Mifs Clifford to Mifs Granby. feature that was before over-charged, His Having taken a curfory view of one fide of the gallery, I turned myself to that which was filled by the works of thofe great mafters that were dead: when, immediately, I fancied myself ftanding before a multitude of fpecta 35 tors, and thousands of eyes looking 4 SERIES of LETTERS. upon me at once, for all before me appeared fo like men and women, that I almoft forgot they were pictures. Raphael's figures flood in one row, Titian's in another, Guido Rheni's in a third. One part of the wall was peopled by Hannibal Carrache, another by Correggio, and another by Reubens. To be fhort, there was not a great mafter among the dead who had not contributed to the embellishment of this fide of the gallery. The perfons that owed their being to these feveral maters, appeared, all of them, to be real and alive, and differed among one another only in the variety of their hapes, complexions, and cloaths; fo that they looked like different nations of the fame fpecies. By a YOUNG LADY. LETTER III. Mifs CLIFFORD to Mifs GRANBY. T IME was, my dear Granby, when your friend Lucy Clifford was the reigning belle of this placebut now, believe me, I with pleasure refign all claim to that title to the charming Mifs Cowell, whofe fuperior beauty eclipfes every one in this part.. Juft as I had finished my laft epiftle to you, we received an additional plea-: fure, the company of Sir William Cowell. He is a fweet youth, but not to be compared to his lovely fifter, who furpaffes all the ladies I have ever feen. He accompained us to Lord Benfon's, where we found a large company, and a moft elegant entertainment. His lordfhip opened the ball with Mifs Cowell, and then took out a Mifs Bland for a fecond. When country dances were chofe, he came (but unfortunately for him too late) to folicit the favour of Mifs C's hand for the evening, but she had juft promised my brother.-His lordship was much chagrined. He afterwards danced with Mifs George, but his eyes were never Obferving an old man (who was the fame perfon I before mentioned as the only artift that was at work on this fide of the gallery) creeping up and down from one picture to another, and retouching all the fine pieces that food before me, I could not but be very attentive to all his motions. I found his ncil was fo very light, that it worked imperceptibly, and after a thousand touches, fearce produced any vifible Het in the picture on which he was Employed. However, as he bufied himfelf inceffantly, and repeated touch after touch without reft or intermifhion, he wore off, infenfibly, every lit-off Mifs Cthe difageceable glofs that hung upon a figure. He also added fuch a beautifel brown to the fhades, and mellownels to the colours, that he made evety picture appear more perfect than when it came fresh from the mafter's I had the happiness of the charming Norton for my partner Sir William had a Lady Ducancy, who is just arrived from Paris. She is a complete coquette; Sir William had high diver. fion, as he pretended to be deeply F 2 fmit fmitten with her charms. We fpented him concerning it; but he only a very agreeable evening, and the next morning Lord Benfon came to inquire, after our healths, and calling my papa afide, begged his permiffion to throw himself at the feet of his lovely ward." My papa anfwered" he had his leave, but Mifs Cowell was to choose for herself, as he fhould never ufe any authority over her. thinks her a good agreeable young lady. "Ah Joe, I fancy you think her more than agreeable in your heart." She has prodigious fpirita-Laft night, as we were chatting, the lovely Norton fat, for fome time, looking extremely dull, and did not lift his eyes off the ground. As foon as his confin obferved him, up fhe ftarted, and taking him by the hand, faid, "What is the matter my dear Coz! what makes you fo dull?" My papa faid, he feared our houfe was not agreeable, but wished he could make it more fo. Mr. They then returned to us, and my papa propofed a walk in the park, and contrived it fo, that Mifs Cand his lordship fhould be laft; which op portunity his lordfhip feized, and im-Norton was going to have answered mediately made a declaration of his him, when Mifs Cowell turned to my papa, with a very arch look, and faid, "It's not in itfelf the gay prospect can please, We only can taste, when the heart is at ease;" which I do not imagine Mr. Norton's is.. I fuppofe he has left his heart with fome bright beauty abroad; so we muft make allowances for our compa love. But, to his great difappointment," Ah, Sir,. fhe told him, at present she was much too young, but she was already engaged, hoped he would foon meet with one more fenfible of his merit, begged he would never mention that fubject more, as it would be extremely difagreeable to her, and at the fame time begged,ny's not being able to afford him a if he had that regard for her he profeffed, that neither her brother nor coufin might know what had paffed.??... mufement. But come my dear Charles, unbofom yourself to me.You know I love you, and will therefore do any thing in my power to make you happy." He was fo confused as to be unable to make her any answer, but looked at me, as if I was to speak for I really pity him, poor man, for he looks fo dejected, and has loft all his ufual vivacity, and fhuns company.Mifs Cowell's very looks fhow the feels for him; but if her breaft is engaged, fhe has certainly behaved very prudent-him. ly in giving him a denial at once. I fear there are not many ladies who would have acted as he has done. Lord Benfon is a very handfóme man, and moft ladies would have been proud of fuch a beau in their lift.of admirers; but Mifs Cowell, I believe, will prove an ornament to the fex.