De Boulainvilliers tells us with particular satisfaction that Mohammed, who respected the devotion of hermits and monks, proceeded with the utmost severity against the official clergy, condemning its members either to death or to the abjuration of their faith.

A further case of extreme severity was that of P. Munatius, who was condemned by the Triumviri to be put in chains for having crowned himself with flowers from the statue of Marsyas.

" In his alarm lest the doctor might be moved to express sympathy, Sir Timothy spoke with unusual severity.

"I'm hardly given to that kind of thing, Miss Leithcourt," I answered with mock severity.

But the stern severity of Puritan principles and Puritan bigotry found no response in her gentle nature, and the narrow- minded intolerance of the Boston Church aroused both her contempt and indignation.

Such was then the excitement of the public mind; such was at that time the necessity of preventing injustice or measures of undue severity.

The regulation had been made by the Municipal Council, not by the Assembly; and its inhuman and unprecedented severity, coupled with a jealousy of the Council, as seeking to usurp the whole authority of the State, induced the Assembly to rescind it, and to grant permission, for Louis to have the dauphin and his sister with him.

No doubt the heart is grieved at reading the excessive severities exercised at that time against the Jews; but must there not have been very grave causes to provoke such excesses?

Happily we have no such processions now; even Justice itself has been humanized to some extent, and the law's cruel severity mitigated.

This 'keen atmosphere of wholesome severities' reappears by the way in Mason's continuation of Gray's Ode to Vicissitude: 'That breathes the keen yet wholesome air Of rugged penury.'

In the neighbourhood of the College there was the classic severity of Gower Street, and, for those who preferred the richer variety of romance, there was always the Tottenham Court Road.

At the head of a military force he was everywhere present, making inquiries, inflicting punishments, levying weekly the weekly assessments, impressing men, horses, and stores, and exercising with relentless severity all those repressive and vindictive powers with which the recent ordinances had armed the committees.

The common symptoms of hysteria everybody is familiar with,the crying and laughing in inappropriate places, the fancied impossibility of breathing, and so forth,which make such trouble and mortification for the embarrassed companions of hysterical persons; and which, moreover, can be very easily suppressed by a little wholesome severity, accompanied by judicious threats or sudden use of cold water.

Even through these it blew with intense severity, and I was glad indeed to cover myself from head to foot and lie down beside Eveena.

" "That's very true," said McDougall, with assumed severity.

The loudest declaimers against these men cannot have stronger detestation of falsehood and sedition than myself; but however flagrant may be the crimes, they may be punished with unjustifiable rigour, and, in my opinion, we have already proceeded with severity sufficient to discourage any other attempts of the same kind.

" The despotic temper of Mr. Hartley led him to treat his daughter with considerable severity.

Other direct taxes were levied on persons and movable property, and all were regulated on a scale of almost intolerable severity.

Then when the revolt of the small city of Volterra from Florentine rule was suppressed by Lorenzo's agents, with a rigorous severity that cast a stain on their master's name, owing to many unoffending scholars having suffered to the extent of losing their all, Lorenzo made noble amends.

For certain crimes mankind has ordained penalties of exceptional severity, in order to emphasise a general abhorrence.

At one time the slave's life was at the absolute control of his master; he could be treated at all times with brutal severity.

The next day a violent cold and penetrating N.W. wind set in, with uncommon severity, which has entirely stopped the infection.

But at the third word I spoke, I was silenced with a stern though perfectly calm severity.

There were times and moods, indeed, in which we were led to suspect ourselves of unjustifiable severity, and to doubt, whether a sense of public duty had not carried us rather too far in reprobation of errors, that seemed to be atoned for, by excellences of no vulgar description.

Who can long thrive amid exhausting studies on root dinners and ascetic severities?