254 Fafhin, 
I cannot but fmile, when A. S. who 
is fenfible that my piece was ironical, 
attempts to pofe me, by ferioufly pro- 
pofing that I fhould try my hand ata 
tranflation of Ovid’s lines. _Some per- 
fons can comprehend any thing better 
than a jeft! JI have nothing farther 
worth faying on this important fubjedt, 
and remain, Mr. Editor, your's, &c. 
April 10, 1797- 
EES - 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
HE following letter was fent to a 
young lady, five or fix years ago. If 
it will contribute to entertain the readers 
ef your Magazine, it is much at your 
fervice : 
‘© YOUNG as you dre, my dear Flora, 
- you cannot but have noticed the eager- 
nefs with which queftions, relative to 
civil liberty, have been difcuffed in every 
fociety. To break the fhackles of op- 
preffion, and afiert the mative rights of 
man, is efteemed by many, among the 
nobleft efforts of heroic virtue; but vain 
is the poffeffion of political liberty, if 
there exifls a tyrant of our qwn creation ; 
who, without law, or reafon\ or even ex- 
ternal force, exercifes over us the moft 
defpotic authority ; whofe juriitiGtion is 
extended over every part of private and 
domeftic life; controuls our pleafures, 
fafhions our garb, cramps our, motions, 
fills our lives with vain cares and reftlefs 
anxiety. The worft flavery is that which 
we voluntarily impofe upon ourfelves ; 
and no chains are fo cumbrous and gal- 
ling, as thofe which we are pleafed to 
wear by way of grace and ornament.— 
Mufing upon this idea, gave riie to the 
following dream or vifion : 
*¢ Methought I was in a country, of 
the firangeft and moft fingular appear- 
ance I had ever behold: the rivers were 
forced into jet d’eaus, and wafted in arti- 
ficial water-works; the lakes. were 
fafhioned by the hand of art; the roads 
were fanded with fpar and gold duft; 
the trees all bore the marks of the fhears, 
they were bent and twifted into the moft 
whimfical forms, and connected together 
by feftoons of ribband and filk fringe ; 
the wild flowers were tranfplanted into 
vafes of fine china, and painted with ar- 
tificial white and red.—The difpofition of 
the ground was full of fancy, but gro- 
tefque and unnatural, in the ‘higheft de- 
ree; it was all highly cultivated, and 
fare the marks of wonderful induftry ; 
PHILOMUSE. 
a Vifion [April 
but among its various produétions, I. 
could hardly difcern one that was of 
any ufe. My attention, however, was 
foon called off from the {cenes of inani- 
mate life, by the view of the inhabitants, 
whofe form and appearance was fo very 
Prepoiterous, and, indeed, fo unlike any 
thing human, that I fancied myfelf tranf- 
ported to the country of the Anthopoy 
phagi, and men whofe heads 
———— do grow beneath their fhoulders ; 
for the heads of many of thefe people 
were fwelled to an aftonifhing fize, and 
feemed to be placed in the middle of their 
bodies; of fome, the ears were diftend- 
ed, till they hung upon the fhoulders ; 
and of others, the fhoulders were raifed, 
till they met the ears.: there was not ene 
free from fome deformity, or monftrous 
{welling, in one part or other—either it 
was before, or behind, or about the hips, 
or the arms were puffed up to an unufual 
thicknefs, or the throat was increafed to 
the fame fize with the poor objeéts lately 
exhibited under the name of the Mon- 
ftrous Craws; fome had no necks—others 
had necks that reached almoft to their 
waifts ; the bodies of fome were bloated 
up to fuch a fize, that they could fcarcely 
enter a pair of folding doors ; and others 
had fuddenly {prouted up to fuch a dif- 
proportionate height, that they could not 
fit upright in their loftieft carriages.— 
Many fhocked me with the appearance 
of being nearly. cut in two, like a wafp ; 
and I was alarmed at the fight of a few, 
in whofe faces, otherwife very fair and 
healthy, 1 difcovered an eruption of black 
f{pots, which I feared was the fatal fign 
of fome peftilential diforder. The fight 
of thefe various’and uncouth deformities 
infpired me with much pity; which, 
however, was foon changed into difguk, 
when I perceived, with great furprize, 
that every one of thefe unfortunate men 
and women was exceedingly proud of 
his own peculiar deformity, and endea- - 
voured to attract my notice to it as much 
as poffible. A lady, in particular, who 
had a {welling under her throat, larger 
than any goitre in the Valais, and which, 
Iam fure, by its enormous projeétion, 
prevented her from feeing the path the 
walked in, brufhed by me, with an air 
of the greateft felf-compiacency, and 
afked me, if the was not a charming 
creature ?—But, by this time, I found 
myfelf furrounded by an immenfe crowd, 
who were all prefling along in one di- 
rection 3 and I perceiyed that I was 
drawn 
