, 1874-10-24
"A TWIsrIlR A-TxvIsTING,' -
Tho Why III Which nm English Doctor
Of OlytmttY Eut DolvM q ErcnCN.

Tho Way fn Which nm English Doctor
OF divinity rut Down Il Ercnch-
man.
10 he Editor Of The Hto 1'ors Ertntna rost:
Tho lines TO which your correspondent rs. B."
refers, In the EEtHing Post Of Sept 4. wero
wlittcn moro than 200 yoarn ago. They aro from
tho pen Of thu 1ley. John Walla, y. .. QG1G-
1703}, tho lenrned Professor Of Geometry in the
University Of Oxfoid, during the y Common:
wealth" period. uo waB not less distinguished
for h,B chronological than his geomoerical skill:
He took great plide III Ills natiro tong,e, and
nccu|iar Eleaaulo in exhibiting Its superiority
over all otheta, ancient mud nl0dnrn.
In conversation with lcathad Frcnchman,
1,oAr tho coAe Of tho year 1868, tho latter having
boasted uf tho richness aud copiolGncgs Of his
tonsuo rarssy yooaEsJ IN o "a ana
comparison Of the two In these particulars.
Tho Freuch,nan then produced Tho following
totrastich OIL tho art Of ropo-mnhing:
teuanl rordlcr. cordant. veuN coraer unc corde.
Pour corlo cuydcr, tr'ls c0rtpnBil Acrorto:
Mails, n iii tos cordonH do ls cortle dcsortis,
Lp Gordon decoEtlant falt tteeo1tier la cordc.
In response DR.. Wallis. not to be outdono BY
hts foreign friend. instantly produced, In tho
satne snelyo, .Le following literal Translation Of
the Fronclin,ans llborod production.
When n-twlstcr, n tw!asing, will lxist him twist
For tho twistiDg u Lila twist, he three twnos doth
but, ii ona oi tho twtncs of tho twist DO uutwtst.
Tho twino that untwlasolA, uulwtssuth the twist.
Tho Frcnelman having thus boon completely
matched i'll every pnrtiGular--tn tlle parts OF
speech. mud iu tho number, quantity, aud tho
fOrco Of tho radical ord aud its inoctiouH-wns
challenged to further tra OF tho c0piouE1loga
| mud tho ioxiblllty ot lilo riyal tongues, but
| confessed That ho had nothing moro to offer.
| Wlicrcupon Dr. Wallis cx,!tirlSly produced Tho
| following continuation Of tho theme:
| Untwieting tic twine tlIat untwstcd betwecn
| lie twir!R wtth HIN twiser the twD in n twi,,r;
Tllcn twlco hnynH twisted tho twineH Of thc twiue,
lls twitclcth tho twjne ho had t,sined In twa!n.
Having thus Rown satisfactorily tic wonder
fui versatility Of hIs own yernReular, and com.
| pletely nlelced his fliondly tlispulaut, and to
convince linn tilat tho rich niIlo Of "EnsA!,
| ulidollioa WaB not yct exhausted, ho presently
| produced a third guataain, in Which. as before,
no rang the changer on tho eamo word, confiuiuY
himself still to tho allowed md legitimate inilec-
! tionB anu derivatives Of the ono root
| Tho Twain that in twInlnR tcforo in The twtne,
| As twins were intwisieh. he n0w ,;nth nntwne;
T%txt ilc twnin inttrt"ib1ng, twila moro between
Lie, twriin3 h1s twistrr. naaaes tMiss Of thu twinc
| The Fronchalan. OF courso, YIELDED the palm
| gracefully to Ills opponent. lie could not but
| admire q language that !lo lad but just dsspar.
| aged, and Of whose wonderful resources lle Aad
| previously Ind not the slightest conception.
! At tho request OF q foreign nuble!nntl, Bubac
| GueltIyt Dr.. WulliH translated Ills three ql1Gt-
! iains into az concise Latin version as ho could
| + need not reproduce tho result. 1t required l4l
Latiu words, leiyod from twenty different radi
calls to express tho l0J Ensll"h wosds sprIilgin,
with tho exception OF tho PARTICLES, from QUO unt
the Banic root. Z. L. HATFIELD.
] NEW Ypn;, Sent, 6. 1874.