The Biglow Papers - James Russell Lowell

Lamb, Charles, his epistolary excellence, [76].
Latimer, Bishop, episcopizes Satan, [10].
Latin tongue, curious information concerning, [33].
Launcelot, Sir, a trusser of giants formerly, perhaps would find less sport therein now, [56].
Letters classed, [76]
- —their shape, [ib.]
- —of candidates, [81]
- —often fatal, [82].
Lewis Philip, a scourger of young native Americans, [50]
- —commiserated (though not deserving it,) [51], [note].
Liberator, a newspaper, condemned by implication, [35].
Liberty unwholesome for men of certain complexions, [66].
Lignum vitæ, a gift of this valuable wood proposed, [22].
Longinus recommends swearing, [13], [note] (Fuseli did same thing).
Long sweetening recommended, [90].
Lost arts, one sorrowfully added to list of, [124].
Louis the Eleventh of France, some odd trees of his, [100].
Lowell, Mr. J. R., unaccountable silence of, [33].
Luther, Martin, his first appearance as Europa, [22].
Lyttelton, Lord, his letters, an imposition, [76].

Macrobii, their diplomacy, [84].
Mahomet, got nearer Sinai than some, [66].
Mahound, his filthy gobbets, [23].
Mangum, Mr., speaks to the point, [58].
Manichæan, excellently confuted, [54].
Man-trees, grew where, [100].
Mares'-nests, finders of, benevolent, [75].
Marshfield, [106], [113].
Martin, Mr. Sawin used to vote for him, [115].
Mason and Dixon's line, slaves north of, [58].
Mass, the, its duty defined, [59].
Massachusetts, on her knees, [8]
- —something mentioned in connection with, worthy the attention of tailors, [44]
- —citizen of, baked, boiled, and roasted (nefandum!), [95].
Masses, the, used as butter by some, [46].
M. C., an invertebrate animal, [49].
Mechanics' Fair, reflections suggested at, [87].
Mentor, letters of, dreary, [76].
Mephistopheles at a nonplus, [62].
Mexican blood, its effect in raising price of cloth, [103].
Mexican polka, [24].
Mexicans charged with various breaches of etiquette, [22]
- —kind feelings beaten into them, [70].
Mexico, no glory in overcoming, [45].
Military glory spoken disrespectfully of, [17], [note]
- —militia treated still worse, [ib.]
Milk-trees, growing still, [100].
Mills for manufacturing gabble, how driven, [53].
Milton, an unconscious plagiary, [43], [note]
- —a Latin verse of, cited, [66].
Missions, a profitable kind of, [67].
Monarch, a pagan, probably not favoured in philosophical experiments, [12].
Money-trees desirable, [100]
- —that they once existed shown to be variously probable, [ib.]
Montaigne, a communicative old Gascon, [75].
Monterey, battle of, its singular chromatic effect on a species of two-headed eagle, [50].
Moses held up vainly as an example, [65]
- —construed by Joe Smith, [ib.]
Myths, how to interpret readily, [84].

Naboths, Popish ones, how distinguished, [25].
Nation, rights of, proportionate to size, [20].
National pudding, its effect on the organs of speech, a curious physiological fact, [25].
Nephelim, not yet extinct, [124].
New England overpoweringly honoured, [48]
- —wants no more speakers, [ib.]
- —done brown by whom, [ib.]
- —her experience in beans beyond Cicero's, [84].
Newspaper, the, wonderful, [70]
- —a strolling theatre, [71]
- —thoughts suggested by tearing wrapper of, [72]
- —a vacant sheet, [ib.]
- —a sheet in which a vision was let down, [73]
- —wrapper to a bar of soap, [ib.]
- —a cheap impromptu platter, [ib.]
New York, Letters from, commended, [76].
Next life, what, [72].
Niggers, [5]
- —area of abusing extended, [46]
- —Mr. Sawin's opinions of, [117].
Ninepence a day low for murder, [14].
No, a monosyllable, [25]
- —hard to utter, [ib.]
Noah, inclosed letter in bottle, probably, [75].
Nornas, Lapland, what, [101].
North, has no business, [58]
- —bristling, crowded off roost, [81].
North Bend, geese inhumanly treated at, [82]
- —mentioned, [113].
North Star, a proposition to indict, [62].

