declining. This only may be remarked in general that whenever taverns flourish moft, the times are then moft extravagant and luxurious.

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Lord! " Mrs. Quickly," interrupted I, "you have really deceived me; I expected a romance, and here you have been this half hour giving me only a defcription of the fpirit of the times: if you have "nothing but tedious remarks to communicate, feek "fome other hearer; I am determined to hearken only to ftories."

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I had fcarcely concluded, when my eyes and ears feemed open to my landlord, who had been all this while giving me an account of the repairs he had made in the house; and was now got into the ftory of the cracked glass in the dining-room.

ESSA Y VI.

I AM fond of amusement in whatever company it is to be found; and wit, though dreffed in rags, is ever pleafing to me. I went fome days ago to take a walk in St. James's Park, about the hour in which company leave it to go to dinner. There were but few in the walks, and thofe who ftayed feemed by their looks rather more willing to forget that they had an appetite than gain one. I fat down on one of the benches, at the other end of which was feated a man in very fhabby clothes.

We continued to groan, to hem, and to cough, as ufual upon fuch occations; and at laft ventured upon converfation. I beg pardon, fir," cried I,

but I think I have feen you before; your face is "familiar to me." " Yes, fir," replied he, "I have a good familiar face, as my friends tell me.

I am

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as

as well known in every town in England as the "dromedary, or live crocodile. You muft under

ftand, fir, that I have been these fixteen years "Merry Andrew to a puppet-show; last Bartholo"mew fair my mafter and I quarrelled, beat each "other, and parted; he to fell his puppets to the "pincushion-makers in Rofemary-lane, and I to "ftarve in St. James's Park."

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"O

I am forry, fir, that a person of your appear"ance fhould labour under any difficulties." "fir," returned he, " my appearance is very much

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at your fervice; but, though I cannot boast of "eating much, yet there are few that are merrier: "if I had twenty thoufand a year I fhould be very 66, merry; and, thank the Fates, though not worth a groat, I am very merry ftill. If I have three "pence in my pocket, I never refufed to be my "three halfpence; and if I have no money, I never "fcorn to be treated by any that are kind enough "to pay my reckoning. What think you, fir, of a " fteak and a tankard? You fhall treat me now; "and I will treat you again when I find you in the "Park in love with eating, and without money to pay for a dinner."

As I never refuse a small expense for the fake of a merry companion, we inftantly adjourned to a neighbouring ale-house, and in a few moments had a frothing tankard, and a fmoaking fteak spread on the table before us. It is impoffible to exprefs how much the fight of fuch good cheer improved my companion's vivacity. I like this dinner, fir," fays he,

for three reafons: first, because I am naturally "fond of beef; fecondly, because I am hungry;

and, thirdly and laftly, because I get it for no"thing: no meat eats fo fweet as that for which we " do not pay."

He

He therefore now fell-to, and his appetite feemed to correfpond with his inclination. After dinner was over, he observed that the steak was tough; "and yet fir," returns he, " bad as it was, it "feemed a rump-fteak to me. O the delights of

poverty and a good appetite! We beggars are the 66 very foundlings of nature; the rich the treats like an arrant step-mother; they are pleafed with no"thing; cut a fteak from what part you will, and "it is infupportably tough; drefs it up with pickles, " and even pickles cannot procure them an appetite. But the whole creation is filled with good things "for the beggar; Calvert's butt out-tastes Cham

pagne, and Sedgeley's homebrewed exceis Tokay. "Joy, joy, my blood, though our eftates lie no "where, we have fortunes wherever we go. If an "inundation fweeps away half the grounds of Corn❝ wall, I am content; I have no lands there: if the "ftocks fink, that gives me no uneafinefs; I am no "Jew." The fellow's vivacity, joined to his poverty, I own, raised my curiofity to know fomething of his life and circumftances; and I entreated, that he would indulge my defire.-"That I will, fir," faid he, and welcome; only let us drink to prevent our fleeping; let us have another tankard while we are awake; let us have another tankard; for, ah, "how charming a tankard looks when full !”

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"You must know then, that I am very well de"fcended; my ancestors have made fome noise in "the world; for my mother cried oyfters, and my "father beat a drum: I am told we have even had "fome trumpeters in our family. Many a noble"man cannot fhow fo refpectful a genealogy: but "that is neither here nor there; as I was their only "child, my father defigned to breed me up to his "own employment, which was that of a drummer

to a puppet-show. Thus the whole employment "of my younger years was that of interpreter to

Punch

Punch and king Solomon in all his glory. But "though my father was very fond of inftructing

me in beating all the marches and points of war, "I made no very great progrefs, because I naturally "had no ear for mufic; fo at the age of fifteen, I

went and litted for a foldier. As I had ever hated "beating a drum, fo I foon found that I disliked carrying a mufquet alfo; neither the one trade nor the other were to my tafte, for I was by nature fond of being a gentleman: befides, I was obliged to obey my captain; he has his will, I have mine, and you have yours: now I very reasonably concluded, that it was much more "comfortable for a man to obey his own will than ❝ another's.

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"The life of a foldier foon therefore gave me the fpleen; I afked leave to quit the fervice; but as "I was tall and ftrong, my captain thanked me for 86 my kind intention, and faid, because he had a "regard for me, we fhould not part. I wrote to

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my father a very difmal penitent letter, and defired "that he would raise money to pay for my difcharge; but the good man was as fond of drinking as I was (Sir, my fervice to you), and those who are fond of drinking never pay for other people's discharges: in fhort he never answered my "letter. What could be done? If I have not mo66 ney, faid I to myself, to pay for my discharge, "I must find an equivalent fome other way; and that must be by running away. I deferted, and that answered my purpose every bit as well as if "I had bought my difcharge.

"Well, I was now fairly rid of my military employment; I fold my foldier's clothes, bought "worse, and, in order not to be overtaken, took the "most unfrequented roads poffible. One evening "as I was entering a village, I perceived a man,

"whom

"whom I afterwards found to be the curate of the "parish, thrown from his horfe in a miry road, "and almoft fmothered in the mud. He defired

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my affiftance; I gave it, and drew him out with "fome difficulty. He thanked me for my trouble, "and was going off; but I followed him home, for "I loved always to have a man thank me at his own "door. The curate asked an hundred queftions; "and whofe fon I was; from whence I came; and "whether I would be faithful? I answered him "greatly to his fatisfaction; and gave myself one

:

of the beft characters in the world for fobriety, "(Sir, I have the honour of drinking your health) "difcretion, and fidelity. To make a long ftory "fhort, he wanted a fervant, and hired me. With "him I lived but two months; we did not much. "like each other; I was fond of eating, and he gave "me but little to eat; I loved a pretty girl, and the "old woman, my fellow-fervant, was ill-natured and

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ugly. As they endeavoured to starve me between "them, I made a pious refolution to prevent their "committing murder: I ftole the eggs as foon as "they were laid; I emptied every unfinished bottle "that I could lay my hands on; whatever eatable came in my way was fure to difappear in short they found I would not do; fo I was discharged one morning, and paid three fhillings and fix66 pence for two months wages.

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"While my money was getting ready, I employ"ed myself in making preparations for my departure; two hens were hatching in an out-house, "I went and took the eggs from habit, and not to separate the parents from the children, I lodged "hens and all in my knapsack. After this piece of frugality, I returned to receive my money, and "with my knapsack on my back, and a staff in my "hand, I bid adieu with tears in my eyes to my

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"old