stupid, amusing or wearisome, good or bad. Now, only tell me, dear Cecilia, whether it is credible that I can be envious or intriguing, because I am not admitted into this society? If I were admitted, I should be tempted to do as Charles XII. did when he sent his boots into the Imperial Diet-only, I should send in my coat.' "Mrs. Lieutenant-Colonel had turned quiet during some part of this conversation; she now shrugged her shoulders compassionately, and said "My good Hattesohl, the very eagerness with which you turn high society into ridicule betrays at once your vexation and your envy.' "Well, then,' he replied, again laughing, 'I cannot deny that, in one respect, I do envy this so-called high society. I don't know how it began; but wherever there is anything to be heard or seen, the haute volée get the best place. Let one come the first to a concert, and secure the front seats, there comes the haute volée (and comes, too, when everybody else is seated), and contrives still to get room; treads on one's corns, till one draws them back so far that they are able to place a whole row of seats before one. The manner, and the way, too, in which they look over their shoulders at one is detestable, -coldblooded, and intended to provoke one.' "There were some expressions in this speech at which the lady took great umbrage: the advocate never cared to be particular in conversation with his sister-in-law. "She answered him, drawing herself up as stiffly as possible, "But, good heavens! one cannot be expected to sit amongst the people. In the theatre you take a box; but in a concert, there remains no distinction if they are to sit together in front. I thought the middle classes must have known that of themselves. Distinction of rank was ordained by God; but these detestable notions of liberty and equality unfortunately gain ground every day; everybody wishes to rise above his station.' "Distinction of rank ordained by God!' repeated the advocate. 'So the Almighty is really to bear the blame of all the nonsense possible! No doubt he has bespoken the front seats in a concert for the haute volée! Well, that is being consistent."-The Two Brothers. Low's ORIENTAL PRESERVATIVE.-It is an incontrovertible fact that "the first grey hair" is by no means hailed with feelings of the most pleasurable kind, but on the contrary each is anxious to avert as long as possible the impending evil. We conceive, therefore, that we are doing our fair readers essential service in directing their attention to the "Oriental preservative," prepared by Messrs. Low and Son, 330, Strand, which is exceedingly efficacious for the purpose named, and also for preserving and softening the hair. COURAGE our greatest failings does supply. JAVA TEA.-We have received a sample of the Java tea from Mr. Browning, of 4, Gracechurch-street, city. Moreover, we have given it a good trial, and have to pronounce it excellent, and the best we have tasted for a long time. It has a flavour which is peculiarly its own, and which is most pleasant to the palate. Births. On the 1th ult.,at Brusna-house, Roscrea, King's County, the lady of R. Dowd, Esq., of a daughter.-12th, at Cannonhouse, Dingwall, N.B., Mrs. S. Mackenzie, of a daughter.-12th, at Thorpe-place, Surrey, the wife of the Rev. H. L. Bennet, of a daughter.-13th, at Albyn-place, Edinburgh, the wife of J. O. Laxford, Esq., of a son.13th, at Hurworth Grange, near Darlington, the wife of M. Ord, Esq., of a daughter.14th, at Chester-square, Mrs. Rawson Reid, of a daughter.-14th, at Pershore, the wife of the Rev. J. H. Chowne, of a son.-15th, at Marlborough-road, St. John's-wood, the Lady Tullamore, of a daughter.-15th, at the rectory, Souldrop, Beds, the lady of the Rev. A. Hamilton, of a daughter.-16th, at the Charterhouse, the wife of the Rev. G. Currey, of a daughter.-17th, at Littleton rectory, Middlesex, the wife of the Rev. P. A. L. Wood, of a son. Marriages.-On the 12th ult., at the British Embassy, Brussels, by the Rev. M. Terry, C. Terry, Esq., of Clifton, to Jane second daughter of John Hunter, Esq., of Bruges.-13th, at St. Nicholas, by the Rev. J. Hilton, W. Gillow, Esq., of Woodnesborough, Kent, to Sarah, eldest daughter of J. Gillow, Esq., of St. Nicholas, Thanet.13th, at St. Giles's, by the Rev. W. S. Buckle, M.A., chaplain to the Right Hon. the Earl of Cardigan, Charles Thomas, eldest son of T. Dorey, Esq., of the Grove, to Ann Margarita, daughter of T. Brown, Esq., of St. Georges-place, Camberwell.18th, at Croxhall Church, Derbyshire, by his father, the Dean of Chester, the Rev. A. H. Anson, rector of Potter, Hanworth, in the county of Lincoln, to Augusta Theresa Tufnell, eldest daughter of the Right Hon. H. Tufnell, M.P. Deaths. On the 12th ult., E. Martin, second son of the late Colonel P. M. Hay, Bengal army, aged 19.-13th, at Clichy, près de Paris, Susannah, the beloved wife of R. Laming, Esq.-13th, at Kentish-town, Zilla Rosalia, wife of J. N. Warren, Esq., and youngest daughter of G. Houghton, Esq., of Kentish-town, aged 26.-13th, at Kirkham Abbey, in the county of Cork, Harriet Mary Anne Clough, aged 25.-14th, at Trunkwell-house, Berks, Mariana Gertrude, the eldest daughter of H. Greenway, Esq.-14th, at Chesham-place, Captain G. W. St. John Mildmay, third son of the late Sir H. P. St. John Mildmay, Bart.-15th, at Green-st., Grosvenor-square, J. Mowatt, Esq., of New York, United States, aged 45.-17th, at Belgrave-square, T. Clifton, Esq., of Lytham-hall, Lancashire.