Salmagundi; or, The whim-whams and opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, esq. [pseud.] and others. By William Irving, James Kirke Paulding and Washington Irving. Printed from the original ed., with a preface and notes by Evert A. Duyckinck.

408 SALMAGUNDI.
ditions of that ancient people, has already assisted at the funerals of thirteen suns, and four hundred and seventy thousand
moons
I had likewise written a long dissertation on certain hieroglyphics discovered on these fragments of the moon, which have
lately fallen, with singular propriety, in a neighboring State,
and have thrown considerable light on the state of literature and
the arts in that planet, showing that the universal language
which prevails there is high Dutch; thereby proving it to be the
most ancient and original tongue, and corroborating the opinion
of a celebrated poet, that it is the language in which the serpent
tempted our grandmother Eve.
To support the theatric department, I had several very judicious critiques, ready written, wherein no quarter was shown
either to authors or actors; and I was only waiting to determine
at what plays or performances they should be levelled. As to
the grand spectacle of Cinderella, which is to be represented
this season, I had given it a most unmerciful handling, showing
that it was neither tragedy, comedy, nor farce; that the incidents were highly improbable, that the prince played like a
perfect harlequin, that the white mice were merely powdered for
the occasion, and that the new moon had a most outrageous
copper nose.
But my most profound and erudite essay in embryo is an analytical, hypercritical review of these Salmagundi lucubrations;
which I had written partly in revenge for the many waggish
jokes played off against me by my confederates, and partly for
the purpose of saving much invaluable labor to the Zoiluses and
Dennises of the age, by detecting and exposing all the similarities, resemblances, synonymies, analogies, coincidences, etc., which
occur in this work.