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would have led to an endeavour to understand the principles which he followed in his practice, and an attempt to master them. A meteor appears, disappears, and leaves no trace behind; the course of a heavenly body ought however to be delineated by the astronomer, for the sake of investigating more accurately the laws of general mechanics."

"Whatever is done," says Bacon, "by virtue and industry, seems to be done by a kind of habit and art, and therefore open to be imitated and followed; whereas felicity is inimitable."

Hence men have been deterred from attempting, by "virtue and industry," to compete with that "felicity" which they believe to be "inimitable." This we note to be an evil.

If, however, it should be proved that these plays were written by Bacon, it would be inferred that this branch of literature does not so much require skill and practice in that part of poetry which, as Bacon says, "respects words, and is but as a character of stile," as extensive and varied knowledge, feeling, reflection, and experience, which form the poetic mind.

And when we consider how ready and powerful a medium of communicating and diffusing knowledge the stage is, or might be, if it should appear

that the statesman, the philosopher, and the man of the world, are the best qualified contributors to it; how many rich thoughts and wise reflections —which perhaps, after encumbering portfolios for a time, have been consigned to the waste-paper basket, may in future be worked up into a playand thus embalmed for the use and delight of future ages.

Reader-au revoir.

153

Go, little Book-our name is of no note—our recommendation will be of no use to you;-do good service to us and our publisher, and we will reward you with a red coat with gold facings, and a portrait of the author. By that time our Government, which loves to reward literary labour, will have made us "" Baron Bacon,”—and we will issue a new edition, with a coronet in the corner of each leaf-for the American market-where lords are lauded.

Go, little Book ;-weak natures must have recourse to cunning: success salves every sin; we would not have you savour of a lie, much less be detected in one.

You must not say that you came out from the Egyptian Hall; but you may insinuate that you were written by

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APPENDIX.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION

OF A CURIOUS MANUSCRIPT

In the Collection of the Rev. Dr. NELIGAN, with Extracts.

THE MANUSCRIPT IS ENTITLED

A TRUE HISTORICALL RELATION

OF THE CONVERSION OF

SIR TOBIE MATTHEWS*

TO THE HOLIE CATHOLIC FAYTH,
With the Antecedents and Consequents thereof,
To a deare Friend.

THIS highly curious Manuscript consists of three separate treatises, and is dated 8th 7ber, 1640.† It is signed by Sir Tobie Matthew himself in two places, viz., at the end of the history of his conversion, where it also bears the name of several witnesses in their own autographs; and again after the treatise called Posthumus, or the Survivour, to which Sir T. Matthew has likewise affixed his seal in red wax. In its very interesting pages will be found the following:

Page 2-Resolves to spend some years in Italy.

3-Prays his parents "to give me leave to spend some
six months in France till the Parlement in England
(wherein I had a place) should be recontinued."
4-Charged by his father (the then Archbishop of York)
not to go into Spain or Italy-promises that he
"would walk within the limit which his father
prescribed."

* The name is in the autograph of Sir T. M., who was the eldest son of Dr. Tobias Matthew, Archbishop of York A.D. 1606-1627.

+ Although dated 1640, it refers to occurrences prior to that period.

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