I fhall not take up your time in defcribing them. "Upon the whole, the village of Brock is one of the greatest curiofities of the united provinces; and indeed, North Holland generally will be found to juftify even more than has been faid in its fa vour. "The village of Medemblic, which I have not yet mentioned, and which, before the building of Encheufon and Hoorn, was the capital of North Holland, is ftill remarkable for its immenfe dams, which have refifted the violence of the turbulent Zuyder fea fo many centuries. The water is here much higher than the land, and in tempeftuous weather threatens to overflow the banks, enormous as they are, by which the country would be inftantly deluged. To prevent this dreadful event, the inhabitants cover the banks with many folds of fail-cloth, which, fimple as it appears, checks the fury of the waves in their most violent career. A million of human beings trust their lives to this feemingly flight invention. The above adventurous little town looks, as you approach it, to be just rifing out of the ocean: the favage roaring of the waves vainly menace it every moment. When they fwell befide the banks, mountain high, ladies are to be feen walking, and children at play, while the boldeft ftranger would tremble for their fafety and his own. So reconciling is the power of cufto:n. All that you have ever ieen in your own country of fublime pier-heads, moles, &c. though they may furpafs in majefty, fall infinitely fort of the dam of Medemblic, in point of the terrible, and the induftrious. I have looked down from the heights of Shakspeare's cliff, and from thofe but the fenfation was in neither instance so full of tremendous imagery. And the contrast, from the fmiling and peaceful retirements of Brock made it more impreffive. "The character of the North Hollander is that of phlegm, and even apathy. He is certainly more faturnine than his countrymen farther fouth. Slow in decifion, perfevering in opinion, but unfhaken, as the banks of Medemblic, in a refolve when taken. They are alfo more muscular in their forms, and of a fuperior fize, but neither clumfily put together, nor coarfe in their feature. The beauty of the wo men as to their grand articles of red and white of nature's own putting on (though the mixes them better in fome countries) I have already fpoken. I have, therefore, only to add a grace which has been in and out of fashion, many times on your fide of the water; I mean a very high forehead. The North Holland ladies confider this as fo indifpenfable, that they prefs down, and even eradicate the hair, bind it with ribbons and fillets, and use every other art to expand the brows. A low forehead, and an abundance of hair near the temples, is, of courfe, deemed a grand perfonal defect. The females of North Hol land have alfo a beauty which the other provinces rarely fhew us; that of good teeth, which is, in any of the great towns, a rarity in either fex, and feemingly one but little defired. "Their complexion is almoft invariably fair. A Dutch brunette is fcarce to be feen, and when feen, not either envied by one fex, or admired by the other. They par take, take, however, in a very high degree, the defects as well as beauty of that fine colouring-extreme indolence. "We are told, that lovers are more conftant, hufbands more obfequious in North Holland, than in any other part of the republic, which even in general has the reputation of being under the government of the petticoat. This must be understood to extend only to household affairs. In matters of public concern, the North Hollander is the most independent afferter of his rights, and the amor patriæ is here more vitally felt, and has been more ftrenuously maintained, than in any other parts of the provinces. "Enough has now been. faid to induce every reader of these our Gleanings, to make the tour of this very fingular and beautiful little province." “TH DUTCH METHOD of EMPLOYING DOGS. HE very dogs of Holland are constrained to promote the trade of the republic, infomuch, that fave the great dogs of fashion and state, which run before or after their lords and ladies equipages; and, in imitation often of their betters, are above being of any ufe; there is not an idle dog of any fize in the feven provinces. You fee them in harness at all parts of the Hague, and fome other towns, tugging at barrows, and little carts, with their tongues almoft fweeping the ground, and their poor hearts almost ready to beat through their fides. Frequently three, four, five, and fometimes fix abreaft, carrying men and merchandife, with the fpeed of little horses. And in your walk from the Hague gate to Scheveling, (where we will prefently make an excurfion) you encounter, at all hours of the day, an incredible number loaded with fill and men, under the burden of which they run off at a long trot, and fome times (when driven by young men ficiently ficiently demonftrate. The cows, and oxen for draft, they rub down, curry and clean, till they are as gloffy as the moft pampered fteed in England. Nay, you frequently fee them with a light fancy drefs, to guard them from the flies, and other annoying animalcula in the meadows, which are the finest in the world, and in a warmer fuit of cloaths during the winter; even .hefe canine flaves look hale and well as to condition, and being habituated to labour, feel little