STRATEORD-LE-BOW BRIDGE.

T HIS ancient and celebrated Bridge, generally called Bow Bridge, is situated on the river Lea between the villages ot Stratfordle-Bow in Middlesex, and Stratford-Langthorne in Essex; the first foundation of which is ascribed to Matilda, queen of Henry the first, and its name is said to have arisen from its being the first arched bridge of stone built in this country. The following is Stowe's account of its erection.

Matilda when she saw the forde to be dangerons for them that travelled by the old forde over the river of Lea, (for she herself had been well washed in the water,) caused two stone bridges to be builded, of the which one was situated over Lue, at the head of the town of Stratford, now called Bow, because the bridge was arched like a bow; a rare piece of work; for before that time the like had never been seen in England."

Matilda provided for keeping this and the other bridge in repair by giving certain manors to the Abbess of Barking, in consideration of her keeping them in proper condition.

From the period of its first erection this bridge has been so repeatedly repaired that little if any of the original structure remains; it consists at present of three arches, and its appearance is sufficiently indicative of its great antiquity.

NO. XXVI.

DD

ON FRIENDSHIP.

"Nature within the soul of man has form'd,

Nothing more noble, or more rare than Friendship." ́

22

THERE are few subjects which have been more written upon,and less understood than that of friendship. To follow the dictates of some, this virtue, instead of being the assuager of pain, becomes the source of every inconvenience. Such speculatists, by expecting too much from friendship, dissolve the connection, and, by drawing the bands too closely, at length break them. Almost all our romance and novel writers are of this kind; they persuade us to friendships, which we find it impossible to sustain to the last; so that this sweetener of life, under proper regulations, is, by their means, rendered inaccessible or uneasy. It is certain, the best method to cultivate this virtue, is by letting it, by some measure, make itself; a similitude of minds or studies, and even sometimes a diversity of pursuits, will produce all the pleasures that arise from it. The current of tenderness widens as it proceeds; and two men imperceptibly find their hearts filled with good nature for each other, when they were at first only in pursuit of mirth or relaxation.

Friendship is like a debt of honor: the moment it is talked of, it loses its real name, and assumes the more ungrateful form of obligation. From hence we find, that those who regularly undertake to cultivate friendship, find ingratitude generally repays their endeavours. That circle of beings, which dependence gathers round us, is almost ever unfriendly; they secretly wish the terms of their connections more nearly equal; and, where they even had the most virtue, are prepared to reserve all their affections for their patron only in the hour of his decline. Increasing the obligations which are laid upon such minds, only increases their burden; they feel themselves unable to repay the immensity of their debt, and their bankrupt hearts are taught a latent resentment at the hand that is stretched out with offers of service and relief.

Plautinus was a man that thought that every good was to be brought from riches; and, as he was possessed of great wealth, and had a mind naturally formed for virtue, he resolved to gather a circle of the best men around him.

Among the number of his dependents was Musidorus, with a mind just as fond of virtue, yet not less proud than his patron. His circumstances, however, were such as forced him to stoop to the good offices of his superior, and he was himself daily among a number of others loaded with benefits and protestations of friendship. These, in the usual course of the world, he thought it prudent to accept ; but while he gave his esteem, he could not give his heart. A want of affection breaks out in the most trifling instances, and Plautinus had skill enough to observe the minutest actions of the man he wished to make his friend. In these he even found his aim disappointed; Musidorus claimed an exchange of hearts, which Plautinus, solicited by a variety of claims, could never think of bestowing.

It may be easily supposed that the reserve of your poor proud man was soon construed into ingratitude; and such indeed, in the common acceptation of the world, it was. Wherever Musidorus appeared, he was remarked as the ungrateful man; he had accepted favours, it was said, and still had the insolence to pretend to independence. The event, however, justified his conduct. Plautinus, by misplaced liberality, at length became poor, and it was then that Musidorus first thought of making a friend of him. He flew to the man of fallen fortune, with an offer of all he had; wrought under his direction with assiduity; and, by uniting their talents, both were at length placed in that state of life from which one of them had formerly fallen.

