A SCHOOLMASTER OF THE OLD LEAVEN. THE good old race of flogging schoolmasters, who restrained the passions by giving vent to them, and took care to maintain a proper quantity of fear and tyranny in the world, are now perhaps nearly extinct; at least, are not replenished, as they used to be, with a supply of bad blood in the new ones. Education has assumed the graces fit for the calm power of wisdom. She sits now in the middle of smiles and flowers, as Montaigne wished to see her. Music is heard in her rooms; and health and vigour of body being cultivated, as well as of mind, neither master nor scholars have occasion for ill humour. I knew a master of the old school, who flourished (no man a better rod) about thirty years back. I used to wish I was a fairy, that I might have the handling of his cheeks and wig. He was a short thick-set man about sixty, with an aquiline nose, a long convex upper-lip, sharp mouth, little cruel eyes, and a pair of hands enough to make your cheeks tingle to look at them. I remember his short coat-sleeves, and the way in which his hands used to hang out of his little tight wrist-bands, ready for execution. Hard little fists they were, yet not harder than his great cheeks. He was a clergyman, and his favourite exclamation (which did not appear profane to us, but only tremendous) was "God's-my-life!" Whenever he said this, turning upon you and opening his eyes like a fish, you expected (and with good reason) to find one of his hands taking you with a pinch of the flesh under the chin, while with the other he treated your cheek as if it had been no better than a piece of deal. I am persuaded there was some affinity between him and deal. He had a side-pocket, in which he carried a carpenter's rule (I don't know who his father was), and he was fond of meddling with carpenter's work. The line and rule prevailed in his mode of teaching. I think I see him now, seated under a deal-board canopy, behind a lofty wooden desk, his wooden chair raised upon a dais of wooden steps, and two large wooden shutters or sliders projecting from the wall on either side to screen him from the wind. He introduced among us an acquaintance with manufactures. Having a tight little leg (for there was a horrible succinctness about him, though in the priestly part he tended to the corpulent), he was accustomed, very artfully, whenever he came to a passage in his lectures concerning pigs of iron, to cross one of his calves over his knee, and inform us that the pig was about the thickness of that leg. Upon which, like slaves as we were, we all looked inquisitively at his leg; as if it had not served for the illustration a hundred times. Though serious in ordinary, and given to wrath, he was "cruel fond" of a joke. I remember particularly his delighting to show us how funny Terence was (which is what we should never have found out); and how he used to tickle our eyes with the words "Chremes's Daater." He had no more relish of the joke or the poetry than we had; but Terence was a school-book, and was ranked among the comic writers; and it was his business to carry on established opinions and an authorized facetiousness. When he flogged, he used to pause and lecture between the blows, that the instruction might sink in. We became so critical and sensi tive about every thing that concerned him, watching his very dress like the aspects of the stars, that we used to identify particular moods of his mind with particular wigs. One was more or less peevish; another Neronian; a third placable and even gay; most likely the one he wore on going out to a party. There was a darkish one, old and stumpy, which -From its horrid hair Shook pestilence and tasks. Never shall I forget the admiration and terror, with which we beheld M—, one summer's afternoon, when our master nodded in his chair, and we were all standing around, make slow and daring approaches upwards between this wig and the nape of the neck, with a pin! Nods of encouragement were given by some; go it was faintly whispered by one or two. It was an unknown thing among us, for we were orderly boys at all times, and frightened ones in school. "Go it," however, he did. Higher, a little higher, a little more high. "Hah!” cried the master, darting round; and there stood poor M——, all his courage gone, fascinated to the spot, the very pin upright between his fingers! I forget what task he had; something impossible to achieve ; ⚫ something too long to say by heart at once, and that would ruin the whole of his next holidays. So much for fear and respect. I could tell tales of this man's cruelty and injustice, almost inconceivable in many such schools as we have at present. Our greatest check upon him, or hope of a check, (for it was hopeless to appeal against a person of his great moral character and infinite respectability) was in the subjection he himself lived in to his wife: a woman with a ready smile for us, and a fine pair of black eyes. She must have been the making of his family, if he left any. When she looked in at the door sometimes, in the midst of his tempest and rage, it was like a star to drowning mariners. Yet this man had a conscience, such as it was. He had principles, and did what he thought his duty, working hard and late, and taking less pleasure than he might have done, except in the rod. But there it was. With all his learning, he had a nervous mind and untamed passions; and unfortunately the systems of education allowed a man at that time to give way to these, and confound them with doing his duty. He was a very honourable man in his day, and might have been rendered a more amiable, as well as useful one in this; but it is not the less certain (though he would have been shocked to hear it, and willingly have flogged you for saying so) that with precisely the same nature under another system of opinion, he would have made an inquisitor. So dangerous it is to cultivate the antipathies, instead of the sympathies; and so desirable for master, as well as scholars, are the healthier and cheerfuller roads to knowledge, which philosophy has lately opened to all of us. INDEX ΤΟ THE TENTH VOLUME. A ADAM, Maitre, drinking song by, 356. Alderman, the hunting, 543. 