prefented it to him as inconfiftent with his cloth, to appear with an actress in public. How fuch a whim could ftrike him at that moment, when he not only condescended to live in the house with me, but gladly accepted of a place in my box at the opera, plays, and oratorios, I did not give myself the trouble to account for, as it was truly ridiculous.

At the fame time I poffeffed too much apathy to take offence at the abfurdity of a man, who, upon other occafions, I had observed to be guilty of the fame kind of folly, though not pointed perfonally at me. For, before this foolish freak, he had always treated me with the highest respect, and an apparent gratitude; both of which he teftified by a demeanour nearly bordering on fervility. Nor could I account for this fudden alteration, unless it was the refult of a little debate which happened at breakfast between him and me, relative to Mafon's "Elegy to Dr. "Hurd," printed with his "Caractacus." This I warmly admiring, and the Doctor not happening to be that morning in a mood to fuffer contradiction, he propably took this method to repay me for daring to praise any production but his own "Demoft"henes." He had juft tranflated that work; and though the tranflation was almoft as frigid as his "Eugenia," his patron Mr. Fox raised a subscription for him, which amounted to a thousand guineas. We, however, fet off without the fanctimonious

divine;

divine; and, at our return, found that he had mounted his prancing nag, and taken himself back to Hollwood; leaving good company, an excellent dinner, and what he preferred to every other earthly happiness, curious claret, together with the fociety of Comus's favourite son, a treat that was fought after by every one who had a relifh for genuine wit and humour. Mr. Foote excited a laugh at the Doctor's expence, by declaring, that at times he poffeffed the pride and infolence of a Cardinal Woljey; whilft, at others, he had the meanness, fervility, and blackguardifm of a Buckhorfe. Having ordered the chaise to come for me in the evening, I fet off for London, instead of returning to Hollwood; and left the Doctor to keep company with himself.

Was it not for a few inftances which we find ftrewed thinly here and there, in the records of the actions of mankind, there would be great room, to doubt whether gratitude ever grows on this fterile globe of ours.-It certainly is an exotic; and there feem to be but few minds in which it finds a kindly foil. A review of some of my foregoing letters will prove, beyond a contradiction, that the feed of this. fame virtue had either never been planted by nature in the breaft of the good Doctor, or that it had not received due culture; or elfe, that it was choaked, when it put forth its earliest buds, by the native briers and thiftles, pride, arrogance, selfishness, and

deceit,

deceit, which there grew luxuriantly around it.. Which was the caufe of the want of this neceffary property of a good mind, I will not pretend to de

termine.

G. A. B.

LETTER LXIII.

April 29, 17

WHEN I arrived in town, I found that Mr.

Calcraft had fet off for Grantham, to preferve his fifter from the wicked arts of falfe, deluding man. Mr. Medlicote, of whom I have made mention in one of my former letters to you, had visited that place, and laid out all his attractions to captivate Mifs Calcraft. This young lady, who was of a fprightly difpofition, and tired of living a single life, lent, a willing ear to the addreffes of this accomplished. fellow, and vainly fuppofed he would marry her. But finding her mistake, she wrote her brother word of her fituation,

My hero fet out, with a determined refolution to avenge the cause of his infulted family. But, having time to recollect himself during his journey down, he thought it would be imprudent to rifque his life. He therefore wifely chofe; to bring his fifter up to London, rather than call her lover to account for

his prefumption. This was become the more ne, ceffary, as the affair had made fome noife in the town; and a country town is generally the seat of fcandal and goffiping.

It happened unfortunately that the fame poft which had conveyed him an account of his fifter's danger, brought him a letter from his brother, Captain Cal craft, who was upon a recruiting party at Huntingdon. Being upon a visit to an Earl, who lives in the neighbourhood, and who loved gambling more than propriety, the boy had been prevailed upon by his Lordship to fit down to play, and had lost to him two hundred pounds; which being a debt of honour, he had paid it out of the money in his hands belonging to the regiment; and to re-place which fum he had been obliged to draw on his brother.

The 'Squire, impatient of this double family cross, had fent back the bill protested, just before he set off. This was on the evening of my arrival in town from Foote's, and the letter had been fent to the Postoffice. One of the clerks, named Willis, came immediately to inform me of the event. Trembling at the confequence of the young man's being brought to a court-martial, which would have been attended with a perpetual difgrace, we confulted what was to be done upon this occafion. Though I had not the money, I could borrow it; but the chief difficulty lay in getting the letter out of the Poft-office.

.

Mr. Calcraft had taken Lord Tyrawley's three lions for his arms. And the government plate, left to us and our children by General Braddock, having, befides the royal arms, a greyhound for the creft, he had added that to the borrowed coat. I fortunately recollected, that my milliner, Mrs. Jordan, was related to the secretary at the post-office. Upon which, I went to her, and having borrowed the money, prevailed upon her to take my feal, which was nearly the fame as Mr. Calcraft's, together with a bank bill for the fum, to the office, and use her intereft with her relation to fubftitute it in the place of the protested bill. This fhe accomplished to my great fatisfaction. And as foon Mr. Calcraft's ill-humour fubfided, he repented of what he had done. Not, I believe, out of affection for his brother, but upon account of the disgrace, which would naturally have recoiled upon him.

As foon as he arrived in town with his fifter, he defired I would look out for a place where the could lodge and board, till fome family in the country could be found in which she might be eligibly settled. Mrs. Jordan, the milliner, juft mentioned, was a woman of family, and being connected with, and related to, feveral perfons of diftinction in Wales, she had an amazing deal of business. To this gentlewoman I applied upon the occafion, and prevailed upon her to take Mifs Calcraft as a temporary boarder.

F