The Council in the Moon
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
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 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 FREDERIC THOMAS BLANCHARD 
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 THE 
 
 
 
 COUNCIL in the MO ON. 
 
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 PR 
 
 THE 
 
 COUNCIL in the MOON. 
 
 TRAVELLING is become an eflential part 
 of a Gentleman's Education. Being very 
 ienfible of it's Advantages, I fome Time ago 
 formed a Defign of making the grand Tour ; 
 but upon reflecting how often that fcheme had 
 been taken, and that I was pretty well read in 
 the Obiervations Travellers have given us on the 
 Curiofities to be met with in it, I determined to 
 alter my Rout, and, boldly purfuing an unbeaten 
 Track, to make a Vifit to the Regions of the 
 Moon. Accordingly I fet out, and arrived there 
 in great Safety. I fee the Mouths of all the 
 World are open upon me to know, by what Sort 
 
 B of 
 
 895990
 
 . (4) 
 
 of Machine, or Vehicle, I transported myfelf 
 thither. Hold a little, Gentlemen! That's a 
 Secret not to be difcovered, till an-handfome Re- 
 ward is offered by the Government. But fo far 
 I'll fatisfy you, that I was neither conveyed by a 
 Broomftick, a Pair of Wings, a Berlin, a Poft- 
 Coach, or any other Flying Machine, 
 
 The Lunatics (for fo the People arc called) 
 bear the moft exacl: Refemblance to the Inhabit- 
 ants of the Earth, in their Perfons, Cuftoms, 
 Manners, and Ways of Living. They, like our- 
 felves, blindly purfue Shadows for Subftances, 
 oppofe the plaineft Di&ates of Nature and Rea- 
 fon, and often philofophize themfelves out of 
 their Happinefs, whilft they mean to fix it upon 
 the fureft Foundations. Without Consideration 
 or Choice, and even without common Thought, 
 they ardently elpoufe one Opinion, rather than 
 another. It is no uncommon Thing among 
 Them to be led into the fame Perfuafion, by the 
 Habit they wear, the Tribe or Company with 
 which they are conneded ; by the Vocation in 
 Life they happen to be engaged in, or by the 
 Multitude, that, like a Torrent, carries Them, 
 with irrefiftible Force, into whatever Channel it 
 
 pleafes.
 
 ( 5 ) 
 
 pleafes. They fubmit to the Tyranny of Preju- 
 dice or Cuftom, as if Nature had given Them 
 no Strength to make Refiftance. They defert 
 their own Judgment to purfue other Men's Fan- 
 cies, and defend with Paffion, what they have 
 embraced without Reafon. 
 
 I hope no Offence to the Manes of Copernicus 
 or any of his Brethren, if I take the Liberty to 
 affert that the Moon might, with as much Pro- 
 priety, be called the Earth's Mirror or Looking-, 
 Glafs, as it's Satellite. For it is furprizing to fee, 
 with what Faithfulnefs and Precifion every Thing, 
 that is tranfacted upon Earth, is reflected in her. 
 There feems to be an unaccountable Sympathy 
 between the Inhabitants of the two Planets ; not 
 unlike that between the Wheels and the living 
 Creatures in Ezekiel's Vifion ; which I will not 
 pay my courteous Readers fo ill a Compliment, 
 as to fuppofe Them unacquainted with. 
 
 It happened in my Travels over the Moon, 
 that I fell into a little Republic very remarkable 
 for the Oddity of fome of it's Laws and Cuftoms. 
 None of Them ftruck me with greater Wonder 
 
 and
 
 and Surprize, than that every Member of this 
 Community was forbad, upon Pain of Expulfion, 
 to eat Cbeefe with his Bread. ^ 
 
