After remaining on the Continent about six or seven years, Mr. Payne KNIGHT removed to England, and went to live at Downton Castle. He took delight in the management of his land, proved himself to be a kind landlord as well as a skilful one, and convinced his neighbours that a man might love Greek and yet ride well to hounds. When returned to Parliament for the neighbouring borough, he attached himself to the Whigs, and more particularly to that section of them who supported BURKE in his demands for economical reform. When in London, he gave constant attention to his parliamentary duty, and when in the country, foxhunting, hospitality, and the improvement of his estate, had their fair share of his time. But, at all periods of life, his love of reading was insatiable. When there was no hunting and no urgent business, he could read for ten hours at a stretch. He had reached his thirty-sixth year before he made the first beginning of his museum of antiquities. The primitive acquisition was a head, unknown—probably of _Diomede_—which was discovered at Rome in 1785. It is in brass, of early Greek work, and was bought of JENKINS. Despite the doubt which exists as to the personage, there are many known copies of this fine head upon ancient pastes and gems. In the following year, Mr. KNIGHT made his first appearance as an author. [Sidenote: EARLY WRITINGS OF MR. PAYNE KNIGHT.] The _Inquiry into the remains of the Worship of Priapus, as existing at Isernia, in the Kingdom of Naples_, treated of a subject which scarcely any one will now think to have been well chosen, as the first fruits or earnest of a scholarly career. When a French critic said of it ‘a maiden-work, but little virgin-like (_peu virginal_)’ he expressed, pithily, the usual opinion of the very small circle of readers at home to whom the book became known. The author eventually called in the impression, so far as lay in his power, and the book is now one of the many ‘rarities’ which might well be still more rare than they are. In 1791, he gave to the world another work on a classical subject which possessed real value, and, amongst scholars, attracted much attention. The _Analytical Essay on the Greek Alphabet_ is a treatise which, in its day, rendered good service to grammatical learning, and led to more. It was followed, in 1794, by _The Landscape, a Poem_.