-17th, at Dover, Major-General J. Power, commandant 2nd battalion Royal Artillery. THE DIRGE MASS OF NORMAN LESLIE. THE Reformation, of which we inherit the fruits, had its sunrise amidst a perfect storm of mingled immorality, oppression, and injustice in the high, and superstition, ignorance, and vice, in the lower classes of society. Cruelty, revenge, sensuality, avarice, and every species of crime and vice, disfigured the first promoters and leaders of the movement. Murray is sententiously characterized by a modern writer as an ambitious cold-hearted hypocrite; Glencairn is designated by the same author, a rude high-born ruffian, an illiterate bigot; Home is described as politic, cool, and treacherous; Sanquhar a haughty villain, and Lindsay a ferocious misanthrope. But the climax of infamy is reserved for Morton, a Nero in his vices, a Domitian in cruelty, subtle, bloody, and avaricious. These were the salient points of character amongst the principal lay promulgators of the Reformation. minor instruments were scarcely less exceptionable. Two, however, there certainly were, whose high sense of chivalric honour such companionship could not corrupt. Brave, well-born, and nearly of equal age, Kirkaldy of Grange and Norman Leslie, Master of Rothes, were early initiated in Calvinism. As is well known, they bore a prominent part in the storming of the castle of St. Andrew's, and the slaughter of N. S. VOL. XXX. R The Cardinal Beaton; but it is said that neither Leslie nor his friend Kirkaldy participated in the ulterior indecencies on the corpse. They refused to join or countenance the dissolute profligacy of their fellowconspirators during the time they held possession of the castle. The fates of these fiery adventurers, after the reduction of their stronghold by a force from France is interesting, as proving the rude materials out of which our present enlightened system of Church government sprung. The student of Scottish history will find that almost all of them died untimely and violent deaths. With one only of them, however, is it our business to treat. Norman Leslie, after undergoing an imprisonment of considerable duration, afterwards entered the service of Henry II. of France called of Navarre; Kirkaldy and Melville were his fellow-soldiers. Leslie and Kirkaldy were reputed the bravest knights in that army with which Henry invaded and pillaged the archbishopric of Cambray. This inroad was a species of episode in the war carried on by Henry against the Emperor Charles. The French troops retreated from their rather disreputable expedition in some haste, on the intelligence that an army of the empire, commanded by Charles in person, was advancing to give them battle. On the retreat they sat down before the strongly fortified city of Renti, which is situated on a plain near the confines of Bulonois and Artois. The siege was prosecuted with vigour, but the city and castle both held out until the arrival of Charles. Montmorenci, the constable of France and Henry's field-marshal, made his disposition to receive them. The battle that subsequently took place ended favourably for the French, but on the day previous an incident occurred of which the following legend is a paraphrast. The wary old constable observed a neighbouring height crowned by some of the imperial skirmishers, and not fancying it safe to permit his bivouack to be overlooked, commanded Norman Leslie with some Free Companions to dislodge them. It was a service of much danger, and the fiery soldier of fortune, eager to signalise himself and do honour to his country, willingly undertook the task. Melville, in his Memoirs," graphically, and with all the enthusiasm of old Froissart, thus describes his fellow-soldier:-" In view of the whole French army, the Master of Rothes, with thirty Scotsmen, rode up the hill upon a fair grey gelding. He had above his coat of black velvet, his coat of armour, with two white crosses, the one before, the other behind; with sleeves of mail, and a red bonnet on his head, whereby he was seen and known afar off by the constable, the Duke d'Enghein, and the Prince of Conde." The lengthened account of the combat may be condensed thus :-" From their elevated position the Spaniards poured down a terrible fire on the advancing foe from their arquebusses, petronels, and culverins. So deadly was the fusilade, that on reaching the brow of the hill Leslie found himself only supported by seven followers. He did not hesitate to dash himself against the unequal numbers opposed to him. He unhorsed five before his lance broke, striking them clean out of their saddles; he then drew his sword, and again and again charged amongst his enemies. By this time he had received seven balls in his person, and most of his seven companions were wounded; still he was on the point of achieving a complete victory, when a band of imperial spearmen was seen riding along the ridge to the rescue of their comrades. He then abandoned the unequal strife, dashed his spurs into the gallant grey, and rode down the hill to the station of the constable, where he fell from his horse in a state of insensibility, with his life's blood pouring from the rents of his armour on the green sward. He died of his wounds fifteen days afterwards in the city of Montreuil, repenting, or at least much troubled in mind with a dream he had had, urging him to repent the death of Cardinal Beaton. King Henry's host was marching from the sacking of Cambray, The siege was pressed right manfully, till midst its thundering din, |