first of September, the building is a perfect vacuum,- -a deserted cholera-hospital, sir; for the Fellows of this college, after they 've taken the trouble to take a degree, never take anything else, except when they take wine with each other, when they're taking their whack out of a bottle of claret, or taking their leaves after they 've taken their stipends, and occasionally they take a cold.-D'ye take me, Sir?" I responded, of course, to the Master's jocosity: "When do the jokes of a great man ever fall upon a deaf ear?" and so ended my interview with this dignitary. I returned in triumph to my rooms, with the treasure under my arm, jostling into the gutter a shady-looking bachelor in a white hat, immersed in a Fellowship examination paper, and a college Tutor, who was walking down Trumpington Street, smiling at the lamp-posts. An unfortunate bedmaker was the next victim of my wrath, which attained its maximum in a kick to a poor animal of the dog species, which, despite threats on the parts of the college authorities, had been for some three terms snugly domesticated in my rooms. Now was the time for the grand projection, the liquid was applied, "Joy, joy for ever, my task is done, The MSS. cleaned, and Niebuhr done." The under-writing appeared beautiful and distinct. Here is a specimen of it. [It must be premised that the spaces which appear unfilled arise from the sporting propensities of the guardians of the library, and that in the original MS. these are of a circular form, the undoubted result of a gun-punch.] The Latin, as all scholars will perceive at a glance, is of the most early date: clearly as old as that of the song of the Fratres Ambarvales, or agricultural society. I found that my first glance set to rest one of the problems of classical antiquity. The treasure was neither more nor less than a Roman Newspaper. I had first cleaned what must have been a part devoted to the Sporting intelligence. The paragraph was in Uncial, or (for the benefit of the vulgar) Capital letters, and ran thus: ALBÆ. ROMVL SVBS (gunwad) TIO. ERIT. This is, evidently, if written correctly with the blanks filled up, "Alba Romuli subscriptiva venatio erit pridie kalendas Junii" (the last word admits of dispute.) We should interpret the whole advertisement thus:-" The Royal Subscription Pack will throw off at Alba, May 30th, unless the weather prove 'vet';" or, again, the last word may have this signification, that "heavy vet (in later times called Cerevisium,) would be provided for the sportsmen. Again, it may be a caution similar to those appended to such notices in our own days,"Ware-wheat," equivalent to "Take care not to ride over the young wheat." The dreadful outrage perpetrated by the Fellows of Corpus has forbidden that this point should ever be set at rest. The whole advertisement is remarkable for many reasons, but chiefly for these ; First, if Romulus kept a subscription pack of hounds, the fair inference is that such a person existed; secondly, if the pack were a subscription-pack, it clearly shows that there must have been certain well-defined relations, even then existing between the several orders of the state, that whilst gentlemanly recreations were studiously promoted by this wise king, the rights of the citizen and the farmer were as carefully respected. The conduct of our William I. and Romulus present some striking analogies and contrasts, which, with certain following advertisements, will go far to prove the existence of game-laws amongst the ancient Romans. Before proceeding, I will mention to my readers that it is not my intention to present them with any more examples of the newspaper in the uncial character: I shall merely give the substance in English, quoting the Latin where there seems any obscurity. Any gentleman who wishes to follow the subject out further, need only apply to Mr. Bentley, who will at once gratify him with a sight of facsimiles of the original MSS. But we will pass rapidly over the comparatively uninteresting advertising-sheet, and go at once to the "leading article," which we discovered in the next MS. to which we applied the "Albolutrum." We call it "the leading article," as, from the enlarged characters, and conceited tone of the writer, it evidently proceeded from the pen of one who filled a post corresponding to that of "editor" of one of our own journals. It was a vigorous appeal to the Roman public on the important subject of the mode to be adopted of propagating their name and lineage by means of matrimony. It commenced "POP. ROM." evidently meaning "Roman people!" and proceeded in the nervous terms which we subjoin, freely translated. "With regard to the Society for the Propagation of the Roman name,' we would direct the attention of our readers to an article in our first page. We cannot suppose them to be ignorant of the object of that society,-sensible as they must be at every moment of the want which it proposes to remedy. There are other wants, which may not be felt at all times, by all ages, nor in all places; but the female sex rear our youth, delight our age, adorn our prosperity, cheer our adversity. delight us when at home, give us no trouble when abroad, spend the night with us, travel with us, rusticate (or perhaps we should say, are rusticated).” Here we must pause a moment to draw some important inferences. Our readers will already, the learned at least amongst them, have detected the impudent plagiarism of Cicero in his celebrated apostrophe to literature in the oration for Archias the poet. It is word for word taken from this passage, substituting "literature" for "wives," and begins (for those who choose to refer to the passage), "Nam cæteræ neque temporum sunt neque ætatum omnium neque locorum," &c. This is in accordance with what one might have expected from Cicero, that greatest literary humbug of antiquity, that Dionysius Lardner of old Rome, who never signed his name to a familiar twopenny-post communication to Athens, without attaching to it an alphabetical chaos of literary and scientific titles. The second, and perhaps more important inference, connected with this extraordinary extract, is as follows:-If men were rusticated (and "rusticantur" is the word) in the days of Romulus, whence were they rusticated? From Universities! The conclusion is inevitable that there were Universities in ancient Rome! and more, that these Universities were unfettered by the monkish restrictions, which, in one point at least, turn our own into Trappist monasteries,-where female foot may never tread,-for bed-makers, if women they must be called, certainly deserve to be ranked as a separate species. The Roman undergraduate we see, when from the consequence of youthful indiscretion he was obliged for a while to quit his bowers of Academe, might still find solace in the arms of a loving wife, -if the young man, amid that general dearth, was fortunate enough to have one. This example we strongly press upon the notice of Heads of colleges, and all bearing authority in our own venerated Universities. -We proceed with our extracts. - "For although we ourselves can never get at comforts of this sort, nor taste the reality of these blessings, yet we cannot help envying our neighbours when we see them thus enjoying themselves, we cannot, I repeat it, refrain from comparing the forlorn state of Rome with the domestic felicity of surrounding nations. What, we say,―(and we yould carefully be understood not to reflect upon a certain [nescio quis] personage)-what can be the meaning of this? how long are we to writhe with grace, and groan in harmony? Rumours have reached us that an embassy has been despatched to the Sabines — we will be there. In the mean time, let petitions be drawn up,-let the people rise as one man, and sign his name. If any gentleman should happen to be without that convenience, or be, from an unhappy want of education, unable to go through with the ceremony, (if such a thing be possible in this free and enlightened city,) let him in the second case append his mark, in the first, let him speedily be christened (arrogetur,' perhaps get himself into some family as a parish apprentice). For those who will do neither, let them go hang (abeant in malam crucem). Again we repeat it, petition, petition, petition!" From the style and tone of the article, we should judge the writer to be an Irishman. Let not the unlearned reader start. General Vallancy has satisfactorily shown that in those early times there was a connection between Ireland and Phoenicia; and we ourselves are in a state to prove, from certain facts which we have brought to light in our investigation of the Corpus MSS. that the connection between Rome and Phoenicia was no less intimate. From these extracts, it is evident that the theories of Niebuhr are false ab initio. Here is Romulus, or at any rate here are his hounds; here is the dearth of women, which led that great king to plan the Sabine Abduction; here are important facts upon education, implying at the same time a high degree of civilization amongst the refugees, the tenants of the asylum for the destitute, from whence Rome took her first beginnings; here, in a word, is a free press, a journal, with an Irishman at the head of it, in the reign of a powerful monarch, whose very existence this ignorant German has denied. To the smallest particular the newspaper resembles our own, even in point of arrangement. We find Triremes advertised, at the head of the first column, as about to sail for Corcyra; the closing line announces that it will be high water at the Sublician bridge at five-and-twenty minutes after eleven A.M.—I will proceed with extracts of more importance. Pass we to the Police report. [Facts again.] "Three young men, of gentlemanlike and prepossessing exterior, were yesterday morning (the 10th kalends of May) brought before the honourable the city prætor, charged with being drunk and disorderly on the night preceding, on the stairs of the Capitol, after the clock had struck twelve. The prisoners gave their names as Fabius, Lartius, and Manlius. This last individual, it will be remembered, was brought up, on a similar charge, some little time ago. The Lictor deposed in evidence, that as he was going his usual rounds to see if any person was troubling the city after the day's festival, he heard an unusual sound near the Capitol, and going up, he found the prisoners in a singular posture, flinging stones to the best of their ability. Here the defendants were observed to smile. The Lictor then went on to state, that the prisoners were standing on the stairs of the Capitol, stooping forward, and casting stones from between their legs. The Prator asked if he had anything more to add to his statement; he replied in the negative. The prisoners were then called on for their defence. Fabius, who was the spokesman of the party, said, that he and his companions could certainly not deny the fact; but they based their defence on another ground, namely, that the flinging of stones at that hour, and for the purposes which they had in view, could in no way be construed into a statutable offence. "PRÆTOR. On what grounds do you justify it? "FABIUS. It can scarcely be unknown to your lordship that the Roman name is likely to perish for ever from the face of the earth. "PRÆTOR. Has the man seen a Nymph?