che.]

"The specimens which came in the reign of James I.,
southward, did not command much respect or admiration from
our countrymen; indeed they were the bulls at which every
satirist hurled his shafts, and blunt must have been that
one which did not pierce some potent folly of language or
manner. The town rang with anecdotes of their rags, beggary,
and quarrels; ballad-singers made merry at their expense,
and the stage resounded with uncomplimentary allusions.
Indeed, in one of the most popular plays of that period, the
king himself was not spared, and the actors (Ben Jonson
among them) had very nearly lost their ears for their
boldness. Nor was it at least for a hundred and fifty years
after this period that the Scotch became noted for that
enterprise and talent which now distinguish them.

"We do not deny that the union may have developed their
traits, but it is clear that within that time snuff had
become a national stimulant. To the observer of men and
manners there is something very characteristic in the
various fashions in which the pinch of snuff is taken. 'The
exercise of the snuff-box,' as it was once termed, was an
acknowledged science, but few were the great proficients who
could mutely express their feelings by its aid. We have not
space to run through all its exercise, but we may mention
the 'pinch military,' which Frederick, and after him,
Napoleon practiced inhaling snuff copiously, and with much
waste, as though it were human life they were throwing away;
the 'pinch malicious,' of which Pope was perfect master; the
'pinch dictatorial,' which burly Jonson established; the
'pinch sublimely contemptuous,' such as Reynolds took when
some travelling virtuoso hinted at excellence away from
Leicester-square, and ruffled his complacent vanity; and,
above all, the 'pinch polite,' which Talleyrand understood
so well.

"From snuff to sneezing is but a step, which we purpose
taking before we bring this cursory article to a close. The
act of sneezing appears to have been variously regarded at
various stages of the world's history, but from the earliest
times of which we have any authentic record, it has been the
customs of those around to give vent to a short benediction
immediately upon its commission. The Robbi