To this story, taken from modern life, I shall add one more, taken from a Greek writer of antiquity:-Two Jewish soldiers, in the time of Vespasian, had made many campaigns together, and a participation of danger at length bred a union of hearts. They were remarked through the whole army as the two friendly brothers; they felt and fought for each other, Their friendship might have continued, without interruption, till death, had not the good fortune of the one alarmed the pride of the other, which was in his promotion to be a centurion under the famous John, who headed a particular part of the Jewish malcontents.

From this moment, their former love was converted into the most inveterate enmity. They attached themselves to opposite factions, and sought each other's lives in the conflict of adverse party. In this manner they continued

for more than two years vowing mutual revenge, and animated with an unconquerable spirit of aversion. At length, however, that party of the Jews, to which the mean soldier, belonged, joining with the Romans, it became victorious, and drove John, with all his abherents, into the Temple. History has given us more than one picture of the dreadful conflagation of that superb edifice. The Roman soldiers were gathered round it; the whole temple was in flames; and thousands were seen amidst them, within its sacred circuit. It was in this situation of things, that the now-successful soldier saw his former friend, upon the battlements of the highest tower, looking round with horror, and just ready to be consumed with flames. All his former tenderness now returned; he saw the man of his bosom just going to perish; and unable to withstand the impulse, he ran, spreading his arms, and cried out to his friend to leap down from the top, and find safety with him, The ceuturion from above heard and obeyed; and casting himself from the top of the tower into his fellow-soldier's arms; both fell a sacrifice on the spot,-one being crushed to death by the weight of his companion, and the other dashed to pieces by the greatness of his fall.

RAIN.

DROPS from the sea,

Kiss'd into the clouds by the warm sun
When his rays placidly

Descend and run.

Divided streams,

Like radiant tears which fall from eyes,

When Hope with pleasure beams

To brighter skies.

The welcome gems

That cool Earth's feverish brow,

And shine on young green diadems
of flower aud bough.

Sweet Rain!-when blown

By the soft breath of circling space,
From angels' fingers thrown,

Without a sigh,

To christen and to sanctify

The Human Race.

FEMALE BEAUTY.

IN Davy's account of Ceylon, recently published, we have the following emphatic description of a perfectly beau tiful woman in the words of a native:

"The Singalese women," says the author, "are generally well made and well looking, and often handsome. Their countrymen, who are great connoisseurs of the charms of the sex, and who have books on the subject, and rules to aid the judgment, would not allow a woman to be a perfect belle, unless of the following character, the particulars of which I give in detail as they were enumerated to me by a Kandyan courtier, well versed and deeply read in such matters :- Her hair should be voluminous, like the tail of the peacock, long, reaching to the knees, and terminating in graceful curls; her eyebrows should resemble the rainbow; her eyes, the blue sapphire and the petails of the blue manilla-flower. Her nose should be like the bill of the hawk; her lips should be bright and red, like coral on the young leaf of the irontree. Her teeth should be small, regular, and closely set, and like jessamine buds. Her neck should be large and round, resembling the berrigodea. The chest should be capacious; the breasts firm and conical, like the yellow Cocoa-nut; and her waist small enough to be clasped by the hand. The lips should be wide; the limbs tapering; the soles of the feet without any hollow, and the surface of the body in general, soft, delicate, smooth, and rounded without the asperities of projecting bones and sinews."

THE AFFECTIONATE LUNATIC.

WE stopped to change horses at a village, and while sitting at the door of a cottage breaking some bread into a bowl of milk, an old man of sixty, whose head and beard were as white as snow; threw himself on the ground, and enquired with extreme earnestness, if we had brought him any letters from Revel? I fixed my eyes stedfastly upon him, I doubted whether I had rightly understood him, upon which a woman, who was standing by, whispered me"This man has lost his senses; he starts from his bed every time he hears the arrival of a stranger, and always asks the question." "Give me a piece of paper," continued she, and I will pacify him: otherwise you will have much trouble with him, for he will persist in staying here, and