#992. letter from Arcticus. 
given by the poets tothe hair of the goddefs of beauty,--a cir- 
éumstance which I ai surprised has'escaped the notice of the: 
poets of the Bee, as certainly, on that account, Scotland: may 
dispute her birth with-either the Sea or Cythera; for they 
cannot be ignorant that it was disputed by other states on’ 
much slenderer grounds. Another variety of this curious 
stone has lately been discovered in Siberia, containing 
green instead of red hair, which I think we may call The- 
tis°s hair (ii it must bear the name of a goddefs) with the 
advantage of keeping to the same briny origin, where 
the fair wearer is-a constant inhabitant, instead of taking 
Only an infant dip and coquetting it all the rest of her 
7 on dry land, like the imconstant Venus. 
Premiums offered by Arcticus to writers for the Bee. 
With your permifsion I will offer, Mr Editor, tothe pos 
ets of the Bee, a fine ring stone of Venus’ as well as The- 
tis’s hair, a flattering ornament for the victor’s finger. The 
- first for the best clafsical fable of that fair jilt’s trip to Si- 
beria, and the manner fhe left her golden locks in a crystal 
rock. The jealous husband must have no part in the ad- 
venture, as no marks of his black paws are left on our 
spotlefs rock. 
The second tribute offered to suecefsful imagination is 
a ring stone of the sea goddefs’s hair, whom they must get 
‘to Siberia as they can, or the offered stone, its Eee 
; a not be within their reach *. 
‘My prizes, Mr Editor, may be scouted at on the first 
bluth of the offer; but when your poets fhall recollect 
+ Two very fine ring stones, answering to the description above given, 
were received along with this, and are now in the Editor’s pofsefsion to 
be applied as the author desires, Competition pieces will be received any 
time till the 1st of May. 
° ' 
