for miles,
Cheering the traveller on his path-the peasant at his toils.

And there ye breathe in childhood's happy bloom,
Arrested by the pencil's wizard power,
Amid the dewy freshness and perfume

Of that o'erarching leafy summer bower.
Oh! that life's bright unclouded morning dream
Would last for ever; that the sunshine hour
Of joyous infancy would changeless beam,

No ills its brimming nectar cup to sour— No storms to crush-no poisoning breath to blight the beauteous flower!

Yet let me shun the puling rhymester's whine ;-
Here is a talisman to banish cares;
Sweet Marjory! that dimpled cheek of thine
Would make an Anchoret forget his prayers;
And thou, my blue-eyed Mary! with thy lips

Of deep carnation, and that half-divine
Cherubic smile, that scarcely can eclipse

Thy brow's irradiance, which the signet bears
Of coming worth and beauty, that no passing time impairs.

Ye lovely elves! if thus your imaged smile

Can cheat a pining heart of half its pain,
How light must be that happy parent's toil

At a single leap we go from the west end of Prince's Street to Kilmarnock, and there we find Mr John Ram

better

"I will play at Bowls with sun and moon”. which is good; but that of his clerical antagonist is still say, weaver, “chewing the cud of sweet and bitter fancies" over his loom. We mentioned Mr Ramsay before, but we would particularly wish it to be understood, that though Mr Ramsay writes verses, every weaver is not a poet. The number of rhythmical effusions we receive weekly from weavers is immense. There was one fellow especially, in Stonehaven, who signed himself "A poor but honest Weaver," and who wrote to us every second post, till we put an extinguisher upon him by a word or two among our notices to Correspondents. That

"Soothed with the sound the king grew vain ; Fought all his battles o'er again;

And thrice he routed all his foes, and thrice he slew the Mr Ramsay has not only a poetical vein, as already admitted, but some humour in his composition, the following epigram proves :

slain ;"

EPIGRAM ON seeing a carpet-fACTORY SUBSCRIPTION BALL,

Your kiss of rapture welcomes home again, Around whose knees, like fawns at play, ye bound

With gladsome din, and many an artless wile! Sweet prattlers, ah! the spell ye warp'd around

My dreaming fancy must not there remainFarewell! Heaven shower its blessings on your infant

heads like rain!

Old Plato once met father Jove,
And asked the self-existent,

hand, after looking over your answers to Correspondents,
I raised myself in my chair, and exclaimed— What the
deuce are we all terrified for?-there is nothing awful
about the Editor; and, provided he be civilly addressed, he
will certainly return an answer in peace. Go to,-I will
immediately write to him, choose a fictitious signature,
pay the postage, and then, if my communication be
jected, which it undoubtedly will, the world shall never
know of my discomfiture.'" The communication of our
friend with the fictitious signature shall not be rejected
it is very good:

shaken off our slumbers, opened our jaws with a tremendous growl, and given ourselves a shake, terrific enough to make the stars wink. Some such exordium had we con templated; but we have this moment received a note from our friend the Editor, telling us that we must have our article ready for him in an hour. We therefore deem it re-expedient to proceed to business at once.

