townes-men. There were alfo three fcore young men of the towne lyke Moores, and clothed in cloth of filver, with chaines about their neckes, and bracelets about their armes, fet with diamonds and other precious ftones, verie gorgeous to the eie, who went before the chariot betwixt the horsemen and it, everie one with a white staffe in his hande to keepe of the throng of people, where alfo rid the Provoft and Baileefes of the towne with foote clothes to keepe the people in good order, with most of the inhabitants in their best araie to doe the like. In this order her Grace passed on the Bow street, where was erected a table, whereupon tood a globe of the whole worlde, with a boy fitting therby, who reprefented the perfon of a King, and made her an oration, which done, he went up the Bowe, wher were caft forth a number of banketing dishes as they came by, and comming to the butter trone, there were placed nine maidens bravely arraied in cloth of filver and gold, reprefenting the nine Mufes, who fung verie fweete muficke, where a brave youth played upon the organs, which accorded excellentlie, with the finging of their pfalmes, whereat her Majeftie ftaied awhile, and thence paffed downe through, the high gate of Edinbrough, which was all decked with tapiftry from the top to the bottom: at her Graces comming to the Tolboth, there ftood on high the four vertues, as firft, Justice with the ballance in one hand and the fword of justice in the other; then Temperance, having in the one hand a cup of wine, and in the other hande a cup of water; Prudence, holding in her hand a ferpent and a dove, declaring that men ought to bee as wife as the ferpent to prevent mifchief, but as fimple as a dove eyther in wrath or malice. The laft is Fortitude, who held a broken piller in her hand, reprefenting the ftrength of a kingdome. Thus thee paffed on to the croffe, uppon the toppe whereof thee had a pfalm fung in verie good muficke before her comming to the churche, which done, her Majeftie came forth of her chariot, and was conveied unto S. Giles Church, where she heard a fermon preached by M. Robert Bruce. That ended, with praiers for her highneffe, thee was conveied againe to her chariot. Against her com ming forth, there ftood upon the top of the crofle a table covered, whereupon ftood cups of gold and filver full of wine, with the Goddeffe of Corne and Wine fitting thereat, and the corne on heapes by her, who in Latine cried that there fhould be plentie thereof in her time, and on the fide of the croffe fate the God Bacchus upon a punchion of wine, drink. ing and cafting it by cups full upon the people, befides other of the townfmen that caft apples and nuts among them, and the creffe itfelf anne claret wine upon the caulfway for the royaltie of that daie. Thence her Grace rode downe the gate to the fault trone, whereupon fate all the Kings heretofore of Scotland, cne of them lying along at their feete, as if he had bene fick, whom certain fouldiers feemed to awake at her Majefties comming: whereupon he arofe and made her an oration in Latine. Which ended, the paffed down to the neather bow, which was beautified with the marage of a King and his Queene, with all their nobilitie about them, among whom at her highness presence there arose a youth who applied the fame to the marriage of the King and herselfe, and fo blessed that marriage. Which done, there was let downe unto her from the top of the porte in a filke ftring a box covered with purple velvet, whereupon was embrodered an A. for Anna (her Majesties name) fet with diamonds and precious ftones, efteemed at twentie thoufand crownes, which the townfhippe gave for a prefent to her highness; and then, after finging of fome pialmes with verie good muficke, her Grace departed to the Abbey for that night. MEMOIRS OF SIR ANDREW MITCHELL, OF THAINSTONE, TH burgh. His father was firft one of the Minifters of Aberdeen, but after his tranflation in that country (called his fettlement, or tranfportation to Edin burgh), burgh), he married a widow lady of 1000l. a year fortune, who had an only child, a daughter, the undoubted heir thereof after her death. To make fure of the fortune, a match between the two children was concluded, and they were married in 1715, at a time when Mafter Mitchell was but eleven years of age, and young Mifs but ten. In the fourth year after their nuptials, the Lady died in child bed of her first child, an event which fo much affected him that he never married afterwards: he discontinued the ftudy of the law, for which his father intended him, applying to amusements, by the advice of friends, in order to conquer that grief, which, as was apprehended, might bring on a lownefs of fpirits. This was the original caufe of an extenfive acquaintance with the principal Noblemen and Gentlemen in North Britain, which afterwards enfued, and for attaining which he seemed to be naturally formed. Though his progrefs in the fciences was but small, yet no perfon had a greater regard