-What has this to do with the question in hand? "FABIUS. Everything, O judge! If you will but grant me a patient hearing I will proceed to explain. My companions and I were trying like Deucalion and Pyrrha, to renew the human race. "The Magistrate was here about to address the prisoners in a violent strain of invective, for daring to insult the bench with a legend which, in his idea, had never existed; but the clerk arose from his seat, and entreated a moment's consultation with him. In a few minutes he proceeded, I cannot, O accused, deny the truth of the tale which you have just given voice to. But by your conduct, you either intended to call the policy of the government in question, an affair of no small moment in a newly-born city,-or, taking the milder view of the question,-you must all three have been intoxicated at the time.' The defendants admitted the justice of the remark. "PRÆTOR. You, then, O Fabius and Lartius, I fine in five asses apiece, or, in default of payment, adjudge you to a fortnight's hard labour at the Mill. But on Manlius rests a heavier stain. How long, O Manlius, wilt thou abuse our patience? How long shall this madness of thine escape unpunished? When will this unbridled boldness of thine come to an end? What, then-does not the watch nightly sit at the Capitol? Does not the police of the city,-does not the fear of the people, - do not the devoted meetings of the sober citizens, does not this very spot on which my chair rests, guarded as it is by an efficient police, -do none, I say, of these things make you blush, and lose your countenance?-With all these omens about you, with the city flourishing as it does, has it never occurred to your mind that you are ruining your constitution, disgusting your friends, and leading your associates to destruction. I fine you in ten asses, and, in default of payment, adjudge you to one month's hard labour. And let me warn you, that if you persist in your dissolute course, I will no longer permit you to escape by the payment of a sum of money." Thus ends this interesting trial. I may perhaps, if this paper should attract the notice which from these valuable extracts it deserves, proceed with them, before laying the whole in a more compendious form before the world. For the information of the curious, I may as well mention that the MS. alluded to is marked H. U. M. in the Corpus Library. 158 THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER. DURING the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself as the shades of the evening drew on within view of the melancholy House of Usher. I know not how it was-but, with the first glimpse of the building a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit. I say insufferable; for the feeling was unrelieved by any of that half-pleasurable, because poetic, sentiment, with which the mind usually receives even the sternest natural images of the desolate or terrible. I looked upon the scene before me- upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain- upon the bleak walls— upon the vacant eye-like windows-upon a few rank sedges-and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees-with an utter depression of soul, which I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to the after-dream of the reveller upon opium-the bitter lapse into common life-the hideous dropping off of the veil. There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart,-an unredeemed dreariness of thought, which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime. What was it-I paused to thinkwhat was it that so unnerved me in the contemplation of the House of Usher? It was a mystery all insoluble; nor could I grapple with the shadowy fancies that crowded upon me as I pondered. I was forced to fall back upon the unsatisfactory conclusion, that while, beyond doubt, there are combinations of very simple natural objects which have the power of thus affecting us, still the reason and the analysis of this power lie among considerations beyond our depth. It was possible, I reflected, that a mere different arrangement of the particulars of the scene, of the details of the picture, would be sufficient to modify, or perhaps to annihilate its capacity for sorrowful impression; and, acting upon this idea, I reined my horse to the precipitous brink of a black and lurid tarn, that lay in unruffled lustre by the dwelling, and gazed down-but with a shudder even more thrilling than before upon the re-modelled and inverted images of the grey sedge, and the ghastly tree-stems, and the vacant and eye-like windows. The Nevertheless, in this mansion of gloom I now proposed to myself a sojourn of some weeks. Its proprietor, Roderick Usher, had been one of my boon companions in boyhood; but many years had elapsed since our last meeting. A letter, however, had lately reached me in a distant part of the country. a letter from him- which, in its wildly importunate nature, had admitted of no other than a personal reply. The MS. gave evidence of nervous agitation. writer spoke of acute bodily illness; of a pitiable mental idiosyncrasy which oppressed him; and of an earnest desire to see me, as his best, and indeed his only personal friend, with a view of attempting, by the cheerfulness of my society, some alleviation of his malady. It was the manner in which all this, and much more, was said—it was the apparent heart that went with his request-which |