ENGLISH OBSTINACY.

CHARLES, the sixth duke of Somerset, had a great aversion to being looked at or spoken to by inferiors. His servants obeyed him by signs, and when he went into the country the roads were previously cleared. His servant one day being employed in the customary service, met a countryman driving a hog, whom he haughtily bid to "get out of the way." "Why?" said the surly rustic. "Because my lord duke is coming, and he don't like to be looked at." The countryman enraged, seized the hog by the ears, and held him up to the carriage window, exclaiming, "I wool zee him, and my pig shall zee him too."

The manager of a company of wax-work figures at Guildford; having obtained permission of the mayor to place one of the female performers on the leads of the market-house, as a lure, on the market day; a farmer who had just arrived in town, inquired of the landlord of a public house for what offence the good woman was placed in that conspicuous situation? He was told that it was for having exposed butter for sale short of weight. "By the Leard (says the farmer) perhaps my dame will be placed there too, for she is coming to market with butter." With that he turned his horse and galloped back, and having met her they both returned home, informing all their neighbours coming to Guildford, what they might expect if their butter was short of weight. Of course, the alarm spread, and the supply of the article was greatly deficient at market that day.

A story is at present in circulation, which contributes greatly to amuse the ladies and gentlemen of the haut ton. After the late investigation in the House of Commons, a certain illustrious personage was having a conversation with the lady under his protection on the subject of withdrawing the bond by which she holds her annuity, and of allowing her the sum in another way; whereupon that lady tore off the bottom of a play bill, which happened to lie on the table, and presented it to her cher ami, who on perusing the scrap, found it to contain the following laconic sentence." No money to be returned after the curtain is drawn up."

DURING the masquerade at the Pantheon, a person who entered in the character of Barber was asked what was the reason that nature had not given beards to women? when the tonsor replied, "Because they could never hold theirtongues long enough to be shaved."

AN INSULT PROPERLY RESENTED.

A performer at one of the theatres, who had been accustomed to perform the cock, in Hamlet, was so extremely mortified at being deprived of this very respectable part, that his spirit could not brook the outrage-and he accordingly abandoned the company, thus depriving them of the advantage of his extraordinary talents.

A few days since, a man charged with having committed some petty offence, was taken before the mayor of a borough in the county of Essex, who after a very patient investigation of the charge, told the prisoner that he thought there were sufficient grounds for committing him. "I'll tell you what, your lordship," replied the prisoner you "know better-you know you cant commit me." "What" exclaimed the 66 mayor, cant I-I'll bet you half a crown of that," and immediately drew the money from his breeches pocket, and threw it down upon the table.

CURIOUS ANECDOTE OF L' ABBE MOLIERE.

The abbe Moliere who had distinguished himself in France by his observations on the astronomical systems of Descartes, was so extremely simple in his manners, that taken from astronomy, he was a stranger to every thing. He was so poor that having no servant and often not even wood to make a fire, he would study in his bed, in which he would sit up with his small clothes placed upon his head by way of night cap, the legs hanging over his shouders; and thus accoutred, pursue the deepest speculations.-While writing one morning in this curious position, he heard a knock at the door. "Who is there?" cried the abbe, "come in." A person entered, whom the abbe did not notice, but continued writing, till roused by the intruder, who demanded his money. 66 Money!" sard the astonished Moliere-" yes, your money," replied the

other." O, I understand, you are a thief."—" Thief or no thief, I must have money."-"Indeed! very well, feel in this pocket," turning one leg of his small clothes towards the villain. No mohey was however to be found. "Here then," said the abbe, "take this key; go to that closet and open the third drawer in the bottom of the book case." The thief opened the second.-"Ah! leave that alone, those are my papers, dont disturb them-you'll find the money in the next."-The thief found it. "Now shut the drawer;" but the other waited not for that ceremony but betook himself to flight.-"Mr. Thief pray shut the doordiable, he has left it open; what a rascal of a thief! I must get up in the cold to shut it; deuce take him." Thus saying, the abbe jumped out of bed, shut the door, and resumed his labours.

LONGEVITY.

