incidentally states in the passage, part of which is selected as a specimen, that while he is writing (Dum hæc scribo, &c.) the large and splendid Camera convenalis in the royal palace at Westminster was in flames, and would soon be totally destroyed, "to the great loss and detriment of his majesty the king," &c. &c. The next three specimens illustrate the state of the art as exhibited in female correspondence on the Continent at this time; each example shewing an evident approach to the long, and leaning, zig-zag manner, so usual in feminine epistles of the present day. The first is from a letter of Anne of Austria, dated St. Germains, Feb. 27, 1638, signed Anne, and now in the Bibliothèque Nationale (Plate XXVI. No. 2). The second is from Christina, the eccentric Queen of Sweden, dated from Bruxelles, in the year 1656; it is in a very dashing, free hand, though far from what would now be termed elegant (Plate XXVI. No. 5). The third is from a letter of the queen of letter-writers, Madame de Sevigné;* the example from which it is taken is not one of those witty and entertaining compositions which have rendered her name as celebrated as that of Horace Walpole in epistolary composition, but merely an affectionate effusion to her daughter Madame de Grignan, abounding in such phrases as "vous êtes pour moi toutes choses;" and "jamais on n'a été aimé comme je vous aime," &c. &c. It is without date, except Sept. 27; and was probably written about 1670. To retrace our steps from this brief digression on feminine penmanship. The next specimen, following in chronological order after that of Camden, is a portion of a letter of Cromwell, which has more of the ancient Gothic character about it than is usual at this period; suggesting perhaps that kind of puritanic or dogmatic firmness which was of the age and of the man. The passage is a characteristic one, and stands thus: "Reade and expound the Scriptures." It is from a letter dated Jan. 10, 1643, from the Congreve Collection (Plate XXVI. No. 4). The following example, from a letter of the unfortunate Charles I.† to his sister, the Princess Palatine, is written in a free, open style, which does not at all shadow forth the vacillating and undefined character of its author. It is dated Theobalds, Jan. 18, and no other date (Plate XXVI. No. 3). The handwriting of Boileau, the celebrated French satiric poet, forms a striking contrast to that of his contemporary and compatriot, Madame de Sevigné. It exhibits the close, neat manner adopted by many careful authors of that and subsequent periods, probably from the habit of writing for the press. The specimen is from a letter to Racine (Plate XXVI. No. 7). Our last specimen of the writing of the seventeenth century is a line from a letter of Charles XII. of Sweden to the Duchess of Holstein, which appearst o have been written towards its close. The style of writing is as impetuous as * Died 1696. Born 1600; executed 1649. the character of its author, and the result nearly as unsuccessful as that of the battle of Pultowa; for it is blotted, dashed, and corrected all over; and inmost parts remains illegible notwithstanding. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. Our first example of the writing of this epoch is from a letter of Marlborough, dated Ronsslaer, June 1, 1706, thanking Lord for his congratulations on the success of the campaign (Pl. XXVII. No. 1). The hand is remarkably bold and clear, strongly contrasting with that of his distinguished contemporary Addison, the author of the Spectator, &c., which appears mean and indistinct; and it is seldom better than the specimen in Plate XXVII. A passage from a letter of Bolingbroke of the same epoch (Plate XXVII. No. 3) is a contrast to both, being much more free, and in a larger manner than that of Addison, but less marked and determined than that of Marlborough. The letter is in French, and addressed to the Abbé Dubois. It will be interesting to pass from these specimens of the handwriting of eminent Englishmen to that of a no less eminent Frenchman; and a passage from a letter of the celebrated naturalist Buffon will furnish an example (Plate XXVII. No. 4). It is from a letter dated January 4, 1730, on the subject of the vacancy of the office of keeper of the Jardin du Roi, an appointment, which, in fact, he soon after received. It is quite a French hand, and not unlike the more ordinary French writing of the present day. As an example of the handwriting of an English literary man of this epoch, I have selected a passage from a note written by Alexander Pope at Twickenham, towards the close of his career, in 1744 (Plate XXVII. No. 5). The two next specimens are from letters of somewhat later date, both written in the same year by the two great rivals in French literature, Rousseau and Voltaire, during the latter half of the eighteenth century. The letter of Rousseau from which the specimen (Plate XXVII. No. 6) is taken is addressed to Madame d'Houdetot, and dated L'Ermitage, 14 November, 1757. It is full of passionate and poetic writing. The passage selected, when complete, reads "La sérénité ne rentre pas dans l'âme aussitôt que la douleur," in reference to an explanation by Madame d'Houdetot, which failed to remove a painful impression that he had received from a former communication. The letter of Voltaire, from which my example is taken, is addressed to the Duc de Richelieu, whom he begs, should he enter Gotha with his army of 30,000 men, to commit "le moins de mal possible" for the sake of "his adored Duchess of Gotha." The bold handwriting of the next specimen (Plate XXVII. No. 8) is from a note of Catherine of Russia, dated Calexowna, July 23, 1773, referring to a scientific work by Carbonier, which she criticises. A characteristic letter of Washington, the founder of American freedom, furnishes our next specimen; it is dated, "Head Quarters, September 6, 1788." Though written in English, it is addressed to M. Dumat, Aide-de-camp to the |