Imatges de pàgina
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Briareus-like, terrifick stands,

With fifty heads and hundred hands!

A fish-boat seems a grand flotilla,
To frighten Addington or Billy;
Appears a dreadful French invasion
T' annihilate the British nation.

Could tell, and never be mistaken,
What future oaks were in an acorn;

ed to have rendered such services to the community, that nothing short of the most princely revenues, clerkships of Pells, &c. &c. &c. could reward them in proportion to their deserts, or enable them to support, in a suitable manner, their newly acquired dignity.

24 A soldier in my glass's focus.

Somewhat similar to the microscope described by Mr. Adams.

"Leuwenhoek discovered in the eyes of the Libellula 12544 triangular lenses, each forming a distinct image of the object placed before it. On turning your eye towards a soldier, by the aid of the mirrour of the microscope, you will have an army of pigmies, performing every motion in the same instant of time."

Adams on the Microscope, p. 339.

My improvement of the glasses renders each " of these pigmies" as big as a Polyphemus.

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And even calculate, at pleasure,
The cubick inches they would measure.

Scotland could never boast a wight,

Could match OURSELF at second sight. "
Nor Wales a wizard, who so well
Could destiny's decrees foretell.

For we'd a precious knack at seeing,

Not only matters not in being,
But ever and anon would still be

Foreseeing things which never will be-"

25 Could match OURSELF at second sight.

That your worships may be able to form something like an idea of the wonderful ken of our mental opticks, it will be necessary to con with diligence the opinions of Dr. Johnson on this subject, as expressed in his tour to the Hebrides. The Doctor there tells us, that though he "never could advance his curiosity to conviction, yet he came away at last, willing to believe." But we would have all those who anticipate the deriving any advantage from our slight at second seeing, not only willing, but absolutely predetermined to " believe," positive evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.

26 Foreseeing things which never will be.

Yes, gentlemen; among other great and wonderful events, which we foretold, but which never have happened, and moreover never will happen, was the restoration of the

Discover'd worlds within the pale
Of tip-end of a tadpole's tail,
And took possession of the same
In our good friend, Sir JOSEPH's name; 27

And soon shall publish, by subscription,
A topographical description
Of worlds aforesaid, which shall go forth
In fool's cap folio, gilt, and so forth,-

Could tell how far a careless fly
Might chance to turn this globe awry,

Jews by the intervention of that renowned pacificator, Buonaparte. We first prophecied, and many men of our cast who had a knack at prying into futurity, echoed our prediction, that the pious emperour of the Gauls would make Jerusalem the head quarters of the Millennium, and under our auspices many a wandering Jew was recruited, and stood in readiness to march at a moment's warning to take possession of his patrimonial property.

27 In our good friend, Sir JOSEPH's name.

This was immensely proper, as I propose colonizing these hitherto Terra Incognita, and know of no person in existence, except myself (who am now decrepit with age, and, alas, sadly poverty stricken) whose scientifick qualifications, knowledge of the coast, and well known ardent zeal in the science of Tadpolism, so well entitle him to command such an important expedition.

:

If flitting round, in giddy circuit,
With leg or wing, he kick or jerk it!-"

Could amputate with ease, I trow,
A puppy's leg-in utero; 29

28 With leg or wing, he kick or jerk it.

Could we command the years of a Nestor, "the indelible ink" of a Lettsom, and the diligence of a Dutch commentator, we should still readily acknowledge that our powers were totally inadequate to the task of eulogising, in proportion to their merits, the philosophical and literary performances of that profound sage, Dr. James Anderson, LLD. FRS. Scotland, &c. &c. &c. &c. whose mysterious hints afford a clue by which we have been enabled to add lustre to the present age, by many of our own sublime discoveries and inventions.

In his deep work called " Recreations in Agriculture and Natural History," the Doctor says, among other things not less marvellous, "The mathematician can demonstrate with the most decisive certainty, that no fly can alight on this globe which we inhabit, without communicating motion to it; and he can ascertain, with the most accurate precision, if so he choose to do" (by the by, this sine qua non part of the sentence is very beautiful, and not at all redundant) " what must be the exact amount of the motion thus produced." Vol. ii, p. 350.

29 A puppy's leg-in utero.

More wonderful matter, perfected from hints of Dr. A.! After telling the publick how to propagate rabbits with one ear, which would be no less useful than the renowned

Have matters comical in tow,
For docking colts in embryo. 3o

And could prepare a puny fry
Of yet unborn homunculi

Gulliver's breed of " naked sheep," the Doctor says, " I know another instance of a dog, which was brought forth with three legs only, the fourth being wanting:" (which last curious circumstance might possibly happen, if it had three legs only.) "It chanced to be a female; she has had several litters of puppies, and among these several individuals were produced that had the same defect with herself; butno pains were taken to perpetuate this breed by pairing them with others of the same kind." To be sure a most lamentable circumstance! Vol. i. p. 68.

30 For docking colts in embryo.

Another Andersonianism. "It has been several times," says the Doctor, "taken notice of by naturalists, that in England, where the practice of docking horses very short, for a long time prevailed, the horses naturally produced have fewer joints in their tails than those of other countries; and though I have never heard it noticed, that any were produced, without having a tail that required to be docked, yet it may have often happened without being remarked; for as it would not be known, when old, from one that had been docked, it might pass unobserved." The Doctor afterwards appears surprised (as well he might be, at such an extraordinary phenomenon) that many men, who have lost a leg or an arm have had children after the accident, and these, for the most part, free from any blemish!!

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