The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-09-03 00:00:00

N.lriL TVTrI,I,IGFNCE.

pc • .41,,L1TN. ALTO 31.
Arr;Tri•cl t`.e Areolution, from Lon7,-
gonna Caridive armed !wiz, Aj.,z and Thunderer
to n of war, And the Mouchr,mt brig. from the
; Ditiervie, from the Mediterranean ;
Lath An .I fi ,xlrei slums of war, from a
er : the latter vessel.'frioga intelli,,ence that the
Goliar4 nin e►f war hid canmred a French corvette,
sisppos d ►o f)epper.'ww,,t (let I.msder, fr,rn the
West Inifies. ami that the Goliath and itaianaabis
w-re left in cha•e of a Spanish frigate, supposed to
be the Toe,isr.

Th.. Bril,ii,e was nndnek-d nn Thursday, she re-
ceived a new Ale k and a thorough caulking;
af•e• whicl4, to the great credit of the naive ship-
s. rights, in order to save a tide, she WAS new cop-
pered n three h-ors and a half.
The Snit JO‘f r was paid yesterday ; Sir Charles
Cotton sails in h r to-morrow, it is said, to take the
command nir Ferrol.

The .4;:am,wman and D. fi ince are pasted up the
Cha .nel.

Came in the Dh/igen•in sloop of war from Jamaica,
which place she left on the Sd A agust, with the
The.rus man of war, anJ about I leCt sail of met-
chantm•:n. and parted from them on the 3sl ult.
in lat. 36.3 u.

TA f.MOVTH, AUTI. 30.
Arrived this &v. the sloop Sa. cess, from
Penzance, and latided here a Portuguese gentleman,
'whom they took out of the brig 7o4anna Freneitrai,
of liamburgh, from Oporto, bound to Tonringrm
This gentleman reports, that, on the 13th lust. in
lat 4t. Cape Finisterre bearing S.E. by tr:. forty
leagues distant, they fell in with about forty sail of
ships, twenty-six of which were of the line, several
fri;.Tates, and three merchant vessels, one • rhich
th-y had jw st •et fire to; the fleet were then
to Ore westwar.l, under easy sail. Also arrived this
day, the American ship Jot,, and Avis, Captain
Btker, from Norfolk, thirty-six days passage, with
tobacco ; spoke H.: Majesty's ship Venus, of 36
guns ; at which time there was, at some distance
from h•r, a ship privateer, of 20 guns, which she
11. d chased the day before for several hours, but
',birth she could not come up with.
The e Wales packet WAS taken on the 14th
inst in lat. 43. long. 13, by La Priem de Noss
Spanish privateer, of 24 long 9-pounders, and 220
nien. after a ci- ter of thirty-tw., hours. The Capt.
and his stewar.. --re sent in the packet for Vign;
the remainder of the crew were putt on beard two
neutral vessels; the master, surgeon, and twelve
men. arrived at Newlyn yesterday morning. On
the 20:h inst. off Cape Finisterre, spoke the 11 ai-
aiiieS•isr packet. all well, with a fine wind. On the
26th, syoke His Majesty's ship Goliath, of 74 guns,
Captain Barton. having a French corvette, of 1 d
guns, in company. Captain Parton had chased the
squadron that rook the Mattebe, arid was neatly up
with La Topa,e when it came dark, and she escaped
in the right. The Tormibend packet was safe ar-
riv,cl at I..sbon.

Sailed tlie curward-bound Newfoundland and
Quebec ii-e•s. rinder c:anvoy of liis Nl.ajesW. ,hips
Cowdratri. Nemesis, Favourite, and Itaniler. Wind W.
DEAL, SEETESISER 1.
AT,'"" •he Ferri s sloop tsar. from a cruse,
an • 42. -:.t• Ih ‘,ll. ith A fi,ct of I,!;ips of
liVAr, sevcral cutwair,.. I.b4und
N. W.

