1

Elizabeth told William of the kindness of Jacob; and it filled his heart with thankfulness.

31. And the care of Jacob was not abated. He waited on the fick man many hours every day, and helped to amuse him in his state of languor and weakness.

32. And he gave him money to procure neceffaries; and he made light of the favour, saying, " I take plea-" fure in assisting my friend in the day of his dif" tress."

33. And when the strength of William returned, he went to work, and he exerted himself as much as poffible: for he found he was now indebted to Jacob more than an hundred pieces of filver.

34. And it came to pass, that at the end of three weeks and four days from the time of his recovery, early in the morning, Jacob, with an altered countenance, called upon William.

35. And he faid unto him, Woe is me! for I am undone. David the banker, who had most of my money, is failed; - and my creditors are come up

on me.

36. Now therefore, I must intreat thee instantly to -pay that which thou owest unto me.

37. When William heard this saying, he stood motionless with horror; for he had no money, nor could he possibly raise it at the time,

38. But now, he answered, I am in health; and if thou wilt but have patience, I will give thee one half of my earnings until that the uttermost farthing shall be repaid.

39. But Jacob turned a deaf ear to his intreaty; and he ordered him to be cast into prison that very day: for he feared, that if William should be left at liberty to folicit others, he might find a friend, who would advance the money; for he was much beloved by all who knew him.

40. Now when William was shut up in prison, no one faw him, nor confidered his case; and he was allow

ed to pine there in idleness and mifery for many years.

41. And the name of William was foon forgotten by his neighbours, as if he had been dead; neither did they think of his forrowful days; but in the hour of festivity, they, regardless of his fate, still shouted, "Liberty!

Liberty! we are a free people, and no one can be at"tached among us who has not been guilty of a crime."

42. Now, when William was absent, Jacob taking advantage of the necessities of Elizabeth, prevailed on her to become his concubine; and he went in unto her, and committed adultery with her in secret, and enjoyed without disturbance, the fruits of his villany.

To be continued

SIR,

To the Editor of the Bee.

Hints to the Learned.

MR. Gerard von Papenbrock (ancien President des Echevins) at Amsterdam, is faid by Mr. Coste, the editor of Montaigne's works, to have been possessed of more than a thousand original letters of the most learned men in Europe, during the course of two centuries; which collection was reported to have been purchased some years ago by the present Empress of Russia; but on inquiry, I found that these volumes are still at Amsterdam, or in Holland.

Mr. Mutzenbecher, a very learned clergyman at Amsterdam, may perhaps be.good enough to give information to the Bee, concerning this valuable mass of Jetters, from which an useful selection might be made for the public.

Another valuable collection of letters, written by Grotius, Puffendorf, and other eminently learned mep, with notes and illustrations by Puffendorf, is to be found in the great library of the late Count de Būnau, now incorporated with the elector of Saxony's library at Dreiden.

In the Royal library at Berlin, there is a large collection of literary and political correspondence of the fixteenth and seventeenth centuries; and among the rest, several volumes of Cardinal Mazarin's letters.

The Abbé Granvelle, a descendant of the brother of Cardinal Granvelle, minister of the Emperor Charles the V. was possessed some years ago of the papers of the Cardinal, from which an useful selection might be made to illustrate Schmidt's history of Germany, and Dr. Robertson's history of Charles the V.

In the library at Breslaw, there is a fair and fine manuscript of Froiffart's history, fuiler than that which has been printed. The curators of the library of Breflaw cannot allow any manufcript to be borrowed out of their apartments; but it might be proper to have it collated, with the printed copies, and to print that which has not hitherto appeared, and mark the corrections that are found to be necessary for a new edition of Froiffart.

Mr. Bernoulli at Berlin, has a large collection of original letters of the learned, prepared for the press, with proper illustrations, which he would be willing to part with on a moderate indemnification, by any man of learning, who is disposed to publish them.

N. B. Nothing can so much contribute to the perfection of the history of the progress of the human mind, and of literature, as a judicious selection of the correfpondence of the learned,

A learned and elegant life of George Buchanan is much defiderated; and for this undertaking, there are abundant materials already printed by Ruddiman and

others.

A good history of the revival of literature in Scotland in the present century, beginning with Lord Kaimes, would be a very faleable and interesting work, if executed by a masterly hand.

L.

SIR

To the Editor of the Bee.

As, like many other Scotchmen, I have a partiality for my native country, and an an admirer of the Doric dialect, if we may so call that broad and open manner in which we pronounce the English language, I was much pleased with the first article in your fixth number, relative to Scottish Songs. The ingenious writer of that article seems to hint, that of faid dialect, there was a court and a city or country mode *. I can eafily conceive, that there might be a propriety in the mode of expreffion used by men of learning and politeness, far different from that of the unlettered vulgar. I also imagine that vulgarisms used by some of our writers, have tended to bring our dialect into difrepute: But if the gentleman would be so obliging as favour us with a specimen of elegant Scotch, such as he knows to have been in use at the time of the union, I am perfuaded it will be agreeable to many others of your readers, as well as to J. CE.

SIR,

To the Editor of the Bee.

Stockport May 16th 179.

I OBSERVED what was faid in the 14th Number of the Bee with respect to some experiments, which were thought to prove, that vegetables uniformly produce pot-ash. It was there suggested, that the foda which is obtained from the ashes of marine plants, is owing to the vegetable alkali which they contain, evolving the mineral alkali, by decompofing the fea salt with which the marine plants are impregnated.

To form as just an opinion as I could of this curious subject, I procured some barilla, and made a strong lye of it. I saturated the solution with vitriolic acid, in order to fee if it would produce vitriolated tartar; and if it did, what proportion it bore to the glauber's falt. I conducted the experiment with a confiderable degree of attention, and I obtained somewhat more than five ounces and a half of the fulphat of Soda, a few chrystals which seemed to be Epsom salt, and fome other impurities; but not one certain vestige of the fulphat of potash. I did not depend altogether upon the form of the chrystals; but I exposed them to the air, and they effloresced, which vitriolated tarar will not do; and having laid fome of the most doubtful shape upon burning coals, they did not crackle nor fly to pieces, as do the crystals of the fulphat of potash.

re

Thus, Sir, I have set before you the fult of an experiment, in making which I endeavoured to be correct; and if you please, you may lay it before the public. But I would be understood as speak ing with that diffidence, which subjects of this kind require. Moreover, barilla and kelp may be found very impure, provided they have been adulterated with the

ashes of extraneous plants.

VOL. III.