A NEW SIMILE,

ADDRESSED TO THE SOFT SEX, BY A SUFFERER,

WHAT simile can we discover,

Much too oft;

'Tis true, she makes his heart-strings tremble,

But in her arms her harp still stands,

When she plays so clever;

While he oft comes too near her hands,

But near her arms-Oh, never!

Then, like a Flute, to sooth and cheer her,

No,-'tis hard;

Than a yard.

But to her lips he ne'er comes nearer

A SHORT time since a gentleman driving on the road between Little River and this town, was overtaken by a negro boy on a mule, who attempted for a long while, without success, to make the animal pass the carriage. At length the boy exclaimed to his beast, "I'll bet you one fippenny 1 make you pass this time;" and after a short pause, again said, "you bet?-very well." The boy repeated the blows with renewed vigour, and at last succeeded in making him pass; when the gentleman, who overheard the conversation between Quaco and his steed, said to him, "Well, my boy, now you have won, how are you going to make the mule pay you?"—" Oh, Sir," says Quaco, "me make him pay me very well; Massa give me one tenpenny for buy him grass, and me only buy him a fippenny worth!"

Brighton Gazette.

ORIGIN OF GYPSIES.

THEY were a collection of strange people, to whom the French have given the name of Bohemians. In other countries they are called Egyptians, Gypsies, or Syrians, and in Italy, Zingani, or Zingari. They wandered in troops from one end of Europe to the other, with tabors and castanets, dancing, singing, telling fortunės, shewing tricks of legerdemain, curing diseases with certain cant words, and stealing everything that came in their way; and observed certain religious ceremonies among themselves, which neither they nor any one else knew the meaning or origin of. These people have dwindled away considerably of late, since mankind have begun to throw off the infatuated notions of witchcraft, talismans, predictions, and possessions by evil spirits; there are still a few of them to be met with, but they are become very scarce. Nothing appears more probable than that those people were a remnant of the ancient priests and priestesses of Isis, intermixed with those of the goddess of Syria. These tribes, as much despised by the Romans as their ancestors had formerly been reverenced, carried their ceremonies and mercenary superstitions with them all over the world. Wandering missionaries of the faith they professed, they ran from province to province, to make converts of those whom mere chance had confirmed their predictions, or who, having recovered by the course of nature from slight disorders, imagined they owed their cure to the

miraculous efficacy of certain mysterious words and signs of these false prophets.

The description that Apuleius gives us of these vagabond prophets and prophetesses, is the very picture of what these wandering tribes, called Gypsies, have for a long time been in every country in Europe. The castanets and tabors are the cymbals and crotals of the Isean and Syrian priests.

Apuleius, who spent most of his life in searching after religious and magic secrets, speaks of the predictions, talismans, ceremonies, dances, and songs of these pilgrim priests, and in particular remarks their very great skill in stealing whatever came in their way, either in the courtyards or houses, where they were admitted. When Christianity took place of the religion of Numa, and Theodosius had destroyed the famous temple of Serapis, in Egypt, some of the Egyptian Priests joined themselves to those of the Goddess Cylebe and the Goddess of Syria, and went about begging alms in the same manner as hath been practised by our mendicant friars; but as they could not expect any countenance from the Christians, they found it necessary to add the trade of quack doctors to that of pilgrims, and practised chiromancy, or palmistry, and invented several singular dances.

Mankind love to be deceived and amused, and therefore this offspring of the ancient priests have continued even to the present time.

Such has been the end of the ancient religion of Isis and Osiris, whose very names still impress respect. This religion, which in its origin was

altogether emblematical and venerable, began so early as the days of Cyrus, to degenerate into a medley of ridiculous and superstitious customs. It fell into still greater disrepute under the Ptolemies. In the time of the Romans, it was reduced. to the most abject state; and at length we see.it wholly left to a set of wandering thieves and pick-pockets.

British Press.

TO A BUST OF NAPOLEON.

NAPOLEON, noblest of an evil race,

Heroes and conquerors, whom the blind desire
Of power and glory urges to debase

God's gifts, so men but tremble and admire:
Thine imag'd Bust, in antique beauty great,

Seems, whilst I gaze, to breathe again and burn
With living energy, its brow dilate,

A

And the calm smile to indignation turn,
As thou hadst guess'd my meaning-Wake, arise,
Start forth and let Marengo's banner wave
Glorious once more in slighted Freedom's eyes.

Over the Hirelings' wreck and Despots' grave!
Thy sullied name and Europe's wrongs redeem,
Strike-'tis the time!-Alas! that smile is gone,
And thy stern words but bitter mockery seem,

As thou indeed hadst harden'd into stone:
"I saw and warn'd you-but, what Prophet said,
"Disown him living, and invoke him dead?
"Whilst but one leaf of laurel bound my brow
"They dar'd not this-crush'd (let them answer how,)
"I tell ye from my rock, yourselves must save ye now!”.

Chronicle