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.

ODD HUMANITIES. 229
countenance expands at every glass and beams forth emanations
of hilarity, benevolence, and good-fellowship, that inspire
and gladden every guest around him. It is no wonder, therefore, that such excellent social qualities should attract a host of
friends and guests; in fact, my cousin is almost overwhelmed
with them; and they all, uniformly, pronounce old Cockloft to
be one of the finest old fellows in the world. His wine also
always comes in for a good share of their approbation; nor do
they forget to do honor to Mrs. Cockloft's cookery, pronouncing it to be modelled after the most approved recipes of Heliogabalus and Mrs. Glasse. The variety of company thus attracted is particularly pleasing to me; for, being considered a
privileged person in the family, I can sit in a corner, indulge in
my favorite amusement of observation, and retreat to my elbowchair like a bee to his hive, whenever I have collected sufficient
food for meditation.
Will Wizard is particularly efficient in adding to the stock of
originals which frequent our house; for he is one of the most
inveterate hunters of oddities I ever knew; and his first care,
on making a new acquaintance, is to gallant him to old Cockloft's, where he never fails to receive the freedom of the house
in a pinch from his gold box. Will has, without exception, the
queerest, most eccentric, and indescribable set of intimates that
ever man possessed; how he became acquainted with them I
cannot conceive, except by supposing there is a secret attraction or unintelligible sympathy that unconsciously draws together
oddities of every soil.
Will's great crony for some time was ToMI STRADDLE, to whom
he took a great liking. Straddle had just arrived in an importation of hardware, fresh from the city of Birmingham, or rather,
as the most learned English would call it, Brummagem, so