may be, admonish them, but in all kindness. Should this be of no effect, report such cases at our next meeting, and doubt not, Fellow Conspirators, that our united wisdom will devise some remedy for the evil, and soon bring the offender to most condign punishment.

"Never swerve from your own integrity! Let each one feel that on him leans the fate of this nation, and that as he stands or falls, so lives or dies this country! Above all things, fall not out with each other, but see that you dwell together in the most perfect harmony! As you love me, I entreat of you, eschew all cigars, and as you value your lives, your sacred honor, expose not our secrets, but be wary, watchful, and circumspect!

"When blazing midway between the south and middle chapeldoors, you see the sign

Conspirators, Evoe!!

let each one tread more firmly and proudly, and at the appointed hour, grasping each the fruits of his intermediate toils, assemble straightway here!

"And now, Fellow Conspirators, farewell! May you be successful in your efforts to raise and exalt the character of the human race! May Success, like the dove of the sky, calmly and quietly settle down upon and crown all your undertakings!" (Cheerings'Hear! hear! Long live Nathaniel the Great!' amidst a pellmell rushing towards the door.)

"There!" said the old man, as he concluded, "there is a story for you, giving one a little insight into the mode of conducting respectable-mind, I say respectable college scenes during the year 1836. And now how do you like it?"

"Like it!" I rejoined, "i' faith, as yet I see nothing to like. In the first place, I don't believe a word of it, and moreover I defy you to find any body that will. So there you have two good objections against it already. And now pray, what has all this to do with your boasted object-the improvement of the Magazine?"

"Why, write it off, and send the Editors a copy for publication," replied my guest. "As for the truth of the account, why! if you're not disposed to believe it, of course you need'nt. But if you'll take my advice you'll believe every word of it."

"Very likely," responded I, "but if the Editors publish such a thing as that-why! I'm deucedly mistaken-that's all."

"The old man's eyes snapped and sparkled at my insinuation, and he was just upon the point of making some terribly keen reply, when a venerable old rooster, that may be seen catering round the college doors almost any day, having clapped his wings with all due energy, crowed forth his morning note. Never shall I forget the scene that ensued. My guest had but a moment before thrust his hand deep into his coat pocket, when the warning came bursting in

upon him. With the rapidity of thought he grasped his hat and cane in the hand that was free, but in endeavoring to disengage the other, he gave so violent a jerk that the whole contents of the pocket came scattering out upon the floor!

The old man looked aghast—but it was no time for inaction. Making a truly courageous effort, he pushed with all the energy of despair for a certain small package which had rolled out among the rest-but he was too late. Already had his nether limbs vanished, and long before his hand could have reached the package, not a particle of him could be seen. Without staying to button his coat, or light his pipe, or even deigning one parting nod, he winged his flight to the upper air.

My lamp was decidedly burning blue-but few coals in the stove were contending with the keen air, and the sun's first rays were faintly streaming above the eastern horizon, when I roused and transported myself from chair to bed.

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The sun had well nigh attained his meridian when I next awoke. The first object that greeted my eyes was the identical package so eagerly striven for by my visitor. By its side reposed an ancient looking knife, which, even at this distance, I could perceive, savored strongly of tobacco withal. Upon a closer inspection, to my infinite amazement I found the package labelled "Conspiracy Documents." Ha!' thought I, here's where the old fellow's ideas come from, is it?' It was even so. A mere glance at the first paper established at once its identity with the old man's tale. Like many of our famous extempore college orators, he had taken the wise precaution to commit to memory his speeches before venturing to display them! From a hasty examination of the remaining papers, hardly a doubt can exist, but that they are a protracted series of which the present constitutes No. I. Would our readers see them? Let the reception of the present number decide.

As I sit and gaze at that truly venerable knife, a vague and undefinable feeling creeps over me that I have not yet seen the last of the "presiding Genius of Yale College." If so, dear reader, rest assured I shall not fail to acquaint of such circumstance, in due time, the readers of the "Yale Literary Magazine."

E.

It is one of the peculiarities of little minds to affect a contempt of the great, and to dignify by their ill-nature what they have not the judgment to appreciate. They never seem to look at things as other men, or judge them by the same principles; they are in fact narrowed down by some peculiarity of mental construction, so that what is good or great in the eyes of the generous, is in their view deficient and unworthy. Altogether innocent of every thing like merit themselves, and at the same time not altogether unsuspicious of their own inferiority, they would drag others down to their own level; and thus by degrading the standard, they would contrive to have none eventually, in order that the worthy and degenerate might stand on the same foundation,

Indeed, if a man of merit would get a proper estimate of his own abilities, he cannot do it better than by gathering together the quantity of ridicule heaped upon him, and considering it a testimony of his excellence. He is assured that men of sense never resort to this mockery, that is, supposing him to have any thing like respectable claims to intellect, while he is equally assured that the opposite class always do, so that he has only to bear in mind the principles which govern them, and he may never tremble for his reputation, until they begin to praise. It has always been the fate of genius to be met and misunderstood, to be always obliged to bear up against a host of shallow opposers, to encounter just about so much hatred and so much envy, and find every deviation from the beaten track denounced as presumption, until by the omnipotent energy of intellect alone, acknowledgments have been forcibly obtained of supe