to the profession of a cook.

"Dr. ISAAC MADDOX, who, in the reign of George II., became bishop, first
of St. Asaph, and then of Worcester, and who is well known by his work in
defence of the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England, lost both
his parents, who belonged to a very humble rank of life, at an early age,
and was, in the first instance, placed by his friends with a pastrycook.

"The late Dr. ISAAC MILNER, Dean of Carlisle, and Lucasian Professor of
the Mathematics at Cambridge, who had the reputation of one of the first
mathematicians of that University, and who published some ingenious papers
on Chemistry and Natural Philosophy, in the 'Philosophical Transactions,'
was originally a weaver--as was also his brother JOSEPH, the well known,
author of a 'History of the Church.' Of the same profession was also, in
his younger days, the late Dr. JOSEPH WHITE, Professor of Arabic at Oxford.

"CASSERIO, a well known Italian anatomist, was initiated in the elements
of Medical Science by a surgeon of Padua, with whom he had lived
originally as a domestic servant.

"JOHN CHRISTIAN THEDEN, who rose to be chief surgeon to the Prussian army
under Frederick II. had in his youth been apprenticed to a tailor."

_Influence of Accident in directing Pursuits_.

"The celebrated Bernard Palissy, to whom France was indebted, in the
sixteenth century, for the introduction of the manufacture of enamelled
pottery, had his attention first attracted to the art, his improvements in
which, form to this time the glory of his name among his countrymen, by
having one day seen by chance a beautiful enamelled cup, which had been
brought from Italy. He was then struggling to support his family by his
attempts in the art of painting, in which he was self-taught; and it
immediately occurred to him that, if he could discover the secret of
making these cups, his toils and difficulties would be at an end. From
that moment his whole thoughts were directed to this object; and in one of
his works he has himself given us such an account of the unconquerable
zeal with which he prosecuted his experiments, as it is impossible to read
without the deepest interest. For some time he had little or nothing to
expend upon the pursuit which he had so much at heart; but at last he
happened to receive a considerable sum of money for a work which he had
finished, and this enabled him to commence his researches. He spent the
whole of his money, however,