for learned men; his introduction to the first clafs was owing to Lord Prefident Dalrymple, of the Court of Seffion; and that to the fecond, partly to his being univerfally known to the Clergy, and to the feveral Profelfors of the University of Edinburgh, which was, at that period, in juft repute and esteem. He was, in a particular manner, intimately acquainted with Mr. M'Laurin; and though his knowledge of Algebra and mixed quantity was but inconfide. rable, yet he employed Mr. Henderson, anno 1736, to write out a copy both of the Algebra and Treatife of Gunnery, which Mr. M'Laurin had wrote with amazing clearness and perfpicuity. By his being known to the Marquis of Tweedale and the Earl of Stair, he became Secretary to the former, on his Lordship's being appointed Minister for Scots Affairs, anno 1741: and in the beginning of 1742 he, on Lord Stair's arrival in London, put his Lordship in mind of the high regard he had always bore for Doctor Pringle (afterwards Sir John Pringle), then Profeffor of Moral Philofophy in the University of Edin. burgh. The Doctor was at his own houfe, in Stone laws-clofe, when a letter arrived from Mr. Mitchell, dated the 14th of June 1742, acquainting him that he was appointed Physician to the British Ambaffador then at the Hague. Though the Marquis of Tweedale refigned the place of Secretary of State, in confequence of the convulfions of the year 1745, yet Mr. Mitchell ftill kept in favour. He had taken care, during that memorable winter, to keep up a corre fpondence with fome eminent clergymen, and, from time to time, communicated the intelligence he received; and his affiduity was rewarded with a seat in the Houfe of Commons, anno 1747, as re prefentative for the fhire of Aberdeen. The next year, 1748, he had the fad office to perform, of attending the laft moments of his friend the celebrated James Thomson, Author of The Seafons. Two days had paffed before his relapfe was known, when Mr. Mitchell poffed down at midnight to Richmond, with Mr. Reid and Dr. Armstrong, just time enough to endure a fight of all others the moft fhocking to nature, the laft agonies of his beloved friend. Together with Lord Lyttelton, he was appointed one of Mr. Thomson's executors. In the year 1751 he was appointed his Majefty's Refident at Bruffels, where continuing two years, he, in 1753, came over to London, when he was appointed Ambaffador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at the Court of Pruffia, where, by his polite and genteel behaviour, and a previous acquaintance with Marshal Keith, he gained fo much upon the perfon of his Pruffian Majefty as to detach him from the French intereft; an event which involved the Court of France in the greatest loffes, arifing not only from vaft and uncommon fubfidies to the Courts of Vienna, Petersburgh, and Stockholm, but from the lofs of more numerous armies than ever they had been ftripped of fince the reign of Francis I. By Lord Chesterfield's letters it appears, that in 1758 he was threatened to be difplaced, but continued at the earnest request of the King of Pruffia. He generally accompanied the King through the courfe of his feveral campaigns, and on the 12th of August 1759, when the Pruffian army was totally rout ed by Count Soltikoff, the Muscovite General, he with difficulty could be prevailed upon to quit the King's tent, even while all was in confufion. By his prudent management, the late Earl Mar. thal of Scotland was introduced to the favour of his Majelty King George III. anno 1760. In 1765 he again came over to England for the recovery of his health, which was fomewhat impaired, spent fome time at Tunbridge Wells, and March 1766 again returned to Berlin, and about this time was created a Knight 0 g of THE following is copied, by permiffion, for your Magazine, from the MSS. of worthy Clergyman, many years Vicar of Newport, in the county of Monmouth, and who has been dead more than thirty years. The prejudices of the writer against a particular family have induced him to fpeak of them in terms which probably will not be affented to by the majority of your readers. I fhall only add, that the amiable Hilaria is ftill living at this place, and univerfally respected. I am, &c. Newport, May 1, 1799. THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF A PAP-SPOON. very ancient, and may be clearly traced back farther than that of Gideon the Jew, or old Cadwallader the Briton; not indeed through fuch a multitude of ancestors as you will find in Jewith and Welth genealogies, but difirguified by one noble father of celeftial origin, and one mother of the fame defcent, both brought into being at least three days before Adam. My father has been and continues to be a great traveller; he has vifited every climate, has been a most bountiful benefactor to all nations, a great promoter of their trade, and the very life and foul of their agriculture. Y family, which it may be proper niceft texture feldom lived longer than a first to give a brief