Mrs. Hand would be wanting in gratitude to a generous public, who, for more than fifty years past, have so warmly patronized and encouraged her shop, to omit so favourable an opportunity of offering her sincere acknowledgments for their favours; at the same time, to assure them she will, to the utmost of her power, endeavour to merit a continuance of them.
LOCUSTS.
The locusts are remarkable for the hieroglyphic that they bear upon the forehead. Their colour is green throughout the whole body, excepting a little yellow rim that surrounds their head, and which is lost at the eyes. This insect has two upper wings, pretty solid. They are green, like the rest of the body, except that there is in each a little white spot. The locust keeps them extended like great sails of a ship going before the wind. It has besides two other wings underneath the former, and which resemble a light transparent stuff pretty much like a cobweb, and which it makes use of in the manner of smack sails, that are along a vessel. But when the locust reposes herself, she does like a vessel that lies at anchor; for she keeps the second sails furled under the others.
QUEEN ELIZABETH'S LAWS.
The following extract from a very old book is truly curious:—
"Queene Elizabeth, in the xiiii and xviii yeres of hir gracious rayne, two Actes were made for ydle vagrante and maisterlesse persons, that vsed to loyter, and would not worke, should for the first offence haue a hole burned through the gristle of one of his eares of an ynch compasse. And for the second offence committed therein, to be hanged. If these and such lyke lawes were executed iustlye, treulye, and severelye (as they ought to be,) without any respect of persons, favour, or friendshippe, this dung and filth of ydlenesse woulde easily be reiected and cast oute of thys Commonwealth, there woulde not be so many loytering ydle persons, so many Ruffians, Blasphemers, Swinge-Buckelers, so many Drunkards, Tossepottes, Dauncers, Fydlers, and Minstrels, Dice-players, and Maskers, Fencers, Theeves, Enterlude-players, Cut-purses, Cosiners, Maisterlesse Seruantes, Jugglers, Roges, sturdye Beggars, counterfaite Egyptians, &c., as there are, nor yet so manye Plagues to bee amongst vs as there are, if these Dunghilles and filthe in Commonweales were remooued, looked into, and cleane caste oute, by the industrie, payne, and trauell of those that are sette in authoritie, and haue gouernment."—"A Treatise against Dicing, Dauncing, Vaine playes or Enterluds." Black Letter; no date.
THE INVENTION OF TYPES.
The honour of the invention of movable types has been disputed by two cities, Haarlem and Mentz. The claims of Haarlem rest chiefly upon a statement of Hadrien Junius, who gave it upon the testimony of Cornelius, alleged to be a servant of Lawrence Coster, for whom the invention is claimed. The claims of Mentz, which appear to be more conclusive, are in favour of Peter Schæffer, the assistant and son-in-law of John Faust, better known as Dr. Faustus. The first edition of the Speculum humanæ salvationis was printed by Coster at Haarlem, about the year 1440, and is one of the earliest productions of the press of which the printer is known. The celebrated Bible, commonly known as the Mentz Bible, without date, is the first important specimen of printing with moveable metal types. This was executed by Gutenberg and Faust, or Fust, as it is sometimes spelt, between the years 1450 and 1455. The secret of the method then becoming known, presses were speedily established in all parts of Europe, so that before the year 1500 there were printing-offices in upwards of 220 different places in Austria, Bavaria, Bohemia, Calabria, the Cremonese, Denmark, England, Flanders, France, Franconia, Frioul, Geneva, Genoa, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Lombardy, Mecklenburg, Moravia, Naples, the Palatinate, Piedmont, Poland, Portugal, Rome, Sardinia, Upper and Lower Saxony, Sicily, Silesia, Spain, Suabia, Switzerland, Thessalonica, Turkey, Tuscany, the Tyrol, Venice, Verona, Westphalia, Wurtemberg, &c.
This vast and rapid extension of the art, combined with the skill which the earlier printers displayed in it, seems to be totally incompatible with the date assigned to the invention, and it is more than probable, that the art having been long practised in private under continued attempts at secrecy, it at length broke into publicity after it had already attained a considerable degree of perfection.
THE PROTEUS ANGUINUS.