And yet the almond-oil she had tried,
And fifty infallible things beside,
Hot, and cold, and thick, and thin,
Dabb'd, and dribbled, and squirted in ;

But all remedies fail'd; and though some it was clear
(Like the brandy and salt

We now exalt)

Had made a noise in the public ear,

She was just as deaf as ever, poor dear!

At last-one very fine day in June-
Suppose her sitting,

Busily knitting,

And humming she did'nt quite know what tune;
For nothing she heard but a sort of a whizz,
Which unless the sound of the circulation,
Or of Thoughts in the process of fabrication,
By a Spinning-Jennyish operation,
It's hard to say what buzzing it is.
However, except that ghost of a sound,
She sat in a silence most profound-
The cat was purring about the mat,
But her Mistress heard no more of that,
Than if it had been a boatswain's cat:
And as for the clock the moments nicking,
The Dame only gave it credit for ticking.
The bark of her dog she did not catch;
Nor yet the click of the lifted latch;
Nor yet the creak of the opening door;
Nor yet the fall of a foot on the floor-

But she saw the shadow that crept on her gown
And turned its skirt of a darker brown.

And lo! a man!-a pedlar? ay, marry,

With the little back-shop that such tradesmen carry,
Stock'd with brooches, ribbons, and rings,

Spectacles, razors, and other odd things,
For lad and lass, as Autolycus sings;

A chapman for goodness and cheapness of ware,
Held a fair dealer enough at a fair;
But deem'd a piratical sort of invader
By him we dub the "regular trader,"
Who luring the passengers in as they pass

By lamps, gay pannels, and mouldings of brass,
And windows with only one huge pane of glass,

And his name in gilt characters, German or Roman,
If he is'nt a Pedlar, at least is a Showman!

However, in the stranger came,

And, the moment he met the eyes of the Dame,
Threw her as knowing a nod as though,
He had known her fifty long years ago,

And presto! before she could utter "Jack"-
Much less Robinson-open'd his pack—

And then from amongst his portable gear,

With even more than a pedlar's tact,-
(Slick himself might have envied the act)—
Before she had time to be deaf, in fact-
Popp'd a trumpet into her ear.

"There, ma'am ! try it!

You needn't buy it—

The last New Patent—and nothing comes nigh it
For affording the Deaf, at little expense,
The sense of hearing, and hearing of sense!
A Real Blessing-and no mistake,
Invented for poor Humanity's sake ;
For what can be a greater privation
Than playing Dumby to all creation.
And only looking to conversation-
Great Philosophers talking like Platos,
· And Members of Parliament moral as Catos,
And your ears as dull as waxy potatoes!
Not to name the mischievous quizzers
Sharp as knives but double as scissors,
That get you to answer quite by guess
Yes for No, and No for Yes."

("That's very true," says Dame Eleanor S.)

"Try it again! No harm in trying—
I'm sure you'll find it worth your buying,
A little practice-that is all-

And you'll hear a whisper, however small,
Through an Act of Parliament party-wall,—
Ev'ry syllable clear as day,

And even what people are going to say—
I wouldn't tell a lie, I wouldn't,

But my Trumpets have heard what Solomon's couldn't.

And as for Scott he promises fine,

But can he warrant his horns like mine

Never to hear what a Lady shouldn't

Only a guinea-and can't take less."

("That's very dear," says Dame Eleanor S.)

"Dear!-O dear, to call it dear!

Why it isn't a horn you buy but an ear`:

Only think, and you'll find on reflection,

You're bargaining, ma'am, for the Voice of Affection;

For the language of Wisdcm, and Virtue, and Truth,

And the sweet little innocent prattle of youth:

Not to mention the striking of clocks

Cackle of hens-crowing of cocks—

Lowing of cow, and bull, and ox

Bleating of pretty pastoral flocks

Murmur of waterfall over the rocks-
Ev'ry sound that Echo mocks-

Vocals, fiddles, and musical-box

And zounds! to call such a concert dear!

