in it at equal distance with as small a needle as I could get from Glumdalclitch. I fixed in the stumps so artificially, scraping and floping them with my knife towards the points, that I made a very tolerable comb; which was a seasonable supply, my own being so much broken in the teeth, that it was almost useless: neither did I know any artist in that country so nice and exact, as would undertake to make me another.

And this puts me in mind of an amuse-ment, wherein I spent many of my leifure hours. I defired the queen's woman to fave for me the combings of her majesty's hair, whereof in time I got a good quantity, and confulting with my friend the cabinet-maker, who had received general orders to do little jobbs for me, I directed him to make two chair-frames, no larger than those I had in my box, and then to bore little holes with a fine awl round those parts where I designed the backs. and feats; through these holes I wove the strongeft hairs I could pick out, just after the manner of cane-chairs in England. When they were finished, I made a present

of

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:

!

of them to her majesty, who kept them in her cabinet, and used to shew them for curiofities, as indeed they were the wonder of every one that beheld them. The queen would have had me fit upon one of these chairs, but I absolutely refused to obey her, protesting I would rather die a thousand deaths than place a dishonourable part of my body on those precious hairs, that once adorned her majesty's head. Of these hairs (as I had always a mechanical genius) I likewise made a neat little purse about five feet long, with her majesty's name decyphered in gold letters, which I gave to Glumdalclitch by the queen's consent. To say the truth, it was more for shew than use, being not of strength to bear the weight of the larger coins, and therefore she kept nothing in it but some little toys that girls are fond

of.

The king, who delighted in music, had frequent concerts at court, to which I was sometimes carried, and set in my box on a table to hear them: but the noife was so great, that I could hardly diftinguish the tunes. I am confident, that all

3

the..

the drums and trumpets of a royal army, beating and founding together just at your ears, could not equal it. My practice was to have my box removed from the place where the performers sat, as far as I could, then to shut the doors and windows of it, and draw the window-curtains; after which I found their music not disagreeable.

I had learned in my youth to play a little upon the spinet. Glumdalclitch kept one in her chamber, and a master attended twice a week to teach her: I called it a spinet, because it fomewhat resembled that instrument, and was played upon in the fame manner. A fancy came into my head, that I would entertain the king and queen with an English tune upon this instrument. But this appeared extremely difficult: for the spinet was near fixty feet long, each key being almost a foot wide, so that with my arms extended I could not reach to above five keys, and to press them down required a good smart stroak with my fist, which would be too great a labour, and to no purpose. The method I contrived was this: I prepared

two

two round sticks about the bigness of common cudgels; they were thicker at one end than the other, and I covered the thicker ends with a piece of a mouse's skin, that by rapping on them, I might neither damage the tops of the keys, nor interrupt the found. Before the spinet a bench was placed about four feet below the keys, and I was put upon the bench. I ran fideling upon it that way and this, as fast as I could, banging the proper keys with my two sticks, and made a shift to play a jigg to the great fatisfaction of both their majesties: but it was the most violent exercise I ever underwent, and yet I could not strike above fixteen keys, nor consequently play the bass and treble together, as other artists do; which was a great difadvantage to my performance.

The king, who, as I before observed, was a prince of excellent understanding, would frequently order that I should be brought in my box, and set upon the table in his closet: he would then command me to bring one of my chairs out of the box, and fit down within three yards diftance upon the top of the cabinet, which brought

04

brought me almost to a level with his face. In this manner I had several conversations with him. I one day took the freedom to tell his majefty, that the contempt he discovered towards Europe, and the rest of the world, did not feem answerable to those excellent qualities of mind, that he was master of: that reason did not extend itself with the bulk of the body; on the contrary, we observed in our country, that the tallest persons were usually least provided with it: that among other animals, bees and ants had the reputation of more industry, art, and sagacity, than many of the larger kinds; and that, as inconfiderable as he took me to be, I hoped I might live to do his majesty some signal service. The king heard me with attention, and began to conceive a much better opinion of me than he had ever before. He defired I would give him as exact an account of the government of England, as I possibly could; because, as fond as princes commonly are of their own customs (for fo he conjectured of o

ther monarchs by my former discourses)

he

i