Off ox, [70].
Officers, miraculous transformation in character of, [21]
- —Anglo-Saxon, come very near being anathematized, [22].
O'Phace, Increase D., Esq., speech of, [40].
Oracle of Fools, still respectfully consulted, [41].
Orion, becomes commonplace, [73].
Orrery, Lord, his letters (lord!), [76].
Ostracism, curious species of, [41].

Palestine, [23].
Palfrey, Hon. J. G., [41], [50] (a worthy representative of Massachusetts.)
Pantagruel recommends a popular oracle, [41].
Panurge, his interview with Goatsnose, [84].
Papists, female, slain by zealous Protestant bomb-shell, [104].
Paralipomenon, a man suspected of being, [82].
Paris, liberal principles safe as far away as, [66].
Parliamentum Indoctorum sitting in permanence, [44].
Past, the, a good nurse, [55].
Patience, sister, quoted, [16].
Paynims, their throats propagandistically cut, [23].
Penelope, her wise choice, [32].
People, soft enough, [68]
- —want correct ideas, [97].
Pepin, King, [76].
Periwig, [80].
Persius, a pithy saying of, [46], [note].
Pescara, Marquis, saying of, [10].
Peter, Saint, a letter of (post-mortem), [76].
Pharisees, opprobriously referred to, [66].
Philippe, Louis, in pea-jacket, [71].
Phlegyas quoted, [63].
Phrygian language, whether Adam spoke it, [11].
Pilgrims, the, [45].
Pillows, constitutional, [49].
Pinto, Mr., some letters of his commended, [76].
Pisgah, an impromptu one, [100].
Platform, party, a convenient one, [97].
Plato, supped with, [75]
- —his man, [82].
Pleiades, the, not enough esteemed, [73].
Pliny, his letters not admired, [76].
Plotinus, a story of, [55].
Plymouth Rock, Old, a Convention wrecked on, [45].
Point Tribulation, Mr. Sawin wrecked on, [100].
Poles, exile, whether crop of beans depends on, [19], [note].
Polk, President, synonymous with our country, [30]
- —censured, [44]
- —in danger of being crushed, [46].
Polka, Mexican, [24].
Pomp, a runaway slave, his nest, [117]
- —hypocritically groans like white man, [118]
- —blind to Christian privileges, [119]
- —his society valued at fifty dollars, [ib.]
- —his treachery, [120]
- —takes Mr. Sawin prisoner, [121]
- —cruelly makes him work, [ib.]
- —puts himself illegally under his tuition, [122]
- —dismisses him with contumelious epithets, [ib.]
Pontifical bull, a tamed one, [22].
Pope, his verse excellent, [11].
Pork, refractory in boiling, [22].
Portugal, Alphonso the Sixth of, a monster, [123].
Post, Boston, [33]
- —shaken visibly, [34]
- —bad guide-post, [ib.]
- —too swift, [ib.]
- —edited by a colonel, [ib.]
- —who is presumed officially in Mexico, [ib.]
- —referred to, [59].
Pot-hooks, death in, [59].
Preacher, an ornamental symbol, [65]
- —a breeder of dogmas, [ib.]
- —earnestness of, important, [123].
Present, considered as an annalist, [65]
- —not long wonderful, [73].
President, slaveholding natural to, [66]
- —must be a Southern resident, [98]
- —must own a nigger, [ib.]
Principle, exposure spoils it, [43].
Principles, bad, when less harmful, [27].
Prophecy, a notable one, [51], [note].
Proviso, bitterly spoken of, [79].
Prudence, sister, her idiosyncratic teapot, [92].
Psammeticus, an experiment of, [11].
Public opinion a blind and drunken guide, [25]
- —nudges Mr. Wilbur's elbow, [26]
- —ticklers of, [45].
Pythagoras a bean-hater, why, [84].
Pythagoreans, fish reverenced by, why, [54].