HA ?MICH, StPT. 1.
The P•i:ee of Mks packet, Capt. Anthony
Donne. sael.l.l last right, with the Mails of the Sum,
GotienLqrgh thos: 4 the same date, for Hu-
sum, were detained, s there was no other picket
on this sid•• s the Art ...and, ('apt. Hammond, is
pow under sailing order. with them.

hP.IIvISF! 01 FILIAL 4ccorivr
OF THI ACTIoN BET .% LEN TUE cuMISINED
FLEE!' AND SIR k. CALDER.

LIFUFZNANTa.GaIIteAL DON TRLDCRICO GRAYINe,
TO IMP Masi teCILLLNT GlNLital IS•lelo, Tile
PrINCE OF Peace. FRO 4 VIGO, JULY 28111.
o fo,si. rye bearing S.E 2)
" MOST Lae LLLLLL sia, ase Loan, •
" U.. rt.! J it., the Corn tined Squadron eat standing
with the wind W N W. t 0.,. ed in three lines to the k. S.E.
the horiso cover. dby thick top At hoot, the lnok.out
ve...cls made the "goal of h..sing disc.sr,red 21 sail is. the
N N ao.d that the pester part ware of tor line. We tone.
&tack formed the Eno of halt!, to larboard. the Svalliall aq ha-
drihi turning the wan. with myselt at the. head, and the French
ArLtsnat i t the centre of the hoe
"The enemy, miasmal of 16 sail of the line, titre, of
" which were three-cletken., and two cut-downs, attoid no the
contra,, tack, with the hitentimi, as .t appeared, of cutting off
cur reap ; to ay nd which the French Admiral made the ',limit
to wear, aiAl stand on the opposite tack, which was immedt-
stet! oheyes4.
. .

• ". The.last ship of the rear being covered, the Arconauta,
ton L-taicl of which I had hoisted my flag, bran the action with
the rear of the English (at a quarter bemire five o'clock),
on arc°.nut of the t,•g, had not perceived t r, movement we
had e•eeu et. The Enemy's Squadron hauled their wind,
aarl a very issi m action iinniedi,tely commenced, within hail
eannois allot, between our rail and the who'e of the Enemy's
line, whtch successively exhmded itself to the mitre of our
line The fug was so bark that, notwithstanding tour
unity, we at times lust sight of them. The tire was very well
kept ta., during the action %Ifs saw a threv.ilecke, without
her Comeau, and another vess .1 without her matt and Innen
tnasts. Tucks/tile continued with our van :out ie fir.• until
pit nine o'clock, when the enemy bore up, and the action
ceased.

" On the morning of the 23d, at break of day, although the
weather was still :Gory, we iound that two of oar slup, were
misting, and that they were the San Rafael and the ',nine.
" We dectivered the enemy on the other tack; we imme-
diately formed the title and chased, having rernarky,l that th-y
had three dismasted ships in tow, and that their hue consisted
of only tlitimen ships of war, including one denuasted of :ts
fore-topmast. W.. continued the chase the whole day, with
out load, as the eimmy manteityred to amid a sccond en-
counter.
" The same took place on the 24Th, on the morning of
which day, we saw them Ce windward, ..rowding all .ail, and
close haulsd with the wind from the f E.
"On the 2.5tb, at day-break, the e in 4 bl swing fresh from
the North Last, we were out of sight ai the alirells., and durii.g
elle day we saw Cafe Vusiterre, beat iag due Fast In this
&Mahon, with the wind against our rdtiog into Ferrol, malty
tif the Viench ships having only silt days water on bawd, awl
having above I.no sick and wounded in the squadron, without
the n .eweary suerours, it was determined to comets, Vigo, to
pr witle aflL.t era% occesaary. As soon as I receive the detail.
bola eaelt ship, °try shall be forwarded 1.) your Excellency.
" lo chit action, tlir ass ships ....he rey ranovend have tough,
with the greet. st bravery , and I consider the. English Squa•
dross's having •oroid,ll a second attack, in hate been caused be
the damage they had received in the action, since the forces
the two It meta were equalised by the quality of the ships,
too our ,idt no three-deckers, and true small ships of 64
tit.' •
itt:pr ( • •

