œconomy.

quence fufficiently ftudious of profit, cannot be fuppofed to have looked with much compaffion upon negligence and extravagance, or to think any excellence equivalent to a fault of fuch confequence as neglect of It is natural to imagine, that many of thofe, who would have relieved his real wants, were difcouraged from the exertion of their benevolence by obfervation of the ufe which was made of their favours, and conviction that relief would only be momentary, and that the fame neceffity would quickly re

turn.

At laft he quitted the houfe of his friend, and returned to his lodging at the inn, still intending to set out in a few days for London; but on the 10th of January 1742-3, having been at fupper with two of his friends, he was at his return to his lodgings arrested for a debt of about eight pounds, which he owed at a coffee-house, and conducted to the house of a sheriff's officer. The account which he gives of this misfortune, in a letter to one of the gentlemen with whom he had fupped, is too remarkable to be omitted.

"It was not a little unfortunate for me, that I spent "yesterday's evening with you; because the hour "hindered me from entering on my new lodging; "however, I have now got one, but fuch an one as I "believe nobody would chuse.

"I was arrefted, at the fuit of Mrs. Read, juft as I "was going up ftairs to bed, at Mr. Bowyer's; but "taken in fo private a manner, that I believe nobody

at the White Lion is apprifed of it. Though I let "the officers know the ftrength (or rather weakness) "of my pocket, yet they treated me with the utmost

civility; and even when they conducted me to con“finement,

"finement, it was in fuch a manner, that I verily be"lieve I could have efcaped, which I would rather "be ruined than have done, notwithstanding the "whole amount of my finances was but three pence "halfpenny.

"In the first place I muft infift, that you will induftrioufly conceal this from Mrs. Ss, because "I would not have her good-nature suffer that pain, "which, I know, fhe would be apt to feel on this "occafion.

Next, I conjure you, dear Sir, by all the ties of "friendship, by no means to have one uneafy thought "on my account; but to have the fame pleasantry "of countenance, and unruffled ferenity of mind, "which (God be praised!) I have in this, and have "had in a much feverer calamity. Furthermore, I "charge you, if you value my friendship as truly as I "do yours, not to utter, or even harbour, the leaft "refentment against Mrs. Read. I believe fhe has "ruined me, but I freely forgive her; and (though I "will never more have any intimacy with her) I "would, at a due distance, rather do her an act of

good, than ill will. Laftly (pardon the expreffion)

I abfolutely command you not to offer me any pe-. "cuniary affiftance, nor to attempt getting me any "from any one of your friends. At another time, or

on any other occafion, you may, dear friend, be "well affured, I would rather write to you in the fub"miffive ftyle of a requeft, than that of a peremptory. "command.

"However, that my truly valuable friend may not. "think I am too proud to ask a favour, let me entreat you to let me have your boy to attend me for this

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"day,

day, not only for the fake of saving me the expence "of porters, but for the delivery of fome letters to "people whofe names I would not have known to "ftrangers.

"The civil treatment I have thus far met from "those whose prifoner I am, makes me thankful to "the Almighty, that, though he has thought fit to "vifit me (on my birth-night) with affliction, yet

(fuch is his great goodness!) my affliction is not "without alleviating circumstances. I murmur not; "but am all refignation to the divine will. As to the "world, I hope that I fhall be endued by Heaven with "that presence of mind, that ferene dignity in misfortune, that constitutes the character of a true noble

man; a dignity far beyond that of coronets; a "nobility arising from the juft principles of philofo-, ❝phy, refined and exalted by thofe of chriftianity."

He continued five days at the officer's, in hopes that he should be able to procure bail, and avoid the neceffity of going to prifon. The ftate in which he paffed his time, and the treatment which he received, are very justly expreffed by him in a letter which he wrote to a friend: "The whole day," fays he, " has been em"ployed in various people's filling my head with "their foolish chimerical fyftems, which has obliged "me coolly (as far as nature will admit) to digest, "and accommodate myself to, every different perfon's

ἐσ

way of thinking; hurried from one wild fyftem to another, till it has quite made a chaos of my "imagination, and nothing done-promifed-difap"pointed-ordered to fend, every hour, from one part of the town to the other."

S

When'

When his friends, who had hitherto careffed and applauded, found that to give bail and pay the debt was the fame, they all refufed to preferve him from a prison at the expence of eight pounds; and therefore, after having been for fome time at the officer's houfe,

at an immenfe expence," as he observes in his letter, he was at length removed to Newgate.

This expence he was enabled to fupport by the generofity of Mr. Nash at Bath, who, upon receiving from him an account of his condition, immediately fent him five guineas, and promised to promote his fubfcription at Bath with all his interest.

By his removal to Newgate, he obtained at leaft a freedom from fufpenfe, and reft from the disturbing viciffitudes of hope and difappointment; he now found that his friends were only companions, who were willing to fhare his gaiety, but not to partake of his miffortunes; and therefore he no longer expected any affiftance from them.

It must however be obferved of one gentleman, that he offered to release him by paying the debt; but that Mr. Savage would not confent, I fuppofe because he thought he had before been too burthenfome to him.

He was offered by fome of his friends, that a col lection fhould be made for his enlargement; but he "treated the propofal," and declared" he should

again treat it, with difdain. As to writing any men"dicant letters, he had too high a fpirit, and de"termined only to write to fome minifters of state, to "try to regain his penfion."

* In a letter after his confinement. Orig. Edit. VOL. III.

A a

He

He continued to complain * of those that had fent him into the country, and objected to them, that he had "loft the profits of his play, which had been "finished three years;" and in another letter declares his refolution to publish a pamphlet, that the world might know how " he had been used."

This pamphlet was never written; for he in a very fhort time recovered his ufual tranquillity, and cheerfully applied himself to more inoffenfive ftudies. He indeed steadily declared, that he was promised a yearly allowance of fifty pounds, and never received half the fum; but he seemed to refign himself to that as well as to other misfortunes, and lose the remembrance of it in his amufements and employments.

The cheerfulness with which he bore his confinement appears from the following letter, which he wrote, January the 30th, to one of his friends in London:

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"I now write to you from my confinement in Newgate, where I have been ever fince Monday last was fe'nnight, and where I enjoy myself with much "more tranquillity than I have known for upwards of "a twelvemonth pait; having a room entirely to my

felf, and purfuing the amufement of my poetical "ftudies, uninterrupted, and agreeable to my mind. "I thank the Almighty, I am now all collected in "myfelf; and, though my perfon is in confinement,

66

my mind can expatiate on ample and useful fubjects with all the freedom imaginable. I am now more "converiant with the Nine than ever; and if, instead "of a Newgate-bird, I may be allowed to be a bird

* Letter, Jan. 15.