 This Law has been inviolably prefer ved fince 
 the firft Inftitution of the Republic to this Day, 
 except by thofe, who prefide over the different 
 Companies it is diftributed into. Thefe Gentle- 
 men, by the Affiftance of Interpretation, have 
 found Means to difpcnfe with it. Interpretation 
 is a Kind of racking Engine, bequeathed to fome 
 of the Companies by their Founders, to which 
 a poor Word that (lands indicted of oppofing 
 Pleafure or Convenience in certain Cafes, is 
 dragged to be fqueezed and tortured, till it is 
 
 fright- 
 
 f Various have been the Conjectures of the Learned in the 
 Moon, concerning the Origin of this and fome other Laws 
 equally unaccountable. But the Majority agree in deriving it 
 from the Pythagoreans, a Seel: that tranfmigrated to the Moon, 
 a great Number of Years ago. This Opinion is fuppofed to be 
 founded upon the following PafTage in Diogenes Laertius : 
 
 a7T^<r9ou xat xuajtxwv. A^roriXvs ft pi<n 
 AUT&V ft apXHO-fieu, jixAiT* {AOVU ($r& 
 
 De Pythag. It muft be confefled that there are three Words in 
 this Quotation that feem to favour the Opinion. And we may 
 fafely fay, that many a well-fronted Hypothefis has been built 
 upon a weaker Foundation, and fupported by it too, for a con- 
 fiderable Length of Time.
 
 (7 ) 
 
 frightened out of ail it's Senjts^ and made to fay 
 whatever the Inquifitors pleafe. During my 
 Stay here, I had the Curiofity to examine a Book 
 of Laws belonging to one of the Companies, 
 and found the following Order written in Latin 
 Caelebs fit M-g-ft-r, et Cselibes fmt S-c-i Which 
 is, being interpreted ; Let the Governor be a 
 temperate Man, and let the inferior Members of 
 the Company eat no Cheefe. I muft confefs, I 
 think the Governors a&ed like wife Men, and ac- 
 cording to the Order of Nature, in endeavouring 
 to get rid of fo abfurd a Reftridion ; tho' it is 
 apprehended fuch a Step would have been taken 
 with a better Grace under a certain Sanction, 
 which, with little Shew of Reafon, could have 
 been denied it. But this by the By. 
 
 At the very Juncture of my being at this Re- 
 public, a Genius arofe, of a more enlarged Turn 
 of Mind, than we generally meet with among 
 the Inhabitants of the Lunar Regions, who pro- 
 pofed a Scheme of applying to the Legiilature, 
 for Permiffion to abolifli the very Law I have 
 been fpeaking of. What . impartial and difin- 
 terefted Man would imagine fuch a Propofal could 
 receive any Oppofifion ? But there is a Number 
 
 C of
 
 (8 ) 
 
 of little groveling Spirits to be found in every 
 Place, who either being unable to comprehend 
 the Meaning of any Thing that is great and gene- 
 rous, or Rung with Envy of that Luftre a patriotic 
 Character ever difplays, or from fome other 
 Reafons equally reproachable, are ready, upon 
 all Occafions that offer, to contribute their Mite 
 of Oppofition. So it was here. Neverthelefs 
 the Scheme had many Advocates, and fuch too, 
 as reflected no fmall Credit upon it. It became 
 the common Topic of Converfation throughout 
 the whole Republic; and there feemed to be a 
 Contention among it's Enemies, who fhould 
 make the abfurdeft Suppositions and Conjectures, 
 in order to bring it into Ridicule. At length 
 however a Council was called by the chief 
 Magiftrate, in which thofe Members of the Re- 
 public, who had any Objections to the Scheme, 
 were de&ed, one by one, to deliver their Sen- 
 timents in a fet Speech ; to avoid the Tumult 
 and Diforder. of a Number of People talking 
 promifcuoufly. The Intereft of a Friend pro- 
 cured me a Corner in this illuftrious Aflembly ; 
 and as I minuted down all I heard there, and it 
 may not be unentertaining to my Readers, I will 
 impart it to Them. 
 
