I fear the rogue will get some scent of that story of Ochiltree's--but at worst, I have a hard repartee for him on the affair of the abstracted Antigonus--I will show you his last epistle and the scroll of my answer--egad, it is a trimmer!" So saying, the Antiquary opened a drawer, and began rummaging among a quantity of miscellaneous papers, ancient and modern.

But it was the misfortune of this learned gentleman, as it may be that of many learned and unlearned, that he frequently experienced, on such occasions, what Harlequin calls l'embarras des richesses; in other words, the abundance of his collection often prevented him from finding the article he sought for.

"Curse the papers!--I believe," said Oldbuck, as he shuffled them to and fro--"I believe they make themselves wings like grasshoppers, and fly away bodily--but here, in the meanwhile, look at that little treasure." So saying, he put into his hand a case made of oak, fenced at the corner with silver roses and studs--"Pr'ythee, undo this button," said he, as he observed Lovel fumbling at the clasp.

He did so,--the lid opened, and discovered a thin quarto, curiously bound in black shagreen--"There, Mr.
Lovel--there is the work I mentioned to you last night--the rare quarto of the Augsburg Confession, the foundation at once and the bulwark of the Reformation drawn up by the learned and venerable Melancthon, defended by the Elector of Saxony, and the other valiant hearts who stood up for their faith, even against the front of a powerful and victorious emperor, and imprinted by the scarcely less venerable and praiseworthy Aldobrand Oldenbuck, my happy progenitor, during the yet more tyrannical attempts of Philip II.

to suppress at once civil and religious liberty.
Yes, sir--for printing this work, that eminent man was expelled from his ungrateful country, and driven to establish his household gods even here at Monkbarns, among the ruins of papal superstition and domination .-- Look upon his venerable effigies, Mr.Lovel, and respect the honourable occupation in which it presents him, as labouring personally at the press for the diffusion of Christian and political knowledge .-- And see here his favourite motto, expressive of his independence and self-reliance, which scorned to owe anything to patronage that was not earned by desert--expressive also of that firmness of mind and tenacity of purpose recommended by Horace.