tack about, and take advantage of all winds, by the quick ness of his Wit and Invention."

But in spite of these odious comparisons of cotemporary critics and the town, so well calculated to kindle their mutual jealousy, it is gratifying to know that these rival dramatists always cherished a true friendly feeling for each other. Shakspeare, indeed, with his fine genial spirit, and his large liberal heart, would naturally fancy "rare Ben," whose superior learning he must have warmly admired, (and from whose conversation, by the way, he doubtless stole some of those scraps of Latin, which he has stuck about in his plays,) and Jonson, in spite of his crabbed temper and cross-grained humor, could hardly help being fascinated with the sprightly and versatile genius of glori ous Will, and undoubtedly he must have appreciated the fellowship of such a sociable mate. They were, accordingly, always glad to see each other, often meeting at the playhouse, the tavern, and elsewhere, and enjoying each others company with a hearty relish. We are told, indeed, that they were so intimate, that Shakespeare stood for one of Jonson's boys; and apropos of this fact, L'Estrange has preserved an anecdote which we may tell after him, in his own words: "Shakspeare," he says, "was godfather to one of Ben Jonson's children, and after the christening, being in a.deep study, Jonson came to cheer him up, and asked him why he was so melancholy? "No, faith, Ben," says he, "not I; but I have been considering a great while what should be the fittest gift for me to bestow upon my godchild, and I have resolved at last." "I pr'y thee, what?" says he. "I, faith, Ben, I'll e'en give him a dozen good Latten Spoons, and thou shalt translate them."

We shall have a little something more to say of both these master wits another time.

GOVERNOR PAGE.

[We are indebted to our esteemed correspondent, John Minor, Esq., of Fredericksburg, for the following Memoir of Colonel John Page, of Rosewell, sometime Governor of the Commonwealth, written by himself. It may be proper to state that it was originally written in the form of a letter to Skelton Jones, Esq., of this city, in answer to one which that gentleman had addressed to Col. P., dated, Richmond, August 1808. submitting certain queries concerning his life, character, &c., and requesting him to furnish answers to them, which might be embodied in a narrative, and published in a work which Mr. J. was about to issue from the press; (probably the Continuation of Burk's History of Virginia, which he was preparing, we suppose, about that time;) and it is a copy of this answer that we have before us now. In transferring it to our pages, we omit the queries, and a few sentences which could hardly have been intended for the public eye, and, with this slight amendment, we think the article will be agreeable to our readers both for the information which it affords concerning the worthy author himself, and also for the light which it serves to shed on the civil and social history of our State.]

I was born on the 17th day of April, old style, Anno Domini, 1743, at Rosewell.

I discover from the tomb stones in Williamsburg Churchyard, and from others in my Grandfathers burying ground, at his family seat, Rosewell, 1st that one of my ancestors named John Page, was a highly respectable character, and had long been one of the King's Council in this Colony, when he died viz. on the 23d January, 1691-2; his manuscripts which I have seen, prove that he was learned and pious. 2d. That his Son Matthew Page, was one of the Council, and his Son Mann also, whose letters to his friends, and theirs to him, exhibit as a patriotic, well edu

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cated, and truly amiable gentleman. He had his classical education at Eton school in England. He was my father's father, who might also have been appointed to the office of a Councillor, but he declined it in favour of his younger brother John Page, who, my father said, having been brought up in the study of the Law regularly, was a much more proper person for that office than he was. The John Page above first mentioned was, as we find by an old picture, a Sir John Page, a merchant of London, supposed to have been knighted, as Sir John Randolph long after was, for proposing a regulation of the Tobacco trade and a duty thereon. Which if it was the case, I think his patriotism was premature, and perhaps misplaced; his dear, pure minded, and American patriotic grand son, my grand father, Mann Page, in his days checked the British Merchants from claiming even freight on their goods from England, declaring that their freight on our Tobacco, and homeward bound articles, added to their monopoly of our Trade, ought to satisfy avarice itself; this he expressed repeatedly to his mercantile friends, and some near relations who were Tobacco merchants in London; however he lived not long after! The fashion or practice then was for men of landed property here, to dispose of their children in the following manner: they entailed all their lands on their eldest son, brought up their others, according to their genius and disposition, physicians, or lawyers, or merchants, or ministers of the church of England, which commonly maintained such as were frugal and industrious. My father was frequently urged by friends, but not relations, to pay court to Sir Gregory Page, whose heir from his Coat of Arms, and many circumstances, he was supposed to be. But he despised titles sixty years ago, as much as you and I do now; and would have nothing to say to the rich silly Knight, who died, leaving his estate and title to a sillier

