"Renè said, 'But if, sire, you were the brother of the Prince de Condé, and your brother had been poisoned, or your father assassinated?' "Charlotte uttered a cry, and again was about to apply the salve to her lips. Renè saw this, but neither stopped her by word nor gesture; he only said, hastily 666 In the name of heaven, sire, reply. If you were in his place, what would you do?' 66 Henry collected himself, wiped, with tremulous hand, his forehead bedewed with drops of cold perspiration, and elevating his figure to his full height, replied, in the midst of the breathless silence of Renè and Charlotte 666 If I were in his place, and were sure of being king,—that is, of representing God on earth,-I would do like God, and forgive.' 66 6 "Madame,' exclaimed Renè, snatching the salve from the lady's hands'Madame, give me that box! I see my assistant made a mistake in bringing it to you: to-morrow I will send you another.'" So much for the inference; though our readers would do well to mark the cool presumption of Henry's decisive speech. Only a Frenchman could have conceived that speech. There is, however, another plot, turning upon the intrigues between two ladies, Marguerite de Valois and the Duchess of Nevers; and two gentlemen, the Count de la Mole, and the Count de Coconnas. We will give a few passing thoughts to the morality of the plot, and then pass to some of its details. The Duke de Nevers is a nonentity, never appearing, and consequently ignorant of his wife's infidelity; but Henry, the brave and chivalrous, the champion of dames, the bulwark of Huguenots, the only prince of the blood possessing the common principles of honesty, knows of his wife's failings and winks at them, partly that she may extend a like charity to his, and partly that she may assist him to counteract the intrigues of her mother, Catherine de Medicis. So much for the honour of the husband; but that of the mother and brothers is not much more illustrious. By a concatenation of circumstances they discover the intrigue, and determine that, for the honour of their house, the male offender must die. Not that Marguerite had never sinned before, for her frailty was the common report of France; but, then, it was hitherto only a report, incapable of positive proof, whereas this threatened a daily disclosure. So the king, who had not scrupled, despite his high sense of honour, to hire the assassin of Coligny, his brothers, who, all honourable as they were, were then secretly conspiring to dethrone him,-and the Duke de Guise, also engaged in an equaily honourable plot, lie in wait for the lover with swords and cords, having previously watched him into Marguerite's apartments. But the faithful husband, the honourable Henry, is also on the watch to save his wife's lover. He, from the garden, throws a stone into the window, to which stone are attached a letter and a string. The letter contains an intimation of the danger; the string pulls up a silken ladder, which affords the means of flight. Fearing that the letter may be a snare, Marguerite goes down the corridor to see if the conspirators be really waiting. She finds that the report is true; confesses that her lover is in her chamber (knowing that they saw him enter); says that he came to help her concoct a speech; returns to him, helps him out of the window, and then opens the door to the conspirators, who have followed her closely. "Marguerite took her brother's hand and led him to the window. At this moment, two men from beneath the window started off on horseback, at full speed; one of them detached his white satin scarf and waved it in the air." "What does this mean?' asked the King. "It means,' returned Marguerite, that M. D'Alencon may put his cord in his pocket, and MM. D'Anjou and Guise may sheathe their swords, for M. de la Mole will not press through the corridor to-night." We will now resume the history of the two heroes,-Count de la Mole, a Hugenot, summoned from Provence to join Henry of Navarre, -and Count Coconnas, a Piedmontese, desirous of taking service with the Duke de Guise. We meet them first on the eve of St. Bartholomew, at the hotel de la belle étoile, where they intend to take up their quarters. They go together to the Louvre, for the purpose of delivering letters to their respective masters; which purpose they fail to execute, though De la Mole meets with Marguerite de Valois, and, by a well timed compliment, makes her his friend for ever. Having returned to their hotel, they play at cards until a late hour, when the Huguenot retires to bed, and the Catholic is detained by the host and a bravo, named Maurevel, who inform him of the fearful massacre about to take place, and order him to co-operate with them. He consents, and the three make an attack upon the chamber of De la Mole, who escapes over the adjoining roofs, and, after incurring great dangers, eventually makes his way into the Louvre, where he is saved from his followers by Marguerite de Valois, who conceals him in her cabinet. Coconnas, having joined in the slaughter of the Hugenots, is at length surrounded by several of them, under the walls of the Hotel de Nevers, and only escapes death by the intervention of the Duchess, who, seeing a handsome cavalier almost overpowered, sends her people to his rescue. We next find them going in the suite of their respective mistresses, in the train of Catherine de Medicis and the king, who are going to Montfaucon, to see Coligny hanging on the gibbet. They recognise each other, remain behind the procession, and fight a duel, in the presence of their mistresses, who, having discovered their intentions, remain behind also to watch the proceedings. Both young men, being dangerously wounded, are conveyed back to Paris in the hangman's cart, which happens opportunely to be passing. Their wounds are healed partly by the intervention of the hangman, who administers cooling draughts with which he alone is familiar. After