The same Cantab was once at the opera, where a conceited French composer had taken his seat adjoining, and being anxious that the audience should know he had written the music, he annoyed our poet by humming every air so audibly as to spoil the effect of the person's singing the part, one of the greatest _artistes_ of the day. Thus annoyed, Prior ventured to _hiss_ the singer. Every body was astonished at the daring, he being a great and deserved favourite. The composer hummed again,--again Prior hissed the singer, who, enraged at the circumstance, demanded "Why he was subject to such indignity?" "I want that fellow to leave off humming," said Prior, pointing to the composer, "that I may have the pleasure of hearing you sing, Signor." * * * * * STUNG BY A B. Dr. Thomas Plume, a former Archdeacon of Colchester, was the munificent founder of the Cambridge Professorship of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy, which (as in the case of the late Dr. Edward Daniel Clarke and the present George Pryme, Esq. M.A. and M.P.) he was the first to fill; but he was not as fortunate as the former, to fill his chair with unparalleled success,--in fact, his lectures were not quite the fashion. He was smarting under this truth, when he one day met Dr. Pearce in the streets of Cambridge, the Master of Jesus College, whom he addressed with, "Doctor, they call my lectures Plum-B-ian, which is very uncivil. I don't at all like it, Dr. Pearce." "I suppose the B. stung you," rejoined the latter. Here we may not inappropriately introduce a trifle, hit off between Dr. Pearce and the woman who had the care of the Temple Gardens, when he was master there. It is a rule to keep them close shut during divine service on Sundays; but the Doctor being indisposed, and having no grounds attached to his residence save the church-yard, wished to seize the quiet hour for taking a little air and exercise. He accordingly rung the garden bell, and Rachel made her appearance; but she flatly told him she should not let him in, as it was against the Benchers' orders. "But I am the _Master_ of the Temple," said Dr. P. "The more shame for you," said Rachel, "you ought to set a better example;" and the Doctor retired dead beat. * * * * * A NEST OF SAXONISTS. Queen's College, Oxford, was called "_a nest of Saxonists_" towards the close of the sixteenth century, when those learned antiquarians and Saxonists, Rawlinson and Thwaites, flourished there. It is recorded of the latter, in Nichols's Bowyer, that he said, writing of the state of the college, "We want Saxon Lexicons. I have fifteen young students in that language, and but one _Somner_ for them all." Our Cambridge gossip, COLE, RELATES A PLEASANT MISTAKE,