cause I have no means left, either to recompense the injuries which I have done, or to testify to the world my reformed affections, which experience and staidness of years had already corrected, and would daily have framed to more perfection. But whether all the imputations, where with I am charged be true, either in substance, or in such quality as they are laid, or whether being true they be so heinous as to force these extremities, or whether any other prince, especially in the heat of youth, and in the space of two and twenty years (the time of my unfortunate reign) doth not sometimes either for advantage or upon displeasure, in as deep manner grieve some particular subject; I will no now examine, it helpeth not to use defence, neither booteth it to make complaint there is left no place for the one, nor pity for the other and therefore I refer it to the judgment of God, and your less distempered considerations.

"I accuse no man; I blame no fortune; I complain of nothing: I have no pleasure in such vain and needless comfort, and if I listed to have stood upon terms, I know I have great favorers abroad; and some friends (I hope) at home,' who would have been ready, yea-forward on my behalf to set up a bloody and doubtful war. but I esteem not my dignity at so high a prize, as the hazard of so great valour, the spilling of so much English blood, and the spoil and waste of so flourishing a realm, as thereby might have been occasioned. Therefore that the com

monwealth may rather rise by my fall, than I stand by the ruin thereof, I willingly yield to your desires, and am here come to dispossess myself to all public authorities and title, and to make it free and lawful for you to create for your king, Henry, duke of Lancaster, my cousin germain, whom I know to be as worthy to take that place, as I see you willing to give it to him."

After king Richard had ended his speech, "he read openly and distinctly the form of his cession, wherein he did declare, that he had discharged his subjects from their oaths of fealty and homage, and all other oaths whatsoever and of his own will and free motion did abdicate the title, dignity, and authority of a king; and rendered up the possession of the realm, with the use and title thereof, and all the rights thereunto appertaining. To this the king subscribed and was sworn and then he delivered with his own hands the crown, the sceptre, and the robe to the duke of Lancaster; wishing unto him more happiness than had ever happened to himself."

THE STATESMAN AND THE CATS.

James Fox, whilst walking up Bond The late eloquent statesman, Charles street from one of the club-houses with that he would see more cats than the an illustrious personage, laid him a wager prince in his walk, and that he might take

which side of the street he liked. When

they got to the top Mr. Fox had seen thirteen cats and the prince not one. The royal personage asked for an explanation of this apparent miracle. Mr. Fox in reply said, "Your royal highness took, of course, the shady side of the way, as side would be left to me, and cats always most agreeable; I knew that the sunny prefer the sunshine.”

Ellustrated Article.

THE ROSICRUCIAN.

AND, after all," said Lubeck Schieffel, soliloquising aloud, "what do I know? It is true I have obtained the first honours of the university,-have learned all the professors can teach, and am considered the ablest scholar in Gottingen: still, how little do I know, and how unsatisfactory that knowledge is !". -"Ay, what do you know?" said a voice so near that it made him start. "I know," said Lubeck," that you are some idle fool to be prating here at this time of night," for he felt ashamed and angry his soliloquy had been overheard: but both shame and anger gave way to surprise, when upon turning suddenly round to discover the speaker, he was not able to perceive any one, though the moon shone brightly, and for a considerable distance around was a level plain, without a single tree or other object which could have afforded concealment. VOL. II.

C

The astonishment of Lubeck was beyond description - he tried to persuade himself that it was some trick, but the nearness of the voice, and the nature of the place, forbade such a conclusion. Fear now urged him to hasten from the spot; being resolved, however, that if it were a trick of a fellow-student, he should have no advantage, he exclaimed in as jocular a tone as he could command, "Tush, I know you, and wish you better success the next time you attempt the incognito." He then made the best of his way to the high road, and, musing upon this curious and unaccountable circumstance, returned to his apartments.

Next morning Lubeck went to the site of the preceding night's adventure, with the intention of ascertaining the manner in which this curious trick had been performed, (for with returning daylight he felt re-assured that it was such,) but his dismay was very considerable when he arrived at the spot, for, owing to the nature of the ground, he was at once compelled to decide that it could not be a trick performed by human actors.

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How unsteady is the balance of the human mind! The manner in which the strongest understandings are sometimes swayed by the most minute circumstances is perfectly unaccountable; and the smallest foundation, like the stem of a tree, often carries a wide-spreading superstructure. The wild stories of his romantic countrymen were, for a time eagerly perused by Lubeck; and the mind, which had before delighted in them as entertaining compositions, lent them that deep attention which admitted the possibility of their reality.

Expecting that the invisible person (for such he was now persuaded existed) would again address him, Lubeck went night after night to the same spot, but in vain! Till at length, as the event became more remote, the impressions of that night became more faint; at last, he felt convinced that the whole must have been the result of his own imagination, and was quietly pursuing his studies, when one morning a stranger was ushered into his apartment.