--Her brother and coufin feem to vie with each other, which can love her bett. Lord Townfend called foon after, and put an end to our difcourfe; but Mr. Norton scarce spoke all the evening, and juft as he was going to bed, he told his dear coufin, he should efteem it a great favour, if fhe would give him her company for one half hour in the morning, which the promifed him to do. "Lord! Granby, what can it be that Curiofity, you know, my dear Gran- he is going to communicate to her? by, is a reigning fault in our fex; and What would I give to be a fly to hear as we are all mortal, you must allow their converfation! But what is it to your Lucy to have faults, as well as me; I certainly have no bufinefs with her neighbours; but I long to know their fecrets."-Sir William is a genewho this favoured fwain of Mifs Cowellral lover, for he has been here but a is.-Happy is he, I am fure. I fome-week, and has had four favourites altimes think it is my brother, for they read together, walk together, and he is always at her elbow.I have ralii ready; Mifs Bland is his toaft at prefent, but the next lady he fees will prove her rival.-As Sir William choofes On the Emigration of Swallows, &c. chooses to return to Oxford again, his filter is to remain with us till he is of age. Mr. Norton was to have stayed but a week, but Sir William's coming has made him prolong his time to very near a fortnight: he talks of leaving us foon. My old beau, Lord Warren, is returned from London, fo I fhall be plagued with him again, always at my elbow, like a tantiny pig. I never liked him, and he knows I cannot bear his name. Mils Cowell is juft returned from her walk with her coufin, and begs to fpeak to me-(What can fhe have to fay!) So adieu, my dear Granby, and believe me unalterably Your's, LUCY CLIFFORD. 37 of winter into the warmer countries, where they may find a fufficiency of food, and a temperature of air adapted to their conftitutions. Juft before their departure, we obferve them affemble together in vaft flocks, on churches, towers, trees, &c. and it is generally fuppofed they all fly off together, and return again in the fame manner. It is remarkable that not one will depart before the appointed time; neither is there one that will ftay behind after its publication. There is a fhort time allowed for their being duly prepared, after which they all take their flight together; not a ftraggler nor deferter is to be feen. That fwallows emigrate into a warmer climate, and return again in the fpring, feems confirmed by the account which Sir Charles Wager · gives us, of what happened to him in one of his voyages. "Returning (To be continued.) home," fays Sir Charles, in the We thank this lady for her punc-fpring of the year, as I came into tuality, and hope fhe will have fo much the founding in our channel, a great regard for our honour, as well as her flock of fwallows came and fettled on all our rigging; every rope was own, as to preserve that character with covered; they hung on one another all our patroneffes. like a fwarm of bees; the decks and carving were filled with them. They feemed almoft famished, and spent, and were only feathers and bones; but being recruited with a night's reft, took their flight in the morning. This very great fat gue evidently proves that their journey must have been long, confidering the amazing fwiftness of these birds: it is probable they had cruffed the Atlantic Ocean, and were returning from the thores of Senegal, or other parts of Africa. On the Emigration of SWALLOWS, Exiftence of UNICORNS and SALA MANDERS. To the EDITOR of the LADY', M. SIR, GAZINE. In answer to the Lady's Queries in your Magazine for Oct. latt, p. 528, relative to the emigration of birds, &c. I have met with fome account how they probably difpofe of themfelves in the winter: if you think proper to give it a place in your excellent collection, you will, I dare fay, oblige many of your readers, as well as, Sir, your most humble fervant, IT AMICUS. T is beyond a doubt that the fwala lows, and every other fpecies of fummer birds, retire at the beginning Some naturalifts affert, that fwallows pass the winter immerfed under ice at the bottom of lakes and rivers, where they lie in a kind of torpid ftate; have no fenfible evacuations; breathe a little, or not at all; and most of the vifcera ceafe from their functions. In this condition they are fuppofed to continue, till by length of time maturating the presefs, or by new heats, and I think the most abfurd that could be imagined, for a young one was fuppofed always to be engendered from the afhes of the old one. The exift bird, is now univerfally allowed to the fluids are attenuated, the folids #timulated, and the functions begin where they left off. The first who broached this opinion was Olaus Magnus, archbishop of Upfal, who in-ence, however, of this extraordinary forms us, that they are frequently found in clustered maffes at the bot-be fabulous. tom of the northern lakes, mouth to mouth, wing to wing, foot to foot, and that they creep down the reeds in autumn, to their fubaqueous retreats. That when old fishermen discover fuch a mafs, they throw it again into the water; but when young inexperienced ones take it, they will, by thawing the birds at a fire bring them indeed to the use of their wings, which will continue but a very short time, being owing to a premature and forced revival