ising itself nine and thirty times on his back. In
this attitude he concluded with his back to the professor of mathematics;
and at the instant he gave his last flap, by a sudden jump, and turning
heels over head in the air, he presented himself face to face to the
professor, and standing on his left leg, with his left hand holding his
nose, he presented to him, in a white satin bag, Pantagruel's royal decree.
Then advancing his right leg, he fixed it on the professor's head, and
after three turns, in which he clapped his sides with both hands thrice
three times, down he leaped, and Pantagruel, Epistemon, and himself took
their leaves of the wise men of Pontemaca.

"The wise men now retired, and by royal orders were accompanied by a guard,
and according to the etiquette of the court, no one having a royal order
could stop at any public house till it was delivered. The procession
arrived at Pontemaca at nine o'clock the next morning, and the sound of
bells from every church and college announced their arrival. The
congregation was assembled; the royal decree was saluted in the same manner
as if his highness had been there in person; and after the proper
ceremonies had been performed, the satin bag was opened exactly at twelve
o'clock. A finely emblazoned roll was drawn forth, and the public orator
read to the gaping assembly the following words:

"'They who can make something out of nothing shall have nothing to eat at
the court of--PANTAGRUEL.'" {215}

ORIGIN _of the_ ENGLISH LANGUAGE, _related by a_ SWEDE.

"Some months ago in a party in Holland, consisting of natives of various
countries, the merit of their respective languages became a topic of
conversation. A Swede, who had been a great traveler, and could converse in
most of the modern languages of Europe, laughed very heartily at an
Englishman, who had ventured to speak in praise of the tongue of his dear
country. I never had any trouble, says he, in learning English. To my very
great surprise, the moment I sat foot on shore at Gravesend, I found out,
that I could understand, with very little trouble, every word that was
said. It was a mere jargon, made up of German, French, and Italian, with
now and then a word from the Spanish, Latin or Greek. I had only to bring
my mouth to their mode of speaking, which was done with ease in less than a
week, and I was everywhere taken for a true-born Englishman; a privilege by
the way of no small importance in a country, whe