It is amusing to observe, how completely in the dark with regard to our theatrical arrangements, many of those persons are who undertake to inform the public upon the point, and to guide their taste in dramatic matters. That we have better sources of information, the following statement, which we are exclusively enabled to put into print, will sufficiently show. The Theatre-Royal re-opens on Monday evening with the play of "The Stranger," which will introduce to us both Mr Barton, an actor who has been engaged for the first line of parts, and Mrs W. West, of the Theatre-Royal, Drury Lane, who has come down to perform with Kean during his approaching engagement. To this is to be added, the new farce of "The Happiest Day of my Life." On Thursday, Mr Kean will make his first appearance, and continue here for a fortnight. He will be succeeded by Madame Vestris, also for a fortnight, and she will be followed by Braham, who brings with him Miss Phillips, with whom he is accustomed to sing. At the conclusion of their engagement, the theatre will close for ten days, as it always does at the time of the preachings. When it re-opens, Miss Jarman, who is to remain with us at all events, till February, will make her appearance; and about Christmas a harlequinade will be produced, for which Parsloe, the celebrated man-monkey, and Taylor, the very clever clown, who was formerly here when" Mother Goose" was brought out, have been engaged. Early in the year, Vandenhoff and Young will visit us, when, besides playing their favourite parts together, Miss Mitford's "Rienzi," so successful last season in London, will be represented on the Edinburgh boards. Miss Paton will come next, and with her, perhaps, Sinclair. Liston, T. P. Cooke, Matthews, and Miss Foote, will successively follow, and bring down the season to the time of the May Sacrament, after which the benefits commence. When T. P. Cooke is here, he will appear in his favourite part of William, in the new nautical piece called "Black-eyed Susan," which has had so great a run at the Surrey Theatre.-Such being the arrangements made with the stars, the next question is-Of whom is our regular company to consist? Jones is not to return,—Mason is not to return,-Thorne is not to return,-Miss

Gray is not to return,-Miss Clarke is not to return. kay, Denham, Montague Stanley, Miss Tunstall, Mrs But we are to have Pritchard, Mr and Mrs Stanley, MacNicol, and the rest; and, to make up for those we have lost, we are to have Barton, Hooper, from London, Williams, formerly of Ryder's company, M'Gregor, from the Caledonian Theatre, Rae, of the Glasgow Theatre, Miss

A PROPOSAL TO JESSIE.

Dear Jessie, I'm tired o' jogging my lane

Through the mists and the fogs o' the valley o' life;
Will you leave a' your friends, and your lovers ilk ane,

And be of my bosom the guide and the wife?
When Adam first woke from his sofa of flowers,
And found himself sovereign of Eden's green bowers,
That rich was his kingdom, he freely confess'd,
But without a sweet helpmate he could not be bless'd.

And, Jessie, have I not more need of one now,

Since the earth is accursed thro' our ancestors' crimes?
Methinks thou wouldst wipe off the sweat from my brow,
And be all that I wish in these troublesome times.
This life is a journey midst dangers and snares,
And the lonely are caught in the trap unawares;
But where two walk together, in counsel they move,
And light is the path that's illumined by love.

I've a cot at the foot of yon far-away hill,

Wi' a yard at the back o't for leeks and for kail; It fears na the wild wintry tempest, but still

Without thee, to me that can little avail.
When I look to its vales, they are naked and bare,
The threshold's grown green through the want of repair;
No light from its window solaceth my eye
Through the shadows of eve, as I'm dandering by.

I think of the time, though it never may be,
When you shall speak peace to my breast with a smile,
When innocent infants shall prate round my knee,

And tender endearments the moments beguile. Let such be my fate in my own little cot,

The king in his palace I'd envy him not;

I'd pity the pride of the rich and the great,

And laugh at the pomp and the tinsel of state.

I

Were it not now past midnight—and we have been in our study since eight in the morning, without eating a single morsel of any thing-we might be tempted to give the whole of Mr John Currie of Ayr's" Address to the LITERARY JOURNAL;" but we can only mention that it begins thus:

All hail! all hail! literature's great light,

That, gemm'd, shines through the dark abodes of night, Jarman, a very superior, actress, the Misses Weston, from

one of the English theatres, and several others to fill subordinate parts. As to Mrs Henry Siddons, we regret to say that her health is still in a very precarious state. She is at present in London; but, as soon as she is able, she will join the establishment here.

And looks, the conqueror of literature's tomb High waving o'er the nation like a plume. It seems like Napoleon in magnitude, Stopping darkness with an illustrious flood; And thus the crown'd JOURNAL now appears, And walks pure in state through sublime spheres. We strongly suspect that Mrs Cookson must have assisted Mr Currie in this production; for we do not think any single and unaided genius could have given birth to it. Be this as it may, for the present we bid our readers and contributors good night, promising that we shall meet again at Philippi.

