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whose two sons Robespierre had caused to perish.

She wished, on the ninth thermidor (27th July 1794), to convince herself with her own eyes that that monster was dead; and when his head fell, she exclaimed with all her strength: Bis! "again"!

LXXX.

FONTENELLE.

Fontenelle had a brother who was a priest. He was asked one day: "What does your brother do?" "My brother," said he, "is a priest." "Has he benefices?" (living). "No." "What is his occupation?" "He says mass in the morning." "And in the evening?" "In the evening he does not know what he says.”

LXXXI.

NOAH'S ARK.

A boatman had received into his boat some young men, who had all taken the name of an animal, such as the lion, the lynx, the dog, the horse, the panther, &c.

When the boatmen heard them call each other by these absurd names he began to laugh loudly. The young men asked him what he

was laughing at. "To see my boat," he said, "changed all at once into a Noah's Ark, whither repair animals of every species."

LXXXII.

WHAT PARTY DO YOU BELONG TO? A poor wretch appeared one day before a revolutionary committee and said: "Citizens, I have lost my pass, and have come to fetch another." "We must first know," said the president, "whether you are a moderate, a royalist, an aristocrat, or a federal." "I no, citizen, I am a knife-grinder.”

LXXXIII.

THREE GREAT DOCTORS.

The celebrated doctor, Du Moulin, being on his death-bed, said to several of his confrères, who were lamenting his loss: "Gentlemen, I leave behind me three great doctors." Believing that they were going to be named, our doctors hung on the lips of the dying man, who murmured: "Water, exercise, diet."

LXXXIV.

CLEVER CHILDREN BECOME STUPID.

Prince Pic de la Mirandole was very clever

from his childhood.

He was only seven years

of age, when a gentleman about sixty years of age thought proper to say: "Children who are so clever when they are young become stupid in growing old." The Prince said to him : "You must, sir, have been very clever in your youth."

LXXXV.

AN UPSTART.

Lately the following conversation passed between Mr. ...... and his servants through the keyhole of the door of his ante-chamber: "Are you there, Peter?” "Yes, sir."

66

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"What are you doing?" Nothing, sir." “And you, John, are you there?" Yes, sir." "What are you doing?" "Sir, I am helping Peter." "Very well; when you have finished, you will come and give me my boots."

LXXXVI.

LACONIC CORRESPONDENCE.

Two English Quakers had parted, with the promise of writing to each other. One of them, impatient to receive news from his friend, but true to the principle of economising words, despatches to the other a fine sheet of notepaper, on which he had traced this simple sign—“?”

The other understands very well that this note of interrogation means: "What news?" To satisfy the curiosity of his correspondent, he sends to him, by return of post, a sheet no less fine, quite white, which signified"Nothing."

LXXXVII.

CHOICE OF A KIND OF DEATH.

A jester having offended his sovereign in a very grave manner, the monarch caused him to be brought before him, and assuming an angry tone, reproached him for his crime, and said to him: "Wretched man, thou art going to be punished; prepare thyself for death."

The guilty one, terrified, bows down to the ground and asks for mercy.

"Thou wilt have none other except that I leave to thee the liberty of choosing the way by which thou wouldst wish to die, and which will be the most to thy taste. Decide promptly; I will be obeyed.”

"Since you leave me my choice, my lord,” replied the jester, "I ask to die of old age."

This answer caused the monarch to laugh, and he pardoned him.

LXXXVIII.

BOASTERS.

After the battle of Leuze, where the king's guards did incredible things, some of them related their deeds and their feats. One said: "For my part, I killed twenty men." Another said: "I killed as many, and I took prisoner two general officers." A third added that he had broken through two or three squadrons, and that he had carried off all the colours."

"And you," said they to a gentleman, very witty, and of acknowledged bravery" you say nothing; what did you do in that action?" "I," replied he-"I was killed in it."

LXXXIX.

MONSTER.

The son of Buffon had married a very pretty young person. From the very first days of this marriage Madame de Buffon had taken a great dislike to her husband, while the latter, on the contrary, was very fond of his wife. It is related that one day, when they were at a family dinner in the house of M. de Buffon, his daughter-in-law said to him—

"Sir, you who have so closely observed our

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