man than himself, his sister's son, a Mr. Turner, on condi tion that he would take the name and title of Sir Gregory Page, which he did by act of Parliament, as I was told, or read.

I was early taught to read and write, by the care and attention of my grandmother, one of the most sensible, and best informed women I ever knew. She was a daughter of the Hon. Robert Carter, who was President of the King's Council, and Secretary of Virginia, and who at the same time, held the rich office of Proprietor of the Northern neck, by purchase, from the Lord Proprietor, his friend, who was contented to receive but 3001, per annum for it, as the report in the family stated. My Grandmother excited in my mind an inquisitiveness, which, whenever it was proper, she gratified, and very soon I became so fond of reading, that I read not only all the little amusing and instructing books which she put into my hands, but many which I took out of my father's and grandfather's collection, which was no contemptible library.

But in the year 1752, when I was nine years old, my father put me into a grammar school, at the glebe house of our parish, where the Rev'd Mr. Wm. Yates, had undertaken the tuition of twelve scholars. I found there Lewis Willis (the late Col. L. W.) of Fredericksburg, Edward Carter, (his brother, Charles Carter of Shirley, had just left this school and gone to William and Mary College,) Severn Eyre, of the Eastern Shore, Peter Beverley Whiting, and his brother John, Thos. Nelson, (the late Gen. Nelson,) Christopher Robinson of Middlesex, Augustine Cook, and John Fox of Gloster, Robert Tucker of Norfolk, and Francis Willis of Gloster; so that I made up, or kept up the number which Yates required; but in a short time, his passionate disposition induced L. Willis, and Edward Carter to leave him, and Severn Eyre not long after followed the

Carters to our College, where Edward had joined his brother Charles. The two Whitings followed them, and Mr. Nelson, and Col. Tucker, took their sons and sent them to England, to finish their education; and at the end of my year, Robinson, Cooke, and Fox, went to College, and my father and Mr. Willis procured a most excellent tutor for their sons, instead of sending them there. I had been totally interrupted in my delightful reading of Histories, and Novels, for twelve months tied down to get by heart an insipid and unintelligible book, called Lilly's Grammar, one sentence in which my master never explained. But happily, my new tutor Mr. Wm. Price, at Mr. Willis's, soon enabled me to see that it was a complete Grammar, and an excellent Key to the Latin Language. This faithful and ingenious young man, who was about 20 years of age, and had been studying the language at his leisure, as he was intended for the church, into which he could not enter till he was 24 years of age, was happily of a most communicative disposition, and possessed the happiest talents of explaining what he taught, and rendering it an agreeable, and most desirable object; was beloved and strictly attended to by me. After 3 years close application to my studies under Mr. Price, some circumstances occurred which induced him to accept of the office of Secretary to the Hon. Philip Ludwell, who was deputed by the Governor to meet a Convention of Governors, or their deputies, at New York, to resolve on the quotas of money that each colony should furnish to carry on the war against France, and his mind had been so inflamed by the military ardour displayed in the letters of Capt. George Mercer, (afterwards Colonel of the 2d Va. Regiment,) and other old fellow collegians, who had quitted the academic groves there for the field of Mars, which he had always read to me with enthusiasm, that he resolved to abandon the humble employment he was in,