Literature.

help mankind to be ivise , and on the look out for him , viz ., the devil . Truly , such beggars' cant has come from the Jews , for many Hebrew words occur in the vocabulary , as any one who understands that language may perceive . "But the right understanding and the true meaning of the hook is , after all , this , viz ., that princes , lords , counsellors of state , and everybody should be prudent and cautious in dealing with beggars , and learn thatwhereas people will not give ancl help honset paupers

, ancl needy neighbours , as ordained by God , they give , by the persuasion of the devil , and contrary to God's judgment , ten times as much to vagabonds and desperate rogues , —in like manner as ive have hitherto clone to monasteries , cloisters , churches , chapels , ancl mendicant friars , forsaking all the time the truly poor . "For this reason every town and village should know their own paupers , as written down in the register , and assist them . But as to

outlandish ancl strange beggars , they ought not to be borne with , unless they have proper letters and certificates ; for all the great rogueries mentioned in this book are clone by these . If each town v-ould only keep an eye upon their paupers , such knaveries would soon be at an end . I have myself of late years been cheated ancl befooled by such tramps ancl liars more than I wish to confess . Therefore , whosoever hear these words let him be warned , and do good to his neighbour in all Christian charity , according to the teaching of the commandment . So heln us God ! Amen . "

As ive have spoken of those who sham fits , and mam at the mouth , we append an extract in ivhich that trick , and many others , are spoken of : — " OF THE GEA >* TXEK 3 , 0 B KNAVES AVIT 1 I THE EAIilXO SICKNESS . ' ¦ ' The viijtli chapter is about the GEAXTEES . These are the beggars who say in the farm-houses ( IIAXSEX-BOSS ) : — ' Oh , dear friend , Took at me , I am afflicted with the falling-sickness of St . Valentine , or

St . Kurinus , or St . Vitus , or St . Antonius , ancl have offered myself to the Holy Saint ( ut supra ) with vj pounds of wax , with an altarcloth , with a silver salver ( etcetera ' ) , unci must bring- these together from pious people's offerings ancl help ; therefore I beg you to contribute a heller , a spindleful of flax , a ribbon , or some linen yarn for the altar , that God and the Holy Saint may protect you from misery ancl disease and the failing sickness . ' j ^ ota ; A false ( LOE ) trick .

" Here , some fall down before the churches , or in other places with a piece of soap in their mouths , whereby the foam rises as big as a fist , and they prick their nostrils with a straw , causing them to bleed , as though they had the falling-sickness . iSota : this is utter knavery . These are viilanous vagrants that infest ai ! countries . Item , there aro many who speak ( BABEEX ) thus : — * Listen to me , dear friends , I am a butcher's son , a tradesman . And it happened some time since that a vagrant came to my father ' s house and begged for St . Valentine ' s sake ; and my father gave me a penny to give to him . I said , 'father , it is a knavery . ' My

father told me to give it to mm , but I gave it linn not . And since that horn- I have been afflicted with the falling-sickness , and I have made a vow to St . Valentine of iij pounds of wax ancl a High Mass , and I beg and pray pious folks to help me , because I have made this vow ; otherwise I should have substance enough for myself . Therefore I ask of you an offering and help that the dear Hol y St . Valentine may guard ancl protect yon evermore . ' Isota : what he says is all lies . Her , ! he has been more than xx years collecting

, for his iij pounds of wax ancl the mass , aud has been gambling ( VEP . JOXEX ) , bibbling ( VEESCIIOCIIEEX ) , and roiting ( VEKIIOJ . EX ) with it . And there are many that use other and more subtile words than those given in this book . Hera , some have a written testimony ( ESAFFOT ) that it is all true . " Conclush : If any of the GEASTXEES eome-th before thine house , and simply beggeth for God's sake , and speaketh not manv , nor

flowery words , to them thou shalt give , for there are many men who have been afflicted with the sickness by the Saints ; but as to those GEAXISEKS who use many words , speak of great wonders , tell yon that they have made vows , and can altogether skilfully use their tongues—these are signs that they have followed till- business for a long time , and , I doubt not , they are false and not to be trusted . to him who believes them

As , they take a nut off his tree . Take care of such , and give them nothing . * There are many of tho genius A-agabond still extant ivhich Luther describes ; thc card sharpers , for instance , and travelling tinkers , of whom he discourses thus : —