 It
 
 (9) 
 
 It is ufual with moft modern Orators, when 
 they rife up to addrefs a public Audience, be- 
 fore they fpeak, to make fomc preliminary Hems 
 and Haws, to cough or {pit, to ftroak their 
 Beards, or pull down their Shirt-fleeves, to rub 
 their Hands together, adjuft their Wigs, or pull 
 up their Breeches. As each Orator ftood yp, 
 whilft he was making fome fuch neceflary Pre- 
 lude; my Friend, who placed himfelf by me, 
 informed me of his Name, and drew a fhort 
 Sketch of his Character. The firft Perfon who 
 made an Harangue upon this Occafion, was, as I 
 found by mylnftru&or, Mr. TIMOTHY PORE, 
 a great Politician ; a Man that law through 
 many Things befide his Spe&acles. When any 
 Thing was mentioned in a myfterious Way, he 
 always very gravely fhook his Head, tho' there 
 was Nothing in it. He had a marvellous Knack 
 at fmelling out a Secret, where there was none. 
 He could tell you, twelve Hours beforehand, when 
 the Poft would bring bad News, as perempto- 
 rily, as an old Woman's Corn foretels Rain. 
 In fhort, he was a very fmoaky Fellow, and 
 fpoke to the following Purpofe : 
 
 " Gentlemen I
 
 " Gentlemen! I plainly forefec the Ruin and 
 Downfall of this our Conftitution muft be the 
 immediate Confequence of admitting the extra- 
 ordinary Scheme lately propofed. Doubftlefs 
 the Proje&or of it is a Man of deep Defign, 
 and entertains no good Will toward our Com- 
 munity. To let you into a Secret, Gentlemen ! 
 I queftion whether he is not a f Jefuit, or, at 
 Icaft, whether he is not backed by fome of that 
 defperate Order. But hold; upon farther Con- 
 fideration, I am rather inclined to fufpecl: he is 
 a Mahometan . A Member of the Church of Rome 
 once endeavoured, in his Calvino-Turcifmus, to 
 fik an Imputation of Mahometanifm upon a great 
 Reformer; but I can, with much greater Shew 
 of Reafon, undertake to prove that our Re- 
 former's Principles bear inconteftible Marks of 
 that impious Leaven. If we confider how great 
 a Cheefemonger Mahomet himfelf was, and how 
 liberal in his Allowance of Cheefe to his Difci- 
 ples; if we confider too, that the chief Entertain- 
 ment he promifed them in his Paradife, was to 
 confift of various forts of Cheefe, we may fairly 
 
 enough 
 
 t The Reader will not wonder to hear the Orator talking of 
 Jefuit and Mahometan, and fome other Things that feem at firft 
 mecrfublunary affairs, when he recollefts the exadt Correipond- 
 tnce, I fpokc of, between our Planet and the Moon.
 
 enough conclude that our Reformer's Scheme 
 
 proceeds upon the Mahometan Syftem. 
 
 Surely the imminent Danger that threatens us 
 cannot too much alarm thofe, who poflefs but 
 the moft common Degree of Penetration and 
 Forefight. For were the wicked Defigns of this 
 Projector to be encouraged, and his Fropofal to 
 be embraced ; it is unneceflary to inform this 
 ikgacious Body, that the moft certain Confc- 
 quence muft be a total Infringement of all whol- 
 fome Laws and Difcipline, both religious and 
 political, and an Introduction to univerfal Anar- 
 chy and Confufion." Here Mr. PORE concluded, 
 and fat down with a Smile of great Complacency 
 and Self-Satisfa&ion, fully convinced of the Juft- 
 nefs of his Conjectures, and the. irrefragable 
 Strength of his Arguments. 
 
