the reins to Pegasus, who, with great rapidity, bore me away towards his native pasture. The seat of the Muses was the only curiosity now worth my attention, and a jargon of undistinguishable sounds conducted me within its view. Large and steep were these cloud-coifed hills, where resided the Pierian nymphs, who, upon a nearer approach, became quite familiar to my sight. They were rural unadorned virgins, and not a riband or a petenlair were to be seen a mong them; their nut-brown locks flowed with a charming negligence over unkerchiefed necks; smiles of innocence and pleasure dwelt on every face a light vestment of azure hue, fanned by ethereal breezes, wantonly embraced and twined. about their snowy limbs. All had the face of health and ease, for all were employed: one was just ascended from Hippocrene with a pitcher of water; another was preparing a mess of caudle for a bard just delivered of a waternymph; a third was combing her hair, that she might be ready to receive the addresses of Mr, Lun; a fourth seemed engaged in a very amor ous dalliance with a young fellow, whose face I remembered to have seen in a country churchyard; another was starching the beard of Shak, speare, and the band of Swift; and what pleased me most of all, was to see one of those amiable

nymphs binding a wreath round the temples of Mrs. Leapor, who seemed more like a tenth muse, than the neglected Mira of Brackley.

Having thus surveyed the daughters of Jove, I turned my eyes towards the sons of Apollo, Five or six venerable forms, clad in different attire, soon drew my attention. They had an infinite deal of fire and sweetness in their aspect; and when they spoke, enchanting strains of music spread through the neighbouring hills. Two, of superior majesty above the rest, wrapt in darkness and silence, sat musing ineffable things: profound tranquillity soothed their divine features: they bemoaned not the loss of sight, for they had a prospect within, more boundless than the creation, and more various than the works of nature.

As I descended lower, the inhabitants of those stupendous hills seemed almost infinite in number, but, alas! how degenerated in form! The air became thick and heavy; a confused murmur of discordant sounds rushed at once into my when immediately I discovered a vast crowd of meagre wretches, who, stung by envy and ambition, were climbing up the steep ascent: poverty and wretchedness hung on their backs, while hunger and despair sat aghast in their faces they all proudly meditated the

ears;

highest eminence; but unhappily, either through the steepness or slipperiness of the hill, very few ascended half its height; every one strove to trip up his neighbour's heels, and, as often as any one fell to the bottom, arose a general hiss, which was more or less loud in proportion to the height of the fall. 'Twas diverting to behold so many tormentors, heaving their heavy genius up the hill; which, like the stone of Sisyphus, recoiled upon them, and bore them headlong down into the gulf of oblivion. Those who escaped this most dreadful doom, were exposed to the devouring jaws of critics, who, like sharks, swallow shoals of this Grubstreet fry.

Sick of the noise and stench of this babbling crew, I was about to retire, when a thick fog, rolling from off the surface of the ground near the foot of a hill, discovered the chaotic abyss of the Bathos. Amazed at the dark unfathomable womb, and dizzy with the exhalations that issued from it, oh dire mischance! I fell with incredible velocity to the very brink of that detestable cavern. Stunned with the fall, awhile, methought, I lay insensible of my disgrace; but at length recovering a little, I found myself groveling amidst the dirty hovels of Durfey, Blackmore, Dennis, &c. with the whole tribe

of Magazine authors, and many other such profound and deep spirits of ancient and modern times. In the midst of these gloomy mansions, lies this yawning unrefunding gulf, into which thousands daily plunge, like croaking frogs into a muddy pond. They leave behind them a frothy kind of matter, which issues from their mouths, and floats like spawn on the greenmantled surface; from hence the race is propagated by the genial rays of all-quickening Phoebus, who darts his warmest beams on his favourite spot, next to sacred Delos, famous for the birth of fiddlers, bards, and quacks.

FLIRTILLA.

STUDENT, vol. ii. p. 381.

This essay contains an instance of the total inefficacy of attempting to support names by juxtaposition with those of acknowledged superiority, or established fame. Who can forbear smiling to perceive Mr. Lun, and Mrs. Leapor, of whom nothing is now known, or merits to be known, associated with Shakspeare, and Gray? In other respects, this vision possesses merit.

THERE is something in the waking into a new period of life, after a series of hours spent in a kind of non-existence, or, at the utmost, in a state of scarce conscious existence, that never fails to excite in me a warm sense of veneration and gratitude, toward that being to whom I owe my new life, and to whom I have owed the refreshment of the past scene of tranquillity, and my protection under it. I don't know whether it is common to all the world to be affected in the same grateful manner by this striking incident, or whether the familiarity of it has, in many, created a disregard and neglect; but to me, it ever serves as an admonition both of what I ought to do, and with what spirit I ought to do it, in the succeeding day.