14d Extracts from the Port-folio of a Man of Letters. [ March t, 
3? 
be able to avoid giving offence to fame. 
«* Why then,’” rejoined the Monarch, 
“< be as wile as Solomon ; 3 write proverbs, 
but no-hiftories.”” 
"a COUNTERFEIT DRAGON. - 
Jacob Bobart, formerly Botany- 
alee or keeper of the phyfic garden 
at Oxford, found a.dead rat, to which, by 
altering its head and tail, and diftending 
the {kin on each fide, by fharp taper fticks, 
to refemble wings, he gave the appearance 
of the common picture of dragons. Hav- 
ing left it to dry hard, it was produced, 
and immediately pronounced by the learn- 
ed to be a dragon. An accurate de- 
fcription of this phenomenon was fent by 
one of them to Dr. Magliabecchi, librarian 
to the Grand Duke of “Tufcany. Several 
fine.copies of verles were written in ho- 
nour of fo rare a produétion ; till atlength 
Mr. Bobart owned the cheat. ‘The dra- 
gon was, however, depofited as a mafter- 
piece of art, in the mufeum er anatomy- 
{chool, where it remained many years. 
An exiraordinary INSTANCE of ihe FLEX- 
IBELITY of the HUMAN FRAME. 
Jojeph Clark, a well-made man, and 
rather’ -ftout, uitica, in the moft na- 
tural manner, every fpecies of deformity 
and diflecation to naa the human form 
is liable. He frequently diverted himfelf 
with the taylors, who came to meatfure 
him for cloaths, by changing his pofture, 
and apparently his thape, when the cloaths 
were brought home. He could diflocate 
the vertebrze of his back, and other parts 
of his bedy, and refume their proper form, 
at his pleafure. Ae once prefented him- 
felf, in this fituation, as a patient, before 
Molins, a famous furgeon, who, fhocked 
at his appearance, refufed to attempt the 
cure. © He cften pafled for a cripple with 
perfons, who but a few minutes before 
had been converfisg with him. Upon 
thefe eccafions he would not only change 
the pofition of his limbs, but alter his 
features. and countenance. He coild 
affume all the profeffional, charaéteriltic, 
and fingular faces which he had obferved 
at the theatre, at the eee 
er anv other place of public refert. He 
was by profeffion a pofture-matter, and. 
died abcut the commencement of the reign 
of King William. 
EXAMPLE of the POWER of IMAGINA- 
TION over the BODY: 
In 1751 the waters of Glaftonbury ecie 
at the height of their reputaticn. © The 
virtues of “the {pring were fuppofed*to be 
fupernattral, and to have been difcovered 
by a revelation made in a dream to @ per- 
fon named Matthew Chancellor. The 
credulous expected, not merely to be 
cured of incurable diftempers, but to re- 
cover loft facultiés and mutilated limbs: _ 
An old woman, in the workhoufe at Yeo- 
vil, who had long been a cripple, and 
Wied” crutches, was ftrongly tempted to 
drink of Glaftonbury waters, witha firm 
perfuafion of being cured of her lamenefs. 
Several bottles of water were procured for 
her by the matter of the workhoufe, and . 
fuch was the effect of the miraculous 
draught, that firft one crutch, and, foon 
after, the other, was Jaid afide. The 
wonder was extolled, the fame of the mi- 
racle fpread, when the cheat was difco/ 
vered. The mafter of the workhoufe 
protefted to his friends, that he had fetched 
the water from an ondiddiey (and neigh- - 
bouring) fpring. It need ' icarcely be 
added, that when the force of the woman’s 
imagination had exhaufed itfelf, her in- 
firmity returned, and the crutches were. 
refumed. This ftory may afford an ad- 
monition to the modern dilciples of mine- 
ral magneti{m. 
THE EARL of STAIRG 
When the Earl of Stair was Ambaffa- 
dor at théeCourt of France, immediately 
after the acceffion- of’ his late’ Majelty to 
the Crown, his Excellency made a’ moft’ 
{plendid appearance, and being naturally 
inclined to gallantry and expence, foon 
became a great favourite with the ladies 
there, by whofe intrigues he was enabled 
to difcover fecrets which otherwifé might 
have efcaped the penetration. of the moft 
vigilant and fagacioits minifter. In the 
management bh the ladies, whole favour 
he courted, 
greateft delicacy ; play, he perceived, was 
their predominant paffion, and as he was 
equally inclined to that amufement, he 
eafily cbtained, by means of cards, many 
private Lil farrienite: in which he could 
not have indulged on any other preténce. 
The Duchefs of Maine was ene of thofe 
Hluftrious perfonages whom the Earl took 
molt pains to engage in his intereft. She 
was paflionately fond of play; of an in- 
quifitive and bufy temper ;‘ of vaft capa- 
city, and of a difcernment fo quick, that 
it was no eafy matter to impofe upon her ; 
fhe was among the number of ladies too 
that affected to pry into the affairs of the 
cabinet, and whohad gained an’ afcendan- 
cy over the then Regent, fo far as not to 
be altogether ignorant of the moft” fecret 
tranfactions of flate.’ His‘Excellency, by 
lofing large fums with this lady, and pay- 
ing hervthe mak particular ‘refpeét, had — 
infemfibly worked upon her affections, bué 
i \ had> 
he was forced to obferve the - 
% ios Sn eae 