160. April verses, 363. Arthur's sword, King, 452. Authors and Editors, 92-various corres. pondence of, 94, 95. B Baillie, Dr. medical works of reviewed, 364-letters of, ib. 365—studies under Hunter, 366-aversion to sit for his likeness, 367-attends the Princess Amelia, 369-decline and death, 370. Bar oratory, 167-Sir Edward Coke, his language and sophistry, 168, 169-under the commonwealth, 171-after the restoration, 172-Judge Holt and Sir Benjamin Shaw, 172, 173-case of Elizabeth Canning, ib.-Mr. Davy's speech, 174. Bard's prophecy, the, 68. Bells of a parish church in Italy, letter to, 494. Bernardo del Carpio, 428. Betting, lines on, 546 Birth of Genius, the, 96. Books My, No, I. 236-II. 387. Burke, Edmund, original letters of, 380. 453. 529. C Campbell, T. suggestions respecting a London College, I—stanzas by, 289. Caractacus, 333. Castle, the lady of the, 207. Cennino Cennini's treatise on Painting, 567-his directions respecting nature, ib-his account of colours and fresco painting, 568-singular commencement of his treatise, 569-directions VOL. X.-1825. for taking casts, ib.-a picture of Cennini's, 570-a translation of, would be useful, 571. Childe's Destiny, the, 513. Chivalry, Mills's, review of, 444-works published on chivalry, ib.-the Tem plars, 445-the festivals in times of chivalry, 447-method of cooking a peacock in feudal ages, 448. Christmas, keeping, 514. Cigar, doggrel verses to, 86. Civic square, the, 163. Confessions of a junior Barrister, 11. Constantas, Gregory, his letter respecting the Greek Schools, 424. Conversations of Swift and Pope, 199. Coronation of Charles the Tenth and the Kings of Dawkey, 223. Costanza, 110. Country lodgings, 323. Criticism on Female Beauty, 70, 140. Crusaders, Tales of the, reviewed, 27. D. Damascus, account of, 335, 433. Dawkey, coronation of the kings of, 223. Deep thinker, the, 441. Defence of the Alphabet, 594. Dialogue of Sir W. Temple, Dr. More, and William Penn, 278. with a sportsman, 323. Dignum and his times, 403. Dublin, Old, by Lady Morgan, 57. E East, Letters from the, No. XVII. 113XVIII. 335-XIX. 433-XX. 534. Embellishments of London, 271-notice of a letter upon, ib. 272-remarks upon gates as ornamental to cities, ib.—triumphal arch at Hyde Park corner, 273 -origin and use of triumphal arches, 274-improvements that have taken place already in the parks, 275-the new lodgings, 277. Epigram from Martial, 166. 76 Genlis, Madame de, review of her Memoirs, 78-receives 40,000 francs for her works, 79-canting of, ib. 80-her egotism, ib.-exaggerated sentiment, 81-her trumpery criticism and eulogium on Charles II. 82—is made a canoness at six years of age, ib.- her education and dress, 83-descriptions of fashionable life, 84. 85. Graves of a household, the, 534. Greece in the spring of 1825, 291. 409Nipoli di Romania, 292-different Greek chiefs, 293-of the legislative body, 294. 295-journey to Tripolizza, 297-Colonel Xidi, 298-various chiefs, 300-Botzari, 301-character of the Suliots, 302-dialogue with Botzari, 303-Calamata, 306-Navarino, 309 -Santa Rosa's fall, 310-Spezzia, 312 -Hydra, 313-Ipsara, 317-Canaris, ib.--Colouris, 318-Athens, 320-concluded, 409-Egyptian descent, ib — description of Navarino, 410-schools of Greece, 412-Egina, 413-Piada, 414. 415-state of the garrisons, 417 -remarks, ib.-Greek army, fleet, &c. 418. 419-resources, enemies, &c. 420. 421. Greek woman, the, 174. Grimm's Ghost, XXVI. 193-XXVII. 333 -XXVHI. 403-XXIX. 509. Guatemala, an account of, 578-geographical description, 579-population, ib.-contest with Mexico, 580, 581congress of, 582-journal of Dr. Savagnino, 583-account of the Indians of, 589-rights of the Indians, &c. 591. Gunpowder-plot, the, 556. Ionia, lines to the ruins of, 473. Irish circuit, an, 393-travelling on, 394 -an Irish king's evidence, and mode of treatment, 395-entrance into an assize town, 396-description of a crown court of assize, 397-character of the lower orders of Irish on such occasions, 398-Larry Cronan, 399— conduct of on his trial, 401-continued, 497-remarks on Irish crime, ib.—re498-10specting trials for rape, gular trial for murder, 499. 500.501 -execution of Mr. S, 506—of his servant and confessions, 508. Lament of Alcæus upon the anniversary of his rejection by Sappho, 566. Landing of the pilgrim fathers in New England, 402. Letter from Mr. Mark Higginbotham, 134. to the bells of a parish church in Italy, 494. Letters from Rome, No. III, 33—-IV. 243. to County Cousins, No IV 123. from the East, 113. 335. 435. 534. of Mr. J. Hunter, 366. of Edmund Burke, original, 380. 453. 529. Life and literature, proposals for abridging, 88. Lion fight, the, 283. London Lyrics, 22 183. 267. 448. 556. embellishments of, 271. Love and ingratitude, 547. Painting, Cennino Cennini's treatise on, Pamphlets, remarkable, 229. Russian travelling sketches, 46-writer's voyage to Russia, ib.-chief Russian officers foreigners, 47-the Russian army ib.-steam-boat to Petersburgh, 48-public buildings, ib.-Russian ladies, 50-the English club ib.-Moscow, 57-Ostrof, 52-dinner at, 53Tsaritsino Selo, 54-continued page 209-Russian gardens, ib.—Prince Galitsin, ib.-his character, 210—Ostankino, 211-Count Sheremetof's hospital, 212-Count Rumantsoff, 213Bethany, 214-Platon, 215-continued 510 Rojestvenskoyé--Archangelskové, &c. 519, 520-Kuskóvo, 524Vassilovskoye, 525-suburbs of Mosib. cow, S Santa Rosa, Count, his letter to M. Pecchio, 427. School of dress, the old, 253. s of Greece, letter of Constantas respecting, 424. Schoolmaster of the old leaven, 599. marmers, 432-the inconstant, 440-Sonnets, 352. 473. 600. Spain, Sonnet to, 352. St. George for Merry England, 557. Suggestions respecting the plan of a col- |