 Next flood up the venerable Mr. RICHARD' 
 RUST. This Gentleman was of very ancient 
 {landing in his Company. Being very old him- 
 felf, he had contracted a wonderful Affection for 
 every Thing that was fo. It feems to be an uni- 
 verfal Principle among Mankind, to love what 
 moft refembles themfelves. The Wig Mr. RUST 
 had on, was, like himfelf, fo old and fo entirely 
 D unfit
 
 (12 J 
 
 unfit for Ufe, that it was impoffible he fhould 
 not prefer it to any other. This patient Grizzle 
 after having a few Winters maintained it's crifped 
 Honours againft all Inclemencies of Weather, 
 and the Riots and Frolics of it's Matter's younger 
 Days, in the Year One thoufand feven hundred 
 and thirty, gave up it's laft Curl ; and Mr. RUST, 
 in Consideration of it's paft Services, permitted 
 his Band to curl, by Deputation, for it. He 
 wore an old threadbare Suit of Cloaths, which, 
 we learn by Tradition, had been once black, and 
 oonftantly carried, in his Hand, an Ebony Wai king 
 Stick, that, in Days of Yore, had fupported the 
 aged Steps of his Great Grandmother. This he 
 thrice knocked againft the Floor to command 
 Attention, and exprefled himfelf as follows : 
 
 " Gentlemen ! I muft ingenuoufly confefs 
 that, in my Youth, my Mouth has, now and 
 then, wickedly watered for a Piece of Gheefe ; 
 nor am I ignorant that fome gracelefs Afperiions 
 have been thrown upon my Character, infinuat- 
 ing, that I had more than once been caught nib- 
 bling. But I am now arrived at an Age, 
 equally unobnoxious to thofe liquorim Longings, 
 and to any Imputations of ufing Means to gratify 
 
 them,
 
 3 ) 
 
 them. My Judgment is at length cooled and 
 matured by a long Series of Reflection, and I 
 have learned that there is nothing more valuable 
 or facred than the old Cuftoms and Ufages of 
 our Forefathers. The Sound only of the Word 
 Innovation, is enough to give me a Fit of the 
 Palfey. Eat Cheefe with our Bread ? Unheard 
 of Depravity ! 'Tis enough to difturb the Repofe 
 of our venerable Anceftors, and make them 
 ftart from their Graves. Was fuch an impious 
 Innovation to be admitted, what evil Confe- 
 quences might we not ejajjejft^ What Abufesof 
 the moft ancient Rites and eltablifhed Ceremo- 
 nies, is it not likely, would fucceed,? I fhould 
 hardly be furprized to fee the good old Cuftom 
 or eating Plumb-Porridge, on Chriftmas-Day, 
 abolifhed: St. Michael and all Angels would 
 fcarcely be able to aflert their Privilege of Goofe 
 and roaft Pork : And I may live to fee the 
 Day, when Shrove-Tide itfelf fliall pafs unhal- 
 lowed by Apple-Pancakes. I well remember 
 fome ftrange Forebodings and Apprehensions 
 feized my Heart, when they turned the poor 
 Old Stile out of Doors. I then trembled left 
 that reftlefs Spirit of Innovation fliould diffufe 
 itfelf. And now to fee the Daemon actually 
 
 working
 
 _ 
 
 working to undermine a wife Cuftom that has 
 obtained in our Community, ever fince it's firft 
 
 Foundation, is more than I can " Here 
 
 Grief and Vexatkm choaked the old Gentleman's 
 Utterance, and obliged him to fit down before 
 he had finifhed his Harangue. 
 
 An Orator now role, whom I obferved to 
 have been remarkably on the Fret, from the firft 
 Moment he entered the Afiembly. Sometimes 
 he looked wild and angry, would every now and 
 then rife from his Seat, then fit dowa again in 
 much Agitation, and wipe his Face, which was 
 bedewed with a cold Sweat. This, fays my 
 Friend at my Elbow, is Mr> LOFTY, who is 
 promoted to an important Office in one of our 
 Companies* His Chriftian Name is fb much 
 eclipfed by the Glare of his Titles and Dignities^ 
 that one can't fee it. So you muft excufe my 
 not giving an Account of it. He is a very cho- 
 leric Sort of a Man, and has, I am afraid, a 
 frnall Spice of Pride in his Conftitution. He is 
 now in high Fermentation, and you will fee 
 him, in a very fhortTime, froth at the Mouth, 
 like a Barrel of new Small-Beer, at the Cork- 
 Hole. Scarce had my Inftrudor made his Ob- 
 
 fervation.
 
