The Virginia Gazette

The romantick Story from Bengal, of an Alligator's making a Meal of three Sailors on board a French Ship that was lost in the late Hurricane, has engross'd the Conversation of almost all the whole Town, and furnish'd all our Coffee-House Connoisseurs with Discourse, variously affecting them according to their different Complexions; to the Jocular and Gay affording Mirth and Jollity; to the Phlegmatic credulous, yielding Horror and Surprize, serious Debates and dull Reasoning; of which latter sort a round Company at one of the most eminent Coffee-Houses in the City, learnedly debating about the Tale, and not entirely agreeing in their Opinions, they took Occasion to ask a sprightly young Gentleman, who casually dropt in at that Time, his Sentiments of the Tale: To which he merrily answer'd, he look'd upon the Writer to be an ill-natur'd Fellow, that envied the Author of the old English Ballad, Moore of Moore-Hall; his terrible Description of the Dragon of Wantley, in the following Lines:

Devoured be Poor Children Three,
That could not with him grapple,
And at a Sup
He eat them up,
As a Man would eat an Apple

And therefore he makes his Monster snap up Three Men in a Trice, and eagerly gape for more; no doubt the whole Ship's Crew. Upon this, one of the Principals rose from his Seat, and declared he was inclined to be of the Gentleman's Opinion, to which the rest assented, tho' one of them said he had seen an Alligator a Yard and half long; a convincing Proof of the Probability of the Narration.