Star.
London, England, 1825-06-27 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Memoirs and Diary of the celebrated Mr. Pens. F.dikd ,
by Lot d BRATBR )01(14
This very curious and interesting work, which gives
so faithful a picture of the manne:s /lid events of the,
griddle arid latter part of the seventeenth century, has
just appeared. The origi .al manuscript was written]
in short hand, and has been deciphered by Mr. John
Smith, late Deputy Bedell to the Univer.:ity of Cam.,
bridge, and Curate of 'Lanham, Norfolk. The diffi-
culties which Mr. Smith must have encountered may be
in some degree conceived, when it is stated that the.,
Diary was written in the author's short-hind, who,
must have had a stronger desire than ordinary for,
concealmer to n account of the dangerous nature of some,
part of %chat he committed to paper ; and the work is,
slot ithstanding, executed with a fide:ay which speaks
for itself.
The following extracts from this yare amusing,
when it is considered that the work of mhich Mr.
Pepys here speaks so slightingly is now universally
acknowledged to be one of the wittiest books in any
language. In excuse f t Pepys, it shou'd however be
remarked, that his early education and habits must have
made:tin lo •It with some aversion on the unsparing
satirist of an order of men for whom he had evidently
some affection.
" Dec. 26, 1662.—T0 the Wardrobe. • Hith.r came
Mr. Battersby ; and we falling into discourse of a new
book of drol ery is use, called Hudibras, I would needs
go to find it out, and met with it at the Temple: cost
me 26.6 d. But when I come to read it it is so silly
an abuse of the Presbyter Knight going to the war Is,
that I am ashamed of it; and by and by, meeting at
Mr. T ,wnsend's at dinner, I sold it to him for ls. 6d.
44 Feb. 1662-S.—To Lincoln's Inn Fields ; and it
being too soon to go to dinner, 1 walked up and down,
and looked upon the outside of the new theatre build-
ing in Covent-garden, which will be very fine. And
so to a boaksell.:i's in the Strand, and there bought
Iludibras again, it being certainly some ill humour' to
be so against that which all the world cries up to be the,
example of wit; fir which I am resolved once more to,
read hi n, and see whether I can find it or no.
66 N 28,1663 —To Paul's Church-yard, and there
looked upon the second part of Hudibras which I buy
not, but borrow to veld, to see if it be as good as the
first, which the world cried so mightily though it
bath not a good liking in me, though I had tried but
twice or three ti:nes reading to bring myself to think

it wi.ty.
" Dec. 10.—To St. Paul's Chorch-yatd, to my book-
seller's, • and could not tell whether to lay out my
money for books of pleasure, as plays, which my nature
was most earnest in ; but at last, after seeking Chaucer,
Dugdale's History of Paul's, Stow's Londin, Gesner,
liistoty of Trent, besides Shakspeare, Johnson, and
B aomont's plays, I last chose Dr.. Fuller's Worthys,
the Cabbala. or Collections of Letters of State, and a
Delices ds Ilollande, with another little
book or two, all of good use or serious pleasure ; and
Iludibras, both pasts, the book nnw in grLatest fashion
for drollery, though I cannot, I confess, Lee enough
where the wit lies. My mind being thus settled, I
wet by link borne, and so to my office, and to read
Itustiworth ; and so home to supper and to hed.
C Ailing at Wutton's, my Lhoe-n.aker, to-da,i, he tells
me that Sil 11. Wright is ding ; aid that Harris is
come to the Duke's .hottse again ; al d of a rare I lay t'.
be acted. this week. of Sir •Williato Davenant's, the
story of fien•sy the Eightli,• with all his •

! acetic Cehtabrigienses, consi.eine of anecdotes, Smart
tayings, &tiles, Retorts, 8!•c.85;. By or relating to
celebrated Cant:lbs. fly Soetus. 12mn. pp. 219.
is a memos:rig collection of the good things which
have-from time.immerno;i .1 to rte pre.ent day dropped
from the-months of Cintabs, or been related of them.
They are not, all new, nor does the Editor profess them
tobe so, observing in bi. preface that his aim "is not only
to make the t emler acquainted with strangers, but to col-
lect the lost s' eep,which are to be found scatteted up and
down in various publications, and l!ke the Jews have no
particular resting place." The work contains a good
portrait of that celebrated Cantab, Pt ofelsor Pors n.
The followitigere extract's:
Avu CUT !IND 'RETORT.—Archbishop Tillotson
1:11, by tome 'means, inclined the displeasure of Sir
Johnlrevor, who bad been expelled the House of
Commons for several misdemeinours. Sir John, one
day meeting Tillotson, cried out, " I hate to see an.
Atheist in the shape'of • a Churchman."—" And I," re-
tried the Archbishop, " hate to see a knave in any shape."
Dr. who was of Jesus College, Cambridge.
", as once asked by a friend, why he did not publish
his sermons?—" Trlay shall sleep," answered the doe•
tor. till Isl ep."
AggiNDE olt MIND —The effect of absence of mind
is well exemplified in an incident which happened some
time since .to a well-known Gentleman 9f Magdalen
College, Cambridge. Ile had taken his watch from
his pocket to mark the time he intended to boil an egg
for his hteikfast„ when a friend, entering tis room,
found.him absorbed hi some absttuse calculation, with
the egg.in his hanri, upon which he was looking in-
tentlyvaild the wireh svpplying its place in the sauce-
pin of boiling wade. • '
PORSON versus Da. JoraTx.—Dr. Jowett, who was a
small. man, and. had an itching foi th‘ rus in wr,fre, was
permitted by the head, of his College to cultivate a.strip
o: vacant ground:. •This -gave isetto -tome /tux d'esprit
among the wags. of thelJoitersity, which toduced him
to alter itint,n ajilut 91• gravel. This being shewl to
l'or,,son, he burst,, bath with the following extem-
poraneous Eisele:. .%; •
littletarain irraielowert made,
*Maio:tilt' With iiittfe palisade; • •
Beeitustibligar#n tuade a little talk,
Atkargediv to gravel walk;
Aoki, 4041114.n0re you'd Misr of hate Jowett„
Vetibleithne;•it will it tit* obew.ir !
'LLCM NT REPROOF.-Dry Barrow remained
.Ithful to the Royal,Oansedmlng.the Commonwealth;
but &cling himself wholly neglected by the voluptuous
and headless Charles I. on his restoration, he reminded
Nat of efib serkiberte•hasl rendered him aqd the public,
as a divine aa3.loyalist,tn.,the following distich
‘.“`lre abatis übtabat redlturtun, Carole, acme;
iiarbo amok te redlisse Minus."
rot wows. • • •
• Aolguti'i serve that' die tostoratles 'press ;
-lAnd nonei-thin I, 014 Charles ! have felt it km. •
On %V ritsal *ot,these lines, Ch riles was so struck with
eum.ii4tiou, t'lat• be ordered the.. first vacant eccle-
siamsealaigassy to I,s einfaxed on Harrow; .chi;' :was.
aceariliailicskosez.but,it came --too late in Abe day for
Barre* tgrila • rt. *-8o tette. je- the- obsetvatithr •oftest ,
wasee,"' OiraFfettlipsl444l4'Uor
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