iament, I would have done the office of a just king, and out
of parliament have punished them as severely, and peradventure more,
than ye now intend to do. But now that they are discovered to me in
parliament, I shall be as ready in this way as I should have been in
the other. For, I confess, I am ashamed--these things proving so as
they are generally reported to be--that it was not my good-fortune to
be the only author of the reformation and punishment of them, by some
ordinary course of justice.'

Parliament, however, wisely kept the matter in its own hands, and
immediately passed one of the most remarkable laws in the
statute-book. This was no other than the act of 1623, establishing our
system of patents for inventions. The original and main object of this
act, was to take from the crown the power of granting monopolies. An
exception was introduced, which is supposed to be owing to the
enlightened foresight of Bacon, authorising the crown to grant for a
limited period monopolies to inventors.

This law did not extend to Scotland until the Union; and hence it is,
that in the High Street we have at this day in existence a patent of
the reign of Charles I.

FOOTNOTES:

[4] _Parliamentary History_, 1601.

A VENETIAN ADVENTURE OF YESTERDAY.

I was induced last summer to do rather a foolish thing for a
middle-aged spinster--I undertook to chaperon a volatile young niece
upon a continental tour. We travelled the usual course up the Rhine
into Switzerland, which we enjoyed rapturously. Then passing the Alps,
we spent a few days at Milan, and next proceeded to Verona. In all
this journey, nothing occurred to mar our English frankness, or
disturb our good-humour. We beheld, indeed, the subjection of the
Lombardese people with pain. Still, it was no business of ours; and I
may as well candidly state that, to the best of my recollection, we
gave exceedingly little thought to the subject.

At Verona, the romance of Claudia's character found some scope. She
raved at the so-called tomb of Juliet, was never tired of rambling
among the ruins of the Roman amphitheatre, and made herself ill with
the fresh figs and grapes presented in such abundance in the
picturesque old market-place. I confess I should as soon have dreamed
of danger from some ancient volcano of the Alps, as from the political
system of the country which we were traversing. Indeed, it never could
have occurred to us that a quiet lady of a certain age,