account of, is year, and not one in a thousand reached that period; others, of lefs beautiful but more robust make, grew up to a majestic ftature, and many of them have lived to the age of four core or an hundred years, well known and efteemed in their lives; and, when they were cut off by death, their remains were the most effectual amulets or charms against inclement skies, tempeftuous feas, or even inftruments of 'death in the hands of enemies. Others of their defcendants (in which rank I must reckon myfelf) were of a conititution ftill more durable, but lefs confpicuous in the world, ufually leading the life of an hermit in obfcure caves and grottoes. It was my fortune to be born in a cave on the warm fide of the mountains of Potofi; here I remained unknown till the avarice and ambition of the Spaniards urged them to acquire by violence this rich fpot; by them I was foon dragged from my retirement, and forced to appear and be converfant with men. Spanish education was then employed to purge away what was locked upon as the drois and dregs of my nature; I was in fhort refined, but whether for my own or the public benefit is a question I cannot determine; for I am hereby made capable of ferving or injuring mankind according My mother, being nearly of the fame age, and of the fame divine original with my father, naturally attracted his particular regard. He made his addreffes to her with the greateft affiduity and warmth, and the foon became enamoured of his converfation, and found her own charms increated by his carefles. This circumftance of courte produced the ftri&teft union between them. The fruits and pledges of their love were numerous and beautiful, but of very different conftitutions. Thole among them of the most blooming appearance and according to the difpofition of my mafter. Neither my father or mother attempted to rescue me out of the hands of the Spaniards, who foon fold me as a flave to an English merchant; he carried me to England, where I arrived in the beginning of the reign of Henry the Eighth. Before I proceed in my hiftory, it is necellary to obferve, that a certain Deity had given a power to whomfoever fhould become mafter of me, or any of my brothers, to compel us to appear in what hape he pleased; our fubitance, and the ftamina of our conftitution, were ftill of the fame kind, though ufually leffened in quantity under every new form we were compelled to affume, and all the felf-confcioufnefs and memory we were at any time endued with till continued the fame; we were all obliged to aniwer the purpose and affume the manners, whether noble or bafe, of the form we were; fome of us conftantly were employed in relieving the diftreffed, or rewarding the deferving; others in tyranny and oppreffion, corrupting virgins, and diftreffing orphans. My firft English mafter fold me to an eminent filversmith, in London; he made me affume the fhape of a magnificent caudle-cup, and under that form I was introduced to Court, and ferved in my proper capacity at the birth and chriftening of Queen Elizabeth of glorious memory. In this capacity I administered much comfort to the Maids of Honour and other Ladies who attended the Court on this occafion, particularly to the old Duchefs of Norfolk, who, taking a particular affection to me, carried me, by her Royal Matter's leave, to her feat in Nottinghamshire. Here I was placed in her dreifing room, and found myself more conitantly employed than her beads or her mais book. From her I paffed into the fervice of her defcendant Henry Earl of Surry, and was by him obliged to wear as a badge the arms of England quartered with thofe of the Howards. This circumftance occafioned a great change both to my matter and myself; it is well known that it coft him his head, and i was obliged to appear in a fhape perfectly new, but not without fome diminution of my fubftance. I was again fold into mechanic hands, and formed into a small bafon for the reception of alms in a parish church near the Court. Many were the bafe hillings and fixpences I received, and I very well remember the parish prieft often dropped his own half-crown into the collection, by way of encouragement, and put it in his pocket again before he diftributed the money. In this office I continued during the reign of Edward the Sixth, Queen Mary, and great part of Queen Elizabeth; but, upon the enacting of laws for providing for the poor, charity was no longer thought neceffary; I was therefore kept quiet fome time in the parish church, where, growing rufty and tainted, it was thought lefs trouble to new form than to clean me, and I at length became the tobacco-box of that famous ftatesman and foldier Sir Walter Raleigh. I was witnefs to the furprize of his fervant, when the Knight emitted from his mouth the fragrant fumes of this falutary herb, as it is recorded in the renowned Author of Laugh and be fat, and others of equal fame; and, ever fince my appearing in this hape and ftation, tobacco has been a help to dif courte, the