Gleanings for the Curious from the Harvest Fields of Literature

Dr. Young and his Ece-How Ben Jonson Paid his Bill-What Melville said
to Queen Elizabeth-The "Angel" in the Pew-How Andrew Horner was
Cut up-What Hastings Wrote of Burke-Impromptu of Dr. Johnson-
Burlesque of Old Ballads-What was
Running in a Lady's Head"-Im-
provised Rhymes-Like unto Judas-How the Devil got his Due-The Writ-
ing on the Window" I Thought so Yesterday"- What is Written on the
Gates of Hell-Burns'
"Grace before Meat".

Refractory Rhyming.

5:28

Julianna and the Lozenges—Brougham's Rhyme for Morris-The French

Speculator's Epitaph-What is a Monogomphe-Rhymes for Month, Chim-

ney, Liquid, Carpet, Window, Garden, Porringer, Orange, Lemon, Pilgrim,

Widow, Timbuctoo, Niagara, Machonochie-Rhyme to Gottingen-The

Ingoldsby Legends — Punch's Funny Rhymes-Chapin's Rhyme to Brimble-

comb-Butler's Rhyme to Philosopher-A Rhyme to Germany-Hood's

Nocturnal Sketch..

Valentines.

534

A Strategic Love-Letter-Love-Letter in Invisible Ink-Secret Invitation Con-

cealed in a Love-Letter—Macaulay's Essay to Mary C. Stanhope-Love-

Verses of Robert Burns-Teutonic Alliteration-Singular Letter in Three

Columns-Love-Letter Written in Blood-A Valentine in Many Languages-

Practical Joke on a Colored Man-Unpublished Verses of Thomas Moore-

An Egyptian Serenade-Petitim of Sixteen Maids against the Widows of

South Carolina-Unlucky Petition to Madame de Maintenon...........

Sonnets.

544

How the Fourteen Lines were Written-Sonnet on a Fashionable Church— On the

Proxy Saint-About a Nose-On Dyspepsia-Humility-Ave Maria!... 551

Conformity of Sense to Sound.

Articulate Imitation of Inarticulate Sounds-Example from Pope-Milton's
"Lycidas"-From Dyer's "Ruins of Rome"-Imitations of Time and

Motion-"L' Allegro"-Pope's " Homer"-Dryden's "Lucretius"-Milton's
“Il Penseroso"-Fine Examples from Virgil-Imitations of Difficulty and
Ease....

Familiar Quotations from Unfamiliar Sources.

551

"No Cross, no Crown"-" Corporations have no Souls"—" Children of a Larger

Growth"-" Consistency a Jewel"—" Cleanliness next to Godliness”—“He's

a Brick"-" When at Rome, do as the Romans"____** Taking Time by the

Forelock"-" What will Mrs. Grundy Say?"-" Though Lost to Sight, to

Memory Dear"—" Conspicuous by its Absence"-" Do as I Say, not as I

Do"-" Honesty the Best Policy”—
"-" Facts are Stubborn Things”—“ Com-

parisons are Odious”—“ Dark as Pitch"-" Every Tub on its own Bottom" —

Two Pages of Examples, Interesting, Amusing, and Instructive................... 556

Churchyard Literature.

Epitaphs of Eminent Men-Appropriate and Rare Inscriptions—Franklin's

Epitaph on Himself- Touching Memorials of Children-Historical and

Biographical Epitaphs-Self-Written Inscriptions—Advertising Notices-

Unique and Ludicrous Epitaphs-Puns in the Churchyard-Puzzling In-

scriptions-Parallels Without a Parallel-Bathos-Transcendental Epitaph-

Acrostical Inscriptions—Indian, African, Hibernian, Greek Epitaphs-

Patchwork Character on a Tombstone-The Printer's Epitaph-Specimens

of Exceedingly Brief Epitaphs-Highly Laudatory Inscriptions-A Chemical

Epitaph-On an Architect-On an Orator - On a Watchmaker-On a Misery

Money Lender-On a Tailor-On a Dancing Master-On an Infidel-On

Voltaire-On Hume-On Tom Paine-" Earth to Earth" - Byron's In

scription on his Dog...
564

Inscriptions.

Queer

Old English Tavern Sign-Boards-Curious Origin of Absurd Signs—” The
Magpie and Crown "-" The Hen and the Razor"- The Swan-with-two-
Necks"-Singular Statement of Sir Joseph Banks- The Goat and Com-
passes "- The "Signs" of Puritan Times-A Curious Reformation"
"The Cat and the Fiddle"-" Satan and the Bag of Nails"-Ancient
Signs in Pompeii-The Four Awls and the Grave Morris-The “
Door," and the Pig and Whistle-Heraldic Signs of the Middle Ages-
I have a Cunen For, &c. '-Versified Inscriptions-Cooper and his "Zwei
Glasses"-How a Sign Cost a Man his Life-An Inscription in Four
Columns-Beer-Jug Inscriptions--Inscriptions on Window-Panes-Quaint
Description of an Inn in the Olden Time-Curious Inscriptions on Bells-

Baptising and Anointing Bells-The Great Tom of Orford—Amusing Old

Fly-Leaf Inscriptions-Sun-Dial Inscriptions-Memorial Verses-Francke's

Singular Discovery-Golden Mottoes-" Posies" from Wedding Rings.. 615

Parallel Passages.

