Three of the most celebrated resorts of the _literati_ of the last century were _Will's Coffee-house_, No. 23, on the north side of Great Russell-street, Covent Garden, at the end of Bow-street. This was the favourite resort of Dryden, who had here his own chair, in winter by the fireside, in summer in the balcony: the company met in the first floor, and there smoked; and the young beaux and wits were sometimes honoured with a pinch out of Dryden's snuff-box. Will's was the resort of men of genius till 1710: it was subsequently occupied by a perfumer. _Tom's_, No. 17, Great Russell-street, had nearly 700 subscribers, at a guinea a-head, from 1764 to 1768, and had its card, conversation, and coffee-rooms, where assembled Dr. Johnson, Carrick, Murphy, Goldsmith, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Foote, and other men of talent: the tables and books of the club were not many years since preserved in the house, the first floor of which was then occupied by Mr. Webster, the medallist. _Button's_, "over against" Tom's, was the receiving-house for contributions to _The Guardian_, in a lion-head box, the aperture for which remains in the wall to mark the place. Button had been servant to Lady Warwick, whom Addison married; and the house was frequented by Pope, Steele, Swift, Arbuthnot, and Addison. The lion's head for a letter-box, "the best head in England," was set up in imitation of the celebrated lion at Venice: it was removed from Button's to the Shakspeare's Head, under the arcade in Covent Garden; and in 1751, was placed in the Bedford, next door. This lion's head is now treasured as a relic by the Bedford family. * * * * * LORD BYRON AND "MY GRANDMOTHER'S REVIEW." At the close of the first canto of _Don Juan_, its noble author, by way of propitiating the reader for the morality of his poem, says:-- "The public approbation I expect, And beg they'll take my word about the moral, Which I with their amusement will connect, As children cutting teeth receive a coral; Meantime, they'll doubtless please to recollect My epical pretensions to the laurel; For fear some prudish reader should grow skittish, I've bribed my Grandmother's Review--the British. I sent it in a letter to the editor, Who thank'd me duly by return of post-- I'm for a handsome article his creditor; Yet if my gentle muse he please to roast, And break a promise after having made it her, Denying the receipt of what it cost, And smear his page with gall instead of honey, All I can say is--that he had the money." _Canto I. st._ ccix. ccx.