butcher could not carry it away: when the huntsmen and company came up, they expressed great resentment, and endeavoured to incense the Prince against the butcher. But the Prince answered coolly; "What if the butcher's dog killed the stag; what could the butcher help it?" They replied, "that if his father had been so served, he would have sworn so as no man could have endured it."-" Away!" rejoined the Prince; "all the pleasure in the world is not worth an oath." Though his liberality was great, and he was fond of magnificence, he restrained both within the bounds of frugality and moderation. He ordered to be set down in writing the several heads of all his annual charges, the ordinary expense of his house, and his stables; that of his apparel and ward robe; his rewards, and every thing else that were to be issued regularly out of his coffers. These he compared with his income, and so judiciously proportioned them, by retrenching what he found superfluous, and adding what was wanting, that he reduced the whole to a certainty, such as his revenues would defray, besides a yearly saving to a considerable amount, which he reserved for occasional and contingent exigencies. In short, his disposition and attainments were such, as to render his loss a public calamity: and the contemplation of his character, though a Prince, and the heir-apparent to a throne, will, if properly improved, be productive of advantage. NICHOLAS HARTSOCKER. NICHOLAS HARTSOCKER was born at Gouda, a city in Holland, in the His father was a clergyyear 1656. man; and, like many other parents, obliged his son to apply early to the studies which were fittest to qualify him for the station he himself filled ;5 little dreaming that his views would be thwarted, as they were, by the stars and the planets, which little Hartsocker used to contemplate with the greatest pleasure and curiosity, both in the heavens, and in all the almanacks he could lay hold of. When he was about thirteen years of age, he was told that it was impossible to understand such subjects without a knowledge of the mathematics; and finding his father utterly averse to his engaging in that branch of learning, he carefully saved as much as he could of the little money allowed him for his recreation, in order to be able to acquire it, if possible, with his own hands. At length, thinking himself rich enough, he applied to a teacher of the mathematics, who promised to be very expeditious with his pupil, and he kept his word. However, our young student's savings were but just sufficient to procure him six months' teaching and to make the most of so short a period, he sat up whole nights at his books, making no other use of his bedclothes, than that of covering the win |