 ( '5 ) 
 
 fervation, but the Truth of it was proved, 
 and this Veflel of Wrath ran over to the foil ow- 
 ing Effeft; 
 
 " Of all the Plans that ever were planned, 
 the Schemes that ever were fchemed, and Pro- 
 pofals that ever were propofed, the Plan, Scheme 
 or Propofal now under Consideration, is the moft 
 abfurd, ridiculous, and romantic. The Author 
 of it is a Blockhead, and an Afs, and deferves 
 to be expelled our Community. Were Permif- 
 fion given that all Members of our Republic 
 might eat Cheefe with their Bread, People may 
 pretend that many of them would not, or could 
 not go to the Expence of it, or that others 
 would not tafte it, if it was fet before them ; but 
 maugre all fuch idle, falfe, and frivolous Argu- 
 ments, I could demonftrate, were not my Aflo> 
 tion fufEcient, that every Individual, to a Man, 
 would immediately embrace the Privilege, The 
 Effect would be, that the Rafcals, being allowed 
 Cheefe, would fpare their Children fome of the 
 Bread procured for themfelves by the Favour and 
 Intereft of the Governors of their feveral Com- 
 panies, and be encouraged to educate their 
 
 E Brats
 
 ( 16 ) 
 
 f Brats to be impertinent and troublefome to 
 Them) and, for ought I know, a Detriment to 
 the Kingdom in general. I am aware there 
 are many People, who infift upon it, that there 
 is no Ground for thefe Suggeftions ; but give me 
 Leave to fay, that they are all Fools, and know 
 Nothing about the Matter. 
 
 The Gentleman, who fpoke next, was Mr. 
 CHRISTOPHER CRAB, a Man not deftitute 
 of Wit and Humour. He was efteemed a great 
 Critic, becaufe there was Nothing he would not 
 find Fault with. He was a Man of unlimited 
 Conjecture ; which often led him to friew his 
 Invention at the Expence of his Judgment. He 
 did not want Knowledge, efpeciaUy that of Man- 
 kind ; but he was not always happy in his Ap- 
 plication of it. It was too common with him, 
 to form general Conclusions and eftablifli Maxims 
 upon Cafes meerly poflible. He had fome 
 
 Fluency 
 
 f The Orator here feems tocfpoufe an idle Notion, 
 had conceived, that the Emoluments the Members of the Re- 
 public now enjoy'd, but for themfelves, would, upon adopting 
 the Cheefe-Scheme, generally become the Inheritance of their 
 Children.
 
 ('7 ) 
 
 Fluency of Words, but more Vivacity than Ele- 
 gance. Hear him 
 
 " Gentlemen! I am of Opinion, that under 
 no Redactions whatfoever, ought this new 
 Scheme to be admitted. I (hall chiefly draw 
 my Arguments from the Nature of Cheefe in 
 general, and fome particular Confequences that 
 are found to arife from eating it. In the fir ft 
 Place then, Cheefe is abfolutely prejudicial to 
 many Conftitutions : There are many People 
 (likely enough to be met with among the more 
 recluie Lunatics) who bear fuch an Antipathy 
 to Cheefe, that they avoid being in the fame 
 Room with it. Then Cheefe, tho' confefledly 
 efficacious in digefting other Things, does not 
 eafily digeft itfelf, and will often lie fo long at a 
 Mans Stomach, as to give him infinite Plague 
 and Vexation. Befides Cheefe is generally too 
 hard, or too foft, too tough, or too pliant, too 
 ftrong, or quite infipid. Then there's your mag- 
 goty Cheefe, your rotten Cheefe, your Cheefe 
 that every Body has tafted, and your Slip-Coat 
 Cheefe. A very dangerous Sort of Cheefe this 
 laft ! for being apt to run beyond its prefcribed 
 Limits, it is often impoflible for the Proprietor, 
 