Imitations and Plagiarisms of Authors-Curious Coincidences—Examples from

Young, Congreve, Blair, and Shakespeare-Imitations of Otway, Gray,

Milton, and Rogers-The Blindness of Homer and Milton-What Hume said

of the Clergy-How Praise Becomes Satire-Parallel Passages from the

English Poets-Singular Examples from Shakespeare-Shakespeare's Ac-

quaintance with the Latin Poets-Thoughts Repeated from Age to Age→→→

Which was the True Original?-Historical Similitudes-What Radbod said

with his Legs in the Water-Why Wulf, the Goth, wouldn't be Baptised-

Why an Indian Refused to go to Heaven-Curious Choice of a Woman-

Last Words of Cardinal Wolsey-Death of Sir James Hamilton-Solomon's

Judgment Repeated-Why two Women Pulled a Child's Legs-How Na-

poleon Decided Between two Ladies-The Iindoo Legend of the Weasel and

the Babe-The Faithful Dog: a Welsh Ballad-Singular Murder of a

Clever Apprentice-Ballads and Legends-Terrible Story of an old Mid-

wife-What a Clergyman did at Midnight-Ilow Genevra was Buried

Alive-The Ghost which Appeared to Antonio-Strange Story of a Ring-

Death Prophecies-What was done before three Battles-How an Army of

Mice Devoured Bishop Hatto...
640

Prototypes.

The Oldest Proverb on Record-Curious Wish of an Old Lady-Cinderella's

Slipper-How an Eagle Stole a Shoe, and a King Chose a Wife-Mrs.

Caudle's Curtain Lectures-"The Charge of the Light Brigade"-Dr.

Faustus and the Devil-" Blown up" Cushions-What the "Poor Cat & the

Adage" Did-The Lady with Two Cork Legs-The Pope's Bull against the

Comet-Lincoln "Swapping Horses"-Wooden Nutmegs-Trade Unions

Two Centuries Ago-Consequential Damages-The Babies that Never were

Born-The Original Shylock-Druidical Excommunication-Fall of Na-

poleon 1.-Lanark and Lodore-The Song of the Bell-Turgot's Eulogistic

Epigraph on Franklin-Origin of the Declaration of Independence-The

Know-Nothings-The first Conception of the Pilgrim's Progress-Did Defoe

Write Robinson Crusoe?- Talleyrand's Famous Saying: Whence?-Mistake

about Drinking out of Skulls-Great Literary Plagiarism--Origin of Old

699

Ballads-The Story of the Wandering Jew.

Curious Books.

Old Books with Odd Titles-"Shot Aimed at the Devil's Ileadquarters"—

"Crumbs of Comfort for the Chickens of the Covenant”—“ Eggs of Charity

Layed by the Chickens of the Covenant, and Boiled with the Water of Divine

Love"-"
High-heeled Shoes for Dwarfs in Holiness"-" Hooks and Eyes

for Believers' Breeches"-" Sixpennyworth of Divine Spirit”—“ Spiritual
Mustard Pot"-" Tobacco Battered and Pipes Shattered"-" News from
Heaven"-The Most Curious Book in the World-A Book that was never
Written or Printed, but which can be Read-The Silver Book at Upsal-
What is a Bibliognoste? What a Bibliographe?—What a Bibliomane?—
What a Bibliophile and a Bibliotaphe?..

Literariana.

720

The Mystery of the "Letters of Junius"-Who Wrote Them?-What Canning

and Macaulay Thought-A Well-kept Secret-Original MS. of Gray's

Elegy The Omitted Stanzas-Imitations-How Pope Corrected his Manu-

script-Importance of Punctuation: Comical Errors-" A Pigeon Making

Bread"-How many Nails on a Lady's Hand-A Comical Petition in

Church-The Soldier who Died for want of a Stop-Indian Heraldry—

Anachronisms of Shakespeare-King Lear's Spectacles-The Heroines of

Shakespeare-Shakespeare's Life and Sonnets Compared-Was He Lame?—

The Age of Hamlet-Was He Really Mad?-Additional Verses to "Home,

Sweet Home"-The Falsities of History-Two Views of Napoleon- Clarence

and the Butt of Malmsey-True Character of Richard III-The Name

"America" a Fraud-Lexington and the "First Blood Shed"-Eye-

Witnesses in Error-Curious Story of Sir Walter Raleigh-The Difference

between Wit and Humor-A Rhyming Newspaper-Ruskin's Defence of

Book-Lovers-Letters and their Endings-Shrewd Words of Lord Bacon.

Literati.

723

Account of some Famous Linguists—A Man who Knew One Hundred and Eleven
Languages-A Cardinal of Many Tongues-Elihu Burrit, the Learned
Blacksmith-Literary Oddities-Curious Habits of Celebrated Authors-How
they have Written their Books-Racine's Adventure with the Workmen—
Luther in his Study-Calvin Scribbling in Bed-Rousseau, Le Sage, and
Byron at Work-Fontaine, Pascal, Fenelon, and De Quincey-Whence
Bacon Sought Inspiration-Culture and Sacrifice- The Sorrows and Trials
of Great Men-Sharon Turner and the Printers-A Stingy Old Scribbler—

Dryden and His Publisher-Jacob Tonson's Rascality; how He Tried to

Cheat the Poet..

756

Personal Sketches and Anecdotes.

Anecdote of George Washington-What Lafayette said to the King of France-

Peculiarities of the Name Napoleon-How Napoleon Remembered Milton at

the Dreadful Battle of Austerlitz-The Emperor's Personal Appearance-

His Opinion of Suicide-Benjamin Franklin's Frugal Wife-Major André

and the Cow-Chase"-An English View of André and Arnold-How the

Astronomer Royal Found an Old Woman's Clothes-The Boy who set Fire to

an Empty Bottle-Curious Views of Martin Luther-The Hero of the

Reformation-Carlyle's Translation of Luther's Hymn-Curious Account of