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hanging down to their shoulders, which they are wont to use instead of napkins to wipe their greasy fingers." This expression, long felt locks, well describes what their appearance must have been. They are represented in the prints to the curious Description of Ireland by Derricke, which Walter Scott has inserted in his edition of the Somers Tracts.

187. Chess.

The King of Prussia and Marshal Keith played chess with soldiers,—the most innocent game they ever played with them. It had been done before them by Akber the Mogul. In a palace of his at Tuttahpoor his chess court is still shown, and the elevated seat from whence he directed the moves*. Mr Scottt describes Sir Gaheret's game with the Fairy, where

*Hunter's Journey from Agra to Oujein, Asiatie Researches, 8vo. edit. Vol. 6. p. 76.

+ Note to Sir Tristrem. p. 259.

massive statues of gold and silver moved at the touch of a magic wand: but the adventure to which he refers in the Romance of Lancelot du Lac is a different one,.. the Knight played one set and the other played themselves.

A learned school divine of Huarte's acquaintance used to play chess with his servant and was generally beat by him.

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Sirrah," said he one day in his anger, "how comes it to pass that thou who hast no skill neither in Latin nor Logick nor Divinity shouldst beat me who am full of Scotus and St. Thomas? Is it possible that thou shouldst have a better wit than 1 verily I cannot believe it except the Devil tells thee what moves to make." There is a curious passage concerning this game in Huarte. "The Moors, as they are great players at chess, have in their soldiers pay set seven degrees, in imitation of the seven draughts which the pawn must make to be a Queen; and so they enlarge the pay from one to

the second, and from the second to the third, untill they arive to seven, answerable to the proof that the soldier shall give of himself; and if he be so gallant as to enlarge his pay to the seventh they yield him the same; and for this cause they are termed Septerniers on sevensters. These have large liberties and exemptions, as in Spain those gentlemen who are called hidalgos."

188. The Ass at the Meeting.

"An odd circumstance occured at Rotherham," says Wesley, (Journal, xiii. p. 62)" during the morning preaching. It was well only serious people were present. An Ass walked gravely in at the gate, came up to the door of the house, lifted up his head, and stood stock still in a posture of deep attention. Might not the dumb beast reprove many, who have far less decency, and not much more under

standing?" This "application" of the story is what in Methodist language would be called improving the Ass. When any distinguished member of the Conuection dies, the event is improved in the next sermon, and this kind of improvement has been carried so far that a dissenting minister in Moorfields improved the Battle of Trafalgar. A sailor perhaps may entertain doubts of this,.. here then is the advertisement faithfully copied from the newspaper, and he may satisfy himself concerning the nature of the improvement by sending for the work. “ The Destruction of the Combined Fleets of France and Spain illustrated and improved from a passage in the Revelations. A sermon preached at Worship Street, Moorfields, Dec. 5, 1805, by John Evans, A. M. And the third part of the ships were destroyed.' Rev. viii. 9. "Bella horrida Bella.”

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St. Francis, who was accustomed to all

VOL. II.

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sorts of congregations, would have preached to the Rotherham Ass and the Ass would have understood him, or there is no truth in Seraphic historians. Wesley perhaps was not aware that this animal is a lover of eloquence,.. if we may reason, like Darwin, upon a single case. Ammonianus the Grammarian, Origen's master, had an ass who attended his lectures,.. asinum habuit sapientiæ auditorem, in the words of old Johannes Ravisius Textor. This is but a brief and unsatisfactory account of so remarkable a beast, and luckily Lardner (ix. 80) has found a few more particulars concerning him in Photius. It seems that John the Egyptian was more especially attracted by lectures upon poetry; and would at any time, however hungry, leave his oats to attend them. The Asses of our days are less modest; instead of listening with a proper sense of ignorance to the opinion of others, they take upon them to deliver their own, constitute themselves critics,

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