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ASCENT OF THE PYRAMIDS.

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It is not what it once was to go to the pyramids.1 They have become regular lions 2 for the multitudes of travellers; but still, common as the journey has become, no man 5 can stand on the top of the great pyramid of Cheops, and look out upon the dark mountains of Mokattam bordering 7 the Arabian desert; upon the ancient city of the Pharaohs, its domes, its mosques, its minarets, glittering in the light of a vertical sun; upon the rich valley of the Nile, and the "river of Egypt" rolling at his feet; the long range of pyramids and tombs extending along the edge of the desert to 10 the ruined city of Memphis, and the boundless and eternal sands of Africa, without considering that moment an epoch not to be forgotten.11 Thousands of years roll through 12 his mind, and thought recalls the men who built them, their mysterious uses, the poets, historians, philosophers, and warriors who have gazed upon them with wonder like his own.13

For one 14 who but yesterday 15 was bustling 16 in the streets of a busy city it was a thing of strange and indescribable interest 17 to be standing 18 on the top of the great pyramid, surrounded by 19 a dozen 20 half-naked

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1 It is not, etc......pyramids, une visite aux pyramides n'est plus ce que c'était jadis-2 regular lions, des célébrités fort ordinaires3 still, cependant-4 common as.. has become, tout commun qu'est devenu.... __5 no one 6 look out, promener ses regards7" that border "-8 glittering in the light, qui étincellent sous les rayons-9 edge, lisière-10 to, jusqu'à 11 not to be forgotten, à ne jamais oublier-12 through, dans-13 wonder like his own, un étonnement pareil au sien- one, quelqu'un—15 but yesterday, la veille encore-16 was bustling, allait et venait-17 a thing of strange and indescribable interest, une sensation étrange et impossible à décrire 18 to be standing, que d'être là debout-19 by, "of "-20" a dozen

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THE HOLY INQUISITION IN SPAIN.

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Arabs, forgetting, as completely as if they had never been, the stirring scenes of his distant home. But even here petty vexations followed me, and half the interest of the time and scene was destroyed by the clamour of my guides. The descent I found extremely easy; many persons complain of the dizziness caused by looking down from such a height, but I did not find myself so affected; and though the donkeys at the base looked like flies, I could almost have danced down the mighty sides.3

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STEPHENS, "Travels in Egypt, etc."

THE HOLY INQUISITION IN SPAIN.

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The tribunal of the Inquisition, which, although it was not the parent, has been the nurse and guardian of ignorance and superstition," in every kingdom into which it has been admitted, was introduced into Spain near a century before the present period (1559) by Ferdinand and Isabella; and was principally intended to prevent the relapse of the Jews and Moors, who had been converted, or pretended to be converted, to the faith of the Church of Rome. Its jurisdiction 7 was not confined to the Jews and Moors, but extended to all those who, in their practice or opinions, differed from the established church. In the united kingdoms of Castille

1 Caused by looking down from such a height, que l'on éprouve en regardant à terre d'une pareille hauteur-2 I could almost have danced down, j'aurais presque pu descendre en dansant-3 the mighty sides, les flancs majestueux de la pyramide.

4 The tribunal of the Inquisition, simply here: l'Inquisition5 "which, if she was not the mother of ignorance and superstition, has been their nurse and guardian" (see note, p. 80)—6 was..... intended to, elle avait......pour objet de-7 "the jurisdiction of this tribunal."

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and Arragon there were eighteen different inquisitorial courts; having each of them its counsellors, termed Apostolic Inquisitors; its secretaries, serjeants, and other officers;1 and besides these 2 there were twenty thousand familiars dispersed throughout the kingdom, who acted as 3 spies and informers, and were employed to apprehend all suspected persons, and to commit them for their trial to the prisons which belonged to the Inquisition. By these familiars, persons were seized on bare 5 suspicion; and, in contradiction to the 6 common rules. of law, they were put to the torture, tried and condemned by the inquisitors, without being confronted either with their accusers, or with the witnesses on whose evidence they were condemned. The punishments inflicted were more or less dreadful, according to the caprice and humour of the judges. The unhappy victims were either strangled, or committed to the flames, or loaded with chains and shut up in dungeons during life." Their effects were confiscated, and their families stigmatized with infamy.8

This institution was, no doubt, well calculated to 9 produce an uniformity of religious profession; 10 but it had a tendency 11 likewise to destroy the sweets of social life; to banish all freedom of thought and speech; 12 to disturb men's minds with the most disquieting apprehensions,13 and to produce the most intolerable slavery, by reducing persons of all ranks of life 14 to a state of

