amet pedoftal in the Exchange Coffee-houfe. My

fill be periorate for the reception of

Don T Bar and be gim wil ̈ procure me

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 discontented, 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 myfteries, and effays on predeftination. Indeed on the prin

by a w here

of wing

univer

T

will and aid down

thing

After

myop, to wi

en

penade

Cle for

en

all ha

ve to love,

pinels; to te

enevolence,

them, e thai na v

In fho

indebted my

and for the reception of

mall neat fifure in her occiput. fell quite in love with this idea; until it fuddenly ftruck me, that, to effect my purpofe, I fhould be obliged to leave the cavity of the fcull entirely empty. This in an inftant dafhed my whole me to the ground; and I rejected, with disdain, which could, even emblematically, give ofthe most valuable, as well as most beautiof the creation.

is perplexity I arofe, and went to breakfaft; friend of mime, who teaches the mathema

of my

In the

This propofal took immediate poffeffion brain; but I soon saw many objections to it. firft place it was an imitation too fervile for my abilities. My tafte too was offended, as I did not fee either nature or allegory preferved, in making a letterbox of a lion's maw. Befides, I thought that an animal fo ferocious, was fitter to be crammed with battles, duels, and bloody murders, than with the foft complaints of love, the gay flights of fancy, or the calm pacific difquifitions of morality, criticifm, 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 laft, two gentlemen who came into my shop, 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 Medufa, 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 invectiv.e to be raillery, will drop his contribution here.

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 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 rebufes, riddles, and connumdrums, for anagrams and acrofties, puzling problems, explanations of mysteries, 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 hereafter is an enigma, this monster with ropriety, be made a vehicle for

e.

ers relative to love, efs and benevolence, very fine art, to every elegant feeling, and every

To helihall be indebted for my ouifitions; and for the reception of

have a fmall neat fifure in her occiput.

In fho 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 difdain, a plan, which could, even emblematically, give offence to the most valuable, as well as moit beautiful, part of the creation.

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

tics, happening to drop in, I imparted to him my diftrefs. After a fhort paufe, I have, fays he, a fcheme which will exactly quadrate with your purpose. Provide a circular platform, of any given diameter, and fix it in the Coffee-houfe, exactly paralled to the plane of the horizon. Round the periphery, let the artist place the twelve figns of the zodiac; and, under each, a till or drawer, with an aperture for receiving fuch matters as properly belong to each conftellation. For inftance, under ARIES, let all letters be put which relate to marriage; under TAURUS to gallantry; GEMINI, to platonic love; CANCER, to celibacy; LEO to war and duels ; VIRGO, to boarding fchools; LIBRA, to the weigh-houfe; SCORPIO, to the gaminghoufe; SAGITTARIUS, to phyfic; CAPRICORNUS, to magiftracy; AQUARIUS, to the waterscheme; and PISCES, to the fish market. Every thing will then come in under its proper house, and confequently be fuccefsful. I thanked him for his ingenious device, but told him, that most of those fubjects were quite foreign from my defign, and that fuch ftrange unaccountable figures, placed in a Coffee-house, may give offence to perfons who may accidentally happen to be ignorant of aftronomy My friend gave me a smile of filent contempt, and retired.

Thus am I thrown back into all my former difficulties. But as my thoughts are unweariedly employed for the convenience and amufement of the public, I hope foon to come to fome fatisfactory refolution on this head. In the mean time, let me requeft my intentional benefactors, to commit their favours to the Poft-office, from whence they will be immediately forwarded to me, and where they may be depofited with as much privacy as they can defire.

N.