kes his speech in the morning, and another reserves his for
the evening; a third class, either disposed to take less trouble, or,
finding it convenient to construct their speeches from fragments of the
daily orations, harangue once in two or three days; while a fourth waylay
the people in their road to visit the temples on our hebdomadal festivals.
But cast your eyes to another part of these our artificial forums, and
observe the number of small divisions which fill up the space. There are
stalls of merchandize. The ancient venders must have been noisy, and a
frequent cause of annoyance to political speakers; but here the hawkers of
wet and dry goods, the hawkers of medicine, the hawkers of personal
services, the hawkers of husbands and wives, (for among us these articles
are often cried up for sale,) and lastly, the hawkers of religions, moral,
and political wisdom, all cry out at once, without tumult or confusion, yet
so as to be heard in these days through the remotest corners of these
islands.... If a peculiarly bloody murder has been tried, or if some
domestic intrigue has produced a complicated love story, however offensive
in its details, you will find our reading crowd stationary in that quarter,
to enjoy the tragic stimulants of terror and pity. We have also a modest
corner of the square appropriated to the use of our posts; but like
Polydorus's ghost, they generally utter doleful soliloquies, which no one
will stop to hear.

_London Review._

* * * * *

BEAUTY.

It is vain to dispute about the matter; moralists may moralize, preachers
may sermonize about it as much as they please; still beauty is a most
delightful thing,--and a really lovely woman a most enchanting object to
gaze on. I am aware of all that can be said about roses fading, and cheeks
withering, and lips growing thin and pale. No one, indeed, need be ignorant
of every change which can be rung upon this peal of bells, for every one
must have heard them in every possible, and impossible, variety of
combination. Give time, and complexion will decay, and lips and cheeks will
shrink and grow wrinkled, sure enough. But it is needless to anticipate the
work of years, or to give credit to old Time for his conquests before he
has won them. The edge of his scythe does more execution than that of the
conqueror's sword: we need not add the work of fancy to _his_,--it is more
than sufficiently sure and rapid already.

_