The theatres of this country, since the landing of the English, have, among other dramas, called mysteries, frequently represented one entitled Las profecias des Daniel (prophecies of Daniel). No subject can be better adapted than this, for combining a splendid variety of pageantry in one oratorio, or sacred opera. The jubilee of adoration to the golden colossus of Bel, the flaming auto-de-fe for the refractory holy children; the voluptuous dance exhibited during the meal of Belshazzar; the sacrilegious use of the chalices of Jerusalem; the sudden wrath of Heaven; the gloom of the thunder; the shadowy hand writing on the wall, in characters of lurid fire; and the armed irruption of the besiegers to renew a scene of purer triumph; all these form a series of picturesque magnificence, which, says our correspondent, you would enjoy to see some Sunday evening, at Drury-lane. The popularity of this play may be ascribed to the continual allusions of the Spanish patriotic writers to the seizure and supposed profanation of sacramental vessels by the French.
Another new and very singular drama opens with Bonaparte, who soliloquizes about Spain. Allegorical demons stand watching around, and when he has confessed the whole atrocity of his purposes, they seize and carry him off in a fiery car to the place of torment. Next appears Ferdinand VII. a ballet of angels listen to his promises of virtuous sway, and crown him during the dance with wreaths of victory. Finally appears king George the third, who declares his horror for the tyrant, his affection to the virtuous and native monarch; and who is entertained by St. Iago and the virgin Mary, or by figures representing the genius of Spain, and that of Christianity, with a performance in full chorus of "God save the king."
Longevity.
An extraordinary instance of longevity lately occurred in the island of Jamaica in the person of Joseph Ram, a black man, belonging to Maurice Hall estate, and who died at the advanced age of 140 years. He perfectly remembered the earl of Albemarle who succeeded to the government of the island in 1687. His daughter Grace Martin, an inhabitant of Spanish-town and upwards of 85 years of age, says he had a complete set of new teeth about twenty years ago, which remained sound to the day of his death. His hair had turned quite gray. He retained his sight and memory well, and had all his senses perfect, except that of smelling. He was stout and inclined to corpulence, was never sick but once, and all the physic he ever took in his life was one dose of nut oil. He had twenty-six children by different women. His appetite was always good, and a few days previous to his death, he walked a distance of four miles. His dissolution was gradual, and unattended by pain or sickness: It seemed indeed, to be the mere decay of nature.
"The first step is the only difficulty," is an old proverb. Ce n'est que le premier pas qui coute, said the old facetious duchesse de Rambouillet, when touching on certain extravagancies of a young female. It was oddly enough applied lately by a lady, who hearing a clergyman declare, "That St. Piat, after his head was cut off, walked two entire miles with it under his arm en chapeau bras, yes madam, two miles positively." "I do not doubt it" the lady quietly replied: "On such occasions, the first step is the only difficulty."
A specimen of the antiquity of Irish Bulls!!!
A wealthy lord of Ireland, had a goodly faire house new-built but the broken bricks, tiles, sand, lime, &c. &c. lay confused in heapes about the building; the lord demanded of his surveyor, wherefore the rubbish was not carried away; the surveyor said he proposed to hyre an hundred carts for the purpose. The lord replied, that the charge of carts might be saved; for a pit might be dug in the ground and bury it. My lord, said the surveyor, I pray you what will wee doe with the earth, which we digge out of the pit? Why you whore-son coxcombe, said the lord, canst thou not dig the pit deepe enough and bury all together?