1 Officers, fonctionnaires-2 besides these, en outre-3 who acted as, qui servaient de- to commit, etc......to, les jeter pour être ensuite jugés, dans-5 on bare, sur de simples-6 in contradiction to the, contrairement aux-7 during life, pour la vie-8 stigmatized with infamy, marquées du sceau de l'infamie-9 well calculated to, très-propre à-10 an uniformity of religious profession, l'uniformité religieuse it had a tendency, elle tendait-12 speech, parole— 13 to disturb, etc......apprehensions, à jeter dans les esprits l'agitation et la crainte-14 ranks of life, rangs de la société.

A PORTRAIT OF TALLEYRAND.

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abject dependence upon1 priests; whose integrity, were it 2 even greater than that of other men, must have been corrupted by the uncontrollable authority which they were allowed to exercise.

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By this tribunal, a visible change was wrought in 6 the temper of the people, and reserve, distrust, and jealousy became the distinguishing character of a Spaniard. It perpetuated and confirmed the reign of ignorance and superstition. It inflamed the rage of religious bigotry, and, by the cruel spectacles to which,7 in the execution of its decrees, it familiarised the people, it nourished in them that ferocious spirit which, in the Netherlands and America, they manifested by deeds that have fixed an everlasting reproach on 10 the Spanish

name.

ROBERT WATSON, " Philip the Second."

A PORTRAIT OF TALLEYRAND.

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Talleyrand is certainly the most extraordinary being of the kind 11 the world has 12 produced since the creation. Take him in his physical conformation alone, and think of his having outlived so long 13 all the great and good of 14 his time.

1 Upon, des-2 were it, eût-elle été-3 must have been, devait nécessairement être- they were allowed, on leur permettait-5 by, sous l'influence de-6 was wrought, s'opéra-7 to which, avec lesquels —8 in them, en lui (le peuple)—9 Netherlands, Pays-Bas-10 fixed... ...on, attaché..............à.

11 Of the kind, dans son genre-12 subj.—13 think of his having outlived so long, songez comme il a survécu long-temps à-14 all the great and good of, tout ce qu'il y avait de grand et de bon dans.

* Charles Maurice de Périgord, Prince de Talleyrand, the celebrated diplomatist, was born at Paris in 1754, and died in 1838.

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Talleyrand was born lame, and his limbs are fastened to his trunk by an iron apparatus, on which he strikes ever and anon his gigantic cane, to the great dismay of those who see him for the first time. His piercing grey eyes peer through his shaggy eyebrows; his unearthly face, marked with deep stains, is covered partly by his shock of extraordinary hair, partly by his enormous muslin cravat, which supports a large protruding lip drawn over 10 his upper lip with a cynical expression no painting could render; add to this apparatus of terror his dead silence, broken occasionally by the most sepulchral 11 guttural monosyllables. Talleyrand's pulse, which rolls a stream of enormous volume,1o intermits and pauses at every sixth beat. This he points out triumphantly 13 as a rest of nature, giving him at once a superiority 14 over other men. Thus, he says,15 all the missing 16 pulsations are added to the sum total of those of his whole life, and his longevity and strength appear to support this extraordinary theory. He likewise asserts that it is this which enables him to do with

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out 17 sleep. "Nature," says he, "sleeps and recruits herself at every intermission of my pulse;" and indeed you see him 18 time after time 19 rise at three o'clock in the 20 morning from the whist-table, then return home,21

1 Was, est-2 "lower limbs"-3 ever and anon his gigantic cane, de temps en temps avec son énorme canne-4 peer, sont là qui vous regardent—5 his unearthly face, son visage qui n'a rien de terrestre 6" and which is marked"—" with, de- deep, fortes9 which, laquelle 10 a large protruding lip drawn over, une grosse lèvre saillante qui recouvre-11 by the most sepulchral......, par des ......qui semblent s'exhaler d'une tombe-12 T.'s pulse, etc......volume, le pouls de T. que soulève un énorme flot de sang- 13 this, etc......triumphantly, il se complaît à faire remarquer ce phénomène-14 at once a superiority, “an immediate advantage”—15 thus, he says, c'est ainsi, dit-il, que-16 missing, perdues-17 to do without, de se passer de-18 and indeed you see him, et le fait est qu'on le voit 19 time after time, continuellement-20 in the, du-21 return home, rentrer chez lui.

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