brothers of this family, who were twins.
Nicholas and Andrew could only be distinguished
by the colour of their doublets and the
plumes in their hats. They felt like pain even
when apart, and loved to walk, travel, sit,
sleep, eat, and drink together, till Providence,
sympathising with their friendship, eventually
permitted them both to be slain in the same
skirmish at Newhaven, in France.

Once more on his flight to Plymouth the
crow slackens over Lamerton, because there
the father of Rowe, the poet, was rector.
Rowe was a vain, handsome man who became
under-secretary of state to Queen Anne, and
whose vivacity and gaiety rendered him very
agreeable to Pope. His Jane Shore was
approved by Johnson; his Lady Jane Grey by
no one. Mrs. Oldfield, the great actress,
pronounced Rowe the best elocutionist she had
ever heard. He is said to have been fond of
flourishing, at the Cocoa Tree in St. James's-
street, a snuff-box set with diamonds that some
foreign prince had given him.

And now, leaving the region of the tors, the
crow strikes out for Plymouth Sound, where the
giant Breakwater spreads its defiant arms like
those of a strong swimmer against the waves,
and the Eddystone on the distant rock raises
its votive beacon.

THE PLANTING OF THE VINE.
A THOUGHT PROM THE GERMAN.

I.
OLD Father Noah sat alone
    Within his tent at morn,
With such a shadow on his face
    As spoke a heart forlorn.
"What ails thee, Noah?" said a voice,
    Like soft, sweet music pour'd;
And Noah, looking up, beheld
    The angel of the Lord.
"Forgive me, Lord!" he said and sigh'd,
    "If wrongfully, I think,
But I am thirsty, nigh to death,
    And know not what to drink!"

II
"To drink?" the gracious angel said:
    "See, where the streamlets run,
And all the gladsome waters leap,
    Rejoicing to the sun."
"'Tis true, dear Lord! but thought recals
    The mournful myriads drowned—
Brave men, fair women, lovely babes,
    And cattle of the ground.
I loathe all water for their sakes—
    The beautiful, the young—
It tastes of blood, it smells of death;
    'Tis poison to my tongue!"

III
The radiant angel's lovely face
    Shone bright with heavenly fire:
"Noah, such pity for mankind
    Beseems their second sire.
Wait till I come!" Like lightning flash
    He vanished up the skies,
And like a lightning flash returned,
    Ere Noah raised his eyes.
"Take this," he said, and held aloft
A vine-stock branching fair:
"Heaven's noblest gift to human kind,
Entrusted to thy care."

IV
"Go, plant it on the sunny hills;
    For health and length of days,
And press its fruit for joyous drink,
    And the Creator's praise.
It bears no taint of pain or death,
    And fails not to impart
Strength to the body and the mind,
    And gladness to the heart.
But curse not water, e'en in thought,
    God's blessing most benign,
Fountain of beauty and of life,
    Mother of men and wine."

TO THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN
THE REPORTS OF A VOLUNTEER COMMISSIONER.
SIX IN NUMBER.
REPORT THE FIRST.

The present writer read, with much interest,
your Lordship's circular, addressed
to the managers of the London theatres,
and has followed, with equal interest,
though with some slight astonishment, the
correspondence and remarks that have
thereupon ensued. It has been pleasant to
him to observe that on both sides of this
question there is much, of various degrees
of merit, to be said, and that, in especial, the
opposite parties in the controversy, which
was brought about by your Lordship's
excellent (if somewhat timid) advice, assert
the whiteness of black and the blackness
of white with edifying affability. The
manager of a prominent theatre, in
recognition of the invitation given in the
circular in question, advises your Lordship
to take severe measures with the Music
Halls, whence, according to the opinion of
this gentleman (well entitled to be heard),
the mischief originally comes. Certain
Music Hall proprietors, on the other hand,
write to the papers, accusing the Theatres
of all that is improper, vaunting the
spotless purity of their own establishments,
and challenging contradiction. Similar
differences of opinion exist amongst those
members of the public at large, who have
joined the fray. As between Music Halls
and Theatres, the quarrel appears to be
merely a revival of an old difficulty between
the managers of rival classes of entertainments,
and, as such, has little or no real
interest for the public. But in the matter
really touched upon in your Lordship's
remarks, and from which the controversialists
have somewhat wandered, the public is
gravely interested.

It is said that the managers of Theatres
have been, and are gradually more and more
drifting into a habit of exhibiting on their
stages, improprieties, vitiating to the public
taste, and hurtful to the public morals.