tour. Indeed he was as highly finished as the fine gentleman in "Lethe.'

As I never enter into any concern that I intereft myself in by halves, but purfue it with my whole attention, my impatience one morning carried me to the window, to fee if the Mercury I had dispatched to the huftings, was upon his return; when,. who fhould I fee at the extremity of the ftreet, but Mr. St. Leger, accoutred as the complete fine gentleman. He had on at white furtout, with a crimson cape, a French waitcoat, his hair en papillore, a feather in his hat, a couteau de chaffe by his fide with a fmall cane hanging to his button, and attended by two Italian greyhounds.

As he came nearly oppofite the houfe,. efpying me at the window, he called out to me, Bonne nouvelle ! Bonne nouvelle !" A fcavenger's cart being close by, the fellows left their employment to look at this phanomenon. When viewing him with great earneftness one of them cried to the other,. "Tom! smoke Mr. Red heels." Mr. St.. Leger, who poffeffed as much perfonal cou-rage, with proportionable ftrength, as any man in England, no fooner heard this infult, than stepping to the fellow, he caught him up, and and fairly chucked him into his own cart.. Having done this, he walked in with a fang froid, that was not to be expected in the cooleft mind after fuch an adventure.

E 6

He then joined my company, who had been highly entertained by the incident, with the fame compofure.

After enquiries relative to the election, which poffeffed the first place in our thoughts and of our fuccefs in which he brought the joyful tidings, Mr. St. Leger told us among other laughable ftories, the following adventure, which had befallen him the night before. Being in the front boxes at Drurylane theatre, he remarked that Woodward (having feen him in the Park, as he afterwards found) had dreffed a character he appeared in, exactly in the fame fuit he then had on. Juft under him, in the pit, fat a lion,* (as he expreffed himfelf) with a cauliflower wig on; who being amazed at the fimilitude, with all the honeft fimplicity of a citizen, looked firft at the actor, and then at him, with an expreffion of aftonishment in his countenance, that displeased the travelled gentleman. St. Leger, therefore, without any hesitation, told him, that if he turned his head round once more, he would refent it in a manner that fhould not be very. pleafing to him.

The gaping citizen, however, perfifting, St. Leger, with the fame nonchalance he had juft given us a fpecimen of in the affair with the duftman, fnatched off his pompous wig,

A term at that time in vogue for a cit.

and

and flung it on the stage; faying aloud at the fame time, "I give that fellow you fee "there," (pointing to Woodward) " leave to "take me off; but let me tell you, friend, "that no tallow-chandler or foap-boiler fhall divert himfelf at my expence, with "impunity.' Honest John Bull was much grieved to fee his church-going wig treated ed with so much indignity; and would have refented the affront; but being informed that he had miftaken his man, and that instead of the puppy he had fuppofed him, from his dress, to be, his antagonist was the fighting St. Leger, he very quietly covered his pate with his pocket handkerchief, to the inexpreffible entertainment of those around him; and fitting down, waited very patiently till the conclufion of the piece, for the recovery of his wig, which had thus fuffered for its mafter's impertinence.-As foon as the play was over, Mr. St. Leger went behind the scenes, with the fame unconcern, and taking the actor, who had perfonated him, kindly by the hand, only faid, "Ah "Woodward! you have been very quick ❝ upon me!"

66

The gaining our election, joined to this gentleman's fallies, which had the appearance of wit, put the whole company into great good humour. To the foregoing ftory he added a very pleasant relation of his travels, and recounted numberless inftances

in

in which he had met with hair-breadth ef

capes.

From him I learnt that his fifter's ill-ftate of health made it neceflary for her to go to the fouth of France, to which Lord and Lady Doneraile had accompanied her.. This was a great mortification to me, as I really loved her, and had been long honoured with her confidence. I recollected with pleasure our little parties in the attic ftory of Lord Doneraile's houfe in Soho-fquare. They were much talked of that time, and very great intereft was made by many men of fashion to Mifs Conway and myfelf, to get them admitted to thofe feftive parties.

I had prevailed upon Mifs St. Leger before fhe went abroad, to confult Doctor Thompfon, who had proved fuccefsful in reftoring. me to health, when I was afflicted with the fame complaint. But the unfortunate event of Mr. Winnington's death, prevented it from being practicable. This great man, during his illness, obftinately perfifted in not having any other advice than that of his favourite Thompfon, left the regular phyficians fhould refuse to act with him. He at lengthdied; and his death made a very great noife,. as from his being a real patriot, his lofs was a public concern. The phyficians made no fcruple of charging his death to the igno-rance of Thompfon. This accufation, united with the chagrin occafioned by the deceafe

of

of his friend, was too much for his fenfibility to bear. They turned his brain. And I

had the unhappiness to hear that my reftorer had left this envious world to join his patron. An event which gave great joy to the legitimate fons of Æfculapius; who had every reason to fear, from his extenfive knowledge and unexampled fuccefs, (it fcarcely having ever failed but in the melancholy inftance juft mentioned) a confiderable decrease in their practice.

G. A. B.

TH

LETTER XL.

Sept. 8, 17

HE expences which Mr. Metham had injudiciously fallen into, involved him not a little, and rendered it neceffary for him to revifit York. He had introduced to me an amiable French nobleman, the Marquis de Vernieul; and likewife Madam Brilliant, one of the performers that came over in the French troop, conducted by Monfieur Monnet, which had been treated with fo little urbanity by the mobility..

I had now contracted a taste for expence ;. and without confidering that I was not intitled to gratify it equally with the perfons

of.