Fabricious's description of the poets vide Gil Blas / [graphic]

"Eight authors, lean and elderly, dine at an oval table in a handsome book-lined room. A plump man sits at the head of the table (left), reading and gesticulating. The others drink wine, or eat dessert; one helps himself from a punch-bowl. Below the design: "People think that we often dine with Democritus, and there they are mistaken. There is not one of my fraternity, not even excepting the makers of Almanacks who is not welcome to some good table - As for my own part, there are two families where I am received with pleasure. I have two covers laid for me every day one at the house of a fat director of the farms to whom I have dedicated a romance, and the other at the house of a rich Citizen who has the desease of being thought to entertain wits ever) day at his table, luckily he is not very delicate in his choice and the city furnishes him with great plenty"."--British Museum online catalogue