t. Many of our own countrymen have countenanced the opinion of Olaus Magnus with regard to the fubmerfion of fwallows; but I think this notion fo abfurd and unnatural as not to merit the leaft attention. Willoughby is of opinion, that fwallows retire into a warmer region; and he thinks that they spend the winter in Egypt and Ethiopia, and that they do not fecrete themselves in hollow trees, in holes of rocks, old buildings, &c. as many have fuppofed. The fame author alfo informs us, that he hath feen great numbers of thofe birds brought to market at Valencia, in Spain, towards the end of September. Having faid fomething concerning the migration of birds, I proceed to confider the other query of the inquifitive fair one, "Whether there are now fuch animals to be found as a phoenix, an unicorn, and a falamander." It is afferted by many of the ancients, that there was fuch a bird as the phoenix; however, they tell us, they were not common, and they believed there was only one of them exifting in the whole world. The generation of this bird was the most anomalous, Derham's Phyf. heol. 349. The unicorn was an animal famous among the ancients, and they very gravely inform us, "that it has the head of a ftag, the body of an horfe, and the feet of an elephant; its hair is fhort, and of a darkish brown colour; it is fo exceffively fwift, that nothing can overtake it; and fo fierce, that it is an enemy to all other animals; it has one horn only, which grows in the middle of the forehead, and is about five palms long; this horn is fo ftrong as to pierce, break through, or rip open whatever it pushes; and the courage and boldness of the creature is fo great, that none of them were ever taken alive." A circumftance which is very justly urged against their existence. Philoftratus, and fome other antient authors, have recorded certain circumstances of the fame kind; but the Arabians, to whom fuch fubjects as this properly belong, as far exceed these in fables, as they exceed truth. The female, (fay they) like the elephant, carries her young feven years; and when the time of their bringing forth draws nigh, the young one puts its head out to eat the green branches of tre s, and then retires. back into the belly of the dam. It feeds, when grown up, like the ox or the camel upon grafs, and chews the cud. It lives to a prodigious age, and bears a particular fpleen against elephants and men. Against the back part of the first mentioned animal it runs its horn with inconceivable violence, and having drove it as far as his forehead will let it go, the elephant fails, and the unicorn with him, being unable to get out his weapon, fo that both perish there together. Its fiftnefs and courage preferve it fo well from all danger, that there is but one way of taking it, which according to thefe authors is Enigmatical Defcription of a Mountain. this a young maid must fit down in The falamander is an animal mentioned by the antients. They tell us that its natural element is the fire, that it is of the reptile kind, and that its bite is very dangerous. As the ancients faw the earth, the air, and water inhabited, fancy, I fuppofe, was fet to work to form an inhabitant of fire, and thus to people every part of nature, they have defcribed a formidable animal of the lizard kind, which they fay is generated from heat, lives (as beforementioned) in the flames, and feeds upon fire, as its proper nourishment. It is now, however, well known, that there is no fuch animal exifting. Salamander is now an appellation given by modern naturalifts, to feveral harmless fpecies of the lizard kind. 39 divides it nearly into two equal parts; that fide which we thall first describe is very fteep, and feldom produces either tree, fhrub, or flower, excepting about the lower regions thereof, which are fometimes covered with a kind of thick furz, which excites the activity of a rapacious enemy, who frequently approaches and lays it wafte; but, notwithstanding his deftructive efforts, it as often fprings again, and baffles all his labours. In the midst of this almoft impervious copfe, is fituated a deep, hollow cavern, which at different seasons has very different appearances and effects. In fome parts of the year its entrance is quite clofed up; fometimes at its opening the most harmonious and melting founds are heard to iffue from within, which feldom fail to delight those who are in its vicinity at thofe pleafing moments. Some poets, who have experienced this pleasure, have not fcrupled to affirm, that it is the feat of the Mufes, and that the Loves and Graces have occafionally taken up their refidence on its balmy margin; but others, who have vifited it, at more boisterous feafons, as confidently declare, that it is a hideous and gaftly aperture, encompaffed with a ftrong fence; that from it proceed dreadful bellowings, pernicious blafts, and the molt tremendous thunder, vomiting froth and vapours; that, though at its moft violent agitations, its exhalations are not equal to thofe of Etna or Vefuvius, yet that a fiend refides therein, whofe baneful and pernicious influence is by far more deftructive than either of thofe formidable volcanos. On either fide of this amazing cave is an extenfive, regular, and fteep afcent, with a few rofes interfperfed; where are two commodious, well formed forts, fituated at the extremities of each fide, and oppofite to each other; which, by taking the leaft alarm, guard the whole mountain from the hoftile furprife of any fudden foe. Two most beautiful crystal fountains. dorn the uppermoft part of this afcent, a each |