'

la z~
~~~4.

MISCET,LANTFS.

POPE SIXTUS VIE FIFTH, AND TILE SIVIE MAKER.

♦N ITALIAN ANECDOTE.

The life of this Pope exhibits one of those extra-
ordinary instances, in which genius and talents base
lifted their possessors far above the disadvantages
concomitant to an humble birth, and indigent cir-
cumstances ; and have enabled them to countera&
adversity, or rather to command fortune. It wa,,
therefore. while he was Cardinal, well said by him to
an Italian Prince, over whom he had manifestly the
advantage, as to excite the admira.ion of the corn-
pane, and who, consequently, irritated to the great-
est degree, exclaimed, 4, I wonder at your arrogance,
wh.) are only the son of a swineherd !" 4, True, my
Lord ! and if it had been yner misfortune to have
Leen born the son of a swineherd, you would have
still continued in that capacity."
That he was the son of a swineherd, is a feat. Ile
was born at Montalto, in the marshes of Ancona.
His parents called him Felix ; but he left them, and,
at the age of fourteen, took the habit of St. Francis,
and became a friar in the convent of Ascoli. The
quickness cf his parts soon raised him high in the
Sodality ; though, it must be observed, that it was
compose,: of members, who have not been recorded
as the brightest of mankind. However, they had
sense enough to distinguish his merits, and candour
enough to acknowledge them, except in one instance,
when some of the younger students, displeased, per-
haps, at the superiority of his genius, retorted upon
him ironically, 6, That, in the astrological question
before them, they must yield to him; he certainly
knew more of houses, than they did; his being so
illarstrioaf" To this sarcasm he replied, with great
good nature, that, 4, his father's house was indeed
tileateieus, for the interior of it was illumine d by
the rays of the sun, which darted through every aper-
ture of the bard,, of which it was composed."
Improving his talents, he took the decree of Doc-
tor in Divinity ; and, at a public disputation, in the
presence of Cardinal Carpi, whl was then protestor
of the Franciscan Order, acquitted himself so well,
and acquired so much fame, in consequence of the
subtlety of his arguments, and the acuteness of
his wit, that preferment followed of course. Bbl W.
steal gradations, he arrived at the highest dignity
of the church, being cleated Pope the I tth of April,
158 S.

This Pontiff, who seems to have been a humourist,
as well as a man of great leatning, used sonic arti-
fice, to obtain his high dignity. From the time that
he had been nominated Cardinal, he had affeled the
semblance of age, and of ill health. When he went
into the Conclave, he appeared sosterbie, and seem-
ed to labour so much under the paroxysms of a con-
firmed asthma, that few expefted he would have lived
to come nut. He supported himself with a staff,
and, as he ascended the stairs, halted, and coughed,
at every step. These symptoms were exceedingly
in his Amur, and probably, in a great degree, influ-
enced the ele&ion. But, even before the sertiti,ly
was finis!r,i, as soon as he saw that the objea of his
ambition was secure, he threw away his staff, his
thful companion for fifteen years, and, ere ling
himself, there seemed in his system an instant reno-
vation of youth. The Cardinals mut owned ; but the
thing could not now he helped. The artful Pontiff at
once saw their motives; and, in order to ad ad li-
ttoral food to their meal of cogitation, he began to
sing, 7; Dram Landanems, with a voce so clear and
meictdio.ss, and withal so strong, that the spacious
11411, and vaulted roof; re-echoed to the sonnd The
1 recital of the life of this Pontiff, which abounds with
eittertaini.tir passages, exhibits a chatafb r, which
was rendered remarkable, by contrasting it with
others in the same elevated station.

So stria was the impartiality of his adherence to
jastice, and sn great his aaivity and energy of mind,
mat, while he pui ifi, d the ink:stridence of the Holy
See, he also established a well regulated police, by
which means, he wholly extirpated a most ferocious