No part of England, perhaps is more distinguished than Whitehaven and its neighbourhood, for producing hale and vigorous old men; men, whose age (to borrow a comparison from Shakspeare), is a lusty winter, frosty but kindly.-A short time since, a knot of the above description unintentionally met at the Three Tons, in that town, not by design, but by mere casualty, they dropped in one by one; so that in the course of less than four minutes, five persons were assembled, the oldest of whom a repairer of shoes, can with wonderful promptitude read the smallest print without spectacles. After surveying each other with a look rather inquisitive than familiar, one of them was asked his age, who replied,

"My ancient friends-I'm not a last year's calf,

For I have seen three centuries and a half.

At which last words they marvelled greatly. The enigma was quickly solved, by referring to their united ages.

The years they had respectively numbered were put down as follows: 88, 72, 71, 66, 62—total 359.—These five antideluvians, with a moderation favourable to the continuance of their enjoyments, drank each of them just 14d worth of purl, and then separated, highly diverted with the interview.

The late madame Schellenberg was fondly addicted to the since fashionable practice among her own sex of riding upon donkeys. Having once newly purchased a fine male ass, she proceeded with him into the meadows. Unhappily for his rider, he perceived some she asses in the field adjoining, and began kicking up his heels with such violence, that his comely burthen was soon laid sprawling on the ground. Recovering herself from the shock, she hastened back to the palace, and entering immediately into the royal presence, recounted the particulars of her disaster, adding with considerable emotion,

"She would never ride a man ass again."

Her misuse of the terms of our language, in thus applying man where male is adopted by us, produced, as may be supposed, much merriment among her royal patrons. His majesty, in particular, is said to have laughed very heartily at hearing her pathetic resolution.

Dr. Moore, father of the late heroic Sir J. Moore, used to relate the following anecdote with great humour.-A French student of medicine lodged in the same house in London, with a man in a fever. This man was continually teased by the nurse to drink, although he nauseated the insipid liquors she offered him. At last when she was more importunate than usual, he said to her, "for God sake bring me a salt herring, and I will drink as much as you please.-The woman indulged him: he devoured the herring, drank plentifully, underwent a copious perspiration, and recovered. Whereupon the French student inserted this aphorism in his journal,

"A salt herring cures an Englishman in a fever."

On the student's return to France, he prescribed the same remedy to his first patient in a fever. The patient died:-on which the student inserted in his journal the following caveat.

"N. B.-Though a salt herring cures an Englishman, it kills a Frenchman."

THE GAME OF BACK-sword.

(With a Plate.)

Tuis month's Mirror presents our readers with an engraving taken from an excellent drawing made in England to illustrate the manly game of Back Sword, or Single stick, on which subject the following article selected from a British magazine, is given to accompany the print.

Back-sword, or Single-stick, is a game of high antiquity and the most warlike extant. When the fate of nations was principally decided in battle by the sword, it was the policy of our ancestors to render its use familiar to the bulk of the population; hence arose the courtly tournament, and the plebeian exhibitions at wakes and festivals of courage and skill, in sword and dagger, sword and potlid, cudgels, back-sword, &c. &c. The prizes for which still remain annually given in many parts: thus were formed those heroes, who carried triumphant the British standard, "o'er the vine covered hills and gay vallies of France;" and though the fire of artillery now generally rules the battle, yet the use made of the sword

imodern warfare, warrants every encouragement being given to a game, so productive of intrepidity and confidence in its use, which the practice of back-sword must, in combats of hand to hand, inspire. With a view to its more general encouragement, I send you the following rules of the game, premising that the stage should not be less than sixteen feet square, the ring of ropes from forty to fifty fect diameter.

The basket sticks to be three feet two inches in length.

The winner of most heads to carry the prize.

Should a stick break, or fall out of the hand, and the adversary, not observing, strike, and the blow so given draw blood, the head nevertheless, is not to be allowed.

No head to be allowed, except the blood runs an inch above the chin.

The umpire to decide all disputes.

The tyers to play with one another in the order they become tyers; that is, the winner of the first head to play with the winner of the second, the winner of the third with the fourth, and so on.

The first tyer being on the stage, the second is called, and if he appears not to play the first, after being repeatedly called, he