The little monkey, with a magnifying glass, bag-wig, solitaire, laced hat, and ruffles, is eagerly inspecting a bill of fare, with the following articles _pour_ dinner: cocks' combs, ducks' tongues, rabbits' ears, fricasey of snails, _grande d'œuts beurre_.[92] In the centre of the room is a capacious china jar; in one corner a tremendous pyramid composed of packs of cards; and on the floor, close to them, a bill inscribed, "Lady Basto D^r to John Pip, for cards--£300." The room is ornamented with several pictures; the principal represents the Medicean Venus on a pedestal, in stays and high-heeled shoes, and holding before her a hoop petticoat somewhat larger than a fig-leaf; a Cupid paring down a fat lady to a thin proportion, and another Cupid blowing up a fire to burn a hoop petticoat, muff, bag, and queue wig, etc. On the dexter side is another picture representing Monsieur Desnoyer, operatically habited, dancing in a grand ballet, and surrounded by butterflies, etc., inscribed "Insects," and evidently of the same genus with this deity of dance. On the sinister is a drawing, denominated "Exotics," consisting of queue and bag-wigs, muffs, solitaires, petticoats, French-heeled shoes, and other fantastic fripperies. Beneath this is a lady in a pyramidical habit walking the park; and, as the companion picture, we have a blind man walking the streets. The fire-screen is adorned with a drawing of a lady in a sedan chair-- "To conceive how she looks, you must call to your mind The lady you've seen in a lobster confin'd, Or a pagod in some little corner enshrin'd." As Hogarth made this design from the ideas of Miss Edwards, it has been said that he had no great partiality for his own performance, and that, as he never would consent to its being engraved, the drawing from which the print is copied was made by the connivance of one of her servants.[93] Be that as it may, his ridicule on the absurdities of fashion,--on the folly of collecting old china,--cookery,--card-playing, etc., is pointed, and highly wrought. At the sale of Miss Edwards' effects at Kensington, the original picture was purchased by the father of Mr. Birch, surgeon, of Essex Street, Strand. FARINELLI, CUZZONI, AND SENESINO, IN THE CHARACTERS OF PTOLEMY, CLEOPATRA, AND JULIUS CÆSAR. "To banish nature and to vary art, To fix the ear but never reach the heart, To mangle sense and dress up meagre sound, While the same tasteless unison goes round; And still the point of excellence to place In execution, cadence, and grimace; To ravish with unnatural sounds the ear, While beaux applaud and belles with rapture hear,[94] The song we raise." [Illustration: FARINELLI, CUZZONI, & SENESINO.] This dignified heroine and the two heroes--of a class-- "By their smooth chins and simple simper known,"