 tho'
 
 tho* he loves it ever fb well, to fecurc it entirely 
 to his own Ufe. In fhort, Gentlemen! I can- 
 not help concluding, from the Courfe of my 
 Obfervations, that there is no fuch Thing as a 
 good Cheefe in the World ; and therefore, I 
 think it would argue the higheft Degree of In- 
 fanity to apply to the Legiflature, for removing 
 an Obftacle, that happily prevents our coming 
 at it." 
 
 An ingenuous young Man, who lat near 
 Mr. CRAB, fo highly refented the Acrimony of 
 his Speech, that he rofe up ; and, bowing to 
 the Chief Magiftrate, faid, " That tho' he 
 apprehended his Defign in calling the prefent 
 Council, was rather to hear what Objections 
 could be produced to the Scheme, than for 
 any other Purpofe, yet, as he was convinced 
 Mr CRAB had gone very unwarrantable Lengths 
 in fome of his Obfervations and Conclufions, he 
 could not help afldng Permifiion to offer a Re- 
 monftrance or two. Which being granted himt 
 he defired the Orator to recoiled, " That there 
 was fuch a Thing as Sage Cheefe; and that being 
 green Cheefe 'a Circumftance that would preju- 
 dice many Men in it's Favour) and confequently 
 
 of
 
 ( 19 ) 
 
 of the fame Kind that forms the Materials of 
 which the Moon was made, he thought it very 
 unworthy a Man in the Moon, to fuppofe that 
 Species was not to be found there in great 
 Abundance." He next obferved, " that toafted 
 Gheefe was held in high Eftimation by Men of 
 the beft Tafte* And indeed when Cheefe has 
 pafled unhurt and unfullied through that fiery 
 Trial, it is impoffible to fay too much in it's 
 Commendation." He added, " that always 
 having profefled himfelf a great Admirer of 
 Cheefe in general, he had paid fo much Atten- 
 tion to that ufeful Commodity, that he could 
 with Confidence aflert, that there was much 
 more good Cheefe, than bad, in the World :" 
 and concluded with faying, " He could not 
 help fufpecting, that Mr. CRAB, in Spite of all 
 Reftraints, might have made fome Experiments 
 in his Time that had proved unfortunate." 
 
 I think I have hitherto given no Intimation to 
 my Readers, that this Republic was eftabliftied 
 principally for the Cultivation of the Under- 
 ftanding. But there are fome People in it, who 
 do not cultivate their Understandings, and others, 
 who have- no Underftandings to cultivate. Of 
 
 F this
 
 f 20 } 
 
 this laft Clafs was SIMON SHALLOW, who 
 next feized the Ears of this refpe&able Audience 
 with a Speech. SIMON never doubted the Truth 
 of any Story he had heard in his Life. He had 
 no clear Ideas of any Thing in the World. He 
 would fwallow you half a Dozen Impoflibilities 
 in a Breath, without making a Face. He could 
 not be faid to think, in any true Senfe of that 
 Word, and feemed to have no Property in his 
 own Ideas. He voided them juft as he received 
 them, as Children do Cherry-S tones. He lifpcd 
 in his Speech, and fputtered like a roafting 
 Pippin. But with all thefe Difadvantages, he 
 was not profcribed the Pale of Common-Senfe, 
 according to the Definition fome People give of 
 it; for SIMON had a good Deal to fay for himfelf. 
 What he faid upon this Occafion, I will now 
 lay before you. 
 
