ACRE. 93 
ingenuity. Tliere," addressing himself to ^"j^* 
Captain Culverhouse, and offering a paper cannon^ 
" there is a symbol of your profession :" and 
while the author was explaining to the Captain 
the meaning of this singular address, he offered 
to him a paper flower, denoting, as he said, 
^^ a florid interpretation of blunt speech^ As often 
as we endeavoured to introduce the business of 
our visit, he affected to be absorbed in these 
trifling conceits, or turned the conversation by 
allegorical sayings, to whose moral we could 
find no possible clue. His whole discourse was 
in parables, proverbs, truisms, and Oriental 
apologues. One of his tales lasted nearly an 
hour, about a man who wished to "enjoy the 
peaceful cultivation of a small garden, without 
consulting the lord of the manor whenever he 
removed a tulip; alluding, perhaps, to his 
situation with reference to the Grand Signior. 
There was evidently much cunning and deep 
policy in his pretended frivolity. Apparently 
occupied in regulating the shape of a watch- 
paper with his scissars, he was all the while 
deeply attentive to our words, and even to our 
looks, anxious to discover whether there were 
any urgency in the nature of our visit ; and 
certainly betraying as much ostentation in the 
seeming privations to which he exposed himself, 