"I believe,” said the stranger, "I am

addressing Lubeck Schieffel, who gained, with so much honour, the last prize of this university."

Lubeck bowed assent.

"You may probably feel surprised," continued he, that a perfect stranger should obtrude himself upon you, but I concluded that a person who had already obtained so much information would naturally be desirous of embracing any means of increasing it, and I believe it is in my power to point out to you a way by which that increase may be obtained."

"I certainly feel an ardent thirst for knowledge," said Lubeck; " as yet, I cannot but agree with him who said, 'all I know is, that I know nothing.' I have read the books pointed out by the professors, and all that I have read only confirms the justness of this conclusion."

"And rightly," said the stranger, "for of what use are the majority of the ancient writings, but as they furnish excellent rules of morality, and specimens of elegant or amusing compositions! We may admire the descriptions of Tacitus, the simple style of Livy-be dazzled by the

splendid imagery of Homer, or melted oy the tender traits of Tibullus or Euripides, —we may laugh with Anacreon, or enjoy the still beauties of nature with Theocritus-we have love in Sappho, satire in Juvenal, and man in Horace-we

"Stay, stay," said Lubeck. "Swell the list no farther; from all these books some knowledge I have drained, but am still not satisfied. I still thirst, still pant fer knowledge; and am sick to the soul of knowing no more than the rest of the world. I would"

"If you look to gain," said the stranger, interrupting him, "for such universal knowledge from books, you must be disappointed. It would consume nearly a life, to read all that has been written upon any one science, which, when known, is but one step forward, and while we are striving to reach wisdom, death overtakes us. Besides, you learn nothing new from books, for invention must precede science, and clear a path for her, while the compilers of books but follow at a distance and record her steps. Still you need not despair, for though thousands in vain strive to open the portals to that knowledge, which is closed by a bar which no force can remove-still, to some it may be given to find a hidden spring, which, touched

"And you have found this spring," said Lubeck, sarcastically.

"It has been found!" said the stranger, it has been touched! The hitherto sealed portals have been opened, and the hidden knowledge full-complete-is revealed, but only to few, and even to those conditionally."

"You speak allegorically," said Lubeck, "what mean you?"

"You must be aware," said the stranger," that he who wishes to excel in any one science gives it his undivided attention; is it not rational then to suppose that something extraordinary must be exacted of him who wishes to excel in all ?"

"Full, complete attention," said Lubeck, "and intense and unwearied application."

"If undivided attention, or intense and unwearied application would have availed," said the stranger," would you now have been seeking it? Attend. Suppose a fraternity had existed for many centuries, living in a place, rendered invisible to all the world but themselves, by an extraordinary secret, who are acquainted with every science, some of which they have improved to the highest degree of perfection, who possess a multitude of valuable and almost incredible secrets.

Possessed of the art of prolonging life very much, indeed, beyond its usual limits, and having so great a knowledge of medicine, that no malady can withstand them, they laugh at the diseases which you consider mortal. They possess a key to the Jewish Cabbala, they have copies of the Sybilline books. But, alas! how many discoveries which they have made, and have divulged, with the intention of benefiting mankind generally, have proved, in the event, a heavy curse to part!"

Lubeck began to feel a strong convic tion that he was listening to either the dreams of some wild enthusiast, or the reveries of a mad-man, but though the ideas of the stranger were so wild, neither his look, tone, nor manner, seemed to warrant such a conclusion; he, therefore, was greatly embarrassed how to proceed. At length he observed,-"For what purpose, may I ask, do you endeavour to amuse me, with relating what to me seems simply impossible?"

"Impossible!" repeated the stranger, Impossible!-thus it ever is with mankind. Whatever escapes their investigation-whatever they cannot readily comprehend or explain, they pronounce to have no existence, or to be utterly inexplicable. Consider how many things, which to you appear possible, to one of less information would appear what you pronounce this to be, and thus was Galileo imprisoned, and forced to deny truths which were not comprehended. You admitted to me, a short time past, that all your knowledge amounted to nothing. Still, the moment I tell you of what you cannot comprehend, you at once pronounce it to be impossible. Listen!" continued the stranger, and immediately the same remarkable voice, which Lubeck had before heard, exclaimed-Ay! what do you know???

The tenor of the stranger's conversation had not recalled to Lubeck Schieffel the events of that memorable night, but now it rushed upon him in an instant, and before him he conceived was the supernatural being who hd haunted his steps.

"This extraordinary society, of which I was telling you," continued the stranger, "received its name from Christian Rosencrux, who was born in Germany, in the year 1359. He was educated in a monastery, and excelled in most ancient and modern languages. A powerful desire urged him to seek a more extensive range of information than could be obtained within the precincts of a cloister, and he determined to travel. The religious feelings, common about the close