But I mustn't swear with my horn in your ear.

Why in buying that Trumpet you buy all those

That Harper, or any trumpeter blows

At the Queen's Levees, or the Lord Mayor's Shows,

At least as far as the music goes,

Including the wonderful lively sound,

Or the one-key'd bugles all the year round

Come-suppose we call it a pound!"

[Further hearing postponed till next Term.]

LITERATURE OF THE MONTH.

THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS.*

THE more we learn of the manners and customs of this ingenious and extraordinary people, the more does our interest in them increase. A very natural result, for independently of the religious and historical associations connected with them, whatever adds to our information must increase our admiration of their intelligence and refinement. Compared with cotemporary nations of which we have any satisfactory records, they appear immeasurably superior; for, besides possessing a degree of mechanical skill no other people approached, they exhibited many purely intellectual acquirements, such as with all the scientific advantages of the present day, the moderns find it difficult to rival. Whether we turn to their mere arrangements for subsistence, or the deepest of their theological mysteries, we shall find the most convincing evidences of high capacity. Their obscure and elaborate system of religion is the natural result of strong powers of understanding, studying without proper guides the marvellous philosophy of nature. The separation and conjunction of matter with spirit, and the obligations of man to his Creator, Benefactor, and Judge, were subjects for the most profound and intricate speculations; but not having the light of revelation to assist them, it is not singular that the Egyptian sages should have lost themselves in inextricable confusion. Their explanations became darker than the mysteries they had vainly endeavoured to explore, and they spared no labour to advance in the most difficult paths of knowledge, yet were only tracing the windings of a maze of their own creating, which however close it might seem to what they sought, never went beyond a proscribed circle, as far from it as hope from despair. This philosophy, profitless as it was, became a monopoly of the priests, who succeeded in making it an engine for the exercise of the most absolute power over every other class of their fellow men—a rule that kept both mind and body in a like state of thorough subjection. It is owing to the unceasing watchfulness of these severe custodians of knowledge, that the intelligence of the ancient Egyptians remained for so many ages wrapped in impenetrable obscurity. The mystical character of their learning had, however, a powerful influence on all foreign nations who were allowed opportunities of studying it; and signs of this, not to be mistaken, were exhibited by the Jews and Greeks, and a few other distinct races: these were transmitted to others, comparatively modern, with certain modifications suitable to the period and the people; and long after nothing remained ostensibly belonging to the originators of these mysteries, but their indestructible monuments, their policy was flourishing in full vigour.

A Second Series of the Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians; including their Religion, Agriculture, &c. By Sir J. Gardner Wilkinson, F.R.S.,

F.R.G.S., &c. 2 vols. and a volume of Plates.

Though inquiring minds have occasionally, since the general revival of learning in Europe, been directed towards the interesting remains of the greatness and wisdom of the Ancient Egyptians that exist on the banks of the Nile, it was to marvel only. It was not till very recent times any attempt was made to explain these wonders. The labours of Champollion, Rossellini, and Dr. Young, at last excited the attention of the whole civilized world; and as succeeding scholars advanced in the difficult task of interpretation, the more general became their astonishment and gratification. The transportation to Europe of some of the portable marvels of Egypt, afforded facilities for their study of which the learned quickly availed themselves—whilst to the more enterprising, the improvements in travelling by sea, and the trifling difficulties that of late years have been met with by tourists in Egypt, have been inducements to carry their researches into every part of the country where any monuments were to be found. Of these, Sir Gardner Wilkinson has far excelled his coadjutors in the interest, the extent, and variety of the information he obtained. His first publication on the manners and customs of the Ancient Egyptians, did more to popularize the study of Egyptian antiquities than the works of all his predecessors: of this the present production is a continuation, and rivals it in the elaborate and gratifying picture it affords of a state of society the most extraordinary that ever existed. No description can give an adequate idea of the highly interesting character of Sir Gardner Wilkinson's materials for this work, the excellence, the number, and the singularity of the engravings, and the extent of the information on the subject he affords the reader. There is no scholar who will not be anxious to possess such a publication, and few readers by whom it will not be regarded as an unfailing source of entertainment.

