In a climate like this, the Medusa cannot fail of her attractions. Her visage fhall be horror and defpair. The gloomy, the hypochondriac, the envious, the jealous, the discontented, will naturally chuse her as their reservoir; and her jaws fhall be invitingly diftended for the complaints of the many real, and many more imaginary, evils of life.

My Sphynx fhall have an orifice in her breaft for the reception of rebufes, riddles, and connumdrums, for anagrams and acrofties, puzling problems, explanations of myfteries, and effays on free will and predeftination. Indeed on the principle laid down by a writer in my fhop, to wit, that every thing here and hereafter is an enigma, this monfter of mine may, with propriety, be made a vehicle for univerfal inteligence.

To my Venus will flow all matters relative to love, or human happiness; to tenderness and benevolence, to poetry, music, painting, to every fine art, to every generous fentiment, every elegant feeling, and every real pleasure. To her I fhall be indebted for my most valuable acquifitions; and for the reception of them, the thall have a small neat fifure in her occiput. In short, I fell quite in love with this idea; until it fuddenly ftruck me, that, to effect my purpose, I should be obliged to leave the cavity of the scull entirely empty. This in an inftant dashed my whole fcheme to the ground; and I rejected, with disdair, a plan, which could, even emblematically, give offence to the most valuable, as well as most beautiful, part of the creation.

In this perplexity I arose, and went to breakfast ; when a friend of mime, who teaches the mathema

No. 2.

H

OR, FLYN'S SPECULATIONS.

41

In a climate like this, the Medusa cannot fail of her attractions. Her vifage fhall be horror and defpair. The gloomy, the hypochondriac, the envious, the jealous, the difcontented, will naturally chufe her as their reservoir; and her jaws fhall be invitingly diftended for the complaints of the many real, and many more imaginary, evils of life.

My Sphynx fhall have an orifice in her breaft for the reception of rebuses, riddles, and connumdrums, for anagrams and acroftics, puzling problems, explanations of myfteries, and effays on free will and predeftination. Indeed on the principle laid down by a writer in my fhop, to wit, that every thing here and hereafter is an enigma, this monfter of mine may, with propriety, be made a vehicle for univerfal inteligence.

Το my Venus will flow all matters relative to love, or kuman happiness; to tenderness and benevolence, to poetry, music, painting, to every fine art, to every generous fentiment, every elegant feeling, and every real pleasure. To her I fhall be indebted for my moft valuable acquifitions; and for the reception of them, she shall have a small neat fiffure in her occiput. In short, I fell quite in love with this idea; until it fuddenly ftruck me, that, to effect my purpose, I fhould be obliged to leave the cavity of the fcull entirely empty. This in an inftant dafhed my whole fcheme to the ground; and I rejected, with disdain, a plan, which could, even emblematically, give offence to the most valuable, as well as molt beautiful, part of the creation.

In this perplexity I arose, and went to breakfaft; when a friend of mime, who teaches the mathema

Hume.

tics,

of my

In the

This propofal took immediate possession brain; but I soon saw many objections to it. first place it was an imitation too fervile for my abilities. My taste too was offended, as I did not see either nature or allegory preferved, in making a letterbox of a ́lion's maw. Besides, I thought that an animal fo ferocious, was fitter to be crammed with battles, duels, and bloody murders, than with the soft complaints of love, the gay flights of fancy, or the calm pacific difquisitions of morality, criticism, or metaphyfics. On the whole, therefore, I determined. against the lion.

How to do better was now the question. Many fchemes occurred and were rejected. But at last, two gentlemen who came into my fhop, happening to mention a curious antique which was found in the ruins of Herculaneum, started a thought that went to bed with me, and kept me awake all night. I purfued it through a variety of improvements, until, a little before day, I fixed upon this plan. I will provide thought I, a kind of quadruple figure carved out of one intire block, fomething like this antique; it fhall confift of a Satyr, a Medusa, a Sphynx, and a Venus, placed back to back, and made hollow fo as to com municate with a drawer underneath. This I will fix. on a neat pedestal in the Exchange Coffee-house. My Satyr's ears fhall be perforated for the reception of little Effays, and his grin will procure me an amufing mifcellany. Not only the men of wit and humour, but every one who takes ill-nature for the one, and ribaldry for the other; who imagines pertnefs to be repartee, fneering to be fine taste, and invective illery, will drop his contribution here.

In a climate like this, the Medufa cannot fail of her attractions. Her vifage fhall be horror and defpair. The gloomy, the hypochondriac, the envious, the jealous, the difcontented, will naturally chufe her as their refervoir; and her jaws fhall be invitingly diftended for the complaints of the many real, and many more imaginary, evils of life.

My Sphynx fhall have an orifice in her breaft for the reception of rebuses, riddles, and cnumdrums, for anagrams and acrofties, puzlingens, explanations of mysteries, and effays on predeftination.Indeed on the prin

myop, to wi

will and

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and for the reception of

mall neat fifure in her occiput.

In fhotell quite in love with this idea; until it fuddenly ftruck me, that, to effect my purpose, I fhould be obliged to leave the cavity of the fcull entirely empty. This in an inftant dashed my whole fcheme to the ground; and I rejected, with difdain, a plan, which could, even emblematically, give offence to the most valuable, as well as most beautiful, part of the creation.

In this perplexity I arofe, and went to breakfaft; when a friend of mime, who teaches the mathema