Quixote, Don, [57].

Rag, one of sacred college, [25].
Rantoul, Mr., talks loudly, [16]
- —pious reason for not enlisting, [ib.]
Recruiting sergeant, Devil supposed the first, [10].
Representatives' Chamber, [54].
Rhinothism, society for promoting, [74].
Rhyme, whether natural not considered, [11].
Rib, an infrangible one, [90].
Richard the First of England, his Christian fervour, [23].
Riches conjectured to have legs as well as wings, [62].
Robinson, Mr. John P., his opinions fully stated, [27-31].
Rocks, pocket full of, [91].
Rough and Ready, [111]
- —a wig, [112]
- —a kind of scratch, [ib.]
Russian eagle turns Prussian blue, [50].

Sabbath, breach of, [27].
Sabellianism, one accused of, [82].
Saltillo, unfavourable view of, [17].
Salt-river in, Mexican, what, [17].
Samuel, Uncle, riotous, [50]
- —yet has qualities demanding reverence, [66]
- —a good provider for his family, [68]
- —an exorbitant bill of, [103].
Sansculottes, draw their wine before drinking, [61].
Santa Anna, his expensive leg, [96].
Satan, never wants attorneys, [22]
- —an expert talker by signs, [ib.]
- —a successful fisherman with little or no bait, [23]
- —cunning fetch of, [27]
- —dislikes ridicule, [34]
- —ought not to have credit of ancient oracles, [51], [note].
Satirist, incident to certain dangers, [28].
Savages, Canadian, chance of redemption offered to, [123].
Sawin, B., Esquire, his letter not written in verse, [11]
- —a native of Jaalam, [12]
- —not regular attendant on Rev. Mr. Wilbur's preaching, [ib.]
- —a fool, [ib.]
- —his statements trustworthy, [ib.]
- —his ornithological tastes, [ib.]
- —letter from, [13], [86], [106]
- —his curious discovery in regard to bayonets, [15]
- —displays proper family pride, [ib.]
- —modestly confesses himself less wise than the Queen of Sheba, [19]
- —the old Adam in, peeps out, [21]
- —a miles emeritus, [86]
- —is made text for a sermon, [ib.]
- —loses a leg, [88]
- —an eye, [89]
- —left hand, [ib.]
- —four fingers of right hand, [ib.]
- —has six or more ribs broken, [ib.]
- —a rib of his infrangible, [90]
- —allows a certain amount of preterite greenness in himself, [90], [91]
- —his share of spoil limited, [ib.]
- —his opinion of Mexican climate, [92]
- —acquires property of a certain sort, [93]
- —his experience of glory, [93], [94]
- —stands sentry, and puns thereupon, [95]
- —undergoes martyrdom in some of its most painful forms, [ib.]
- —enters the candidating business, [96]
- —modestly states the (avail) abilities which qualify him for high political station, [96], [99]
- —has no principles, [96]
- —a peaceman, [ib.]
- —unpledged, [97]
- —has no objections to owning peculiar property, but would not like to monopolize the truth, [98]
- —his account with glory, [99]
- —a selfish motive hinted in, [100]
- —sails for Eldorado, [ib.]
- —shipwrecked on a metaphorical promontory, [ib.]
- —parallel between, and Rev. Mr. Wilbur (not Plutarchian), [102]
- —conjectured to have bathed in river Selemnus, [106]
- —loves plough wisely, but not too well, [ib.]
- —a foreign mission probably expected by, [107]
- —unanimously nominated for presidency, [108]
- —his country's father-in-law, [109]
- —nobly emulates Cincinnatus, [110]
- —is not a crooked stick, [ib.]
- —advises his adherents, [ib.]
- —views of, on present state of politics, [110-117]
- —popular enthusiasm for, at Bellers's, and its disagreeable consequences, [111]
- —inhuman treatment of, by Bellers, [112]
- —his opinion of the two parties, [113]
- —agrees with Mr. Webster, [ib.]
