Ulysses
venient (which he concluded due to a suppression of latent
heat), having advised with certain counsellors of worth and
inspected into this matter, he had resolved to purchase in
fee simple for ever the freehold of Lambay island from its
holder, lord Talbot de Malahide, a Tory gentleman of note
much in favour with our ascendancy party. He proposed
to set up there a national fertilising farm to be named Om-
phalos with an obelisk hewn and erected after the fashion
of Egypt and to offer his dutiful yeoman services for the
fecundation of any female of what grade of life soever who
should there direct to him with the desire of fulfilling the
functions of her natural. Money was no object, he said, nor
would he take a penny for his pains. The poorest kitchen-
wench no less than the opulent lady of fashion, if so be their
constructions and their tempers were warm persuaders for
their petitions, would find in him their man. For his nu-
triment he shewed how he would feed himself exclusively
upon a diet of savoury tubercles and fish and coneys there,
the flesh of these latter prolific rodents being highly rec-
ommended for his purpose, both broiled and stewed with
a blade of mace and a pod or two of capsicum chillies. Af-
ter this homily which he delivered with much warmth of
asseveration Mr Mulligan in a trice put off from his hat a
kerchief with which he had shielded it. They both, it seems,
had been overtaken by the rain and for all their mending
their pace had taken water, as might be observed by Mr
Mulligan’s smallclothes of a hodden grey which was now
somewhat piebald. His project meanwhile was very favour-
ably entertained by his auditors and won hearty eulogies