As it is our intention at present to state facts, and to reserve all discussion concerning them till next week, we shall add to the information we have already given, by laying before our readers an interesting extract from a letter addressed by the Manager, Mr Murray, to the Editor of the LITERARY JOURNAL, from whom we have received it, with permission to make what use of it we please. Mr Murray expresses himself in these words:→→

THE DRAMA.

We had contemplated an eloquent introduction to the present article, setting forth how we have been sleeping for the last three months, and dreaming different dreams with each of our three heads, and how we have at length

"On the commencement of the last season during which I may have the honour of conducting the theatrical amusements of this city, it is but natural that I should feel considerable anxiety as to the expectations of that portion of the public who take an interest in the Drama, and my own powers of meeting those expectations.

on the

Whenever it may be my lot to quit Edinburgh, my recep-
tion in other theatres will mainly depend on the reputa-
tion I carry with me; or, plainly speaking,
character I can produce from my last place. I have,
therefore, to request that you and others who, through
the medium of the public press, wield the destiny of un-
fortunate individuals like myself, will not judge my efforts
so much by what you imagine Edinburgh ought to have,
as by what the average experience of past years declares
Edinburgh can afford to have; or, in other words, let the
Theatre, whilst under my direction, be compared with
others whose incomes are similar, and if I be then found
wanting,

Turn me away, and let the foulest contempt
Shut door upon me, and so give me up
To the sharpest kind of criticism.

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"incidental expenses" too small. Upon this question we shall not at present enter, but we shall keep an eye upon the matter during the progress of the present season. Nor shall we keep an eye, or rather three pair of eyes, upon this matter alone, but upon every thing connected with the interests of the Drama in Edinburgh; and we are resolved that our matured opinions, whether upon the performances or the performers, shall in all cases be given boldly and independently.

Old Cerberus.

LITERARY CHIT-CHAT AND VARIETIES.

THE ANNUALS ONCE MORE.-The Landscape Annual, which we announced some time ago, and which is said to be on a more splendid scale than any hitherto published, is now, we are informed, in active preparation. The volume for 1830 is to be entitled The Landscape Annual, or the Tourist in Switzerland and Italy, and will be published in November. Twenty-six highly-finished line engra vings, executed from coloured drawings taken on the spot by Mr Prout, and the whole of the embellishments under the direction of Mr Charles Heath,-are the attractions advertised. The literary de partment is conducted by Mr T. Roscoe. A few specimen copies of the work,—a size larger than the Keepsake,—are already exhibited. -The proprietors of the new Literary and Religious Annual, edited by the Rev. Thomas Dale, and advertised under the title of The Offer ing, in consequence of an objection made by the publishers of the Friendship's Offering, have changed the name to The Iris, a Literary

and Religious Offering. The embellishments are selected exclusively from the works of the Ancient Masters, and so arranged as to constitute a regular series of Scripture Illustrations.-If the Annual announced under the name of Emmanuel has not yet been re-baptised, the sooner that ceremony is performed the better, for the name, as it at present stands, is most improperly chosen.

During the usual vacation, I made it my business to
visit several of the principal provincial theatres in Eng-
land, selecting Liverpool, as one pre-eminent for the
spirit and talent of its management, the general ability
of the company, and the great resources of the population
of that rising port. By the great kindness of the mana-
ger, I was enabled to compare the expenditure of the
Liverpool Theatre with Edinburgh, and found them equal,
though the size and receipts of the Liverpool Theatre con-
siderably exceed ours. From Liverpool, I proceeded to
visit others of the provincial theatres, and though in
most I saw much to admire, I saw nothing to make me
blush for my professional brethren in Edinburgh. With
the principal theatres in London we cannot be expected
to compete; and when it is considered that many of the
minor ones rival the patent establishments in the amount
of their principal salaries, it will be acknowledged that
the difficulty of forming an efficient company out of Lon-
don is thereby considerably increased. All that the
Edinburgh Theatre can justly afford, the public are
justly entitled to. Were I to do more, there is no one
in Edinburgh who would not censure me, as endeavour-pedia.
ing to raise a fleeting popularity at the expense of my
employer, when no personal responsibility attached to
myself."