" Item , beware of ihe . TOXEES ( gamblers ) who practice BESEEIEP . A with the ISMET ( cheating at cards ) , who deal falsely and cut- one for the other , cheat with rciGi . Eix ancl SPIES , pick one JIEIEP ( card ) from the ground , and another from a cupboard ; they cheat also with the EEGEISS ( dice ); with hearts , the chest , in Uikhiy off ancl layi'iff on , with :, IETZES , STAUS , GUJINI : ? , PEISSIXG , with tiie four knaves ; thoy use 102 MESS fbad coins \ or LOE STETTIXGET . S ( bad

florins ) , and make use of many other rogueries , such as drawing out , the rot , ihe siaJce , & c , which I had better not explain , for your own good . "And these same knaves eat and drink always at such houses as are called the Stick , which means they never pay the landlord what they owe him , but when they leave there " sticks " mostly something to them which commonly departs with them . " Itemthere is yet another sort among the landstrollei-s . These

, are the tinkers who travel about the country . They have women ( WEIBEE ) who go before them ancl sing ancl play ; some go about full of mischief , and if thou givest them nothing , one of them mayhap will break a hole in thy kettle with a stick or a knife to give work to a multitude of others . " We are also cautioned , and told how to rid ourselves of beggars who arc suffering from pretended diseases , but as

the advice given savours somewhat strongly of muscular Christianity , wc forbear to quote the method , leaving our readers to seek it in Mr . Hotten ' s book . However there were then , as no doubt there are now , many really deservingobjects of sympathy and aid . Individuals who , from various causes , are driven , as a last recourse , to solicit alms , and such Luther pities and advises that they be relieved . He says : —

" OE THE BP . EGEES , OE 3 E 0 KJAB 3 . " The first chapter is about EREGEES . These are beggars who have neither the signs of the saints about them , nor other good qualities , but they come plainly ancl simply to people ancl ask an alms for God ' s or thc Holy Virgin's sake . Perchance honest paupers with young children , who are known in the town or village wherein they beg , and who would , I doubt not , leave off begging if they could only thrive by their handicraft or other honest means

, for there is many a godly man who begs unwillingly , and feels ashamed before those ivho knew him formerly ivhen he was better off , and before he was compelled to beg . Could he but proceed without he would soon leave begging behind him . " Conclusio : To these beggars it is proper to give , for such almsare well laid out . " We cannot part from this ivork without acknowledging

thc very excellent translation of Mr Hotten . In reprinting The Booh of Vagabonds and Beggars , tho editor has chosen a subject ivhich , of an antiquated style , is yet among the unsolved problems of every nation . If it were only on this account , Mr Hotten deserves our thanks , but where so much pains has been taken to make the same worthy of our acceptance , and in reproducing so scare a workwe should

, not be doing that gentleman justice if we did not close this notice by stating that the contribution to the manners and customs of the mendicant fraternity , some three hundred years since , have considerable interest for our oivu day , and that the translator has adhered , as closely as possible , to a literal rendering of the great Reformer ' s language .

Three Hundred Sounds. By Martin F. Tupper, D.C.L., F.R.S., &C. Hall And Virtue.

Three Hundred Sounds . By MARTIN F . TUPPER , D . C . L ., F . R . S ., & c . Hall and Virtue .

THE sonnet , as a form of poetry , has its graces , although , at the present day , it is clearly unfashionable to write . Still wo have the authority of Wordsworth , whose injunction to the critic " not to scorn the sonnet . " renders it necessary to look upon that style 01 versification with respect . We know of many A * cry beautiful sonnets , abounding with rich imagery , 1 but it Avas reserved for Dr . Tupper to find ns a novel

metaphor . Ho sa }* s that the sonnet was a "key" to Shakespeare , ancl a "pipe" to Tasso . It was " a gay lnyrtle-ivrcath" in the cypress-crown of Dante— "a clow-worm" to Spenser , ancl a "trumpet" in thc hands of Milton . Our readers will be g lad , no doubt , after finding it so chamehon-like , to know ' ( -, hat shape it assumes under Dr . Turn ¦ * : •' .- treatment . Well . , here is No . 1 ofthe three liv . r . d . ccd , cumi-. u—

TltOt / GHT CRYSTALS . riunged in my brain , ferr . ientii-. g thick m-.-. l -. viu-. n , Simmer deep thoughts ; and . ! ia : i _ the-:. -.-elves apaee , So soon as Quiet for a little space Gives life a rest , and lulls its petty -t-.-rni . Then , in some tranquil solitary i- ' a ¦ - ¦ - ' , _ "Where silence is music choice an .. ! good

my , , They shoot out crystailons , _ in . ya-r . ved iirr . i , Magnetic liarmouiscr : —0 Solitude ! 0 blessed Silence ! how most dear to me Are the sweet so . tbhigs 01 your ¦ . "" ... v . ' -. "• .: ¦ -.::: ¦ . : <¦ ¦