- —his antislavery zeal, [115]
- —his proper self-respect, [ib.]
- —his unaffected piety, [ib.]
- —his not intemperate temperance, [117]
- —a thrilling adventure of, [117-122]
- —his prudence and economy, [117]
- —bound to Captain Jakes, but regains his freedom, [119]
- —is taken prisoner, [121-122]
- —ignominiously treated, [121-122]
- —his consequent resolution, [122].
Sayres, a martyr, [55].
Scaliger, saying of, [28].
Scarabæus pilularius, [18].
Scott, General, his claims to the presidency, [34], [37].
Scythians, their diplomacy commended, [84].
Seamen, coloured, sold, [8].
Selemnus, a sort of Lethean river, [106].
Senate, debate in, made readable, [55].
Seneca, saying of, [27]
- —another, [51]
- —overrated by a saint (but see Lord Bolingbroke's opinion of, in a letter to Dean Swift), [76]
- —his letters not commended, [ib.]
- —a son of Rev. Mr. Wilbur, [102].
Serbonian bog of literature, [54].
Sextons, demand for, [61]
- —heroic official devotion of one, [120].
Shaking fever, considered as an employer, [93].
Shakspeare, a good reporter, [40].
Sham, President, honest, [45].
Sheba, Queen of, [19].
Sheep, none of Rev. Mr. Wilbur's turned wolves, [12].
Shem, Scriptural curse of, [122].
Show, natural to love it, [17], [note].
Silver spoon born in Democracy's mouth what, [43].
Sinai suffers outrages, [66].
Sin, wilderness of, modern, what, [66].
Skin, hole in, strange taste of some for, [94].
Slaughter, whether God strengthen us for, [24].
Slaughterers and soldiers compared, [104].
Slaughtering nowadays is slaughtering, [104].
Slavery, of no colour, [6]
- —cornerstone of liberty, [52]
- —also keystone, [58]
- —last crumb of Eden, [61]
- —a Jonah, [62]
- —an institution, [80]
- —a private State concern, [118].
Smith, Joe, used as a translation, [65].
Smith, John, an interesting character, [74].
Smith, Mr., fears entertained for, [63]
- —dined with, [75].
Smith, N. B., his magnanimity, [75].
Soandso, Mr., the great, defines his position, [75].
Sol, the fisherman, [18]
- —soundness of respiratory organs hypothetically attributed to, [ib.]
Solon, a saying of, [25].
South Carolina, futile attempt to anchor, [57].
Spanish, to walk, what, [20].
Speech-making, an abuse of gift of speech, [53].
Star, north, subject to indictment, whether, [62].
Store, cheap cash, a wicked fraud, [102].
Strong, Governor Caleb, a patriot, [32].
Swearing, commended as a figure of speech, [13], [note].
Swift, Dean, threadbare saying of, [34].

Tag, elevated to the Cardinalate, [25].
Taxes, direct, advantages of, [103].
Taylor zeal, its origin, [111]
- —General, greased by Mr. Choate, [113].
Thanks, get lodged, [93].
Thirty-nine articles might be made serviceable, [24].
Thor, a foolish attempt of, [57].
Thumb, General Thomas, a valuable member of society, [49].
Thunder, supposed in easy circumstances, [90].
Thynne, Mr., murdered, [10].
Time, an innocent personage to swear by, [13], [note]
- —a scene-shifter, [72].
Toms, Peeping, [74].
Trees, various kinds of extraordinary ones, [100].
Trowbridge, William, mariner, adventure of, [24].
Truth and falsehood start from same point, [27]
- —truth invulnerable to satire, [ib.]
- —compared to a river, [40]
- —of fiction sometimes truer than fact, [ib.]
- —told plainly, passim.
Tuileries, exciting scene at, [51].
Tully, a saying of, [43], [note].
Tweedledee, gospel according to, [66].
Tweedledum, great principles of, [66].

Ulysses, husband of Penelope, [32]
- —borrows money, [101]. (For full particulars of, see Homer and Dante.)
University, triennial catalogue of, [36].