tinguished in the mob-places of Southwark and London; when the Queen's sudden death destroyed all his prospects, and at a juncture when famed preaching was the readiest road to preferment. This fatal stroke broke his spirits; he took to drinking, became a sot, and soon finished his course."

MINUTE WRITING.

THE "Iliad" of Homer, in a nut-shell, which Pliny says Cicero once saw, might have been a fact, however to some it may appear impossible.

Antiquity and modern times record many such penmen, whose merit consisted in writing in so small a hand, that what was written could not be legible to the naked eye. One wrote a verse of Homer on a grain of millet, and another, more indefatigably trifling, transcribed the whole "Iliad" in so very confined a space, that it could be enclosed even in a nut-shell.

Menage states, that he read an Italian poem in praise of the Dauphiness of France, containing some thousand verses, written by an Officer, in the space of a foot and a half.*

It is worthy of remark, that this species of "curious idling" has not been neglected in our country. About a

CORONATION OF BARABALLO.

BARABALLO, ABATE DI GAETA, who flourished in the days of Leo the Tenth, is far more famous for his inordinate vanity and ludicrous conceit, than for any real merit. He carried his stupid vanity so far as to compare his improvisations to the sonnets of Petrarch, and actually claimed the honour which that poet had received, of being crowned in the Capitol. This idea opened a fine prospect of amusements to Leo and his Court; his pretensions were acknowledged by acclamation, and it was arranged that his coronation should take place upon the festival of St. Cosmus and Damian. The Pope was so enchanted with the ludicrous anticipation of Baraballo's self-complacency, and of his utter insensibility to the real nature of the part he had to play, and of

century ago, this minute writing was a fashionable curiosity. A drawing of the Head of Charles I. is in the Library of St. John's College, Oxford: it is wholly composed of minutely written characters, which, at a small distance, resemble the lines of engraving. The lines of the head and the ruff contain the Book of Psalms, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer.

the applause he was to receive, that he determined to give every possible éclat to the farce, and assemble all Rome to witness the ridiculous exhibition. Baraballo, too, within sight of the very summit of his ambition, resolved that the ceremony should proceed with the utmost magnificence, and this inclination received every encouragement from the courtiers, who naturally concluded that the more pageantry surrounded him, the greater was their dupe.

It happened about this time that a very large elephant had been presented to Leo by the King of Portugal, and it was suggested and finally agreed, that the elephant should convey the Improvisatore to the Capitol. On the appointed day, the "Eternal City" was on the alert to catch a glimpse of the procession; every avenue to the Vatican was crowded to suffocation; elegantly dressed females, the rank and beauty of Rome, of course, decorated the windows, and the air resounded with vivas, and shouts in honour of Baraballo. He himself was betimes at the palace, from whence the cortège was to proceed, and was feasting upon the honour that awaited him, when a deputation was announced from Gaeta, where the

friends of the Abate enjoyed some consideration. The deputation was admitted to the presence of Baraballo, who received them in the costume which was worn by the triumphant generals of ancient Rome. He was clad in a garment of purple, embroidered with gold, and was surrounded by witlings, who were loading him with congratulatory mockeries.

Baraballo, elated by this new mark of attention, had begun in pompous verse to express his acknowledgements to his fellow-citizens of Gaeta, for the interest they took in his good fortune, when they interrupted him by earnest entreaties not to dishonour his family, and stamp ludicrous notoriety upon his birth-place, by exposing himself to the jests and ribaldry of Rome. This unexpected rebuff, instead of cooling the ardour of Baraballo, only roused him to exertion. He burst into a violent paroxysm of rage, vented in impromptu verse the most violent imprecations upon the deputation, which he accused of mean and sordid jealousy at the distinction he had reached, and leaving them abruptly and in anger, mounted his elephant amid the suppressed laughter of the Court and acclamations of the populace.

He had not, however, proceeded very far, before some misgivings overtook him of the honorary character of the proceedings: the jibes of the people became, at length, too unequivocal, to be mistaken-He saw through the double-entendre or the insincerity of every fresh compliment he received, and by the time he had arrived at the Ponte S. Angelo, he had become excessively impatient, and had given his attendants several indications that their fulsome flattery was offensive. Shame and mortification still chained him to his seat; and had not an impediment occurred where it was not expected, this extravagant pantomime must have been consummated. Luckily, however, for the Abate, further than the Ponte S. Angelo the elephant would not move. It seemed to have conspired with the Nine Sisters to prevent the profanation of an honour, until then only enjoyed by their darling votaries, and nothing could induce it to proceed. It was soon understood that another conveyance would be supplied to complete the burlesque; but in the midst of the hurry Baraballo had disappeared, and having doffed his triumphant robes, sneaked to his lodging.