 " Gentlemen ! I have been told that there is 
 Nothing in Nature more pernicious than Cheefe. 
 And I can produce fuch Inftances of it's ill 
 Effects, as will leave no Reafon to doubt the 
 Truth of this Aflertion. I remember having 
 heard from my Nurfe, who thought flie had 
 heard it from my Grandmother, that Cheefe 
 
 would
 
 would give a Man the Rheumatifm and the Ear- 
 Ach : And a very feniible Country Apothecary, 
 a Couiln of mine, fays, that he can attribute a 
 Sore Throat, or a Fever on the Spirits, to No- 
 thing but Cheefe. For my own Part, I never 
 fee a Cheefe, but it puts me in Mind of the 
 Dropfy, Yellow Jaundice, and King's Evil; 
 and I am certain, were the new Scheme ad- 
 mitted, we fhould all be afflicted with thofe 
 Diforders. Nay, fuch a terrible Notion have I 
 of this baneful Commodity, that I fhould net 
 at all wonder to hear a Man had got a Leprofy, 
 a wry Neck, or a Fit of the Gout, by eating it 
 Dixi." 
 
 The whole Audience ftared to hear Mr. SHAL- 
 LOW talk at fo ftrange a Rate ; and even the 
 Partifans of the Caufe he undertook to defend, 
 muft have thought he meant to laugh at it, had 
 he not put on the moft fcrious and folcmn 
 Countenance, that ever apologized for an empty 
 Head. 
 
 Another Gentleman, whofe Name my Friend 
 had forgot, delivered his Sentiments upon the 
 Subject under Confideration. But before he had 
 
 finished
 
 ( 22 ) 
 
 finiflied the third Period of an Harangue moft ela- 
 borately dull y my Attention was diverted by a very 
 fingular Circumftance. A certain Naturalift, a 
 Friend of mine, in my native Planet, meeting 
 with a Bird of Paflage, that was going to take 
 up it's Winter-Quarters in the Moon, took ah 
 Opportunity to ^tie, round it's Neck, a little 
 Billet addreffed to myfelf. This winged Mef- 
 fenger directed it's Flight to me with great Sa- 
 gacity ; and upon examining the Exprefs, I found 
 myfelf obliged, on Account of fome Affairs of 
 great Moment, to return immediately to my fub- 
 lunary Home ; which prevented my knowing the 
 Iffue of the Council. As I took Leave of my 
 Friend in the Corner, I could not help making 
 the following Refle&ion upon what I had heard : 
 That) when Metis Opinions are fuggefted^ rather 
 by fome ruling Paffion, peculiar Caft of Cha- 
 ^ or Reafons meerly local \ than by a candid \ 
 ana unbiaffed Examination, they are 
 juftly liable to a Sufpkion of being equally dtftitute 
 of Truth and Impartiality. 
 
 APOLOGY.
 
 APOLOGY. 
 
 THE Author thinks proper to declare that 
 no one of the Characters, in the preceding 
 Pages, is defigned for any particular Perfon, 
 and that he knows no Individual, to whom any 
 of them could, with Propriety, be applied. As 
 the Grecian Painter, when he drew the Picture 
 of Helen, for the Agrigentines, feleded, from a 
 Number of beautiful Women, thofe Limbs and 
 Features, that were moft ftriking and perfect, in 
 each of them ; fo the Author, in drawing Pic- 
 tures of another Caft, has taken the Liberty to 
 borrow of one Perfon, his blear Eye ; -of an- 
 other, his wry Mouth ; of a third, red Hair ; 
 of a fourth, a large Wen; an Hunch-back of a 
 fifth ; and fo on, till his Pieces have, in a cer- 
 tain Degree, reached his Ideas of the Beauty of 
 Uglinefs. Now as no one of the Ladies, out of 
 whole Charms Zeuxis compofed his Helen, had 
 any Right to call the Pi&ure her own ; fo no In- 
 dividual whatfoever, upon feeing the Portraits of 
 Mr. PORE, Mr, RUST, or any of the refpeftable 
 Group, has any Right to challenge this, or that, 
 as his own Likenefs. 
 
 FINIS.
 
 ,- 
 
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