defcribes neither do we want his effigy of a man under the gallows to remind us of what we must all come to. Your's,

CROOK-FINGERED JACK.

The letter from Urania breathes the full fpirit of that amiable ambition, which at prefent feems generally to infpire our heroines of the stage to accept of none but fining characters, and never to present themselves to the public but as illuftrious models of purity and grace. If virtue be thus captivating by refemblance only, how beautiful muft it be in the reality! I cannot however help pitying the unknown poet, whofe hopes were dafht with the following rebuke.

Sir,

I have run my eye over your tragedy, and am beyond measure furprized you could think of allotting a part to me, which is fo totally unamiable. Sir, I neither can, nor will, appear in any public character, which is at variance with my private one; and, though I have no objection to your scene of felf-murder, and flatter myfelf I could do it juftice, yet my mind revolts from spilling any blood but my own.

I confess there are many fine paffages and fome very ftriking fituations, that would fall to my lot in your drama, but permit me to tell you, Sir, that until you can clear up the legitimacy of the child, you have been pleafed therein to lay at my door, and will find a father for it, whom I may not blufh to own for a husband, you must never hope for the affiftance of your humble fervant.

URANIA.

The

The other letter is addreffed to the fame unfortunate poet from an artift, who feems to have fudied nature in her deformities only.

Dear Difmal,

I wait with impatience to hear of the fuccefs of your tragedy, and in the mean time have worked off a frontispiece for it, that you, who have a paffion for the terrific, will be perfectly charmed with.

I am feandalized when I hear people say that the fine arts are protected in this country; nothing can be farther from the truth, as I am one amongst many to witness. Painting I prefume will not be difputed to be one of the fine arts, and I may fay without vanity I have fome pretenfions to rank with the best of my brethren in that profeflion.

My first studies were carried on in the capital of a certain county, where I was born; and being determined to chufe a ftriking fubject for my debut in the branch of portrait-painting, I perfuaded my grandmother to fit to me, and I am bold to fay there was great merit in my picture, confidering it as a maiden production; particularly in the execution of a hair-mole upon her chin, and a wart under her eye, which I touched to fuch a nicety, as to make every body start, who caft their eyes upon the canvafs.

There was a little dwarfish lad in the parish, who besides the deformity of his perfon, had a remarkable hare-lip, which expofed to view a broken row of difcoloured teeth, and was indeed a very brilliant fubject for a painter of effect : I gave a fulllength of him, that was executed fo to the life, as to turn the ftomach of every body, who looked upon it.

At

At this time there came into our town a travelling fhow-man, who amongst other curiofities of the favage kind brought with him a man-ape, or Ourang-outang; and this perfon, having feen and admired my portrait of the little hump-backed dwarf, employed me to take the figure of his celebrated fuvage for the purpose of displaying it on the outfide of his booth. Such an occafion of introducing my art into notice, spurred my genius to extraordinary exertions, and though I must premife that the favage was not the best fitter in the world, yet I flatter myself I acquitted myself to the fatisfaction of his keeper and did juftice to the ferocity of my fubject: I caught him in one of his moft ftriking attitudes, ftanding erect with a huge club in his paw: I put every muscle into play, and threw fuch terrific dignity into his features, as would not have difgraced the character of a Nero or Caligula. I was happy to obferve the general notice which was taken of my performance by all the country folks who reforted to the fhow, and I believe my employer had no caufe to repent of his having fet me upon the work.

The figure of this animal with the club in his paw fuggefted a hint to a publican in the place of treating his ale-house with a new fign, and as he had been in the fervice of a noble family, who from ancient time have borne the Bear and ragged staff for their crest, he gave me a commiffion to provide him with a fign to that effect: Though I fpared no pains to get a real bear to fit to me for his portrait, my endeavours proved abortive, and I was forced to refort to fuch common prints of that animal as I could obtain, and trufted to my imagination for fupplying what else might be wanted for the piece:

As

As I worked upon this capital defign in the room, where my grandmother's portrait was before my eyes, it occurred to me to introduce the fame hairmole into the whifkers of Bruin, which I had fo fuccefsfully copied from her chin, and certainly the thought was a happy one, for it had a picturefque effect; but in doing this I was naturally enough, though undefignedly, betrayed into giving fuch a general refemblance to the good dame in the rest of Bruin's features, that when it came to be exhibited on the fign.poft all the people cried out upon the likeness, and a malicious rumour ran through the town, that I had painted my grandmother instead of the bear; which loft me the favour of that indulgent relation, though Heaven. knows I was as innocent of the intention as the child unborn.

The difguft my grandmother conceived against her likeness with the ragged staff, gave me incredible uneafinefs, and as fhe was a good cuftomer to the landlord and much refpected in the place, he was induced to return the bear upon my hands. I am now thinking to what ufe I can turn him, and as it occurs to me, that by throwing a little more authority into his features, and gilding his chain, he might very poffibly hit the likenefs of fome lord mayor of London in his fur-gown and gold chain, and make a refpectable figure in fome city hall, I am willing to difpose of him to any fuch at an easy price.

As I have alfo preferved a sketch of my famous Ourang-Outang, a thought has truck me that with a few finifhing touches he might eafily be converted into a Caliban for the Tempest, and, when that is done I fhall not totally defpair of his obtaining a niche in the Shakspeare gallery.

It

It has been common with the great mafters Rubens, Vandyke, Sir Joshua Reynolds and others, when they paint a warrior, or other great perfonage, on horseback, to throw a dwarf, or fome fuch contrafted figure into the back-ground : Should any artist be in want of fuch a thing, I can very readily fupply him with my hare-lipped. boy; if otherwife, I am not totally without hopes that he may fuit fome Spanish grandee, when any fuch fhall vifit this country upon his travels, or in the character of ambassador from that iHuftrious court.

Before I conclude I fhall beg leave to observe, that I have a complete fet of ready-made devils, that would do honour to Saint Antony, or any other perfon, who may be in want of fuch accompaniments to fet off the felf-denying virtues of his character: I have also a fine parcel of murdered innocents, which I meant to have filled up with the ftory of Herod; but if any gentleman thinks fit to lay the fcene in Ghent, and make a modern compofition of it, I am bold to fay my pretty babes will not difgrace the pathos of the fubject, nor violate the Coftuma. I took a notable sketch of a man hanging, and feized him juft in the dying twitches, before the last stretch gave a ftiffiefs and rigidity unfavourable to the human figure; this I would willingly accommodate to the wishes of any lady, who is defirous of preferving a portrait of her lover, friend or hufband in that interesting attitude.

Thefe, cum multis aliis, are part of my stock on hand, and I hope, upon my arrival at my lodgings in Blood-bowl alley, to exhibit them with much credit to myself, and to the entire fatisfaction of

fuch