Inscription on her Tombstone in Brambleton Church-Yard. Here lies Winifred, The Wyfe of Humfry Clinker, who was Dyed, 3 of December, 1804. My dear Humphry Clinker, or rather, Matthew Semjhoræ Biographicæ.-No. 2.* DICKEY GOSSIP. Leighton Buzzard, 1st Nov. 1820. DEAR NORTH,-My performance of posthumous justice to QZX., my late deceased and much deplored friend, has been somewhat interrupted by a short absence from the peaceful privacy I enjoy at Leighton Buzzard. I am much grieved, however, to hear that the document, which purports to have come from Mr. Kirby, is apocryphal — and I fear some slur is thrown upon me, as if I were capable of knowingly sending you supposititious matter. Since, Mr. Kirby has declared that he is not the author of the letter in question, (though I would that he had made an affidavit of it,) it shall be branded with the mark of apocryphal; and if he has a copy of the authentic letter which he probably sent QZX., and will transmit it to you, I make no doubt you will insert it in some supplementary manner, that the integrity of Mrs. Clinker's biography may be unimpaired. This present fasciculus will be, I hope, as much approved as the former-I am, &c. GILES MIDDlestitch. * From Blackwood, for December, 1820, † Mr. Kirby, the London publisher of "Wonderful Characters," and other works, wrote to Blackwood seriously complaining that the letter, in his name, touching Winifred Jenkins, (Mrs. Humphry Clinker,) was likely to injure him in his business. Accordingly, Christopher North gravely apologized for the jeu d'esprit.-M. MR. RICHARD GOSSIP, VULGARLY CALLED DICKY GOSSIP. SYNOPSIS. Richard, illegitimate son of Margaret Gossip, chambermaid at the Salutation Tavern, born 1st April, 1735, his putative father was Jasper Quidnunc ―ran on errands till ten years old-employed in a barber's shop in Seven Dials-in 1759, sets up trade as barber in the Barbican — marries Prudence Higgins, by whom he had one daughter, Tabitha, who survived him -find the access to news in London the cause of his neglecting his business -removes in 1791 to the village of Jadsby, where he officiated not only as shaver, but also as apothecary, carpenter, and dentist-died in 1801, aged 66. DOCUMENTS. TYP. "My grandmother." by Prince Hoare, Esq. London. 8vo. 1806. Works of the City Poet, 2 vols. 1778.-MS. Journal of Philip Vapour, Esq,-An original authographic Bill and Note.-Letter from John Oldbuck Esq.-Register of birth, marriage, and burial. (penes me Q. Z. X.) [My friend begins with all Mr. Gossip's speeches, and with the famous song, whose chorus ends with "Dicky Gossip is the man," from " My Grandmother," which is in the shape of a farce; although it cannot be doubted, that the real Dicky Gossip was the basis of the character there introduced. Unless, however, Mr. P. Hoare can assure us of the authenticity of the words, (and possibly some Boswell or Spence noted them down,) I shall be content to refer your readers to the printed work. The marrow of them is found in the synopsis.] G. M. Odes by Q. Horatius Flaccus, and the City Poet of 1788. Appone; nec dulces amores Donec virenti canities abest Nunc et latentis proditor intimo Mind your shop, my boy, nor spurn Show yourself a wise wig-maker, Should a laugh come from the street, I grieve to say, that I cannot find out who the city poet of London was in 1788. In former times, John Taylor, Elkaneh Settle, and Thomas Shadwell, acquitted themselves finely in that office. Nor can I learn that the place is filled up at present; the persons who occasionally come forward being voluntary, and not official performers. It is due to the young gentleman mentioned in No. 1. to say, that the discovery of the resemblance between the English and Latin ode is his; they are now printed, therefore, in juxtaposition, for the benefit of the curious, as indeed it is surprising, that two poets of such different ages should have hit on ideas so much alike. Q. Z. X. An Extract from the Private Journal of the late Philip Vapour, Esq. Tuesday-Low-spirited, cursed low-but not determined. whether to shoot myself, drown, or go to Sir Matthew's. A fool of a fellow, who calls himself Dicky Gossip, came to shave me -never heard such a prater in my life; his tongue ran at such a rate, that I could get nothing from him but tattle. Souffrance did nothing but ejaculate Quel babillard! He put me in a passion, and I forgot my blue devils. Thursday-To my infinite surprise, I found that my loquacious barber is the very person acting as my apothecary. The fellow, however, is amusing; and his boasts of being as much au fait in medicine as in shaving, are laughable enough, particu larly as his gabble is unfailing, continuous, fluent upon every topic, and equally pertinent upon all, or rather impertinent. Monday-Florella's trick has made me a happy fellow; but who should the carpenter be that fitted up the sliding pannel, which enabled her to appear as the picture of her grandmother, but my redoubted barber and apothecary Dicky Gossip! He has a fourth occupation; I wonder I did not want him in that department, as they say toothach is symptomatic of being in love for the chattering rascal is a dentist also. Well may he sing, as Souffrance tells me he does For this trade or that, They all come as pat as they can; AUTOGRAPHIC BILL AND NOTE. The Worshipfull Mr. Alderman Pentweazle. I SHOU'DN'T have sent your worship's bill, only as you desired me, I thought your worship wou'd like to know, as how Captain Pursy, of the Train-bands, fell down in a fit just now, at Mr. Mudge's door-I can step up with the particklars in a minute, if your worship pleases. Also, Mrs. Morrison's marriage with Mr. Cruickshank's is broke offsome say that he trod her upon cat's tail, and others, that she has found out that he has another wife alive. If I can know for a sartainty, I will be with your worship in a minute. Your worship's old wigg is in pipes, and will be baked to-morrow. The day after next the address is to be carried up to the King, by the Common Council. I hope your worship will go-nobody's head shall be better or more handsomely dressed-and I am your worship's poor servant, to command, R. D. GOSSIP. Letter from J. Oldbuck, Esq. to QZX. Monkbarns, 7th July, 1806. SIR,-I have applied to my barber, Jacob Caxon, according to your request, about the master of whom he learnt his notable art of torturing dead hair, and scraping chins, and bald pates. Not being acquainted with you, I do not venture to guess whether the information, which I have drained from his paucity of brains, will be looked upon as important-suum cuique. Caxon's mind has barely room for the entertainment of ideas arising from things present with him, and none hardly for those that are past. All he recollects is, that Dicky Gossip, who was his Magnus Apollo in the Barbican, in London, had a greater fondness for uttering news than for removing beards-that he was ambulatory rather than sedentary-and more inclined to pry into the secrets, under a wig, than to comb that useful appendage itself. The only specific fact pertaining to your hero, with which Jacob's memory seems charged, is, that Gossip once cut sheer through a gentleman's cheek, to his grinders, in shaving him, because he, the said Dicky, could not forbear watching the progress of a matrimonial dispute, in the opposite house; and, as it terminated in a leg of mutton being thrown out of the window by a vixen, before Dicky had completed his operation with the razor, so two catastrophes were simultaneous; the husband lost the promise of his dinner, and the shavee found, on rising from under Rd's hands, two fissures in his face, through which he might, if he pleased, put his dinner into his mouth. This noticeable fact "lies like a substance" upon Jacob's mind —and on jogging his memory three times-three times have we stumbled upon it, and upon nothing else. And now, if this is of use to you, learned sir, you are heartily welcome to it. Your apologies, for intruding inquiries upon a stranger, are unnecessary. The importance of what I can communicate, proves the |