"Hither it came from Holland, where 'twas

caught

" (I should not say it came, for it was brought);

"To-morrow we're to have it at Crane-court,*

"And 'tis a reptile of so strange a sort, "That if 'tis cut in two, it is not dead; "Its head shoots out a tail, its tail a head; "Take out its middle, and observe its ends, "Here a head rises, there a tail descends; "Or cut off any part that you desire, "That part extends, and makes itself entire : "But what it feeds on still remains a doubt, "Or how it generates, is not found out :

grows in proportion to what it eats. The manner in which these insects multiply is evidently by vegetation; there is not on the body of the Polypus any distinguished place by which it brings forth its young; when one drops off, another comes in its place; take one, put it in perfect solitude in a glass, it will multiply, and if you feed them, their offspring will do the like, more or less, according to the plenty of food.

The Royal Society was held in Crane-court, Fleetstreet, at this time.

"But at our Board, to-morrow, 'twill appear,

"And then 'twill be consider'd and made clear, "For all the learned body will be there.”

"Lord, I must see it, or I'm undone,"

The Duchess cry'd, "pray can't you get me one?

"I never heard of such a thing before,
"I long to cut it and make fifty more;
"I'd have a cage
made up in taste for mine,
"And, Dicky-you shall give me a design."

But here the Gen'ral to a yawn gave way, And Stanhope had not one more word to say, So stretch'd on easy chairs in apathy they lay; And, on each side the goddess they ador'd, One Charles sat speechless, and the other snor❜d. When chaste Susanna's all-subduing charms Made two old lovers languish for her arms, Soon as her eyes had thaw'd the frost of age, Their passions mounted into lustful rage;

With brutal violence they attack'd their prey, And almost bore the wish'd-for prize away.

Hail happy Duchess! 'twixt two Elders plac'd, Whose passions brutal lust has ne'er disgrac'd; No warm expressions make your blushes rise, No ravish'd kiss shoots light'ning from your eyes: Let them but visit you, they ask no more, Guiltless they 'll gaze, and innocent adore.

But hark! a louder knock than all before'Lord!" says her Grace, "they'll thunder down my door!"

Into the room see sweating Lovel* break,
The Duchess rises, and the Elders wake:

* Lord Lovel was son to Coke, Earl of Leicester; he married Lady Mary Campbell, youngest daughter to the Duke of Argyle, a match negociated by the Countesses of Leicester and Gower. Mr. Walpole observes, that "Lady Mary, after consenting, cried her eyes out, that he has made her four visits, and is so in love with her, that he writes to her every other day; 'tis a strange match; she objects to his loving none of her sex, but the four queens in a pack of cards; but he promises to abandon White's, and both clubs for her sake."-W.

Lovel, the oddest character in town;
A lover, statesman, connoisseur, buffoon:
Extract him well, this is his quintessence,
Much folly, but more cunning, and some sense;
To neither party in his heart inclin❜d,

He steer'd twixt both with politics refin'd,
Voted with Walpole, and with Pultney din'd.

His lordship makes a bow, and takes his seat, Then opens with preliminary chat: "I'm glad to see your Grace-the Gen❜ral too"Old Charles, how is it? Dicky! how d'ye do? "Madam, I hear that you were at the play, "You did not say one word on't yesterday; "I went, who'd no engagement any where, "To th' Opera."-" Were there many people there?"

The Duchess cry'd.-" Yes, Madam, a great

many,"

Says Lovel "There were Chesterfield and

Fanny*

*Lady Frances Shirley, a much celebrated beauty.

"In that eternal whisper which begun

"Ten

years ago, and never will be done; "For tho' you know he sees her ev'ry day, "Still he has ever something new to say ; "There's nothing upon earth so hard to me, "As keeping up discourse eternally;

"He never lets the conversation fall, "And I'm sure Fanny can't keep up the ball; "I saw that her replies were never long, "And with her eyes she answer'd for her tongue : "Poor I am forc'd to keep my distance now, "She won't ev'n curt'sy if I make a bow.”

"Why, things are strangely chang'd," the Gen'ral cry'd;

66

Ay, fortune de la guerre," my lord reply'd : "But you and I, Charles, hardly find things so, "As we both did some twenty years ago." "And take off twenty years," reply'd her Grace, " "Twould do no harm to Lady Fanny's face; "My Lord, you never see her but at night, "By th' advantageous help of candle-light :