Thus far books; now for the _bookworms_. Anthony Magliabecchi, the notorious bookworm, was born at Florence in 1633; his passion for reading induced him to employ every moment of his time in improving his mind. By means of an astonishing memory and incessant application, he became more conversant with literary history than any man of his time, and was appointed librarian to the grand duke of Tuscany. He has been called a living library. He was a man of a most forbidding and savage aspect, and exceedingly negligent of his person. He refused to be waited upon, and rarely took off his clothes to go to bed. His dinner was commonly three hard eggs, with a draught of water. He had a small window in his door, through which he could see all those who approached him; and if he did not wish for their company, he would not admit them. He spent some hours in each day at the palace library; but is said never in his life to have gone farther from Florence than to Pratz, whither he once accompanied Cardinal Norris to see a manuscript. He died at the age of 81, in the year 1714. In the present age we have _bookworms_, who wander from one bookstall to another, and there devour their daily store of knowledge. Others will linger at the tempting window filled with the "_twopenny_," and read all the open pages; then pass on to another of the same description, and thus enjoy literature by the way of _Cheapside_. P.T.W. * * * * * MIDNIGHT--A TOUCH AT THE EPIC. (_For the Mirror_.) "The iron tongue of midnight hath toll'd twelve." SHAKSPEARE. Amid the pauses of the midnight storm, When all without is cold, within all warm! Amid the pauses of the midnight blast, When ev'ry bolt and ev'ry sleeper's fast! In that dire hour, when graves give up their dead, And men for once agree in their pursuit--a bed! When heroes, statesmen, senators, and kings, Lords, and et ceteras of meaner things, Forget the road to fortune--or to jail, And Morpheus all their equal guardian hail! When each forgets each 'vantage or mishap. And all are equal in one common nap! At that dread hour... Caetera desiderantur. _Carshalton_ W. P----n. * * * * * ON OATHS. (_For the Mirror_.) Since lately we have had a great deal of prevarication in our courts of justice about receiving the oaths of deists, &c., I have thought it meet to furnish the MIRROR with an account of the first usage of the words, "So help me God." The word oath is a corruption of the Saxon _eoth_. An oath is called corporal, because the person making an affidavit lays his hand upon a part of the scriptures.