banditti, that had nut only infested the state of the
church, but had overspread Italy. On this occa-
sion, the gratitude of the citizens of Rome induced
them to commemorate the repose which they has
enjoyed, by several inscriptions, in different parts of
the city, by statues, and other tokens of their appro-
bation and liberality.
One great.source of the amusement of Sixtus the
sth, was the perusing the Memoirs of his Life and
Transadlions, of which he had kept a regular journal,
whilst he was the Friar Montalto, which was the
name given to him in the convent. When he was
oue day deeply engaged looking over his manuscript,
and while he was probably enjoying the contempla-
tion of the occurrences of his early years, he came to
a passage that strongly attraaed his attention, as it
stated neat ly these words :
" 151.6. /Icing at Macerata, and observing the
miserable state of my shoes, the rides of which were
on the very brink of perdition, owing, I fear, to
the flinty-hearted and impenetrable rocks and
roads, over which we had journied together, I re-
solved to use my endeavours to stmm them—repaired
to a shoe-maker's shop, that I forimiately discover-
ed in the Market-place, to consult the shoe-maker,
or tmonsinfor, who kept it, respelling their reforma-
tion. The shoe-maker, who, for his sagacity with
regard to the cure of soley, might have been a Catdi-
tal, after examining these wretched and oppressed
saiVetia, whom 1 had so often trampled upon, declared
that they were so far gene, it seas out of the power
of man to amend them; in feet, that they had been on
their lest feet, and had come once more to an red.
He, therefore, added, that he would not advise me
to allow them an adodpenre, but would rather wish
me to cast them entirely away, and try a our pair.
• I'h;s seemed (whorl.: ; I, therefore, took his advice,
kicked my old shoes. as they could no longer serve
me, into the street, and installed myself in his chair.
The shoe-maker brought a pair of candid,,:: from
his shelf ; he lifted up my leg, placed my foot in
his lap, but did not a•ris ma toe. He, however,
fitted me in a moment, without putting me into
that is called pnrjatory. But here a difficulty
occurred, of greater magnitude than any of the
mountains that I had passed. "lite shoe-maker de-
manded seven ginleer (three shillings and sir pence),
for the shoes, and I alas! had but six in my leather
purse, which hung to my girdle, and in which my
whole fortune was suoimmled... What was now to be
done ? I immediately emptied my purse, and disco-
reed the state of my exchequer to the shoe-maker.
This man, who had none of the heresy of Juhn Cris-

pin in his mind, in an instant hsTietied wl.at le soon (or
rather, if a paradox acre allowed in our system)
what 4e di I net sec ; so without seeming to notice
my disqualtfying bow, or the cause of my cdn-
fusion, so apparent in the emptiness of my purse,
be briskly said, " Haggling in this case would
be to no purpose. It is true, I cannot afford to sell
these shoes (look how well they are made) for les,
titan scan giu!ios; but if you have taken bat six out
of your Oran: /or, that's a fault, as you are at a dis-
tance front home, that cannot easily be mended. there-
fore ! will take the six on this condition, that you
sole may promisr to pay me the other Railit when
you come to he Pori. To this I readily agreed ;
we therefore laughed heattily, shook hands and
parted."
When Sixtus read this passage, it recalled the cir-
cumstance strongly to his mind, and withal in-
duced a desire to learn if the friendly shoemaker
was livinz. He therefore immediately dispatched
his Steward to Macerata, to enquire after him ; and,
if successful, to inform him he must attend thy Pope
direily upon business of the utmost importance to
hierseif:

The shoe-maker was yet living ; but the message
he received from the Steward, who gave it its full
force, almost frightened him to death. He had
heard the exaggerated accounts of the severity of the
Pontiff that were circulated over Italy, and he had
not the least doubt but he was to become the vielim
of his cruelty and the malice of his enemies. The
