grandfather, as he paid that debt, which we are all doomed to pay, whilst I was yet in my infancy; but this much I know: that he is univerfally allowed to have been a gentleman in the ftricteft fense of that much-abused word: thank Heaven, however, there are fome who entertain a proper fense of it *! I think he died

A young man fome time fince having addreffed a letter thus, W. D-, Gent. Mr. D. was fo enraged that he could not help exclaiming in the prefence of half a dozen, "Gen tleman gentleman! I am no gentleman, I am an efquire!" As to the former, I believe his word is not doubted in the leaft, even by those that have the pleasure of hearing of him only.

"The only character that I am ambitious of filling, is that of a gentleinan, and I hope I have filled it as far as in me lies. I am defcended of a family in which there is no ftain, and my wifh is to leave it as spotlefs as I found it; and this in my opinion is the greatest legacy a father can leave to his fon; I pay every man his lawful debts, I injure no man; when I have an opportunity of Tpeaking well of any man, I believe I am not the laft to do it, and if he does not afford me that

died of a fever-the partner of his affections is still fresh in my memory, and I truft fhall be fo, as long as memory holds a feat in my brain; a good woman-if you knew her, and had but two tears in the world, you would drop one of them on her grave: Now, by all the laws of biography, except a few bye-laws, I find I am juftly entitled to say a few words of myfelf;-but the difficulty is, to know what to fay on fo barren a fubject. I dare not play upon my invention, but the misfortune is, I have not one to play upon. -If I could fpeak of myself with as good a grace as Montaigne, or even the facetious William Hay, I might

opportunity, I am filent, and if not permitted to be filent, I do not speak my mind in private, fome expreffions may be conftrued into warmth; but in my opinion, it would be as unfair to judge of the whole of my character from those expreffions, as to condemn a piece of land, because it bore a few thistles.' -Mr. Francis's defence of himself, in the House of Commons, in 1788.

entertain

entertain fome hopes of indulgence. The Spectator fays, he has obferved, and what is it he has not observed? that a reader feldom peruses a book till he knows whether the writer of it be a black or a fair man, of a mild or choleric difpofition. Now, as I wish with all my heart to contribute to the gratification of the reader in every refpect, I can foon fatisfy him on thofe heads: I am fair, rather choleric, but eafily appeased and a little more into the bargain, rather the talleft of the middle fize, with a nofe tolerably well-proportioned, and an ear tuned to almoft every fpecies of mufic, except matrimonial, though as fond of children as any man exifting, even in their grand climacteric, and as ready to join in their amufements-provided they let me mount my own hobby-horse, as harmlefs an animal as any in the kingdom if you do not fpur him too much.-Rational amufements, your

mean. If innocent I am rather indifferent as to the rationality of them: but I have not done with dear felf yet--I am one of those that would fain put off every thing to the laft; I would rather go ten miles on foot if it was a fine day, than write a letter on bufinefs, and yet I would rather write ten letters, than read one on the fame fubject. As to the ftability of my temper, you may form fome idea of it, when I tell you, that I am fubject to all the "fkiey influence." That's a fine clouded cane-then, why?-But on looking over an old pocket-book, I find my character thus drawn by my father.

"As to Charles, I know not what to think of him; one day I am filled with hopes that he will make a figure, and the next day, he finks in imagination to a cypher; he is full of spirits, but on occafions he can be ferious; he is generally the first to tell me there is a beggar at the door,

and

and to conduct him to the kitchen, without waiting for an anfwer. I am glad to find he has no diflike to history, and yet what fatisfaction in that? What is hiftory but a register of human vice?-her pages ftreaming with the blood of the innocent, or the tears of the widow and the orphan. The poets are his favourites, but I hope he will never be one himself. He is no plodder, I could never get him yet to hunt a word through a dictionary; if he does not hit on a thing immediately, he will not be at the pains to look after it. The chap The chap has fome taste, he is fonder of Pantagruel than he is of water-gruel. I cannot fay that ever I faw him strike a dumb animal out of wantonnefs, or rob a bird's neft-Come, there is a time for all things; but I am very much afraid he will never catch the old mower by the forelock."

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Good Night.