fupport of politics, and the promoter of drinking and good fellowfhip. After the execution of Sir Walter, I lay concealed during the remainder of the reign of James the First in the poffeffion of an antiquated virgin relation of Sir Nicholas Throgmorton, whofe daughter the great Raleigh had married. She had the fatisfaction to keep me in her poffeffion till the enjoyed the fweet revenge of lighting her own pipe, in her feventieth year, with his facred Majesty's Counterblaft to Tobacco. At her death, which happened during the protectorship of Cromwell, I fell into the hands of a noble Royalift; I long administered fuel to his pipe, and made my attachment to the royal family appear, by causing all the afliftance this noble Cavalier gave the King, which was drinking his health. But as loyalty was then a starving virtue, I fell a facrifice to my mafter's neceffities, who parted with me for fome ready money to the famous fanatic preacher, Hugh Peters. This Man of God kept me but a short time; for, at a charitable vilit to an hofier's widow in Cheapfide, the good matron accepted of me as a compenfation for fuch favours as the declared the would bestow upon none but a preacher fo largely and eminently gifted; however, the foon gave me to her journeyman, a tall Irifhman, who repeated to her at night the good lessons she learned by day at the conventicle, to her great contentment. My new mafter, at the Restoration, having made bold with part of the widow's plate, which formerly belonged to a Cavalier, retired to Holland, and and fold me with the rest of his trinkets to a Burgomafter of Rotterdamn. This Dutchman thought it prudent to give me a new form to conceal from whence he had me. I then appeared as a small but elegant filver ink-iland, and to my mortification was constantly made fubfervient to my mafer's avaricious purpos, and was witness to a thousand of his fecret frauds and forgeries. Here I was obferved by Dr. Burnet, afterwards the famous Bifhop of Salisbury; he purchafed me, and, in the latter end of the reign of that unhappy Monarch James the Second, I furnished the prelate with materials for writing feveral Letters concerning the Revolution which foon followed, and for his Hiftory of his own Times; and therefore I fuppofe I had as much merit both in the Revolution and History as his Lordship; but all the while I was in his poffeffion, the propenfity to lying and forgery, contracted in Holland, ftill adhered to me. At his death, in the year 1714, I fell into the hands of a Portuguefe Lady, a favourite of Mr. Thomas, afterwards Judge Burnet, the Bishop's fon. She, though naturally a lady of great veracity, felt within her a ftrange propenfity to lying and forgery as often as the dipped her pen in my ink. She therefore judged naturally enough that he could difpofe of me to great advantage at Briftol, at the office of a Weft India Merchant or a City Scrivener. I was accordingly of fered to several, but I was there found to be a mere drug; the Briftolians were perfect in the art I suggested, and needed no affistance. I was therefore fold for a trifle to a filversmith, who melted me down, and converted me into a form which I fhall always remember with pleafure, that of a Pap Spoon. I was foon difpofed of to a good old Welfh Lady, who gave me as a prefent to the mother of Hilaria, an amiable infant. In this new fhape and service I instantly recovered my virtuous difpofition, and was happy in obferving how I contributed to the increase of the infant charms of Hilaria; how her beauty increased with her growth, and the buds of numberless virtues daily unfolded themselves in her mind: in fhort, it was my adminiftering fubfiftence to her that gave birth to thofe perfections of body and mind the now poffeffes. The happiness I enjoyed in this flation was the most complete I had known from the time of my firft leaving my native retirement at Potofi, and was greater than even that retirement could afford me; for here I had the fatisfaction of feeing my existence eminently useful. Hilaria is now admired by all but the fullen and the four. She has an inexhauftible fund of chearfulness without levity, of good-nature without weakness, of piety without morofenefs, and of cha rity without favour to view. She is a dutiful daughter, an affectionate fifter, a fincere friend, an agreeable companion. How great foever the virtues of the man who marries Hilaria may be, they will be more than equalled, and rewarded beyond their deferving by her fuperior endowments. The rest of my hiftory may be difpatched in a few words: I was lately broke in pieces by the careleffness of Hilaria's maid, and was then bartered away for fix filver tea spoons. I am now in the clofe cuftody of a travelling Jew. My future life must be determined as the fates fall decree; happy, however, in this reflection, that I have had as much merit as could fall to any being of the longest exiftence, by contributing for a few years to the fupport or convenience of Hilaria. |