rack or the stake were the lightest punishments that
occurred to him : of those he felt all the horrors
already. He, therefore, endeavoured to recollea
what he had done to merit this severity of chastise-
ment. His very Lest friends could not accuse hit, of
heresy ; or, if they had, there was an Ingaisition upon
the spot ; hut his life had been industiinus and in-
nocent, nor could he, even in the moments of his
deapest despondence,forre his conscience to reproach
him. Slowly he journied on ; and, the day after
his arrival, trembling like a criminal going to exe-
cution, he, with the same reluaance, ascended the
black marble staircase that led to the Pope's cleset.
When introdoci 1 into his presence, Sixtus, for a
moment, observed him with that keenness of pene-
tration for whiei he was lemarkable; and then, with
it stern voice, said, " Have you ever sec': me at
Slacerata?" N-ca-a," returned the prostrate and
almost petrified shoe.maker. " What do you not
remember, about forty years since, you sold me a
pair of shoes?" " No !" said the poor fellow;
" but I hope they 2' re well." c,Not temetnber
this circumstance?" said the Pope, who could hard-
ly maintain his gravity:—" Well! what am I to
think of this, but that my memory is better than
yours? Rise, then, and learn from me, that I well
remember the purchase I made at your shop; and
also, that you gave me credit for a stink., which I
was to repay you when I came to be Pope. That
time now arrived. I therefore owe you a inst.':
it is a debt of honour, and must be paid with Interest.
This I have calculated. And find that it amounts to
three ginhot; these my steward will pay you, arid
you may depart in peace."
When the shoe-maker left the closet of the Pope,
how different were his sensations fram those with
which he entered. He seemed in Elysium. Dun-
geons, racks, and tortures, had vanished from his
mind ; tar, it they for a moment 'centred, it was only
to inducellim to wonder how he ever could have feared
them. II • received his three girlies, and returned
to his in ; but, in this short walk, hi, sensations
underwent anotler transition. When he retleaed
upon the slender muneration he had received, he
conk not help consideting Sixtus V. as the meanest
of mortals He therefore, while he told his story,
murmured exceedingly-, that he shoal.' bring him
from his native place, so far distant, and only give
him three jiistios (e.ghteen-pence) to defray the ex-
pence; of a jaulney which had cost him twenty
crowns.

discontent of the shoe m tker, the spies who
were purposely planted around him, communicated
to the Pontiff, who accordingly sent for him again,
and asked hint if he had not a son, who was a priest
of the order of Servi ? To this he answered in the
affirmative. "'Then," said the Pope, *6 be is the
very man I want; let him be iminedia:ely called to
Rome."

The messenger that was sent, executed his com-
mission with great expedition. Ile son arrived be-
fore the departure of the lather. They both attended
the Pontiff, who, after examining the young priest,
promoted him to a bishoprick in the kingdom of
Naples. In a few days, they returned to the Vati-
can to make their acknowledgments to His Holiness,
who received them with great benignity ; and, upon
taking their leave, said to the father, " Here, my
good ft teed ! calculate the interest of your giulto,
nd see to what it has amounted, and how it
has been disposed of. If I had given to you
great riches and honours, they would have taken
you out of a course of life you have been long
used to; and, in all probability, by placing you
in a more elevated sphere, have rendered you
unhappy. The education of your son has fined him
for his present station. lam pleased with his cha-
Tiller, with which I am well acquainted, and have
a good opinion of his talents. May he become, at
once, an ornament and support of the church ! He
knows his duty ton well not to consider himself as a
steward to his father; and now he has largely the
means, support your age, as you, my friend, front
a very slender and precarious income, supported his
youth."