hardfhip in it. Happy, however, thrice happy is the dog who has the luck to be born of humbler and lowly parents, and is facred, by his infignificance, from labour. Like many a man, who, having neither talents nor fize for a hero, derives many a fnug enjoyment from his unfitness to take an active part in the toils of ambition. But dogs of this description have yet greater privileges in Holland than you imagine. Like other little things, they are held precious, and fo fondled and patted, that either a lapdog, or a lover in England, where those animals, you know, are fometimes neglected, as indeed, in that country are all favourites, might envy them; for, if you think a Dutch woman and a beautiful woman are incompatible, you are miftaken, as I fhall take occafion to fhew. "In my firft vifit (a winter one) to the Hague, I entered into the interests of these poor day-labour. ing dogs fo truly, that I wondered they did not go mad, or that I did not hear of the canine diftraction more in this country than in ours; and on being told there were certain times (the dog days) when a heavy fine was to be paid upon any dog being feen in the ftreet, I fup pofed this was the cafe, till the fummer following, being at this delightful fea-fide village of Scheveling, I obferved, feveral times in the day, thefe draft dogs brought down to the beach and bathed; a prac tice which no doubt equally prevented them from this dreadful diforder before-mentioned, and gave them ftrength to go through their work. "It is fortunate alfo, that Holland is a country fomewhat prone to be ftrict in the ceremonies of reli gion, by obfervance of which, the dogs, like their mafters, find the feventh a day of unbroken rest: for Sunday fhines a fabbath day to them. The firft impreffion (which is allowed a grand point, you know) being much in favour of thefe induftrious creatures, I had an eye on them, as well in the hours of their repofe as toil; and felt my heart warm to fee feveral, whom I had obferved very heavily laden on the Saturday, taking a found nap, out-ftretched and hap py at their mafters doors, on the day in which their leifure is even an allotment and bounty of heaven. All the morning and afternoon they have remained baking in the fun or in the fhade, in pro. found tranquillity, while a number of unthinking whelps, and lazy puppies, who had been paffing their time in idleness all the week, were playing their gambols in the street, not without a vain attempt to wake the feniors, and make them join in their amufement. Towards evening, I have, in my funfetting rounds, been much pleafed to notice the honeft creatures fit at their respective thresholds, looking quite refreshed, giving occafionally into a momentary frolic, and the next morning returning to the labours CLASSICAL AND POLITE CRITICISM. The COMPARATIVE AUTHENTICITY of TACITUS and SUETONIUS, illuftrated by the Question, "Whether NERO was the Author of the "MEMORABLE CONFLAGRATION at RoмE?" by ARTHUR BROWNE, L. L. D. S. F. T. C. D. and M. R. I. A. [From the Fifth Volume of the TRANSACTIONS of the ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY.] .66 S O much has been faid of the candour of Suetonius, and of his work being the moft accurate narration extant of the lives of the emperors, that it is worth the pains to enquire how far thefe praifes are due. Others are faid to have been actuated by hatred, or flaves to adulation; he is reprefented alone as fair and uninfluenced. For my own part, I fo much differ from this opinion, that I have ever confidered the rank allotted to Suetonius, in the fcale of hiftorical merit, as elevated much beyond his deferts. I am not inclined to truft either his candour or his accuracy, particularly when oppofed to, or compared with his rival hiftorian. We are accuftomed, I know not how, at an early age, from cotemporary ftudies, to unite the names of cotemporary hiftorians, and from thence perpaps infenfibly to infera fimilarity of excellence. The authors perufed treat of the fame facts, they are read at the fame time, and the mind is yet too young for accurate difcrimination. May not fuch affociations have had fome effect with refpect to Suetonius and Tacirus? But the exercise of maturer judgment readily feparates fuch unions, and detects the apparent parallelifm of objects, which, fuf ficiently purfued, will be found in time infinitely to diverge. This judgment, however, is in many cafes never exercifed at all. "A premature perufal of the claffics often prevents a fubfequent cool revifal of their beauties and their merits, impels the man to confider the fubjects of the ftudies of the boy as-trifling and difgufting, and indolently to acquiefce in firit impreffions, rather than retrace fteps which appeared unpleafant becaufe involuntary. But he who at ma turer years is led by taste or incli nation to examine and compare the lights of antiquity, will be aftonifhed at their numerous detections of his errors firft imbibed, and cor rections of the implicit faith which he has put in fome of its oracles; and perhaps no where will he find lefs reafon for confidence than in the fecretary of Adrian (for fuch was Suetonius), however high his poft, er good his means of information, "The title of this effay indicates my intention to confine my obferv. ations to the comparative fidelity in narration of the celebrated writers therein |