Public Amusements. Lyceum Theatre.

pursued sufficiently by these Furies , a declaration that be never iutended to marry any of them , on account of a previous engagement , enables them to make similarly explicit avowals , and with the father ' s consent to their tmion with the suitors of their own selection the curtain falls . The author , Mr . G . Roberts , can certainly not be congratulated on the brilliancy of his dialogue , and , from

what has been already stated , it will be seen that little credit can be taken for the invention of an amusing plot . Mr . Felix Rogers bustles through the part of the timorous suitor in his own peculiar style , and the three young ladies are represented , with some curious peculiarities of accent , by Miss Weber , Miss Colinson , and Miss Aldyne .

Poetry.

Poetry .

A MARTYRDOM . ( Extract from " A Sad Story anyhow . " ) BY WILLIAM BBADEIELD . Well , months had passed away , and winter reigned And mankind shivered in the sun and shade , When Common-sense was chained unto a post Upon this very spot—here stood the stake ! Here , covered only with a scanty shroud ,

An iron chain drawn firmly o ' er his breast And fastened with a staple to the beam , Was truth ' s own martyr , honourable still . And what a crowd was congregated round To see the faggots piled up to his neck , And shout and jeer at every grim event ! " Recant , recant ! " a bald-head brother cried , Holding his symbol crucifix aloft ;

But when our martyr solemnly declined To lay the ugly falsehood on bis soul , I really thought he'd brain him with the cross ; Instead thereof he turn'd away—to weep ; He placed his hands before his sallow face , But as for tears or that convulsive throb When tears refuse to come , or are suppressed , It seemed to me , who peeped beneath his hands , That something glistened to his moving eyes As unlike sorrow as dissembled hate .

Now rose the smoke above the kindling flame In graceful curling wreaths around the pile ; Now glittered beads of fire , which burst anon With noisy crackling into tongues of flame ; AVhile surged the mighty crowd with fearful throes—A yelling , screaming , cursing , praying mass , Each atom full of eagerness to see The furious flames scorch up the living flesh

, Draw out from living man the living blood , And rend the helpless creature limb from limb . You wonder at the cruelties of old , And never dreamed perhaps that men had been Such eager lovers of a spirit's sport ; But lay the unction to your troubled soul , That all this happened in " Ye olden time "

, That kindness is all paramount to-day , That cruelty is dead—alas , poor me ! For here on earth my occupation ' s gone . To end my story—Common-sense though bravo , Screeched out his agony but died a man ; A thousand staring eyes gazed on the scene Watching the changes of an awful death ;

The long and patient waiting for the fire , Tbe flinching shiver when the flames were felt , The smouldering shroud , the scorching , bursting flesh , The writhing , jerking , moaning , panting life Tearing itself in helpless agony , The last convulsive throb , and then the corpse That seemed to dance amid tbe roaring flames , With hair ablaze so like a fiery

crown—, The body rent asunder at the last , The dropping limbs , the disappearing hulk , Tbe slow expiring fire , the blackened spot , Charr'd wood , charr'd bones , a stake , a reddened chain—My tale is told , I ' ve nothing more to tell .

Poetry.

ELEASOE CEOSSES . —Mr . John Abel has addressed another letter to the Athenanim on this interesting subject . Ho says : — " To the courtesy of Mr . Burtt , of the Public Record Officethe author of a paper read before the Archaiological Society , published in No . 38 of the Arcliceological Journal , and entitled 'Queen Eleanor of Castile ; some New Facts illustrative of her

Life and Times '—I have been only too glad to be indebted for facilities which enable me to state that King Edward was himself the chief executor to the will of his deceased consort ; and that is Chancellor , Robert Burnel , Bishop of Bath , was associated with the King in his fiduciary office . There were other executors , but nothing certain is known as to who they were . It is sufficient to recognisewhoever they may have beenthatin

, , , such a co-executorship , they could exercise only a subordinate authority in reference to the will , and in the distribution of the effects of the Queen ; whilst , on the other hand , and in the absence of the will itself , it is by no means improbable that the King , in relation to the estate of his deceased wife , stood in the position of residuary legatee , in which relation he would be personally interested in tbe expenditure of whatever assets

remained unappropriated by that will . In aid of the same view I might have referred to the touching letter of the King to the Abbot of Clugny , asking for the prayers of his convent for the repose of the soul of his late consort ' whom living he had dearly loved , and who being dead he would not cease to love , ' which letter ends by requesting to be informed of the obligations incurred in respect of the number of masses to be said by his clergy ; but I presume it is not sought to include such

services amongst the charges to be rendered to the executors . And of a similar character are other documents referred to in Mr . Burtt ' s interesting paper , to which I have already drawn attention . "

The Week.

THE WEEK .

THE COUBT . —The Queen left Windsor on Monday afternoon for Buckingham Palace , attended by the younger members of the family and by her suite . In the afternoon her Majesty held her second Court , which was brilliantly attended . The young Princesses have since been visiting the theatres . On Tuesday the Queen visited the Brompton Consumption Hospital , and

spent some time iu the inspection of the several wards . On Wednesday her Majesty visited the Lying-in Hospital , Yorkroad , Lambeth . Her Majesty returned to Windsor on Wednesday . The Prince of Wales gave a grand dinner at Marlborough House on Tuesday . The Executive of the Dublin International Exhibition have received an official intimation that

the Prince of Wales will open the Exhibition on the 9 th of May . His Royal Highness has consented to open the International Reformatory Exhibition at the Agricultural Hall , Islington , on Friday , the 19 th May . It is understood that an " interesting event" is expected to take place in His Royal Highness's family , which will prevent the Princess accompanying His Royal Highness to Dublin . The drawing rooms of the season ( with the exception of one ) will , it is said , be presided over by tbe Princess of Hesse ( nee Alice ) or Princess Helena .

IMPEBIAL PABLIAMENT . —In the HOUSE of LOEDS , on Thursday , the 9 th , the Lord Chancellor introduced a bill , which was read a first time , to " complete the abolition of imprisonment for debt . " The measure also contains a clause providing that no order of discharge shall operate to protect the property that a debtor may afterwards acquire , unless the estate has paid 5 s-

in the pound , or five-sixths of the creditors , in point of amount , have given their assent to the insolvent ' s release . —On Friday Lord de Grey stated that it was intended to sell nineteen of the smaller barracks in Ireland , —a proposal which was condemned by Lord Dalhousie and Lord Mahnesbury . —After a good deal of discussion , tbe Lord Chancellor's Attorney ' s Remuneration Bill was thrown out on the second reading by 23 votes to 21 . —