their recovery they become bosom friends, and go in person to thank the hangman : Coconnas alone, however, shakes hands with that functionary, an action which is afterwards remembered and repaid. We next find them in the shop of Rene, the perfumer, whither they have gone to procure charms for obtaining the affection of their mistresses. Rene makes for La Mole a waxen image of Marguerite, the heart of which being transfixed with a pin, will cause love to spring up in her bosom. The love of the ladies once obtained, they meet frequently at a little house in the city; but their intercourse is at length stopped by an unforeseen circumstance. Catherine de Medicis, wishing to destroy Henry of Navarre, presents him with a book on field-sports, the leaves of which are fastened together with poisoned gum, so that he may, in reading it, and often wetting his finger to turn over the leaves, be constantly taking poison. This book is placed in Henry's chamber by the Duke d'Alencon, but Charles IX., happening to enter the room during Henry's absence, carries off the book and reads it, so that Catherine is indirectly the means of poisoning her own son. Charles discovers the author of his illness, and immediately casts about for some means of preventing the disgrace which the discovery must naturally entail upon the house of Valois. Renè, the perfumer, is employed to swear that he made for La Mole a waxen image of the king, against which, certain charms being employed, the king's death would gradually ensue. The two friends, already imprisoned in the castle of Vincennes on another charge, are now put to trial for high treason. Their mistresses despairing of pardon, bribe the governor of Vincennes, who arranges the following plan of escape. They are to pass the night preceding their execution in the chapel of the castle, guarded only by one jailor, according to custom; their mistresses are to be in waiting with fleet horses, and a dagger is to be provided, with which Coconnas is to wound the jailor, so that their escape may not appear to have been connived at by him. The plan, however, is thus frustrated: the judges order them to be put to the torture, and the operator is their old friend, the hangman of Paris. He tortures La Mole dreadfully, though he cannot make him confess; but, in consideration of Coconnas's shake of the hand, he only applies leathern instead of wooden wedges to his legs, and gives him no pain at all. When the time for flight arrives, La Mole cannot be moved without uttering shrieks, which of course must alarm the sentinels; Coconnas will not escape without his friend, and the two ladies are compelled to bid a last adieu to their lovers. They are both executed on the following morning, and the executioner, according to previous contract, preserves their heads for the ladies, who have sworn to embalm them, and keep them always in their cabinets. Such are the main features of a novel, which, if it give a true picture of those times, may help to solve many historical problems; but which, whether it be true or false, ought not to have been so popular in France, as to obtain the honour of being translated for the people of England. It makes its appearance in a series of works whose cheapness will naturally recommend them to a high place in the popular literature of the day. On this account we have noticed a work of which we do not approve; for, whilst we thought that a positive warning against it might cause it to be read in more instances than it caused it to be shunned, we were resolved to give such of our readers as might chance to peruse it, no excuse for not perceiving the dangerous nature of its sentiments, and the audacious immorality of its plot. A book in which the discovery, and not the crime, is regarded as disgrace; a book, in which equivocation, and false speaking, private treachery, public treason, and wholesale adultery, not only are not reproved by the author, but are even garnished with the flowers of false sentiment, and tricked out for the deception of the unwary; a book wherein religion is outwardly a profound and holy sentiment, but inwardly nothing more than a selfish and disgusting atheism; a book of this kind, dangerous though it be to the careless reader, will be of some service to his more discriminating companion, who shall, from the perusal of it, conceive a dislike to French novels generally, and shun them as a moral poison. Literary and Scientific Institutions. Ir will be seen, from the following reports, that this department of the STUDENT bids fair to become of great importance. It will be our endeavour henceforth to deal with these institutions as if each were a part of a great system. We trust that the support and co-operation of the London Institutions will be followed by similar conduct on the part of those in the country; and we are sure that such conduct will be as beneficial to them as it is gratifying to us. THE BOYLE LECTURES. The second lecture of this course was delivered by Professor Maurice, in the chapel of Guy's Hospital, on the evening of Sunday, the 11th ultimo. The learned lecturer commenced by reminding his audience of Boyle's motive for founding the course. Boyle desired that in these lectures, the different systems of religion opposed to Christianity might be considered, not sneeringly, but as befitted the importance of creeds which seriously affect the happiness of many millions. He wished it also to be shown, that Christianity contained within itself all the elements of other religions, and could, therefore, realise the ideas of all religious people. In carrying this wish into effect, he (the lecturer) had in his first lecture examined Mahomedanism, and showed that it owed all its strength to its first principle-that there was one ever-ruling, supreme, and eternal God,-and all its weakness to its deviation from this principle, in setting up fate, or necessity, as the sole ruling power of men's