legated wand would be to metamorphose those whom it touched, into the creatures most typical of their habits and dispositions; and secondly, that by breaking my rod, I could at once dissolve the enchantment; and restore them to their forms. On these terms I accepted the proffered power; and advancing to the palace, was met by the Goddess; who with the best grace imaginable, surrendered into my hands her authority, cup, and wand. I had scarcely been seated, with the usual ceremonies, on the wizard-throne, when Cyllenius, as gold-stick in waiting, or gentleman usher of the snake-twined rod, began to introduce the candidates for change.

The first whom he presented, was a nimble smart looking little man; whom I had scarcely touched, when he disappeared. At the same moment, feeling a sudden tickling at my wrist, I caught and very unintentionally destroyed him.

A brother Barrister* (one of whose retainers he had lately been,) came forward next; and began to bray so naturally in behalf of the liberty of the subject, and against my sanguinary and tyrannic conduct, that after I had touched him, he seemed to be proceeding with his harangue; and I doubted whether my wand had not failed of its effect: the sudden growth of his ears however undeceived me.

* From hence it appears, that the former was no Eccles-iastick.

Another of the profession, who informed me his name was Barker, addressed me in a very different tone. He declared, that I had treated my first patient as he deserved: that proceedings per saltum were not to be endured: that I had fairly bitten the biter; and would, in any bed of justice, be acquitted without doubt. Disgusted at hearing so melancholy an accident treated in this ludicrous way, I struck him rather smartly with my wand; and the cur ran away, yelping so shrilly, that Mercury gave him a kick in his retreat.

Sir Slippery Silvertongue next cringed forward to kiss hands. I suggested his kissing the rod, as the better ceremonial; which having done, with great facility and resignation, his fawning continued so exactly what it had been before, that if his three tails had not consolidated into one, which he whisked troublesomely about, I doubt whether I should have perceived that he was now a spaniel.

An old man, whom I had read of in the "Mille & une Nuits," next approached; conducting a fine sporting bitch, with a good nose. On being touched with my wand, she immediately dropped three letters of her name; * and the spaniel and she went off, wagging their tails very familiarly together.

*

My attention was next called to a group of officers,

Perhaps, (if a prænomen) the first and the two last:viz. C. T. E.

of whom all but one (and this one the rest were quizzing,) were very confident and assured, and even blustering in their manner; while their victim had a timid, bashful, and disconcerted air. Not thinking it proper to lay my cane on the shoulders of military men, I presented them with what I thought would be more acceptable;-my glass. This had scarce gone round, when a metamorphosis took place, at which I was more surprised than I ought to have been; for the quizzers became hares, and fled in all directions from the embarrassed man, who now assumed the port of a lion.

On a numerous gang of politicians my enchantments, produced an odd, and rather disagreeable effect. They were at once transformed to a promiscuous and disgusting mass of old women, vipers, leeches, rats, moles, snarlers, tigers, chameleons, and snails; while, half suffocated in the filthy heap, of which he was trampling upon part, and extricating bimself with difficulty from the nauseous contact of the remainder, I discerned in the guise of a Roman senator, one whom all parties had disregarded, and almost despised.

Finding a short gentleman of the long robe, who waddled towards me, rather heavy and prolix in his harangue, on the subject of the last metamorphosis en masse, I touched him rather impatiently with my wand: and at the same moment happening to turn my

head aside, was alarmed by a loud and angry hissing at my elbow. But on looking back, I found reason to think, upon the whole, that I had changed the advocate into nothing more mischievous than a goose.

I was much annoyed by the disastrous effect produced by my rod, on a circle of courtiers and high dames. I have seldom witnessed such a scene of dulness, falsehood, and impertinence as ensued. On the other hand, when my enchantments had detected the true propensities and correct taste of a society comparatively humble and obscure, they at once exhibited the manners, accomplishments, and appearance, which (as Fielding says, in his Tom Jones,) those unacquainted with high life might be apt to pronounce noble.

I changed one poet to a swan: but having attempted the like operation on another, was grieved to find, from his manner of gabbling the sequel of an ode which he had been reciting, that I had perverted him to a bird of another feather. I plucked a quill from his wing, and gave it to the editor of a newspaper, who said he wanted it for poet's corner.

Amongst the crowd I perceived as great an Enchanter as myself. The changes which he wrought were effected by certain cabalistic sentences, which he uttered with a simper; and which, as he came within hearing, I discovered to be Puns. On my touching him, he muttered something of flos lingua

*

rum; and, at the same time dwindled to a Martagon; on which the letters I. A. were so distinctly marked, as to put it beyond doubt, that this was indeed the Hyacinth of the Ancients; and that the Punster had assumed the same disguise which was formerly worn by the playfellow of Apollo.+

(The remainder of this Dream shall be given in the next number.)

NUMBER XV.

SATURDAY, MARCH 14th, 1807.

(Dream continued.)

THE ensuing metamorphoses were scarcely perceptible, and of little moment. I changed a Lord Mayor into a collar, (not of S. S. but of brawn ;) one Alderman to a lively turtle, another to a bowl of

* See Swift's Flos linguarum; or art of punning; Vol. VIII. + Martyn, in his notes on the Georgicks, supposes the Martagon, or Turncap Lily, to be the Hyacinth of the Ancients: and adds, that on its petals, the Greek letters a may be sometimes traced. It may seem remarkable, that I. A. should happen to be the initials of that assiduous and able punster, Joseph Atkinson, Esq. of Dublin.