A SUMMER IN WESTERN FRANCE.*

OUR tourists seem intent on leaving no corner of the civilized world uninspected, but whatever value may be attached to countries that are remote and little known, Mr. Trollope appears to think that the nearer home he travels the greater must be the degree of interest his observasions ought to create among his countrymen. On the principle alone that that which is most easily obtained is least sought after, and consequently least known, he must be considered in the right; but when proper regard is paid to the various sources of deep interest to the English reader, the country he has selected to write an account of exhibits, the tourist's choice of France must universally be pronounced a wise one. In his preceding work, "A Summer in Brittany," he gave the public a fair taste of the entertainment he had in store for them, and the pleasant character of his materials lost nothing by the lively style in which they were set forth: but agreeable as were these volumes, he has

A Summer in Western France. By T. Adolphus Trollope, Esq. Author of "A Summer in Brittany." Edited by Frances Trollope. 2 vols.

contrived greatly to excel them in the present work.

This, however, is not surprising, when we become acquainted with the extraordinary variety and extent of the interesting subjects that in his present tour presented themselves to the author. It embraces the scene of the English conquests in France-the field of the heroic adventures of Joan of Arcthe theatre of the desperate struggles of the Huguenots at La Rochelle, and of the royalists of La Vendée-the land of cognac and claret,—and the soil where flourished that terror of the over-curious, the famous Blue Beard-the no less sanguinary Geoffrey Grand-Dent-Diana of Poitiers-the once celebrated "Les Pénitens d'Amour," Tristan l'Ermite, and a whole host of historical characters, together with numerous other places possessed of all the pleasantest features of romantic tradition. Whilst passing over such attractive ground, Mr. Trollope seems to have been stimulated to exercise all his talents as a tourist, and, as the reader will readily acknowledge, with a very happy result. At one time we find him gossiping about the antiquities of the old provincial towns; at another making clear an obscure page of history; here he lingers with Richard Coeur de Lion at Chalus, there he stays with Margaret of Anjou at Dampiere. After a while we find him describing mines, manufactories, prisons, Druidical remains, cathedrals, and battle-fields with the spirit of one born in their neighbourhood; and these are delightfully relieved by a fund of amusement in the anecdotes, adventures, legends, and remarks that accompany them. Indeed, information is so blended with entertainment throughout his pages, that as a book of travels the "Summer in Western France" proves one of the most agreeable works ever written. How much of this merit is owing to Mrs. Trollope's genius is not stated; but edited by her, these volumes could scarcely fail of exhibiting those elements of popularity so conspicuously displayed in every subject on which her literary talent has been employed.

TRAVELS IN THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS.*

SUCH a length of time has elapsed since this work was announced for publication, that we began to fear there was some insurmountable obstacle in the way of its completion. We are glad, however, to find that such fears were groundless. The delay has had no other effect than to increase the public curiosity that the announcement had directed towards these travels, and afford time to the editor to produce them with all the advantages of care, science, and research. Although so much has been published of late years in illustration of geographical science, the interesting provinces of Eastern Asia have been almost totally neglected; and yet their importance in many points of view, particularly in a commercial one, entitles them to attentive considera

Travels in the Himalayan Provinces of Hindustan and the Punjab; in Ladakh and Kashmir; in Peshwar, Kabul, Kunduz, and Bokhara; by Mr. William Moorcroft and Mr. George Trebeck. From 1819 to 1825. Prepared for the Press from original Journals and Correspondence. By Horace Hayman Wilson, M.A., F.R.S. Published under the authority of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta. 2 vols.