actions. He now proceeded to examine Hindooism, and showed that although it was now a worship of many gods, yet, that it also commenced with the pure monotheistic principle. The ancient Brahmin believed that he, by the combined advantages of pure birth, long study, and the undergoing of severe ordeals, could eventually make himself equal to, and enter into communion with God, and dwell on earth in a state of beatified intercourse with heaven. This purely philosophical creed could not satisfy the religious cravings of the classes who were excluded from a participation in its benefits; and to supply the deficiency another was invented, of which form of worship, Vishnu, the protector, was the object. But the prevalence of misery, disease, and death, ere long caused a third to be added, having for its object Siva, the terrible deity of death and suffering. By degrees the universal passion of love seemed to require a celestial representative, and the beautiful Chrishna was elected to that office. This deification of the passions went on from day to day, until the Hindoo knelt before almost countless idols. The lecturer would not at that stage of his proceedings attempt to show that Christianity could realise the dreams of the Mahometan or the Hindoo; he would postpone all such considerations, and would content himself with pointing out to his hearers, how man wanders from the truth, when only his understanding guides him, instead of the pure light of revelation. ISLINGTON LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION. On Tuesday, the 13th ultimo, the President of this Institution entertained & numerous juvenile audience with a lecture on Optics, illustrated by some very clever and amusing experiments. The body of the theatre was occupied by the young people, whilst the adults had only the lobbies, passages, and doorways, wherein they could hear little more than the laughter and applause of the delighted children. We cannot, therefore, offer any report of the lecture itself, but we would strongly recommend to other institutions the principle of giving at least one juvenile lecture in the year, and thereby securing to themselves some sympathy in the minds of a future generation of members. To accustom children to seek these repositories of instruction and amusement; to associate them in their minds with all the endearing recollections of youth, is in itself a task worthy of attention; for, as Shakspeare says "Custom, who all sense doth eat Of habit's devil, is angel yet in this: MARYLEBONE LITERARY INSTITUTION. On Monday, the 19th ultimo, Mr. Griffiths delivered his third lecture on Chemistry, Flame, &c., in the theatre of this Institution. He commenced by saying that his lectures were originally intended for a juvenile audience, and that his hearers must not expect more than the mere rudiments of science. He would not attempt to inquire how man first became acquainted with fire, but would briefly explain some of the many ways in which it could be produced. A flint and steel were the most common agents for producing flame; in this case, the rapid friction of the two bodies strikes off little particles of metal, which, being at a high temperature, attract the oxygen from the air and produce combustion. Phosphorus, an element found chiefly in bones, was another agent; it combines with the oxygen whenever it is exposed to the air, and burns immediately. The common lucifer matches in daily use, are merely splinters of wood dipped first in brimstone, next into a vessel of water wherein is phosphorus, and finally drawn through gum, which hardens round the phosphorus and excludes the air. When the match is rubbed upon sand-paper, the gum is rubbed away, and the phosphorus, being exposed to the air, takes fire. Lead, as a compact body, will not take fire when exposed to the air, because the cchesion of its particles prevents them from combining with the oxygen; powdered lead, however, takes fire when exposed to the air, and gives off oxide of lead, or litharge, a well-known ingredient used by painters. Flame can also be obtained from water by throwing potassium on its surface. The specific gravity of this metal is about equal to that of cork, so that it floats on the surface of the water and combines with the oxygen, for which it has a strong affinity; the hydrogen being then consumed. The lecturer, next alluded to the ease with which flame could be coloured, and illustrated this branch of his subject by several interesting experiments. He then said that though oxygen supported combustion, it was by no means necessary to it. For instance, Dutch gold, or copper leaf, a pure element, would burn in chlorine, without the presence of any oxygen whatever. In this case, the combustion was produced by the strong chemical attraction existing between the copper and the chlorine. It was a great mistake to say that fire destroyed, as it only decomposed; the elements of a candle are hydrogen and carbon, and, when the candle is burnt out, it is not destroyed, but only resolved into carbonic acid gas and water. If a perfectly dry bell of glass be placed over a candle, the candle will go out when the air is consumed, but the inside of the glass will be wet, and the presence of carbonic acid gas may also be readily ascertained. The old alchemists, who wished to preserve the secrets of their art intact, wrote chiefly in symbols. Thus, a triangle pointing upwards was the symbol of fire, because flame always points upwards; a triangle pointing downwards was water, the reverse of fire: an acid was denoted by a barbed arrow, signifying that an acid could with difficulty be disengaged from other bodies. Flame points upwards because it rarefies the air above it, and is pressed upwards by the fresh air which rushes up to the vacuum. Flame is also hollow, and has no heat in its centre, as may readily ascertained by dropping gunpowder through a tube into the centre of the flame, in which |