ORIGINAL RIDDLE.
I am older than the Pyramids, yet continually made new. In infancy I am of a cold disposition, but in youth am heated with passion, and I then usually acquire a permanent blush. My composition is very peculiar: I am made up of the head of an insect and the tail of an alligator joined to an organ, a sea, and part of a monkey. If the insect is exchanged for a vegetable, I may hurt you; if it is replaced by a Chinese plant, I may deceive you. I am found in the homes of the poor and humble, in the palaces of princes, in the temples of religion, and in the low places of the earth. I have assisted in the worship of the true God, and in the extravagant rites of the heathen. I often support insignificant and contemptible undertakings, yet I once took part in the most ambitions and presumptuous enterprise of mankind. Usually peaceful in disposition, I have caused the death of rioters, and once excited a mighty rebellion. Though used to rough treatment at the hands of ignorant men, I am highly esteemed and much sought for by learned scholars. By my aid rivers are spanned, tunnels strengthened, prisoners held in captivity, and iron industries rendered possible; without me, many would lose their livelihood, and London would be desolate. Finally, I am most useful when in bed.