It is stated in the last Number of the London Literary Gazette, that Sir Walter Scott is not preparing another series of the Tales of

a Grandfather. This is incorrect; one volume of the new series is

already printed, and the work is proceeding. Sir Walter is also preparing a History of Scotland from the earliest period of authentic record to the union of the crowns, which will be published on the 1st of November, being the first volume of Dr Lardner's Cabinet CycloSir James Macintosh is to furnish a History of Englaud, and Mr Moore a History of Ireland, for the same work.

Mr Lindley, Professor of Botany in the University of London, in conjunction with Mr W. Hutton, F.G.S., is preparing for press the Fossil Flora of Great Britain, or Figures and Descriptions of the Vegetable Remains found in a Fossil State in this country. The work will be printed in royal 8vo, and it is proposed to publish it in Quarterly Parts, containing Ten Copperplates, and about Forty pages of

Letterpress.

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Mr Henry Burgess has announced a Pamphlet on the Measures of Parliament respecting Currency and Bankers, with Illustrations and Reflections, to show the utter impracticability of perfecting the present Policy.

The Rev. William Turner, of Newcastle, has in the press, for the use of schools, Selections from Pliny's Natural History, with English Notes, in 12mo.

The publication of Captain Mignan's Travels in Babylon and Chaldæa is deferred till October. The work will contain numerous

On the subject of these remarks we shall at present only observe, that however we may agree or disagree with the Manager on individual points, one great principle upon which our criticisms proceed is, that the TheatreRoyal of Edinburgh is at present in safe and proper hands, and ought to be supported by all who do not wish to see the Drama deteriorating among us. Whether Mr Murray does more than any other manager, we shall not attempt to decide; but he certainly does as much as, under all the circumstances, he can be expected to do; and therefore we shall never rashly or ignorantly find fault, in order that our blame, when we do blame, may carry with it the greater weight. An amusing letter was pub-illustrations, and is said to elucidate many striking passages of Scriplished in last Wednesday's Scotsman, in reply to a hint ture, relative to the once mighty metropolis of Chaldæa. we threw out some time ago, that in certain things Mr Murray was too parsimonious. The mode which the writer of the letter in question takes to discountenance such a supposition is not altogether satisfactory. He states what Mr Murray's expenditure was for the years 1826, 1827, and 1828, and the sum, putting all the items together, is certainly a large one. But, in the first place, although he shows that the outlay was greater in 1828 than in either of the preceding years, he says very little of the year 1829, to which our observation more particularly applied; and in the next place, as he gives us no information whatever on the subject of the receipts, all that he in point of fact tells us is, that the conducting of a theatrical establishment is connected with consider able expense, which, we suppose, most people knew before. But it is quite possible that a manager may be extravagant in some things and parsimonious in others; and this is all we ever meant to say. Mr Murray's payments to " tra performers" might be too large, and his payments for

A work is announced for publication, under the title of Gleanings of an English Hermit in Portugal, during the years 1827, 1878, and 1829. It will contain personal observations on a variety of subjects little treated of, and include a notice of the military operations in that country in 1827, together with an account of its present condition, and its relations with England and Spain at the present mo

ment.

ex

Mr W. Davison, of Alnwick, has announced a new work, entitled Border Excursions; or, Descriptive Tours throughout the English

and Scottish Borders, with Historical Illustrations of the Antiquities, Battles, Sieges, &c. &c.

THE PITT LIBRARY.-A new building, under this denomination, is about to be erected at Cambridge, out of the surplus of the fund subscribed for a statue to that distinguished alumnus of the Univer sity.

CHESTER MUSICAL FESTIVAL.-This grand musical meeting took place last week. Madame Malibran, Miss Paton-who laboured under extreme debility-Mr and Mrs Kuyvett, Braham, and Phillips, were the leading singers, supported by a powerful band and chorus. There were three oratorios and the like number of concerts; a fancy ball, and a public breakfast.

EDINBURGH LITERARY JOURNAL;

THE

OR,

WEEKLY REGISTER OF CRITICISM AND BELLES LETTRES.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1829.